• Lock your doors. It’s a no-brainer, really, but still a crucial step in protecting yourself against thieves.  This includes windows by the way.  Thieves wait for nice weather, hoping you’ll forget to close and lock your windows. They also look for homes with families- they know that parents forget to lock back doors after their kids go in and out all day {or kids forget to lock after they go back in}.
• Back up your computer at least weekly. Back it up with an external hard drive that you keep in secure place, preferably somewhere different than your laptop so that it doesn’t get stolen, too.
• Back up your work online. If you create lots of docs you’d like to save securely, try a program like Drop Box.  Josh uses it for his PhD thesis/dissertation and it’s an easy, fast way to back up his doctoral research online.
• Install Covenant Eyes. This accountability program is fantastic for holding users accountable for where they go online.  Covenant Eyes is great for making sure no one strays where they shouldn’t.  An added bonus is that if a robber tries to go online, Covenant Eyes can track the IP address and possibly help the police recover the stolen laptop!
• Invest in insurance. If you lose your stuff, you’ll wish you had.  Enough said.
• Keep good records. This can be a hassle, but your insurance is worth very little if you can’t prove what you had and how much it cost.  Fortunately, Josh scanned in their laptop receipts and can prove exactly what they had.
• Don’t let thieves rob you of an ergonomic work station. If all else fails and you have to get new laptops or accessories {even though they left Em’s wireless mouse I gave her, its usb port was still inserted, so it’s useless}, go ergonomic!  Just because you have to replace your equipment doesn’t mean you should downgrade…or even buy exactly what you had.  Take this time to assess what you need {and even don’t need} and make an ergonomic choice. Emily misses a full-sized keyboard and a wireless mouse.

Hopefully you can save yourself the trouble of a theft!

Weekend Recipe: Vanilla Scones

• 

  You can dust them with flour, or even sprinkles...or for a golden look, brush egg on the top- all prior to baking.

  3 1/2 c flour

• 2T baking powder
• 1/2 t salt
• 2 eggs, slightly beaten
• 1/2 c melted butter
• 1c milk
• 1 T vanilla
• 1/2 c sugar

Now if  you already have an American Home Shield on your house and are in need of repair, please send an email to Sara Kitt at skitt@ahslink.com telling her what contractor you need and what the problem is.  Her business hours are Monday – Friday 9am-5pm.*

Please be sure to tell her that you are our clients in the email as we send them considerable business, and they like to keep us happy.  She is the assistant to Mary Murphy who represents AHS at our office and has been a tremendous help to our clients as well as us personally. Sara will get in touch with their better contractors and have them contact you, and you will get quicker  service.

*If it is an emergency and you cannot wait for Sara to be in the office you have the option of placing the order online at www.AHSwarranty.com or calling (800) 776-4663.

I hope this will be helpful information for you!

Soy-Mirin Chicken Skewers

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup mirin (sweet rice wine)
• 1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
• 1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut lengthwise into 1-inch strips
• 1 large red bell pepper, cut into 8 pieces
• 1 large green bell pepper, cut into 8 pieces
• Cooking spray
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
• 3 cups hot cooked rice

Preparation

• Combine first 3 ingredients in a large bowl; add chicken to bowl, and toss to coat. Let stand 15 minutes, turning chicken occasionally.
• Prepare grill.
• Remove chicken from bag, reserving marinade. Place marinade in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook until reduced to 1/4 cup (about 5 minutes). Thread chicken and bell peppers on 8 (12-inch) wooden skewers. Brush skewers with marinade. Place skewers on grill rack coated with cooking spray. Grill 4 minutes on each side or until done, brushing occasionally with remaining marinade. Remove from grill; sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve with rice.

Rebekah and Hayden

Hutton and me

And, just for fun….

Luke

Hoisin-Glazed Beef Kebabs

Ingredients

2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons honey
1/2 teaspoon seasoned rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon chile paste with garlic
1 pound beef tenderloin filets, cut into 16 cubes
16 (2-inch) pieces green onions (about 4 onions)
16 grape tomatoes

Cooking spray

Preparation

1. Preheat grill to medium-high heat.
2. Combine first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl. Add beef to bowl; toss well to coat. Let stand at room temperature 20 minutes.
3. Thread 4 beef cubes, 4 onion pieces, and 4 tomatoes alternately onto each of 4 (12-inch) skewers. Place kebabs on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 5 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness.

Be sure to check back next week for another Asian skewer!

Happy birthday, Riley!

(You can get a pretty good sense of Riley from this sassy photo!)