Recipes

@brightmomentcowww.abrightmoment.com

Sparkling Blood Orange MocktailThis winter mocktail is made with simple ingredients for a refreshing, festive, and nonalcoholic drink for a girls’ night in! Servings: 2 Prep Time: 5 minutes Total Time: 5 minutes INGREDIENTS • 8 oz. Blood Orange, freshly squeezed juice • 4 oz. Sparkling Water • 1 tbsp. Maple Syrup • 1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract • 1/2 Lime, juiced • Fresh Rosemary (optional), for garnish INSTRUCTIONS 1. Add the blood orange and lime juice into a jar with a lid or cocktail shaker, then add the maple syrup and vanilla extract. Shake well. 2. Add ice cubes to two glasses, then pour evenly the blood orange mix. Top with sparkling water and garnish with rosemary and a slice of blood orange. Enjoy immediately. Cheers!

BY LAUREN SEPHTON

Hi! I’m Lauren. I’m a freelance writer, a food blogger and the official Forsyth Mags Foodie! Stay tuned each month to find everything from achievable dessert ideas to healthy, quick dinners that’ll happily feed the family.

Maple-Glaze & Bacon-Wrapped Green Bean BundlesThe bacon is naturally caramelized in the maple syrup while the green beans are perfectly tender for the ultimate side dish! Servings: 8 | Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 10 minutes | Total Time: 20 minutes INGREDIENTS • 12 oz. Haricot Verts Green Beans, trimmed • 6-12 strips of Bacon, preferably thin-cut and sugar-free • 3 tbsp. Maple Syrup • 2 tbsp. Olive Oil • 3/4 tsp. Salt • 3/4 tsp. Black Pepper • 1/4 tsp. Cayenne Pepper

INSTRUCTIONS 1. Preheat oven to 400F. Line a baking pan with parchment paper. 2. Cut the bacon strips in half. Add a small handful of green beans to the center of each half, then roll together, placing seam-side down on the pan. 3. In a small bowl, mix the olive oil and maple syrup with the cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper. 4. Brush the bacon with the glaze then bake until crispy and golden brown, about 10-15 minutes. 5. Brush once more with the glaze (with a clean utensil), then serve warm. Enjoy!

Budget Blinds

How to Support the Caregivers

BY JEAN MARIE JOHNSON

For nearly a decade, my devoted yet weary mom cared for my father, 24/7, until he passed at age 47. She simultaneously juggled an apartment crowded with kids and pets, cooked, cleaned, and did her best to navigate the confounding Veterans Administration (VA). She walked everywhere, except when she took three busses to get to the VA several towns away. It was the early 1970s, and support for caregivers was not part of our cultural consciousness.

This is a serious subject. Many, if not most caregivers have families, jobs, outside commitments. Not to mention, the same need for a fulfilling and balanced life just as the rest of us. Beyond feeling for them, we often want to do something, to help out in some way. The challenge is that we often don’t know how.

Barry J. Jacobs, writing for the AARP notes that “not all help is helpful” and encourages us to think beyond dropping by with the well-intentioned casserole. “Logistical, financial and especially emotional support are vital to bolstering caregivers who are struggling with extended caregiving. But in order to make a genuine difference, these efforts need to be carefully tailored to the particular caregiver’s circumstances, personality and preferences.”

I know that my mom could have used a boatload of help. But the point of looking at yesterday is to gain insight into living better and doing better today. Here are several specific ways you can support a caregiver in your life. Be sure to tailor your help to their needs.

Be there Empathize with the caregiver’s situation. Offer support by saying something like, “I know that you have a lot on your plate and I am always here to listen.” Or, “Caregiving isn’t easy. Just know that I am a text or a call away. I mean it.” Don’t give advice unless it is asked for. Ask for specific ways you can help You might say, “I also want to be a pair of hands, so please tell me how I can be of help.” You may have to be persistent about this because the caregiver may just wave you off. If so, you might add “Let’s brainstorm together,” or “How about just one specific thing I can do right now for you?”

Offer to help in specific ways The more you know about the caregiver’s situation, the easier it will be to suggest concrete actions you can take to lighten their load. “Let me take that bedding over to the laundromat for you. I know you haven’t had the time and it gives me some reading time.” Substitute “cut the grass,” “walk Fido,” “do the food shopping” or some other task.

Help them to build a support team Offer to help them create a short list of people who might help in a variety of ways. This strategy can be very effective when family and close friends live nearby. Just engaging in this thought process can make the caregiver feel less alone.

