Happy Easter weekend! I love this time of year and have such happy memories of this holiday. Dad would buy us corsages to pin on our new spring coats. Dressing up for church in hats and gloves and Mom’s homemade lamb cake after dinner. Signs of spring would be popping up in Connecticut and winter was in the rear view mirror. Thanks for joining me today for Saturday Meanderings where we chat about all good things that happen this week.

This picture cracks me up! That’s me in the foreground, with my older sister and brother and Mom. Not sure when this was taken, but it may have been before my other 2 siblings were born? I still look dorky in a hat!

And We Have Winners!

Thank you ALL so much for your comments to last Saturday’s post. Your feedback and comments are like gold to me. Instead of choosing just two winners for a free box of fresh citrus, I picked four out of a hat. The winners are: Debbie Fischer, Linda DeBono, Tanya Lochridge and Virginia Jordan. I hope you have all received your fruit!

I am Hooked!

Thank you, Valerie for the suggestion to watch the Cornell Lab Barred Owl live cam. I am completely addicted. For those of you unfamiliar with this, there is a live camera on a barred owl in a nest in Indiana. She is sitting on 2 eggs which should be hatching within the next week or two. What I find fascinating is her dedicated partner who brings a variety of food to her, while she incubates the eggs. From snakes to frogs to a woodpecker, this mama owl is eating well.

I literally keep the feed up on my laptop in the kitchen and catch glimpses of her throughout my day. And if you miss an important event like a feeding, there are short videos that capture the important moments. Isn’t Mother Nature amazing? Here is the link.

What is Wrong with my Hollyhocks?

Typically, I have very good luck with hollyhocks. They are like weeds here and grow everywhere. A particularly stunning show of hollyhocks is located near my vegetable garden. But this year, these hollyhock plants are deformed.

The leaves are tightly curled and the flowers are small and sparse. Does anyone know why? At first I thought it might be frost damage? However, in other parts of the yard, the hollyhocks look fine. I’m hoping it’s not a virus or something that spreads.

I think I may pull all the damaged plants out and replant, as I have lots of seeds. It’s a bit perplexing.

Did you Know?

If you are like me and not in-the-know, it appears that every 26-ounce canister of iodized Morton Table Salt has a built-in salt shaker. This is only revealed after removing the sticker from the metal spout. Under each sticker are two salt-shaker-sized holes that can be used to pour much smaller amounts of salt — without having to pour it into your hand first.

Someone posted this on TikTok and has over 13 million views. I certainly didn’t know this! Did you?

Also, please remember that iodine is an important nutrient that your thyroid needs to produce certain hormones. Not getting enough iodine in your diet can lead to problems such as an enlarged thyroid gland (goiter) and an abnormally low level of thyroid hormones (hypothyroidism).

Unexpected Project Completed

On the back of our well tower, is a small platform with a fireman’s pole (to slide down from the second level). Unknown to us, the platform has been rotting due to water damage, which we just discovered this week.

Fortunately our contractor John is able to come by and replace the damaged wood.

My husband repaints the security railing which is faded from the sun exposure.

Now the platform is completely stable and ready for our friends and family to use and slide down the pole safely.

There is always something to repair with these old houses!

The Cherry Blossom paper Wreath

Last Saturday, I shared the paper cherry blossom wreath by Janine from Happy Happy Nester. Well, this week I decide to make it (as I love cherry blossoms). This is the first time I have ever used paper flowers for anything.

Since I want the flowers to have some weight, I download the pictures of the cherry blossoms and print them on some old stationary paper stock.

Cutting the flowers is a bit tedious, however, after a while, I just relax and cut while watching my barred owl live camera! The whole process reminds me of cutting out paper dolls and clothing (am I dating myself?).

In Janine’s tutorial, she uses a 12′ wreath, while mine is a 15″ wreath, so I just keep cutting flowers. A previously used grapevine wreath with lots of old glue dots makes my placement strategy easy by just covering the spots up with flowers.

So what do you think? I’m actually surprised and delighted with it!

