Saturday Meanderings

Happy first Saturday in July! It’s been a glorious week here in the White Mountains of Arizona, even though the last few days are a bit warmer than usual. I hope your Independence Day festivities are what you expected~whether with family and friends or just relaxing and hassle-free. Welcome to Saturday Meanderings where we chat about all good things this week. Please know I appreciate you joining me for this weekend post and look forward to your comments and feedback.

Movie Night with Friends

I have always wanted to have an outdoor movie projector and screen. Isn’t it romantic to be able to watch movies under the stars, on blankets and pillows as part of a summer experience? Have I ever done this? No, never. Not until last Saturday, when our friends, Mitch and Tevia invited us over for a summer movie night.

Our husbands inflated the screen and set up the projector (which can be set up through your smart phone) to watch the 1992 comedy, Housesitter with Steve Martin and Goldie Hawn. Both the screen (-18%) and projector (-30%) are currently on sale on Amazon. Discounts may be further during Prime Days on July 16-17th.

While waiting for it to get dark, we make pizzas using Trader Joe’s pizza dough and various toppings~tomato sauce, pesto, pepperoni, sausage, cheese, tomatoes and fresh basil from my garden.

Keeping with the summer theme, Tevia wants to try a new recipe, S’Mores cookies using graham crackers, Hershey’s milk chocolate bar, chocolate chip cookie dough and marshmallows.

Here are some loose instructions: Place graham crackers on a cookie sheet and add a piece(s) of Hershey’s milk chocolate bar. Pop a marshmallow on top and then wrap cookie dough (store bought is fine) over the top of the graham cracker. We pressed the dough into the edges of the graham cracker.

Bake at 350 for 18 minutes and you have this tasty S’mores cookie with melted chocolate and marshmallow. An easy, quick and fun treat this summer.

We plan to do a Goldie Hawn movie marathon this summer with our dear friends. Cannot wait for the next one!

A Good Way to Use up Garden Tomatoes

My tomato plants in Phoenix are STILL producing delicious tomatoes. Since I brought a big batch up here to the mountains, I am experimenting with some new recipes in order to prevent tomato overload. Since tomatoes can make a pie wet and soggy, I decide to slice them, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and then roast them in a slow oven (250 degrees). This will help evaporate some of the tomato’s juices, while deepening the flavor.

Roasted tomatoes are not a pungent in taste as sun-dried tomatoes. Since I also have zucchini from the garden, I roast it too. Since I don’t have many of the ingredients on hand as some of the online recipes suggest, I just wing it with what I have.

No store bought pie crust in the fridge so I make my own using all butter (no shortening on hand) recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction. After I blind bake the crust for 15 minutes, I let it cool before adding the roasted zucchini, roasted tomatoes and a bit of chopped onion. In a bowl I mix 3 eggs, shredded cheddar cheese, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Since I have no milk on hand, I squirt in some mayonnaise (yes, mayo) to bind the eggs and cheese.

On a hope and a prayer, I bake it until its done (maybe 35-40 minutes-as we are at a high altitude). Surprisingly, it is VERY good! Of course, I didn’t take any gorgeous photos of it, but here it is. Sometimes it is just fun to throw whatever you have together and see what happens.

It’s Been a Batty Week

In closing windows due to a thunderstorm, I go into a guest bedroom here at our cabin and see this on the ceiling.

At first, I am not really sure what this is, nor do I know if it is dead or alive. So I call my husband in for his opinion and immediately, he says it is a bat. Don’t bats sleep with numerous other bats? How did this single bat get into this particular bedroom? I notice the screen door to the glass sliders is not completely closed and assume that is how this little fella got inside.

I know bats do good things in nature but I am not a bat fan. Look at that scary face! I’m sure he was terrified of us, but glad he is outside now. Of course, as soon as we let him go, another bat made an appearance in the living room. Geesh. Creepy.