Encourage them to take a break Many caregivers have lost the time and “freedom” to do the small things for themselves that translate into meaningful self -care. Whether it’s perusing the garden center, getting her nails done, or going to a yoga class, that break from the handson work of caregiving can be priceless.

Spend time with them Being a caregiver is often a lonely and isolating experience, even without a pandemic. Extend yourself. Offer to come by with coffees for the two of you, or to engage in some other activity the caregiver would enjoy.

Brookridge Retirement

Woshbox

Live Life…Never Do Laundry Again!

BY CAROLYN S PETERSON

It may or may not surprise you, but there is survey data about the amount of time Americans spend doing laundry. The chore of laundry is disproportionately done by women, taking, in an average week, 119 minutes, just shy of two hours; men, on the other hand, wash and fold about 28 minutes out of their week. With everyone’s busy schedule, who couldn’t use an extra two hours or 28 minutes? If you would like a bit more free time, Woshbox, a full-service laundry, dry cleaning and rug cleaning business, can help you live life and never do laundry again!

Woshbox started as a dream of South Korean immigrant You Jung. “In 1999, I visited the US, traveled around and saw the opportunity in this country,” said You. “When I returned to South Korea, I told my wife we needed to move to the states; South Korea was having a very bad time economically. My wife had family in Greensboro, so we moved there in 2000. I got my green card to work, and my first job was at a dry cleaner. I opened my first dry cleaner on Clemmons Road in Clemmons in 2003 called Crystal Cleaner. In 2020 before Covid, I had a good idea of what customers wanted and what made for a positive customer experience. I opened the first Woshbox on University Parkway in 2020 and then the second on Oakwood Drive, both in WinstonSalem. With the latest location on Clemmons Road, formerly Crystal Cleaners, we are able to service the community’s laundry needs.” You Jung’s idea behind Woshbox was to help people live their best lives by giving them a bit more time in their days, taking care of all their laundry needs. “We pick up, wash, dry, fold and deliver,” said You. “Customers can also drop off their items, and we will have them ready in two to three business days. We offer the same service for all dry cleaning. In addition to the laundry services, we also clean rugs, comforters, wedding dresses, suede, leather, dog beds, horse blankets and everything in between. If it needs cleaning, we can probably help you. People think a lot about cleaning clothes, but your rugs and comforters need regular cleaning, too.” Woshbox will wash, dry and fold your clothes, according to label instructions, then crisply fold them and pair up your socks, too! With his entrepreneurial spirit and appreciation for giving people opportunities like he was given, You brought Massiel Tovar, a native of Venezuela, onboard.

“I moved to the states two years ago and took the job here at Woshbox working behind the counter,” said Massiel. “In Venezuela, I was studying industrial engineering, but once I saw everything that goes into this business and how You works for the customers, I [decided to] study business at Forsyth Technical Community College. We really care about the customers and do our best to take care of their laundry and cleaning needs. Woshbox’s attention to customer service and expert care is not the only thing that sets it apart in the industry.” “We are very appreciative of our first responders and military, so we offer 10% off daily on any cleaning done for them,” said You. “For our customers 60 years and older, every Thursday is Seniors’ Day with 10% off their orders. On Wednesdays, everyone receives 30% off cleaning of comforters. We are very appreciative of our customers and their choosing us for their cleaning needs, so to give back is just the right thing to do.” Beyond these daily and weekly specials, You has a great desire to help those unemployed and job hunting.

“So many people are experiencing hard times these days, and at Woshbox, we will dry clean anyone’s suit, dress or whatever they wear for a job interview for free,” said You. “Looking your best for an interview is so important, and we want to help others who are trying to get back a bit of normalcy with a job.”

It really doesn’t get easier than turning your laundry chore over to Woshbox. Online scheduling is available, fill the bag, leave it at your door and You, Massiel and the Woshbox team will take care of the rest!

Woshbox locations: 3608 Clemmons Road in Clemmons, 366.712.3155; 133 Oakwood Drive, 336.725.3773 and 5061 University Parkway, 336.602.2860, both in Winston-Salem. For more information, visit www.getwoshbox.com.

Piedmont Federal Savings Bank

What I Learned During my Solo Trip to Italy

BY AMY HILL

My two-week trip to southern Italy was originally supposed to take place in May 2020, but my plans were derailed by the COVID-19 pandemic and postponed until November 2021. On the bright side, the pandemic’s uncertainties definitely made me appreciate my ability to travel internationally more, and allowed me more time to teach myself a bit of the language, and research and plan where I wanted to go when I finally set foot in Italy. While I expected to learn a lot about Italian culture, I also came home with a new perspective on many aspects of life. Here are a few things each region of Italy taught me as a solo traveler.