The number of flowers cut depends on the width of your wreath and the density of your flowers. For my 15″ wreath there are 70 flowers. Bending the petals gives the flowers a more life-like appearance. You could do less flowers, too.

Baking this Week

I keep trying to perfect two recipes~gruyere, garlic and rosemary sourdough bread and a sourdough panettone. This week, the panettone gives me the perfect rise out of its tall pan and finally I feel like I have a success.

Last week’s panettone:

This week’s panettone:

Trying to get my baking in before the hot summer hits.

Hurt Hummingbird

The downside to having clean windows is birds often fly right into them. This unfortunate incident occurred this week with a hummingbird. My husband found it and it was unclear whether the little fella would make it.

He put the injured bird into a makeshift bed and placed it in a tree. A few hours later, the hummingbird was gone! So we are hoping that he/she recovered from the shock of hitting the window. Makes me want to have dirty windows.

On the Internet

If you are longing for beautiful pictures of front porches, check out my friend, Stacy’s (from Bricks ‘n Blooms) post on 7 Small Porch Ideas on a Budget. I’m always looking for ways to charm up my front porch without spending a lot of money. Plus this post will lead you to 9 other bloggers’ front porch ideas! See it here.

If you garden or just love beautiful flower gardens, you cannot go wrong with reading Kim’s blog (from Shiplap and Shells). For those of us who are enjoying the daffodils, tulips, hyacinths and other flowering bulbs, pretty soon they will wither. After showing their best blooms, we are now left with rather ugly plants. Kim has a great post on When to Cut Back Spring Bulb Flowers and Their Foliage. I’m at that stage with some of our holiday bulbs (amaryllis, narcissus and now my tulips). Lots of good information here.

Whether you celebrate Easter or Passover or just Spring, have a blessed beautiful and blessed weekend. I am so excited that I will be hosting Easter brunch for 8 and will spend all of today cooking and baking. Ah, my happy place!

As I write this, the skies are heavy and gray with a gentle rain falling. We cherish the rain here in the southwest. However, it’s hard to get motivated to do anything since I’d prefer to just curl up with a good book and a cup of tea. Happy Saturday to you and I love writing this post to chat about all good things this week.

Color Attraction

For some reason, every March I am attracted to the color violet/purple. The rest of the year this color doesn’t seem to float my boat, which seems a bit odd to me. In March 2018, I wrote a post about this very topic, realizing that 5 years ago, in March, purple was again the color for me.

This must have something to do with taxes~the needless worrying that goes with that unpleasant event. Anyway, Coco from The Crowned Goat wrote a wonderfully thoughtful post (see it here), which inspires me to look for violet bed linen.

In googling lavender sheets, I find this bargain at Home Depot. Laura Ashley Lillian 4-piece sheets (king) for $42.83! When did Laura Ashley sheets get so inexpensive? The original price is $77.81 with a $35.04 discount! They should arrive in a few days but I am very excited about getting them.

Here’s the link in case you too are having a violet/lavender/purple obsession.

New Faux plants

I cannot take complete credit for this because I saw these faux boxwood topiaries on a recent Miss Mustard Seed blog post. Don’t you love it when someone else does the research, makes the purchase and then shares their review? It is fortuitous since I am in the market for two, low (actually no) maintenance plants on the front porch of the pool house.

At 56″ tall, I think these artificial boxwood topiaries provide a bit of elegance to the front entry of the pool house. It appears they may be out of stock on Amazon (see link here). I am able to order them directly from the Silk Warehouse for $239.00 for two trees. UV rated for out door use, I am hoping they last a long time. No watering required!

The plants are inserted into these high density resin planters I found at Costco (a package of 3 for $31.99). My husband fills the planter with a bag of pea gravel which provides enough weight to hold it steady. Such a sweet addition to the front of the pool house!

Planting the Garden

It appears we are finally passed the frost and just overnight, it is Spring here. The birds are chirping, everything is budding and yes, that yellow pollen is covering everything and anything.

After an extremely productive trip to my favorite nursery, Whitfill Nursery on Glendale Avenue, I am ready to get my hands in the dirt. The beds are filled with freshly composted soil and while I still need a few more amendments (iron and copper), the seedlings are in the ground.

