Can you believe it is August already? Summer is quickly slipping away and what better time to enjoy the fruit of the season. Is there any other fruit that conjures up such joy and happiness?  Summer, picnics and childhood memories? Watermelon is always an invited guest. It is refreshing and sweet and when chilled, provides a fun way to combat the heat.  You will not find an easier dessert than a slice of watermelon.

Nutritional Information

Most people believe that watermelon is only made up of water and sugar, however, it is actually considered to be a nutrient dense food.  It has a high amount of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants for a low amount of calories. According to an article in the Medical News Today:

“One cup of diced watermelon (152 grams) contains 43 calories, 0 grams of fat, 2 milligrams of sodium, 11 grams of carbohydrates (including 9 grams of sugar) and 1 gram of fiber. One cup of watermelon will provide 17% of vitamin A, 21% of vitamin C, 2% of iron and 1% of calcium needs for the day.”

Watermelon also contains thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B-6, folate, pantothenic acid, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper, manganese, selenium, choline, lycopene and betaine. Watermelon contains more lycopene than any other fruit or vegetable.

Despite being a great source of the above nutrients, watermelon is made up of 92% water.

How to Pick the Perfect Watermelon

According to Eagle Eye Produce, here are a few tips to pick the perfect watermelon every time.

• Find a watermelon that is a uniform size (oval or round) either is ok. You just want to watch out for irregular bumps.
• You want to find the melon that is heavy for its size. This usually means it will be sweeter and will have more water content.
• Look for an orange creamy field spot. The darker yellow field spot usually means it was on the vine longer and is full of flavor.
• If the field spot is white that’s a sign that the melon is not quite ripe.
• Larger “webbing” or “sugar spots” means that the melon is seeping out sugar and is usually the sign of sweet melon.
• Look for dark & dull melons which is a sign that the melon is ripe. When the melon is shiny it is underripe.

The Top 10 Benefits of Eating Watermelon

Along with cantaloupe and honeydew, watermelons are a member of the botanical family Cucurbitaceae. There are five common types of watermelon: seeded, seedless, mini (also known as personal), yellow and orange.

Here are the top 9 benefits of eating watermelon:

• Helps you stay hydrated.
• Packed with nutrients and beneficial plant compounds.
• May have anticancer effects.
• May improve heart health.
• May reduce inflammation and oxidative stress.
• May help prevent macular degeneration.
• May relieve muscle soreness.  
• May aid skin health.
• May improve digestion

…and a 10th one. Watermelon apparently helps burn belly fat. A hydrating fruit rich in lycopene, it will increase your body’s arginine levels, an amino acid that ups the body’s fat-burning potential. At the same time the juicy red fruit helps the body burn fat, it also builds lean muscle. Just 1 cup a day does the trick. 

Skinny Jalapeño Watermelon Margarita

Now I feel much better about sharing this next recipe, because it is delicious and healthy!  As you know, I am a BIG fan of Monique from Ambitious Kitchen, everything from her food philosophy to her fabulous recipes. This concoction, her Skinny Jalapeno Watermelon Margarita has become my summer cocktail~~and it’s easy to double, triple or quadruple the recipe. It’s not too sweet, but light and refreshing.

You can control the heat of the jalapeno, depending on your personal preference. And look at that beautiful color!!

I have tried different combinations of rim coatings~~ from just coarse salt, to salt/organic sugar mix and the Mexican flavoring, Tajin Classic Seasoning. Tajin comes in the classic flavoring, Chile Lime and a low sodium version too.

Cucumber and Watermelon Salad with Hoisin-Lime Dressing

My second, very tasty, recipe involving watermelon is a Vietnamese-style salad that makes a refreshing accompaniment to any kind of barbecue meat.  Originally this recipe, Cucumber and Watermelon Salad with Hoisin-Lime Dressing, appeared in Bon Appetit in July 2002 in their Flavors of the World article. You can find it today on Epicurious.

With 7 simple and fresh ingredients, this salad is so easy to make.  Start with cubes of watermelon and English cucumbers.

Mix them together and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes and up to 4 hours.  Drain and discard the liquid that will accumulate.

In the meantime, make the dressing and chop the fresh herbs and dry-roasted peanuts.

