Author Archives: Darold Hogan

A taste of France: easy creme brulee

Happy New Year, one and all. I hope this post finds you well and working towards your goals for this new year. One of my goals for this year is to create more unique recipes for my (and your) enjoyment. Approaching 10 years ago, I went to France. It was there that I tried various different dishes from exotic cheese, nutella crepes, duck, escargot, and orangina soda. One of my favorite dishes I discovered there was creme brulee. In recent months, I decided to get around to creating this delicate French dessert.

For this recipe you will need the following: 4 ramekins, 4 egg yolks, 2 cups heavy whipping cream, 1/3 cup granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1/4 cup of sugar for the caramelized topping.

First step heat the cups of of heavy cream in a small pot on medium heat until it is hot but not boiling.

No bubbles, no troubles

Next, whisk your egg yolks and mix with your sugar and vanilla

This is the desired consistency

Your next step will be to add the egg mixture to your heated cream while being careful to stir it at a steady pace. Once all the mixture is together, pour it all evenly into your ramekins about 3/4 of the way to the top. Afterward, fill your baking container with hot water until it covers 3/4 of the ramekins from the outside.

Pardon the mess, delicious recipe in progress

Next, in an oven set to 325 degrees Fahrenheit, place the baking dish into the oven for 45 minutes or until the substance is set with some jiggle to it.

Nice and spongy looking

Once the custard has reached room temperature. Refrigerate for about 2 hours. Once chilled, remove the custard from the fridge and apply an even layer of sugar to all the ramekins on top of the custard. Once coated with the sugar, torch the tops of the custard with a butane torch/cooking torch until the sugar has been rendered carmalized

It looked a little cold so I had the turn the heat up

Once caramelized, it is ready to serve. Amy leftovers can be stored for up to 3 days maximum. And there you have it, a lovely french dessert you can enjoy anytime! Until the next time, dear readers, excelsior!

The finished product

Realistically SMART goals

Going into the new year, I have quite a few goals to accomplish. This is normally the time when we would all set a New years resolution. We can set goals, but when we lack directon and consistency, we end up short. This issue is best tackled by SMART goals.

A SMART goal is one that is specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timley. Defining these parameters as they pertain to your goal helps ensure that your objectives are attainable within a certain time frame. An example of this would be: losing 20 pounds by the end of the year. To track progress, someone might do morning or weekly weigh-ins to gauge progression. Additionally, changes to ones diet and exercise regimine will aid in the process. As time goes on, one will be able to see how progress is going along to see if progress is being made in a timely fashion. If things are not being done in time, there are metrics that might need to be updated, like eating even more differently and lifting more weight and longer, more intense cardio sessions. These metrics will change as time and circumstances change.

No matter what your goal is, in order to obtain it, there must be purpose and direction as we as a way to monitor progress. A SMART goal is a specific way to measure out and make your goals more attainable in a realistic and timely fashion. Going into the new year, i encourage you to make SMART goals to have a successful new year. Until the next time, dear readers, excelsior and happy new year!

What is a line of credit?

As a finance professionL I am asked a myriad of different questions in regards to personal finance. From simple questions on account balances to the fine workings of credit, there is never a dull moment or a dull question. One common misconception I have seen is what a line of credit is and exactly how it works.

A line of credit is a revolving line of credit (similiar to a credit card) that allows you to access money as you need it up to a certain limit. You can borrow up to that limit again as the money is repaid over time. A line of credit requires approval by a bank or credit union through various criteria such as credit, income, and other factors that a lender may require. Once funds from a line of credit are used, interest will accrue until the loan is repaid.

Unlike traditional personal loans (and most credit cards), the interest rate on a line of credit is generally variable, meaning it could change as broader interest rates change. This can make it difficult to predict what the money you borrow will end up costing you over time.

