I am one of those people that can kind of roll with the punches. It’s just my nature, if I get knocked down, it might take me a while, but I’ll eventually dust myself off and move on. Change is scary and it’s good all at the same time.
So I’ve decided to change things up. First off – I have a new look on the blog – just a free theme from WordPress, but I am trying to make my blog look cleaner. I am not at the point where I want to have someone design one for me – that’s in the not so distant future, but I have a lot of behind the scenes work to do. Because basically I don’t really know what I am doing with this blog, other than to put content out there and see if it sticks. I joined Pinch of Yum’s food blogger pro – she and her husband run their blog together, and in fact, it’s getting so successful that they have now rented office space instead of just working in their home, and have hired employees! They just ended open enrollment right before Christmas, but so far it’s been worth the $29 a month I’ve spent the last few months learning stuff I never even heard of.
SEO is very important to food bloggers – that would be Search Engine Optimization. There are tips and tricks on how to get your content high on google – so if someone types “best buffalo chicken chili” your recipe would make it on the first page of that google search and have a better chance of getting a view on your blog. But it takes a lot of work. I need to categorize all my recipes (oops – may have not done that a whole lot these last several years!) and then rename blog posts with recipes and rename the pictures within the same blog post so that it has more continuity when people search for recipes online.
I have only learned the tip of the ice burg, but with Hannah’s help, we are starting to figure it out. While I know I’ll never make $35,000 a month like Lindsay and Bjork do on their blog, knowing that I am a single income household, it would be nice if I could generate some income other than the $50 I make right now.
So here comes the change. Going forward I will be blogging three times a week (much like Shelley!). I’ll do new posts Monday/Wednesday/Friday and hope to build better content on those posts that can maybe get a broader audience, while in the meantime, going back through all my archives and cleaning up the stuff behind the scenes. Which will probably take months to do by the way, but I figure on the off days that I am not posting, I can spend my time doing that.
But don’t worry! I’ll still be the Instagram whore, and you’ll still hear about my life – it will just not be every day. Well, Instagram will be – duh! (my bizzy kitchen – are you following me?!)
Which brings us to the title of this post. While on Pinch of Yum’s video tutorials, I saw a recipe for a tomato/egg/potato dish. Funny thing about Lindsay is that she can’t really do much savory for breakfast, so she served these for dinner, and like Guy Fieri, pretty much hates eggs. Which made me do a double take on why she made it. Well, turns out her hubby makes it, and she’s more willing to try some eggs and decided this was a vehicle to like them.
Except her version had 6 eggs for 4 servings. Hum. Her point was that sometimes she would eat one egg for a serving, and sometimes two. But since I was making this not only for Sunday brunch but for two of my later breakfasts, decided 8 eggs would work – 2 eggs per serving. I also reduced the amount of oil, subbed in spinach for kale . . . you get the idea – in the end I tweaked just about everything, but the result was nothing less than spectacular! And Hannah gets the credit for these two pics – thanks for being my food stylists and photographer! And Fran, these were taken on the same camera you just got.
Jessica, this was one of the ones I bought when we went there during my Spartan race in Milwaukee (on the list of things to do in 2016 – organize my spices!)
This was so delicious – perfect blend of spice, the potatoes were so creamy and the eggs were cooked perfect for me. Jacob would have preferred a runny egg, but considering the other two servings are for my breakfast, it was all about me. Ha!
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Another change for me this weekend? Two things actually! One: I am reading a book! And yes Charlie, you are correct, other than Andie’s book, yours is the only other book I’ve read the last ten years. I am sorry I omitted that in my last post! And two: I need reading glasses. Hannah and I went thrifting on Saturday and everything in the store was 50% off – so that book was half off and those glasses? Cost .75 cents after my discount. They are only +1.0, but perfect for reading in bed – I found myself even with my contacts on reaching farther and farther to read small print. And they are blue – my favorite color.
I am already three chapters in and hooked! Speaking of hooked, I am hooked on the Netflix episodic documentary How to Make A Murderer. I used this show as a reward – if I did two loads of laundry, washed, dried, folded AND put the clothes away, I would earn to watch another episode. I also walked four miles at the gym yesterday during a one hour episode too, and it went by in the blink of an eye! Check it out if you get a chance – it’s fascinating.
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And now to announce the winner of the giveaway . . . .
True Random Number Generator:
Min: 1 Max: 35 Result: 23
Carol B
I would change the binging that I do on sweets. I was doing good until the holidays, and now feel that I have to something sweet every night. Guess I need to do a sugar detox for January!
JANUARY 1, 2016 AT 7:57 PM REPLY
Congrats Carol! Just shoot me an email at mybizzykitchen@gmail.com and I’ll have Andie’s book shipped to you from amazon.com.
Time to get this show on the road – my gym bag is packed, my food is all set and I get to stop by Hannah’s work to get my almond milk cappuccino on my way to work.
Make it a great day!
GAH! I’m so happy for you Biz. I love the new site btw. and if you’re looking for recommendations on “designer themes” I really loved working with the girls at blogzilla studios <- I paid for the theme and custom revamps and I think it came to $200(ish?) and they were super easy to work with.
Also, I couldn't stay consistent without my blog schedule. I'd lose my mind. I always admired how you were able to write/add pictures/post all before you went to work!
And I need to go back and recategorize my posts too (i recently added a recipe index and it's not finished yet… OOPS. i mean its functional, but not fully prepped). ugh. sounds terrible though.
I did have it down to a science though Ashley. At night I would spend about 10-15 minutes downloading my pics for the day and would write the post before work – turns out I have turned into a morning person, which I never thought would happen to me.