LESSON 1: HUMILITY

Surprisingly, Rome was the city I was least excited about visiting ahead of time, as it was the most touristfriendly city I visited. After being cooped up for so long, I was craving an adventure and a challenge, which is why I opted to only spend two nights in Rome. Although my stay in the city was short, I managed to meet four young adults in their late twenties from Jordan while sitting at an outdoor café and drinking a Limoncello spritz. As they spoke nearly perfect English, which was only one of the many languages they spoke, and told me stories about the various countries they’ve lived in while studying and learning languages, I quickly realized that I am a very boring, yet fortunate, individual. American media infiltrates so much of the rest of the world, and these young people from Jordan were speaking their second or third language solely to include me in their conversation. By luck, I happened to be born into an influential and privileged country, and am able to travel freely to most destinations with the comfort of knowing English will be spoken to a reasonable degree. The grace these four individuals showed me was undeserved, and their kindness in inviting me to join their conversation was touching. LESSON 2: PERSEVERANCE

Traveling from tourist-packed Rome to the lesser-traveled regions of Basilicata and Puglia in the south of Italy greeted me with a figurative punch in the gut when I realized English was few and far between. Traffic became more chaotic, and I nearly missed my bus from Bari to Matera when I struggled to find the correct bus stop. In fact, being inexperienced in using public transportation in general, I ended up taking the wrong train in Bari on one occasion, resulting in a 20-minute walk of shame back to Bari Central Station where I initially started. The difficulty of navigating ancient streets along the cave-dwellings of gorgeous Matera at night, adjusting to dodging motor scooters in bustling Old Town Bari’s alleyways, and the embarrassment of forcing myself to poorly speak what little Italian I knew made my visit to the Puglia and Basilicata regions my favorite. By the time I was ready to head to Naples after a week in Matera and Bari, I felt like I had grown tremendously and gained a newfound bravery and confidence in myself as a traveler. LESSON 3: FLEXIBILITY

My trip to Naples was actually an impromptu trip, after I received a phone call from a hotel regarding a reservation I completely forgot I had booked earlier that year. As it turned out, if I hadn’t checked into the hotel in Naples by midnight, I would be charged for five nights, regardless of whether I was staying on the property. Within two hours of my phone call with the hotel, I packed my backpack, booked a 3-hour bus ticket to Naples, and checked out of my Bari Airbnb a day early. My original plan was to head north to Florence, but my forgetfulness resulted in a surprising turn of events for the better and a five-night stay in Naples. Had I not pivoted and rolled with the punches, I would have never learned how to use a metro, missed out on seeing bucket list sites such as Mount Vesuvius and Pompeii, and I wouldn’t have made myself feel a bit uncomfortable in the process – which is exactly the experience I wanted to gain out of my solo adventure abroad.

Restoration Med Spa

It’s The Little Things… BY GENEVIEVE CONDON

Valentine’s Day. The day in which you are expected to spend tons of money to prove to someone you love them.

Okay, okay, I know I sound jaded, and it isn’t because I don’t believe in love - I am happily married - but I don’t believe that you need to spend huge amounts of money to prove for ONE day that someone means something to you.

I remember my first Valentine’s Day with my husband and how this helped shape our marriage entirely.

We are pretty simple people. We like going out to eat, but Applebee’s for a date night is more our scene vs. fancy silverware and pinstriped suit jackets.

So, when we decided our first Valentine’s Day had to be something out of a Hallmark movie, it was no surprise it became something more out of Pretty Woman (think the escargot scene).

We got all dressed up. I think I wore two pairs of spanx to ensure all things stayed in place and my husband wore a button up shirt much to his chagrin. The restaurant’s cheapest plate started at $75.00 and everything was sold separately.

What do you mean it’s $110.00 just for the steak?

I just wanted some French fries and a burger.

We giggled the whole time, probably too loudly for some of the patrons, as we both looked at each other struggling to figure out which fork goes with which course (thank you, Google) and stared in awe at our plates that came with just enough steak to feed a newborn baby. I swear it was only one bite.

We ended up passing on dessert and still spending almost one of our entire paychecks at the time and drove to someplace really special to us: the mall. The mall held a special sentiment to us, as on our first date we went to the mall and got milkshakes at this kiosk. Holy delicious!