Generally speaking, lines of credit aren’t as common as their counterparts know as home equity lines of credit or HELOCS (we’ll visit this later). These see usage for various things such as home improvement projects, weddings, unexpected repairs, and other things that might not have a certain upfront cost. Additionally, there may be other costs associated with the line of credit, such as maintenance fees. Be sure to consult your lender in regards to learning all fees associated with a line of credit. Credit cards will always have minimum monthly payments, and companies will significantly increase the interest rate if those payments are not met. Lines of credit may or may not have similar immediate monthly repayment requirements.

In summary, lines of credit are useful tools that can benefit you if there are things that are appropriate to use it for. They aren’t common, but whether it be for a person or for a business, a line of credit can be a viable asset to move things along. Until the next time dear readers. Excelsior!

Quick shrimp wraps

The year has flown by at a breakneck speed. With days seeming to fly by at light speed, it can be hard to keep track of things, let alone take the time out to cook. In response to this it’s easy to get a fast food meal out, but of course if you’re looking to eat something healthy and quick there is a fun quick recipe I’d like to share for your viewing pleasure: quick and easy shrimp and veggie wrap with chimchurri sauce. I used a simple assortment of veggies, but you’re free to add more as your heart desires.

Ingredients needed

1-2 lb frozen shrimp (tail off peeled and deveined preferred)

1 of each: green bell pepper and yellow pepper

2 cups fresh spinach

1 pack of 8 count high fiber Wraps

Assorted seasonings: for this batch, I used Mrs. Dash table blend seasoning, pepper, paprika, Tony’s creole seasoning, turmeric, and garlic powder.

For chimchurri sauce

1-2 lb of fresh parsley

1/4 cup oregano

2/4 red wine vinegar

6 cloves of garlic

A pinch of salt

2 dashes of red pepper flakes

2/3 cup olive oil

Step 1 – Be sure to thaw out the shrimp if you haven’t already done so. Be sure to double-check your shrimp for any impurities that may need to be removed.

Step 2 – After the shrimp have been thawed and cleaned, place the shrimp into a bowl and apply the assorted seasonings listed above. Set the shrimp to the side

Step 3- Chop peppers into strips and set aside in a bowl or container.

Step 3- In a food processor (or by hand), finely chop the garlic cloves and parsley and, upon completion, place into a bowl. Once in the bowl, apply the oregano, salt, red pepper flakes, olive oil and vinegar, and mix. Once all mixing has been complete, set this aside

Step 4- Heat up your desired cooking oil n a large saucepan and add the shrimp. Cook until the shimp is opaque in color and remove from heat. This should take roughly 5 minutes

Step 5- Once the shrimp has been removed, proceed to cook the pepper strips to your desired tenderness and remove from heat.

Step 6- Take one fiber wrap tortilla and apply a layer of spinach, followed by the pepper strips, and add a layer of shrimp and finally a helping of the chimchurri sauce.

Step 7- Enjoy!

The finished product!

And there you have it. A quick and easy, nutrient dense, and savory meal that can be enjoyed any day of the week. Feel free to add and subtract your favorite vegetables as you see fit for even more nutrients. Bon appetite dear readers, until next time!

Train your brain

As we get older, our brains tend to age as well. Some quicker or slower depending on chemistry, genetics, and other external factors. No matter where you are in life, it is imperative to keep your mind active, strong, and firing on all cylinders for as long as possible. The need to train ones brain is imperative in this day and age.

Just as our bodies require care and exercise over the course of our lives, so do our brains, especially as we age. Lifting weights strengthens our muscles, while strengthening our mental “muscles” improves our memory, attention, brain speed, people skills, intelligence, and navigation.

The ideal concept to keep in mind is variety. Just as muscles plateau when a workout gets easier, our brains can it a plateau as well. When a plateau happens, there is no further growth, and in order to continue getting stronger, one must vary the weight or lift differently to achieve better results. The same applies to our minds. This variety can come from learning new languages, reading different books, doing more challenging puzzles(crosswords, sudoku, scrabble, etc.), learning a new skill (martial arts, learning an instrument, crafting, etc.), daily meditation, etc. These different methods will help keep your brain active and thriving.