Here is what I have growing in my garden now:

• Artichokes
• Arugula
• Rainbow Swiss Chard
• Bell Peppers-green and yellow
• Tomatillos
• Spaghetti Squash
• Green beans
• Peppers-jalapenos
• Shishito peppers
• Alfresco Lettuce mix
• Romaine lettuce
• Strawberries
• Tomatoes-Sun gold, early girls, black heirloom, San Marzanos
• Kale
• Raddiccio
• Rhubarb
• Sage, basil, thyme, wild bergamot, dill, cilantro, parsley, tarragon
• Eggplant
• Onions
• Flowers-sunflowers, pincushion, zinnias and bee attracting seeds I planted last fall

Two days this week in the garden which is emotionally so satisfying but physically tiring (my poor back). So far no critters have come in to mow down all my hard work, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

Dogsitting Hemingway

While my daughter is hiking the Son Doong cave (the largest natural limestone cave on the planet) in Vietnam, we are pet-sitting her German Shepherd, Hemingway. He is balm for the soul after saying goodbye to our sweet beagle Sox recently. Such a well behaved and well mannered dog, we are truly enjoying his companionship.

While she was in the cave for 6 days we had no way to communicate with her. As you can imagine, we are so delighted to get these photos from her yesterday.

Speaking of traveling, our son, Benjamin and his girlfriend, Delaney are traveling through Colombia. I think I want to come back as one of my children! We feel so blessed that they have the love of travel. While the two oldest are traveling to exotic places, our youngest just picked up her cap and gown for graduation. Lots of new adventures for our three rascals.

Dead Animal in the Garage

There is no other smell as awful as an animal or human decaying. We’ve yet to find the dead animal in the garage, but I’m guessing it is underneath our chest freezer. In attempts to pinpoint the location, I took a flash light and looked around. Much to my surprise (and a bit of fear), I find this:

What??!! First of all, I didn’t know we HAD snakes and to find out that we do in the garage? Yuck. Hopefully this weekend we can figure all this out, but I’m not happy about it….not one bit.

A Dangerous, yet yummy recipe

As you know, we are trying to eat a healthier diet. But for me, sometimes I need just a bit of something with my cup of tea or afternoon coffee. Not necessarily a cookie, but you know, something sweet but not fattening.

I often look to Monique from Ambitious Kitchen as her recipes lean toward the healthy side. Well, I found her Ooey Gooey Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookie Bars and oh my, they are so addicting. Using almond flour, coconut sugar and oats, they do seem a bit healthier. I made some adjustments to the recipe such as using sunflower seed butter vs. peanut butter. The problem is that I cannot eat just one.

Even though we cut them up into very small portions, I have to figure out a way to control myself. Not only are they delicious warm out of the oven, but I really prefer them after refrigeration. See Monique’s recipe here.

Fall Styling Workshop

We are so blessed to have Bella Terra, a place we call home. This unique property, however, should be shared with others. As the push for new development continues, properties like ours are being plowed down for denser housing. Quite honestly, I’m really not sure how long this parcel will remain intact.

More now than ever, I am determined to share our property and gather people together who appreciate beautiful places and spaces.

I am teaming up with some very talented bloggers and will be hosting a Fall Styling Workshop here on October 21, 2023. I feel it is so important for us to share time together and learn something new. As we fine tune the agenda, I hope you are able to join us for this special day. Do you want to learn how to transition from fall to holiday decorating? Easy tips for styling a beautiful mantel? Enjoy a delicious al fresco luncheon in the orchard with others?

Let me know what you think. Would you like to attend? Anything in particular you would enjoy learning? Please reach out to me as we would love your input! The goal is to kick off a successful workshop, which hopefully will lead to a few more each year.

Thanks for checking in today. Wishing you a wonderful weekend that is filled with lots of rest and relaxation!