Gently toss all the ingredients together and garnish with the nuts. Not only is this salad delicious, but is full of flavor and crunch. A perfect use for the end of the summer watermelons.

Watermelon Frosè

This is such a simple recipe and can be used with ANY fruit you like (I use peaches,mangos and apricots). Freeze cubes of watermelon (about 4 cups). Place in a blender with a chilled bottle of your favorite rosé and blend. Hopefully your watermelon is sweet, but you can add a squirt of honey, simple syrup or agave syrup if not. Some people add a squeeze of lime, but personally, I like it with just the rosé and the frozen fruit.

Sipping this tasty, slushy drink during a hot day or night is SO refreshing.

As we endure the hot month of August, I hope you have access to great watermelon and can try a few of these recipes and gain all the healthy benefits.

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As I write this, we are up at our mountain cabin. It is overcast, drizzling and chilly temperatures and oh, so very quiet. When you live in a busy city, you ignore all the noise (sirens, traffic, lawn mowers and blowers), but here it is silent. Wow. I haven’t been here since Thanksgiving, so naturally there is much tidying up to do (spider webs for example). I don’t believe I have seen another person here, except my husband. Well, happy Saturday and I am so happy you are here today to discuss all good things this week.

The Drive Up

The drive to the mountains is generally 3.5 hours. On the freeway in Phoenix, my car thermometer registered 104 degrees. About 1.5 hours out of Phoenix, the temperature drops to 87 degrees. But shortly thereafter, I run into a very dark and spooky weather storm and the temperature quickly drops to 53 degrees. Look at that ominous sky! Isn’t Mother Nature just amazing?

Surprisingly Good Find at Costco

Other than their salmon with pesto butter, I tend not to buy seafood at Costco. However, this week I purchase a 5 lb. bag of live farm raised Manila clams and boy, are they delicious. At $4.79 a pound, it is a pretty good deal. They must be seasonal because I do not see them featured on the Costco website. Steaming them in white wine, a little water, garlic, fresh herbs (parsley, cilantro), I serve them with a French baguette (for dipping into the sauce) and a glass of a crisp white wine~an easy and delicious dinner.

Since we had leftover clams, I take them out of the shell and freeze them in the cooking liquid. I’ve never frozen clams before but hoping to use them in a linguini and clam recipe in the future.

Peaches are Ripe!

The hardest part of being out of town is not picking peaches daily. There are still many that are hard on the tree so I’m hoping they will stay until I get home. These “bend over and eat” peaches are so juicy and flavorful. They remind me of peaches growing up. For some reason, the ones you buy in the grocery store today are lacking in flavor and fuzz. I see peach pie in my future!

Spaghetti Squash, any one?

I am afraid I am going to have an abundance of spaghetti squash. Like anything else, the first few are delicious and then you get your fill. If you live nearby and like spaghetti squash, let me know. I haven’t picked any yet, but my guess is that they will be ready very soon.

Thought you might enjoy this photo….the pollinating of my squash blossoms. I’ve never stuffed squash blossoms but that might be a solution to nipping the numerous spaghetti squashes in the bud.

Out-of-Sync Week

Do you have one of those weeks that nothing goes right? Not sure why this happens, but my week has been fraught with one problem or obstacle after another. Are the planets out of alignment? For me, this is often a sign to slow down.

What do you do to reverse an out-of-sync week? In 2020 I wrote a post, Ways to Navigate Life Now, and quite honestly, I just re-read it and it is balm for the soul. Apparently, in 2019 was also a stressful time as I wrote the post, Ways to Decompress. Anyway, if you are experiencing a sense of being overwhelmed, you may find value in reading these.

Fun Things on the Internet

Check out with this Elegant Budget Friendly Before and After house remodel. Featured on The Glam Pad, you get to look inside the beautiful home of Courtney from Tuft & Trim. Renovating on a limited budget, you will be inspired by the transformation.

Need Memorial Day decorating ideas? My very talented and industrious friend, Rachel from The Ponds Farmhouse has 25 Patriotic Decor Ideas for you. There are so many suggestions-from simple to more complicated. You can see it here.