Additionally, there are things that can dampen our mental fitness that we need to be mindful of. Stress, excessive consumption of social media, poor sleep, etc. These are all things that can harm our mental state. It is imperative that we manage our stress levels and sleep schedules as these can have drastic effects on the body over time. Excess junk media can also be empty calories for the brain and should only be consumed in moderation.

In summary, our mental health is important, and it shouldn’t be neglected. Keeping your brain active will keep you sharp as a tack and on your toes. For a way to get you started, I’ll share with you a puzzle book that I recently purchased that I’m having a great time with. Our brains are eager for a challenge and for more knowledge, hence our sense of curiosity. Feed your brain and train it well. It’s not a visible muscle, but it is your most important one. Until next time, dear reader, Excelsior!

Do you even brain lift?

Ending summer on a flavorful note

With back to school season approaching (or in some cases already starting), time is winding up for summer activities. With such limited time, back to school shopping, work, last-minute family vacations, and the like, it’s hard to take a seat and get some things done. In honor of the end of summer, I would like to present a quick, tasty, flavorful, and healthy: quick and easy chicken fajitas!

First, we’ll need chicken breasts (size will vary depending on how many you have to feed, but for this recipe, I used 6 Oz chicken breasts). The chicken breasts must ve sliced butterfly style, after which each half must be cut into strips. Once cut provide a generous seasoning of your choice (for this recipe, I used garlic powder, pepper, Mrs dash seasoning, onion powder, paprika, a little cumin and cayenne pepper) and set aside.

Next, we will want to get our veggies. I used yellow and orange peppers and half of a white onion for this batch. Cut all of the vegetables into strips and sit the vegetables to the side once sliced. After chopping up the vegetables, pour a light coating of vegetable oil into a skillet and cook the vegetables to your desired tenserness and set aside.

After the veggies are done, nexr we cook the chicken strips that were placed aside to soak in their seasoning. Cook the chicken until completely cooked through. Once cooked throughly, add in the veggies and mix well for several seconds and remove from heat. Additionally, you can warm up your tortillas to make them easier to roll up as well.

Once the tortillas are warm, take the veggies and chicken mix and apply a generous portion to the tortilla. Once the tortilla is filled use and topping to add to the mix to complete it (I ueed spinach and tomatoes as well as salsa and sour cream to top it off). Once everything is together you are ready to eat in no time!

This quick and easy recipe is easy for anyone of any skill to cook. This is a fun recipe to get the whole family in and is always a crowd pleasing dish that is also super filling depending on the size of the fajitas! Until the next time dear readers, stay healthy and safe. Excelsior!

A quick update

I wanted to take a moment to share my latest project I’ve been working on that is very near to my heart. I have been working on a monthly budgeting tool with a few extra goodies to help highlight where money goes and helps track where one is compared to their projections. This is a great tool that can be reused easily and can even help you recognize where you are in terms of building your net worth. Click here to view my monthly budgeting tool.

A snippet of a chart from my planner detailing spending categories

I still have my latest entry aside from my update in store for later this month. Stay tuned dear readers for the next entry! Excelsior!

The F in fitness means fun

As someone who likes to exercise and also likes to travel, there are times where A) I might not have time to work out or B) I lack the proper equipment to do so. I’m moments like these it is good to come up with creative ways to get a good quality workout session in. One method I utilized during the pandemic, and sometimes just for fun, is the utilization of playground equipment. To add more difficulty for these workouts, you can also use a weighted training vest to add more variety to your training.

To start things off, I begin with a light jog to the playground to get the blood flowing as I live nearby to a park in my neighborhood. After warming up, I then assess the equipment for ideas to get things going.

Not my playground but think of the possibilities

For my particular exercise I recently used I did the following: chin ups 3 sets of 10 repetitions using the hanging bar, 3 sets of 10 repetitions of dips using the bars for the steps leading to the play structure (or the bars making the bridge works too), I utilized the stepping platform (or rock climbing wall of the angle is good enough ) for a challenging plank for 3 sets of 45 seconds, and to finish up I used a picnic table for box jumps for 3 sets of 10 repititions. (Alternatively any high platform on the play structure will work fine so long as you have clearance to do it without bumping into anything).