We are having such chilly, rainy weather here in Phoenix. Not that I am complaining as we always need the rain, but usually by March, we are having warmer temperatures. As I write this I am bundled up with the fireplace on making a pot of soup for lunch. Happy Saturday and of course, it is time for another Saturday Meanderings where we chat about all good things this week.

Some Favorite Food products

I want to share some of my favorite items to always have on hand. Organic chicken stock from Kirkland (Costco) comes in a case of 6-1 quart containers. During the winter months, I am a big soup fan and this chicken stock is the base to many quick, easy recipes. Throw in lots of vegetables (fresh greens, onions, garlic, mushrooms, carrots, parsnips), a protein and some noodles and you have a filling, nutritious soup.

The other item I have in the freezer from Costco is Ling Ling frozen chicken and vegetable potstickers. Not only are these delicious on their own, but adding them to the broth mentioned above, is so delicious. You can find these in the frozen food section. I shared another brand of potstickers last month, but it appears they are no longer in stock?

A new item I am trying is Millet and Brown Rice Ramen Noodles from Lotus Foods. Again, a Costco purchase sold in a 12-pack. These noodles are ready in 4 minutes and the possibilities are endless for lunch or dinner.

I love a rich broth soup with tons of veggies, moderate protein, and a bunch of flavor. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I am chopping different kinds of vegetables and freezing them. Just before serving, I add a big handful of power greens (spinach, kale, chard). So whipping up a healthy homemade soup is really easy.

Winter Garden Harvest

Due to our intermittent frost, my garden beds have been covered for a few weeks. What a surprise when I uncovered them to find juicy red tomatoes, orange cherry tomatoes, Swiss chard and lots of poblano peppers.

Also, our chickens are starting to lay again. We are getting 4-5 eggs per day vs. nothing for several weeks. In addition to fermenting our existing chicken food, we now have organic feed and are allowing them to free range a few days a week. It probably doesn’t hurt that we are also supplementing their diet with fresh greens from the garden.

Hopefully this is the beginning of no more store bought eggs.

Guest House Project this Week

It seems like it is taking forever to finish the guest cottage. Lots of stops and stalls due to electricians not showing up. In the meantime, we are fixing all those annoying projects that were overlooked in the past. For example, when we put in the hardwood plank flooring, the installer failed to lay material under the stacking washer and dryer. In pulling out the unit for servicing, it is difficult to get it up and over the lip of the flooring. To complicate matters further, this stackable unit is in a very tight and small alcove.

Being the only person who can fit in this small space, I laid the flooring while my husband cut the planks to fit. It now looks so much better!

The enjoyable part of remodeling the guest house is adding all the special touches, like pretty shelf paper inside the drawers. I love this Lauru Sage removable adhesive contact paper. Doesn’t it look sweet inside the drawers?

Not only is it affordable ($7.49 a roll), it is functional too~will keep the drawer bottoms clean.

More Signs of Spring

Last month, we had peach blossoms which are now tiny peaches.

The apple tree is in spring-mode with its pretty, delicate pink blossoms. The bees are certainly loving it.

The hyacinths are popping up with an intoxicating fragrance. However, I can tell that these bulbs are getting past their primes. When I planted the bulb garden four years ago, each spring we get to enjoy the hyacinths. Starting with 50 blooming bulbs, I’ll be lucky if 10 or 15 bloom this year. The downsides of living in 9b is that bulb flowering plants don’t do well over time.

Book signing this week

If you live locally, I highly recommend The Poisoned Pen book store. This week, the bookstore hosted author, C.J. Box. C.J. happens to be from the same home town as my neighbor, Mitch. Mitch’s parents, are visiting here from Wyoming and his mom, Deb tells me about her friend, the author giving a talk at a local book store.

Deb and I attend and what a fun event. I am not familiar with C.J. Box but he’s quite the famous, New York Times Bestselling author. Plus he has two television series on Paramount Plus and ABC. The place is packed with fans. After a long wait in line, Deb gets me a book signed by C.J. Box, her friend and neighbor.

Even if you don’t live locally, check out The Poisoned Pen’s website. They host both virtual and in-person book events and their calendar for March and April is VERY impressive. Great place to find some new books to read. See it here.

