Why I'm Moving My Blog to Blogspot

 

 

 How comfortspringstation.com is now Carol On the Lake!

 

I've been blogging over 13 years using WordPress.org.  It has been difficult to work with at  times & keep up with the software changes.  I will be 78 years old in April, and I've decided to slow down on my blog.  I discussed this some at the beginning of January. Although I like WordPress, it does cost money. Yes, I had control, and the content was mine.  I no longer want to pay for my blog. Comfort Spring has problems with its HTML.  I am not a maven in this area nor an IT person. I can't even get a backup of it unless I pay several hundred dollars for a professional to do it. I am trying to not spend more $$$$ to do this. I can live without the whole blog. I've made a couple of drafts on blogger. It's easy to work with and I like that.

 Someday I'll stop blogging. I've seen blogs I visited when I first started just disappear. The bloggers had beautiful blogs with great posts.  When they quit blogging, those blogs were gone. One of the earliest bloggers who befriended me when I started is an exception. She hosted parties, wrote wonderful posts on decorating her home, and shared beautiful photos. Life comes in phases or stages. She sold her home in south Texas & moved to be close to her daughter in another city. Her blog from blogger is still online, even though it hasn't had an update since 2015.

Two years ago, I sold my home in Port Richey, Florida. I moved east to a condominium in Lakeland. I have my apartment decorated the way I like, there's no maintenance for me to worry about, and I can easily age in place here, hopefully indefinitely.  Every Monday afternoon I hear the workers from our lawn service company mowing, clipping, and blowing away grass.  There are 2 young ladies who clean the outside walkways in my condo building. It's mostly sunny days, and I'd rather be hot in the summer than freezing in the winter. Well, that's not exactly working this week, but still life is good.

 Now I am working on this new blog called "Carol On The Lakes". I am adding the top 20 most popular posts in 2025 according to Google statistics. I hope done with the top 20 posts by next week.  Thanks for visiting & I'd love to hear what you think.

 

 

Cheesy Broccoli Potato Bake

 Originally Published 9/6/21 on comfortspringstation.com

#1 in post visits in 2025!

 

Two of my favorite vegetables are broccoli & potatoes.Today's recipe combines the two with melted cheese for a comforting side dish or main entrée for a meatless meal. Add a salad & a piece of fruit to complete a vegetarian dinner.I'm using grated Gouda & mozzarella in my dish, but you could use cheddar cheese instead of Gouda.  Mozzarella is relatively low in fat & calories.  This makes it a healthier cheese option. I also chose low or no fat dairy products to lower the fat content of the dish, but you'd never know it from the taste.

 

 

If you do meal planning for your family, I would suggest you make baked potatoes one night with 3 extra potatoes. Use the 3 the next day with this cheesy casserole. I use broccoli florets & stem in the casserole. Peel the stem & chop. As a matter of fact, if you use the florets the day before, you can easily just use the stem pieces in this dish.

 

Cheesy Broccoli & Potato Bake

Use organic when available. Serves 4 as a side dish or 2 as a main entrée.

 

Ingredients

  3 medium baked potatoes cooled
  1 large head of broccoli
  1/2 cup low fat sour cream
  1/4 cup skim milk
  1/4 tsp dried garlic powder
  1/4 tsp dried onion powder
  2 spring onions trimmed and sliced
 1/2 cup reduced fat shredded Gouda cheese
 1/2 cup low fat shredded Mozzarella cheese
 salt and pepper to taste

 

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 F (190 C)
• Spray casserole dish with cooking spray
• Break head of broccoli into florets
• Trim. peel, and chop broccoli stem
• Steam broccoli until crispy tender
• Reserve 1 tbsp of each cheese
• Mix all ingredients together to coat
• Arrange ingredients in a casserole dish
• Bake for 15 to 20 minutes
• Sprinkle reserved cheese on top
• Return to oven to melt cheese
• Serve hot 

Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

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Snow Photos in Blackwater River State Forest

 

                                   Published on 1/22/26 on comfortspringstation.com

  

UPDATE ON MANATEES

I was really worried about the manatees down at the springs last Sunday (1/18/26) as the panhandle experienced freezing temperatures. There were over 800 of them at Two Sisters Springs hovering.