Dressed to impress, I hobbled to the milkshake kiosk on my way-too-high heels and ordered my favorite. Hand in hand we walk through the mall, laughing and joking about what a disaster dinner was, vowing to never spend money on something just because we feel we have to in order to seem cool or keep up with the Joneses. We quickly realized we just aren’t those people.

Over the years, our Valentines Day’s have changed, now including children, but we have stayed true to a few things. Simple is more our style and we don’t have to spend a lot of money to know that the other one cares about them.

To be honest I haven’t even thought about Valentine’s Day this year. It’s nice to not have to stress about a fancy reservation, a dress that makes me super uncomfortable or trying to find the perfect gift to express how much I love my husband.

Every day we are blessed to wake up next to each other, and usually a toddler in between, snuggle in bed and watch cartoons. Every day we make sure to let the other know how much we care with little things like buying their favorite snack when out running errands, or a quick peek on the cheek when they least expect it.

I have learned over the years that it is the little things all throughout the year that solidify love and companionship in a relationship, not one day but days, months, and years all coming together to form a relationship that will last a lifetime.

So remember that, if you can’t afford a fancy dinner or a car that shines as bright as your love for your significant other, it’s okay because at the end of the day, it’s the little things that matter the most.

Black Mountain Chocolate

On the Road Again: Oregon BY AMY HILL

Craving a nature-packed adventure in the Pacific Northwest? Here’s how to spend seven days in the Beaver State.

Day 1: Arrive in Portland, OR

Book roundtrip flights to Portland International Airport (PDX) and reserve a fuel-efficient rental car for the week. In just seven days, it’s nearly impossible to take in the beauty of all parts of Oregon. Portland is a lively and eccentric city in a relatively convenient location to sightseeing much of what Oregon has to offer within a two-hour drive or less. Opt for a pricier Downtown Portland hotel room instead of a rental by the airport, as you’ll have access to public transportation and be within walking distance to restaurants, breweries, and local boutiques.

Day 2: Mount Hood

Less than an hour and a half east of Portland towers Mount Hood, an active volcano which last erupted 1,500 years ago. Its snowy peak makes for a great view along many of the area’s popular hiking trails, such as the Ramona Falls trail or Burnt Lake trail. Both trails are rated as moderately difficult for the average hiker, with just shy of eight miles worth of hiking and breathtaking views. Daring hikers with plenty of experience in higher elevations can take on a few of Mount Hood’s more challenging trails, while families with small children can find a plethora of picnic areas and family-friendly hikes. Day 3: Multnomah Falls

Get your cameras ready for the picturesque Multnomah Falls on your third day in Oregon, with only a 40-minute drive along the Columbia River. Reaching over 600 feet in height, Multnomah Falls is a photographer’s dream. Another hiking destination, Multnomah Falls is just one of many waterfalls accessible along the Historic Columbia River Highway. Nearby is Benson Lake, offering a disc golf course, picnic areas, and opportunities for swimming and fishing as well.

Day 4: Cannon Beach & Astoria, OR

Approximately 90 minutes west of Downtown Portland is the stunning Oregon coast, home to the famous Cannon Beach. Known for its giant rock formations along the shoreline, Cannon Beach is the ideal spot for wildlife peeping. In fact, tufted puffins frequent the beach’s Haystack Rock during the warmer months, observable to onlookers and making it a haven for avid birdwatchers. Later in the day, indulge in fresh seafood along the Columbia River in charming Astoria, a waterfront town 25 miles north of Cannon Beach.

Day 5: Explore Downtown Portland

the day. Treat yourself to a feast at the Hawthorne Asylum food truck park, take a stroll through the city’s Japanese Garden, or create your own self-guided brewery crawl. Make your way over to Kachka for dinner to try your luck at Eastern European cuisine, with borscht and vodka being menu staples for this Russian haunt.

Day 6: Mount St. Helens

Technically located in Washington, volcanic Mount St. Helens looms less than two hours north of Portland. Although you’re crossing state lines (be sure to read the fine print of your rental car contract), such a powerful natural wonder is not to be missed. After its eruption in 1980, resulting in approximately 57 deaths and a colossal landslide, Mount St. Helens is frighteningly still considered to be the most active volcano in the Cascades. On your final full day in Oregon, why not make the drive to explore such a monumental figure of American history?

Day 7: Pack Up & Head Home

After a week full of hiking around volcanoes, it’s time to head back to your home state. If you have a midday flight, Downtown Portland is packed with great local coffee shops and breakfast joints. Before buckling in for a lengthy flight, head to Ole Latte Coffee to enjoy a freshly made bagel sandwich and an artisan cappuccino on your way into PDX.

Barn on Country Club