New Rose Bushes

Each year we tend to lose 2-3 rose bushes in our rose garden during our hot summers. Not sure why as they get plenty of water but it is something I expect each season.

This year I order 3 rose bushes from Grace Rose Farm and honestly, they are the heartiest and healthiest rose plants I’ve ever purchased. Look at the size of that root ball!

Last year I wrote a post about growing roses and you can see it here. We always add a whole fish and a handful of iron pieces (nails, rebar) in the bottom of the hole. Looking forward to seeing how well these 3 rose bushes produce. The three I selected are : Moonlight in Paris, Pure Perfume and Koko Loko.

A Few Fun Finds on the Internet

Being thoughtful and deliberate is an ongoing goal for me. I also know that if I write things down and make a schedule I am far more productive and efficient. CoCo from The Crowned Goat has a very informative post on 7 Tips for a Successful Week. Great reminders on how to keep on track and utilize your time well.

A Beautiful Stone Manor

I love homes with character and often, newly built homes, though beautiful, lack that sense of charm and integrity. Here is a gorgeous stone manor where all the details have not been overlooked. This new home looks like it was built decades ago. Lots of eye candy if you love character. Built by Pinemar in Philadelphia and I love their tag line: We build beautiful homes for nice people. Check them out!

As always, thank you so much for joining me every Saturday. It means a great deal to me and I hope the content each week keeps you coming back for more.

Our sweet beagle, Sox isn’t feeling well. We are keeping our fingers crossed as our little fella has been part of our lives for 15 1/2 years. Next week, I am traveling and not sure if I will have time to send out a blog. If not, I will see you again next Saturday. Have a blessed weekend.

It’s hard to believe that this is the last Saturday Meanderings in February. Next week is March where, hopefully, Spring is just around the corner. Happy Saturday and thanks for joining me today! I love writing this post as it is a time where we can catch up on all good things this week.

Guest Cottage Update

The exterior of the guest cottage is painted. Even though the painters failed to use the correct color paint on the antique shutters, I think it is a happy mistake. Originally the shutters were painted a very dark blackish green, but this time, the shutters are painted the same color as the body of the cottage. I actually like it so, like I said, a happy mistake!

The painters did not want to paint the details around the front door, so I took care of that this week.

Attending an Art Class

If you live in this area, you know what a gem The Hermosa Inn is to our community. Not only is it a lovely place to stay or dine, but they hold fun classes on the weekends. Last Saturday, thanks to my husband for buying tickets, my friend, Tevia and I attend an acrylic class called Mimosas and Monet.

The class is taught by artist Carrie Curran out on the patio of the beautiful inn. For 3 hours, we sipped on mimosas and had step-by-step artistic instruction. The above painting is the inspiration for the class. Aprons, canvases, paints, brushes and easels are provided.

Certainly a fun way to spend a Saturday morning with a dear friend!

Cleaning an Oven

The double ovens in my kitchen have a self-cleaning option, which is really a gift. Unfortunately, the gas stove in the guest cottage does not have that, and I can honestly say it has been a LONG time since I’ve cleaned an oven.

The inside of this oven is so gross. It took me two days, two cans of Easy-off oven cleaner, but it now looks brand new. This picture doesn’t do it justice~grease caked on the sides, bottom and top of the oven, oven racks thick with icky cooked on food remnants.

Not the best picture, but trust me, this oven is 1000% cleaner! Oh happy days!

Making Candied Orange Peels

With March just around the corner, I am trying a few new Irish recipes. One of the recipes I’ve never heard of before (and will write a post about it soon) called for candied orange peels. Since we are in the height of citrus season here, all it takes is a quick trip to the orchard with fresh oranges in hand.

Perhaps the most challenging part is trying to get long strips of orange peel off the orange. Cook in sugar water and simmer. Dry the orange peels on a rack and then toss them in sugar. Relatively easy and they do add a bit of sunshine to the recipe. Here’s the link to the recipe.

Love this Litter!