 

                               Sunday, 1/18/26  Photo courtesy of 3 Sisters Springs

                               

 On Sunday, January 18, 2026 light snow fell in Blackwater River State Forest near Baker, Florida. 

 

 

                                  It’s not everyday you see snow on a palm tree.

 

   These beautiful snow pictures were shared by Alan Jonny on Facebook on Monday, January 17th.

 

 

 

 

 I hope you have a blessed day!

  

 

 

Fire in Heaven, January 2nd Sunset Southwest Florida

 

 

                                    Posted on comfortspringstation.com on 1/15/26

 

On January 2, 2026, on the southwest coast of Florida, the sunset skies were amazing. Matt Dewitt Wink Weatherman shared multiple photos from viewers around Fort Myers on Facebook. It was a Fire in Heaven evening. Enjoy!

 

                           Blind Pass, Florida. Credit Nick Hobby

 

 

                              Fort Myers, Florida. Credit Kathie Collins Krainak
 
 

 

                              Cape Coral, Florida. Credit Pete Schlicht

 

 

                                   Cape Coral, Florida. Credit Debi Schulz Rushlow

 

 

                                 Fort Myers, Florida. Credit Eileen Steets Buchanan

 

 

                                        Cape Coral, Florida. Credit Paula Modlinski

 

 

                                     Labelle, Florida. Credit Mary Bartoshuk

 

 

                                        Fort Myers, Florida. Credit Eman T. Yacoub

 

 

                                Fort Myers, Florida. Credit Missy Baskin-Malinowski  

             
 

 

 

 

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Roasted Potatoes & Spinach

 

                   Originally published on comfortspringstation.com on 3/4/24 

                                            #2 in post visits in 2025!

 

I love a side dish that includes fresh greens. It not only has a great flavor, but also ups the nutrition. Today’s recipe is roasted potatoes mingled with fresh spinach in a sauce of garlic, butter, and fresh rosemary. You can finish with a good shredded hard cheese like Parmesan or Pecorino if you like.

 

 

 

 

Roasted Potatoes & Spinach

Roasted potatoes mingle with fresh spinach in a sauce of garlic, butter, salt and fresh rosemary

Use organic when available. Serves 4

Ingredients

• 12 small potatoes quartered
• 4 tbsp butter or margarine
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 2 tbsp fresh rosemary chopped
• 2 cups fresh spinach
• salt and pepper to taste
• optional shredded cheese like Parmesan

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C)
• Place potatoes in a single layer in oven-proof casserole dish
• Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat
• Add garlic, and cook for a minute until starts to brown
• Stir in rosemary and cook just until fragrant
• Pour sauce over potatoes
• Season with salt and pepper
• Roast uncovered in oven for about 30 minutes until potatoes are fork tender
• Remove from oven and toss with spinach and grated cheese if using
• Return to oven for 1 to 2 minutes until spinach has wilted

Enjoy!

  

 

 

 

 

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A Fast Meal of Linguine With Red Clam Sauce

 

 

                                          Published on comfortspringstation.com on 2/6/23

                                                Ranked #4 in visits in 2025! 

Need a meal in a hurry? Today’s recipe is an Italian pasta classic, Linguine with Red Clam Sauce. Delicious clams in a savory tomato sauce make an easy meal that is on the table in 30 minutes. I’m using canned clams which can be a staple pantry item for a quick meal. Drain the clams and reserve the clam juice. You’ll use juice from 2 cans in this recipe and add more if the sauce is too thick. You can use the rest in other recipes. The classic dish calls for linguine but if you don’t have it, spaghetti works well too. Start with a jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce. Add a few flavorful ingredients like capers and anchovy paste and cook with a quality white wine. If you try it with a cheap not so good wine, you can tell the difference in flavor.