Memorial Day is 10 days away. What? Are you gathering with family and friends to honor this holiday? Wendy from WM House Designs has a blog post filled with party ideas from food to games, as well as this delicious looking Watermelon and Cucumber cocktail. So much is packed into this post you won’t want to miss it here.

Are you growing flowers this year? If so, you will find such great information from my gardening friend, Kim from Shiplap and Shells. My garden is mostly vegetables but this year I am trying to plant more flowers. Her post on Pinching Cut Flower plants is filled with tips on how to make the most of your cut flower plants. This is timely for me as many of the flowers I am growing from seeds are the right height to pinch (yet I’ve never done it as I am a bit apprehensive). Plus Kim has the most beautiful pictures of her home and garden so you won’t want to miss it.

Speaking of beautiful flowers, you have heard me many times say how much I LOVE lilacs. However, we cannot grow them in Phoenix. But, they do grow in the mountains! I am so excited that we are here during lilac bloom and naturally, I cannot help myself from cutting bunches and bunches. Ah, simple pleasures that melt away the stress.

I had hoped to post this week but was having some computer challenges. As requested, I will soon share my sourdough bread recipe. Until then, have a marvelous weekend and keep the faith!

I first tasted these delicious lemon ricotta pancakes at Shutters on the Beach in Santa Monica, California many years ago.  These pancakes are so light and lemony that I can literally still taste them in my memory.

My desire to make them at home is impetus for purchasing the restaurant’s cookbook, The Summertime Anytime Cookbook by Dana Slatkin.

I am not a big breakfast eater. Since I tend to like either no breakfast or lighter meals, this recipe fits the bill.  Not sure how healthy these are but they do pass the light and tasty test.

Perfect for breakfast, lunch or dinner, the batter can be made the day before and refrigerated~~allowing for preparation flexibility. Ingredients are pretty straight forward~cake or all purpose flour, butter, eggs, ricotta cheese, lemons and lemon extract or oil. Of course, I love using this microplane as a zester, which makes quick and easy fresh lemon zest.

One key to making these light and fluffy is beating the egg whites and then carefully folding them into the batter.   Pour 1/2 cup of batter onto a griddle or pan.

Cook until bubbles begin to form on the tops of the pancakes and the bottoms are golden. Be careful flipping them, as they are delicate.

Continue cooking until the pancakes are golden on the other side and dry in the middle.

The recipe says to sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar~~oops, I forgot to do that.  However, they were still amazing when served with warm maple syrup and fresh berries.

The only problem I see with this recipe is that since they are so light and flavorful, the tendency is to just eat more of them!

As soon as I finish the blog post, I am going to make a batch!

The recipe states it makes 6 large pancakes, but we made 10 smaller ones with the batter.

I really hope you try this recipe~~it’s one of my favorites!

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Hello and Happy Saturday! I have so much to share this week and so glad you are here today. As you know, Saturday Meanderings is an opportunity to look at the week and hopefully all good things. I just returned from 6 days in Chicago moving my son and his girlfriend into their new apartment. He will be starting graduate school at the University of Chicago next month. An exciting time for them to explore a new city for the next two years.

My Trip to Chicago

Many years ago, I spent a great deal of time in Chicago for business, but haven’t been back in a long time. I forgot how beautiful the weather can be during the summer ~blue skies, puffy white clouds, no humidity and temperatures in the low to mid 70s. That is exactly the weather I experienced along with cool breezes off of Lake Michigan.

It’s unfortunate that most people think of the Chicago we hear on the news~murders, poverty and chaos. The area near Millennium Park and Michigan Avenue is filled with lush landscaping, beautiful parks, and clean, walkable streets. At no time did I ever feel unsafe, even during the late evening hours.

Lots of unpacking, moving furniture and picture hanging for the first few days. But everything is in its place and now it’s time for them to enjoy their new life in this beautiful city.

I will write a separate post about Chicago as I hope to spend more time there.

It’s Tomato Sauce Season

Back in Phoenix, we pick up 100 lbs. of Roma tomatoes from a local farmer, McClendon Select. Thirty pounds go to my friend, Rick for his own sauce. Our neighbor and dear friend, Tevia, came over last Sunday and we processed 24 lbs. worth of sauce for her pantry.