When our sweet girls found 2 kittens in our yard, the agreement was that I would never clean the litter box. Personally, I cannot stand the smell and it was supposed to be a good lesson in animal care responsibility. Fast forward to now and the children gone, and now guess who cleans the litter box?

My friend, Christine, recommends this product called Pretty Litter. I cannot tell you how much I love this litter as it creates NO ODOR. It’s more expensive than typical cat litter, but my goodness, I am such a fan. Not only does it trap odor, but it monitors your cat’s urine health (color indicator for pH and blood).

Here is the direct link to their website.

Cooking Class this Week

A dear friend of ours is such an advocate for eating a plant-based diet. She hosted a cooking class this week at her home. It was informative as we watched the chef and nutritionist explain that plant-based eating is not only healthy but can be tasty too.

The nutritionist recommends eating 35 different vegetables (and fruits, I think) per week. Do you eat a lot of vegetables? In my stir-fry above, I have red bell pepper, snap peas, cauliflower, mushrooms, onion, and garlic contributing 6 veggies toward my 35. And yes, there is chicken in this dish.

Also, I find that if I pre-slice mushrooms and cut up the veggies before hand, freeze them in ziplock bags, then it is easier to throw all of this together for a quick and healthy meal.

Eat your fruits and veggies, folks!

What I was doing a Year ago?

In scanning through last year’s pictures, I realized I did a post on drying roses. Quite honestly, I forgot about these roses and now you can see what they look like after 1 year of drying. See the blog post here.

What project can I make with these? Maybe something for Easter? It would have been nice to remember them for Valentine’s Day but that obviously didn’t happen. Would love your thoughts and suggestions.

From Around the Internet

My spice cabinet is one hot mess. Looking for a particular spice is so very frustrating. It’s on my list of many things to do when I finally get to the kitchen (I am working my way from one corner of the house to the other).

Michele from Vintage Home Designs does a spice cabinet refresh. The spice jars she uses are cute and different. Check it out here.

When I was growing up, I loved rearranging my bedroom. Courtney, from the French Country Cottage shares her living room with 5 different configurations. So if you are thinking about a Spring refresh, you may get some ideas from Courtney’s post. If nothing else, you will love her pictures.

I want to try this….a 3 ingredient dish that takes 20 minutes? Has anyone tasted Trader Joe’s cauliflower gnocchi? This entrée from Kitchn sounds delicious and healthy too. Looks like I need a trip to Trader Joe’s this week.

Well, happy weekend, friends! We have house guests and our daughter is visiting for the weekend. It’s supposed to get really chilly again on Sunday and Monday. I am ready to plant our Spring garden but we are not out of the frost danger yet.

Being well into our citrus season, I am taking advantage of all the different fruits available to us. A typical day means a walk to the orchard to pick an orange, tangerine, grapefruit or kumquat from a tree. This year, my Lisbon lemon tree did produce quite a bumper crop! Today’s post is about lemon love and all the recipes I enjoy making with these gorgeous yellow gems.

Eureka and Lisbon lemons grow well here in Phoenix. Meyer Lemons, with their thinner skins and less tart flavor are harder to come by. But now is the time to use all the fresh lemons, because at least here, once the season is over, lemons get very expensive. Plus, can’t we all use a little more Vitamin C?

Since I am on a make-all-you-can with lemons mode, here are my favorite lemon love recipes.

Lemon Pots de Creme

Pot de crème, plural pots de crème, (pronounced “poe da krem”) is a loose French dessert custard dating to the 17th century. The name means “pot of custard” or “pot of cream”, which also refers to the porcelain cups in which the dessert is served.

I love collecting these sweet porcelain cups and their size makes for the perfect small dessert. The main ingredients are eggs, cream, milk and flavors such as chocolate, vanilla, berries, lemons and more.

To see my detailed post about making this light and refreshing dessert (original recipe from Epicurious), please click here. I just received a large bag of Meyer Lemons from my neighbor, Steve and am looking forward to making a Meyer Lemon and Thyme pot de creme.

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

The very first time these delicate pancakes passed my lips, I was at the dreamy Shutters on the Beach restaurant in Santa Monica, California. Every time I taste these, I am transported back at the beachfront restaurant smelling the ocean air.