Linguine with Red Clam Sauce

Use organic when available. Serves 4

A fast and easy meal of delicious clams in a savory tomato sauce over linguine.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Ingredients

• 4 cans 6 oz cans of chopped clams (or minced clams)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3 clove garlic minced
• 2 tbsp capers
• 1 tbsp anchovy paste
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• 1 24 oz jar of tomato pasta sauce like marinara
• 1 lb linguine or spaghetti
• 1/2 cup good quality dry white wine
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

• Drain clams and reserve liquid
• Put oil in pan over medium heat & add garlic, parsley, capers, anchovy paste, & pepper flakes
• Cook for 2 minutes but don't brown garlic
• Add pasta sauce
• Rinse sauce jar with 1/4 cup of clam juice & add to pan
• Add clam juice from 2 cans of clams (reserve clams) & white wine
• Stir well
• Bring to simmer and cook for 10 to 12 minutes
• Cook pasta in boiling water, stirring occasionally, until almost al dente
• Drain pasta and return to big pot (no heat)
• Add clams to sauce
• Pour sauce over pasta
• Put lid on pot and let it sit for about 3 minutes to finish cooking w/o heat
• Stir in Parmesan cheese, salt, & pepper
• Serve with crusty bread and a green salad
• Optional garnish chopped fresh parsley or extra cheese 

  Enjoy!

 

  

 

 

 

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Easy Cucumber & Onion Salad

 

 

                                           Published on comfortspringstation.com on 6/21/21

                                                   Ranked #5 in post visits in 2025 

 

 There are some summer dishes that are just easy classics using fresh garden ingredients.  Today’s recipe is the perfect example, Cucumber & Onion Salad. Slice cucumbers and onion, mix a quick marinade of vinegar, sugar,  salt and pepper.  The longer you marinate it, the better it tastes, but you can do a quick pickling.

 

 

 

 

The kind of vinegar you use is really a personal choice. I really like organic apple cider vinegar’s crisp taste, plus it has such great benefits for your health. There are claims to all sorts of benefits, many of which are supported by science.  This includes weight loss, reduced cholesterol, lower blood sugar levels and improved symptoms of diabetes. Of course if you prefer white vinegar, red wine vinegar or rice vinegar, feel free to substitute.

I do not add water to the marinade like many recipes.  The cucumbers release water as they soak.  If you find the dressing too strong, you can dilute it with a little water.  I’ve seen many recipes for this dish that call for a lot of sugar.  If you need to increase the sugar, try increasing to the same amount as the vinegar – 2/3 cup.  If like me, you love fresh herbs, sprinkle a little dill on the salad.  Parsley or basil is also good.  Also, I am using a red onion as I love the color in the salad, but you could easily slice a white one too. A Vidalia is a good choice.

 

 

Cucumber & Onion Salad

 

Use organic when available. If you want to make a traditional southern marinade, it’s a simple recipe.

An easy and refreshing side dish of fresh cucumber and onion slices in a marinade of vinegar and sugar, with salt and pepper. Serves 5

Cuisine American

 

 Ingredients

• 4 large cucumbers
• 1 onion, red or white
• 2/3 cup apple cider vinegar or red wine or rice vinegar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• salt and pepper to taste
• Optional fresh herbs like dill or basil

 

 

 

 Instructions

•     Peel and slice cucumber into thin slices
•     Halve and slice onion into thin slices
•     Mix cucumbers and onions in large bowl
•     Mix in second bowl vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper
•     Stir until sugar dissolves
•     Pour marinade over vegetables and toss to coat
•     Optional sprinkle fresh dill, parsley, or basil on salad
•     Cover and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes
•     Serve chilled

 

Enjoy your fresh garden salad!

 

 

 

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