Saturday Meanderings

Can this truly be the last Saturday of January 2022? Well, I certainly did not get ahead of my organizing projects this month as I had hoped, however, it’s okay to give yourself permission to just let some responsibilities go. Welcome to Saturday Meanderings, where we chat about good things this week.

Downsizing

Occasionally, I read Yvonne’s blog from StoneGable. Recently she writes about all the challenges in downsizing from her larger home to a golf course condo. In addition, she has suffered some debilitating physical challenges, which adds to the stress of moving. However, I do find her posts thought-provoking, especially as I slowly deep clean all parts of our home. Paperwork, photos and some of the childrens’ items I find hard to discard, but I am being a bit ruthless nonetheless. To see Yvonne’s post, click here.

What’s Happening in the Garden

Our weather has been very cool at night and warmer during the day. You can feel a bit of spring in the air, however, it’s still early enough for it to get to freezing temperatures again. Some of my tomato plants are producing. Granted, they are not as tasty as summer tomatoes, but they are superior to store-bought ones.

The nasturtiums are taking over the flower garden beds already. I just love the color of these edible flowers and look forward to adding them to my salads.

Lots of new planting will occur in February and will devote an entire blog post on Spring Gardening. Even my peach and apple trees have sweet, soft buds on them. And, the hyacinth bulbs are just peeking out of the ground!

Comfort Foods

With our chilly nights, it is easy to only want comfort food. The other day I was craving a chicken roasting in the oven and remembered I have a clay cooking pot, a Römertopf. When the children were small, I used this all the time, however, it has been collecting dust in my basement.

What is nice about cooking in this clay casserole, is that it allows for fat-free and low-calorie cooking. All you need to do is soak the lid in water for 15 minutes before you bake the casserole in a cold oven. Throw all your ingredients into the pot and your entire meal is ready in 90 minutes. Using a whole chicken, carrots, celery, onions and potatoes, I season the dish and add a few pats of butter. You can skip the butter if you want something with less fat.

The Römertopf fits nicely in the oven, and it is microwave and dishwasher safe. Everything cooks in the same pot so you don’t have a lot of pans to clean.

There are several recipes you can make in a Romertopf from bread to desserts. You can find a Römertopf here on Amazon.

Lemon Recipes

This week I made both the lemon ricotta pancakes and lemon blueberry bread. Both are delicious. I hope to whip up some Meyer Lemon curd this week too. If you missed my recent blog post on my favorite lemon recipes, you can see it here.

Advice on Selling Art

This week I am attempting to clean up my art studio and adjacent office. It’s such a mess and unfortunately in one of those parts of the house that is “out of sight, out of mind”. It’s probably the messiest area in our entire home.

I need some advice on what to do with the numerous paintings I have done. Some of them are from the early days and not worth keeping. However, I am on the fence regarding the others. If anyone has expertise or advice on selling art, please let me know. I wouldn’t know the first thing about pricing them, nor do I know if anyone is even interested. Would love any feedback or suggestions you can make!

Charming Neighborhoods

Since Phoenix is a relatively “new” city vs. those on the east coast or in Europe, I am always delighted to find charming, historic neighborhoods in our Valley.

Isn’t this the cutest home ever? It looks like it is straight from a fairy tale. And with it’s pink paint color, just perfect for Valentine’s Day. The F.Q. Story neighborhood is where I restored this 1922 home. It’s a lovely neighborhood with such unique architecture and beautiful sidewalks.

To see that restoration story, click here.

Finally Found Rose Cocoa

A few weeks ago, I mentioned loving Rose Cocoa from Wooden Spoon Herbs. However, they no longer produce it, but were kind enough to share their partners who sell it. You can order from either CAP Beauty or Covet and Lou. I really love it on a cold afternoon made with a combination of hot water and steamed oat milk, with a little blue agave syrup to sweeten. Since it is a limited edition, I did order 2 containers of it. Hopefully, Wooden Spoon Herbs will make it again in the future.

Well, that wraps it up for another Saturday Meanderings! I hope you have a wonderful weekend.