The original recipe I use is actually from this restaurant and can be found in The Summertime Anytime cookbook by Dana Slatkin. For the full post with the lemon ricotta pancake recipe and yummy pictures, click here.

There are many similar recipes on the internet for these pancakes, but I have only used the original one from the hotel.

Joann’s Lemon Cake

My sweet friend and art instructor, Joann shares her DELICIOUS lemon cake recipe. What makes this loaf cake special, is the lemon syrup that is absorbed into the cake after baking. Similar to a pound cake with lots of lemon flavor, this is perfect for dessert or as a snacking cake with coffee or tea.

For the recipe and more detailed instructions, click here.

Lemon Curd

Last year is the first time I tried my hand at making lemon curd. It is SO easy and you can also make this with Meyer lemons, too. Lemon curd is a fruit spread and is often used instead of jam on scones or toast. It can also be a filling for cakes, small pastries and tarts. The lemon filling in a lemon meringue pie is lemon curd.

Since it doesn’t keep as long as jam, it is best made in small quantities.

With only a few ingredients (eggs, lemons, butter, sugar), you too can whip this up in a short period of time. It tastes WAY better than store bought lemon curd. Now I need to make some scones! Recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction is found here.

Lemon Blueberry Bread~gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free

Who doesn’t love the combination of lemons and fresh blueberries? Using coconut and almond flour, not only is this loaf is easy to make, but it’s gluten, dairy and grain free. The berry icing is just so tasty on top. The recipe is from Ambitious Kitchen and you can find the blog post with further instructions here.

Freshly made Lemonade with a twist

Everyone loves fresh lemonade but have your tried it with fresh herbs? This Basil Lemonade is a family favorite. The addition of basil simple syrup takes the taste up a notch! Lemonade can be made with Meyer lemons too, for a different twist that requires less sugar.

See the recipe here.

Limoncello

Limoncello is a lemon liquor which is mainly produced in southern Italy. It is typically served chilled and after dinner as an aperitif. If you have a lot of lemons (this recipe uses 11), you may want to try this. And I wonder if this recipe counts as getting your daily dosage of Vitamin C…..See post here.

Lemon Meringue Tart

My mother always made the best lemon meringue pies. This recipe from The Kitchen McCabe reminds me of Mom’s pie. Though I made this in 2020 with rangurs, this year I will try it with our own lemons. Either way, it is truly delicious and you cannot go wrong with the mile-high meringue. For the full post, click here. If you prefer to skip to the recipe from The Kitchen McCabe, you can link to it here.

Preserved Lemons

Every January I make a few jars of preserved lemons that last me throughout the year. These salty, tangy, lemony morsels are an indispensable item in Moroccan cooking…or really a great addition to any dish. Since it takes a few weeks to “cure”, get a jump on your preserved lemons now, while lemons are fresh and affordable.

I know I mention Preserved Lemons every year, but once you make them, you will be hooked. And then the recipe possibilities are endless. We add them to tuna salad, grilled salmon or chicken. And one of my favorite recipes is Farfelle Pasta with Lemon Chicken and Herb Salad. Find that recipe here.

Benefits of Lemon Water

If you don’t feel like cooking or baking, do take advantage of fresh lemons and other citrus in season now. I never tire of lemons and try to add some to my daily water. Here are the top 10 reasons why you should be drinking lemon water according to PositiveMed.

• Boosts your immune system
• Balances pH
• Helps with weight loss
• Aids in Digestion
• Diuretic
• Clears skin
• Freshens breath
• Relieves respiratory congestion (use warm water)
• Keeps you Zen
• Help kicks the coffee habit

Meyer Lemon Marmalade

I am hoping you are excited about these recipes, as they are tried and true. Yesterday, I made a batch of Meyer Lemon Marmalade (my absolute favorite) and will be spreading that on a freshly baked Lemon Rosemary Gruyere sourdough bread.

Happy Tuesday! Wishing you a day of lemons and sunshine!

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