Fitness is an important investment, and despite circumstances, it pays to be creative to get those reps in. Given that it is now summertime, this can be a fun edition to a workout program. Challenge your mind and body with this exercise I did or make your own up. Remember, the F in fitness stands for fun. Excelsior!

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The Iroh workout

Greetings dear readers, it has been a while but after a brief sabbatical I have returned. Speaking of returns, the warm weather is looking to make a return to prevalence after a moderate winter. After all these months of hibernation it is time for summer sports and activities. The best way to get ready for the more active time of year is preparing our physical health for outdoor projects and other activities.

For this year’s preparation I will share my latest workout plan I have prescribed myself to during the last several weeks. This plan comes inspired from one of my favorite shows growing up: Avatar the last airbender. Mild spoilers for those that haven’t watched this masterpiece of a series: one of the main characters, general iroh, is imprisoned and during his time in prison he spent time planning and preparing his body for his eventual escape from his captors. I will highlight his training regimen during his time in prison: sit ups, clap push-ups, hand stand push-ups, one hand pull ups. Inverted sit ups at the top of his cell. Of course there are more workouts one could do to develop more strength but I will focus on exercises one can use with limited to no equipment.

General Iroh aka the dragon of the west

I will divide these exercises into specific levels to work up to as time progresses. I’ll also include alternatives to mix things up as needed. For an extra challenge, you can also increase the set totals or reps per set (I recommend increasing the reps by increments of five). I would recommend 30 second to 1 minute rest periods between sets as you progress.

Level one:
3×10 Pike Push Ups

3×15 Sit Ups/Crunches

3×20 Push Ups

3×25 Lying Leg Raises

Level Three:
3×10 Handstand Push Ups ( alternatively I used incline/decline Push Ups as I can not do a successful handstand…yet)

3×15 Pull Ups (regular or door trainer modified. Check out my paid link for a good starting door trainer)

3×20 Sit Ups

3×20 Clap Push Ups

3×25 Hanging Leg Raises (or lying leg raises with ankle weights if available)

Level Four:
3×5 One Arm Pull Ups (each arm) or do a door frame row to work your way up

3×15 Inverted Sit Ups

3×20 Handstand Push Ups (alternative incline/decline Push Ups)

3×20 Clap Push Ups

3×25 Sit Ups

I have tried this workout program for myself, and it has been a very good series that doesn’t require heavy weight. This is perfect in a limited to no equipment environment and for those who love callestenic workouts. Until the next time, dear readers. Excelsior!

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Fighting February

Words are powerful, use them wisely

Everyone has a “bad” period of time in their life. From a bad day to a bad year (or three if we reference the last few years depending on the experience). These are tough spots to find oneself in, but where there is a bad time, there is a good time.

From struggling Performance at work, rough patches in relationships, health nagging, money trouble, writing blocks, and more. These are different struggles any and everyone faces on any given day. These times can prove rather disheartening and discouraging for anyone. Despite this feeling of discouragement, it is imperative to be able to know that there are tools and resources and people around you that do care about your struggles, and there are people in your corner cheering you on. From 10 friends to 1 friend and everything in between, there are people who can encourage, uplift, and inspire. Seek out people and things that uplift and bring about positive results to your struggles. For some that could be a workout in the gym, others’ time in prayer or meditation, and other’s time with loved ones over a home cooked meal. No matter the struggle or test; seek out the light at the end of the tunnel for the good of your bad day or situation. Reach out to others and pour out your support to them as well as you never know what their struggle may be. Take the time out to call that friend or family member to let them know you care about them and see how it brightens their day. We’re all we have in this world. Why not use the time we have to help each other when we’re down and stand up together?

This month seems to have been a hard month for a lot of people I know personally and maybe it’s the same for you. I encourage you to take the time out to find the things that lift your spirit, mental health, and overall well-being and cherish them in times like these. Stay encouraged, dear readers, Excelsior!