July 4th Festivities

Our mountain community goes all out for July 4th. Nearly every cabin has decorations in red, white and blue. Golf carts are decked out as well. We hang flag bunting on the deck railing and place American flags along the road, as we are on the Bullfrog Loop parade route.

Each year, we host a pre-parade brunch for neighbors and friends. Since many bring their children, we delight in seeing how much they have grown year to year.

What makes this parade extra special, is that it is also a big fundraising event for our local fire department. Forest fires can be very common, especially during a dry season. Our community relies heavily on their services and we consider them local heroes.

Fortunately, we’ve had a bit of rain so far, but you never know what the months ahead will bring.

Finn Training

Our “pup” Finn is not quite 6 months old, yet he is getting so big and strong. Perhaps we should have done more focused training when he was under 30 lbs, because he is at the stage where he is a huge dog to manage.

However, we have our very talented and patient daughter who is a dog training expert. She is working with him on a daily basis, while trying to train us too. Sigh.

From the Internet

Our peach tree produced very little fruit this year. I still have yet to find store bought peaches that taste great. However, if you are enjoying delicious peaches, check out Rachel’s post (from the Ponds Farmhouse) 8 Refreshing Peach Recipes for Summer.

Generally, in late August we will get Utah peaches at the market, which are spectacular. I may need to wait until then. In the meantime, here are some of my favorite peach recipes.

If you love fabric, colors and layered textures, check out designer, Meredith Ellis. I do love her style which is traditional and fresh, not stuffy. Who wouldn’t love a bedroom like this? See it here.

Need a mini vacation to the beaches in the U.K.? When it is very hot and dry, it’s a treat to fantasize about an escape to the ocean. House Beautiful recently published 27 of the Dreamiest Cottages in the U.K. with links on how to rent them. Oh, how I long for the ocean….a girl can dream.

Mary’s Must Haves

I made a fabulous purchase this week. Each morning we have our cup of coffee out on the front deck. However, it faces east where we get the beautiful, but strong morning sun.

I find this 9′ 3-way tilt, patio umbrella at Walmart for less than $50. At first, I question the quality at such a low price, but it’s a Better Homes and Garden brand. Pleasantly surprised, this umbrella is sturdy, cranks properly and looks great on our front deck.

You can use the umbrella with a 75 lb. weighted base (not included) or on a table with a 45 lb. base. It also comes in black and blue too. See it here.

I am a big believer that outdoor lighting is critical to the appeal of a home. Our outdoor path lighting at our cabin needs to be bright enough to see (it gets very dark here), but not the harsh blue solar LED lights that many outdoor lights now have.

I don’t mean to be a solar path light snob, but many of the designs available I do not like. After much research, I finally find one that is unobtrusive, and provides a downward, warm light. These Tommy Bahama Solar LED Pathway Lights are 30 Lumen and 6 to a pack ($47.99) and can be found at Costco. You can also find them on Amazon and Walmart but they are more expensive. They look great at night too. Finally happy to have one style outdoor path light that is elegant and functional.

As I have stated before, we have a big woodpecker problem here. Having a cedar sided cabin, is just food for these nuisance birds. I agree they are very pretty with their cardinal red heads, but their pecking is causing expensive damage to our home. As a protected species, you cannot do them any harm.

Last year I hung mylar strips from each window, which looked ridiculous but seems to slow down the pecking. However, the winter weather removed most of the mylar and the woodpeckers are back in force.

We are now investing in Bird Scare Devices that are reflective mirrors in various shapes and sizes. This week, my husband hangs these highly reflective, double sided disks on the side of the house with the most activity. Other types of devices include:

Our cabin may look a little like the Las Vegas strip by the time we are done hanging all of these, but hopefully they will truly scare the woodpeckers away. Reflected sunlight is supposed to to gently discourage birds, ensuring a safe and friendly solution without startling or harming wildlife. Time will tell.

Enjoy the rest of this holiday weekend! Stay cool out there as it appears there is record high temperatures in many parts of the country.