I get up at 6:30 and I don’t have to leave the house until 8:00 to get to work at 8:45, so 90 minutes is a long time to have to write the post, drink my coffee, walk for 30 minutes, shower, etc. So much time for activities! Plus it wasn’t a disruption when Tony was still alive – we had all our evenings together instead of me being on the computer all night.
Thanks for the tip on the web design!
Welcome to the reading glasses club 🙂 I even use it behind my computer at work now. It makes such a difference.
I always admire bloggers that blog every day. I think it gives you more time for other things if you don’t have to blog every day. I’m very much okay with it. I blogged 2 or 3 times (depends on the fact if I did a hiking report) last year but going to 3 times a week since I have so many photos to share. If I go on a hike, it will be 4 posts.
My favorite food blogger does it fulltime for a living. She makes her money by testing products and write about it on the blog, also writes about travels and you can hire her for that and she writes about it. You can hire her for presentations or cook workshops.
She has 175,000 unique visitors on her blog every month. Over 10,000 Facebook followers, over 13,000 on Instagram, over 6,000 on Youtube (she does cooking videos too). If you want to advertise on her page, you pay for that. For a sponsored topic or story you have to pay around USD 2,500 a week.
And that’s a site that is in Dutch so the reach is not as huge when it was in English. And she’s not the only one. There are 2 other of my favorite bloggers who do this fulltime too (they also all have the same advertising company that they work with).
I bet if you were Dutch and lived here, you could make a fulltime job of your blog too.
Ah, the life it would be to blog full time because you could do it from anywhere and I could travel more than I am able to now. We can dream though, right?
And if I lived there we could be best walking/thrifting/cooking friends! 😀
Damn that looks good!!! Pinned!
It is so good – I love, love, love savory breakfasts and this one hits all the marks 😀 Happy New Year! Maybe I’ll paths will cross this year?
That egg dish looks AMAZING!
I like the new look! Good job! 🙂
Thanks Lisa – you will be happy to note it’s only January 6 and I am halfway through my first book of the year! 😀
Going to miss reading mybizzykitchen every weekday morning. One of the things I can count on to perk up my morning, but I understand.
Aw, thanks Karen! Thanks for being a loyal reader 😀
I like your new look! Good luck with the blog 😀
Thanks Lauren, I appreciate it! 😀
If you have a 99cent only store near you, they have reading glasses.
That’s good to know – the ones I bought were from the thrift store we went to – they cost .35! 😀
Love that you’re shaking things up with your blogging! I will read, whether you post 3 times a week, or 30. $35,000 a MONTH???? Crazy…
Sending a big new year’s hug to you Vat!
Love your support Roz! ?
That egg dish is very reminiscent of Shakshuka, only southwest style instead of middle eastern! It would be great for a vegetarian dish to share with John.
I never really put myself on a blogging schedule. Only in the summer when Fridays are my garden posts. It helps to be organized, though.
I’ll have to look up that recipe – never heard of it, but it would be perfect for John! Hannah actually liked dipping the bread into the spicy sauce. 😀
Oh crap, I will miss the daily blogging, however the new look is nice!! 35k a month> Holy crap. Thats amazing. I do NOT like runny eggs so I can’t comment on that breakfast, I only eat a scrambled egg or a pan fried egg white( can’t do yolks like that). The sauce looks killer though.
Thanks Randi! Yep, cannot even imagine making that kind of money – a few hundred would be nice though! I can’t stand runny eggs either – mine were almost like hard boiled eggs – and you would be correct – the sauce was killer! 😀
<3 Love the new look!
Thanks Natalie! 😀 NYE!
I like the new blog style. Yes, it will be strange not seeing your blog email pop up in my inbox every day! Guess I’ll have to use my Instagram more to get my Biz Fix. Lol Glad I’ve had breakfast cos the egg dish looks yummy! Happy Monday! 😀
Thanks Sherry – and you’ll see me on the Healthy for 2016 Facebook group! Hugs!
I’m really happy for you. I never leave comments, but I had to just to tell you that I think your blog is fantastic, and that you should be making more money than anyone.
Aw, I think that’s the best comment ever Amanda! Thanks for taking the time to comment 😀
Change is hard, my Tuesday and Thursday coffee time is going to suck ass. 😉 Blog change looks good, good luck with all the changes – great things to come.
Ha, thanks Jacky – I appreciate you being a loyal reader! We need to start making plans to meet up – well, in February when I can have wine and beer again 😛
Was thinking the same, will send you a note with some dates!
That egg dish looks spectacular! I’ll be pinning that for a brunch I’ll be hosting at the end of January.
Yes! You will love it – the spicy tomato sauce with the tender potatoes – make sure you have crusty bread for dipping! 😀
I started blogging on a schedule to save my sanity and to take the stress out of “having” to come up with something to write everyday, and it’s served me well over the last many years. I like where you’re going and I hope you can be one of the $ucce$$ful food bloggers!!
Reading glasses make such a difference, don’t they? We sell a lot of them in the gift shop; it’s funny, people will either all of a sudden realize that they just can’t see, or worse, they need to bump it up to a higher lens. Getting older sure keeps you on your toes!
I watched all of Making a Murder over the Christmas break. It’s really compelling. No spoilers for you since you haven’t finished the series, but ohhhhh boy. That’s all I’m going to say for now.
It’s funny Shelley because I will literally be sitting at my desk and think “it’s Wednesday! I need to check out Shelley’s blog!” You have me trained for your MWF posts 😀
I am just starting Episode 4! 😀
I get your blog in email form. I will miss seeing it pop
in my inbox daily but I guess I will still see you on Facebook
daily. I wish you success in making these changes to your
blog.
Thanks Susan! You’ll know I’ll be on Facebook and Instagram in between 😀
The potato and egg dish looks delicious. I hope you have a fabulous Monday!
Other than being at work, it was a good day! 😛