Now I need to get busy and make the rest into sauce for our winter supply. To see this easy, 4 ingredient tomato sauce recipe, click here. If you want to learn about canning and processing tomatoes, see this post here.

I use every part of the tomato and the skins and seeds go to the chickens~they just love it. Anything else leftover goes to the composter.

New James Farmer Book

Love a gorgeous book? This one is filled with lush tabletops, glorious garden bouquets, fabulous invitations and entertaining tips. James Farmer’s new book, Celebrating Home, is a winner. I love and admire his Southern style and am reading this book cover to cover. If you are not familiar with James Farmer, he is designer and author, known for his classic style with a twist.

This book would make a great gift for you or someone who loves this elegant, yet cozy style. I recommend getting it in hardcover because the photos are fabulous. You can find it here. Now I want to buy all his other books (hint to any family member reading this~!)

Impromptu Lunch with a Friend

After traveling for a week, it felt like ages since I played catch up with my friend, Christine. And after a good amount of restaurant food, I am longing for a healthy meal at home. The kitchen is a mess with all the tomatoes. So I pretty up a table in the corner of the living room for just us.

A vintage tablecloth look so sweet on a table for two. Keeping it more casual, I use the melamine plates and chargers I purchased in the spring from The Enchanted Home.

Grocery store flowers of white daisies and red carnations, plus a few faux blue hyacinths, adds a punch of color.

A hearty salad of mixed greens, grilled chicken, veggies and a homemade lemon dressing is the main course. Air fryer blueberry crisp and ice cream is the perfect dessert. I swear I could eat this type of meal every day.

A Very Good Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

With an evening meeting to attend this week, I decide to bring some sustenance and bake chocolate chip cookies. This recipe from Tara O’Brady is quite good and relatively easy to make. She uses chocolate chunks in the recipe but being in a hurry, I use a combination of dark chocolate and extra dark chocolate chips from Guittard.

I am actually glad they are all gone, but not before I ate 3 in one afternoon. That bit of sea salt on the top is addicting. They are very good and I bet the dough would freeze well! You can find Tara O’Brady’s recipe here.

My Next Creative Project

Did you get the Halloween issue, Halloween Haven from Grandin Road this week? I love Halloween and am always looking for new ways to decorate for our Halloween-themed dinner party. Well, in the catalog on page 37 there is a Haunted Figure Window, however, it is pricey at $1,399.

So I am going to attempt to make one myself. After a quick Google search for old windows, I find The Art of Rust, a vintage shop with many treasures.

Here is the old window frame I bought (at 60% off) and hope to use for this project. More to come on this!

If you missed any posts this week, I share how I organize a space in our master bath (here). Plus I gather ideas from the Internet for fabric in lieu of cabinet doors (here).

Have a wonderful Saturday. I am heading up to our cabin for a quick trip. We are rebuilding a deck and need to check on the progress. Enjoy your weekend. May it be filled with rest and relaxation.

Where did the week go? My husband is up at our cabin and it’s just been the dogs, cat and myself here. Lots of stormy, swampy weather made me want to just curl up and read a book. But, noooooo. Instead I am doing all the piddly chores that need to get done, but without alot of enthusiasm. So here we are again at another Saturday Meanderings where we chat about all good things this week.

A Surprise Visitor

As I was walking through the library, I noticed a great deal of fireplace debris kicked out onto the floor and rug. I look around and see the cat in hunter/killer mode, poised to leap. And that’s when I looked up and saw this little Western Screech owl perched on a clock. He seems quite happy there.

Fortunately, my daughter was home and she LOVES animals and bravely, reaches up to capture him. Even though he is small, Julianna said he was very strong. She takes him outside to a tree where we know the owls congregate so hopefully he is reunited with his family.

This is our 2nd owl encounter in the last few months. Julianna rescued a fledging owl (you can see that story on Instagram @lifeatbellaterra) and I wonder if this is the same little fella.

He must have flown down into the chimney? It makes you wonder how long he’s been inside as I am still finding owl poop droppings in both the library and mud room. This certainly made for an exciting morning!

Finally Finishing Some Paintings

In 2019, my friend, Barbara posted this gorgeous photo of lilacs from her garden. Since we cannot grow lilacs, I fell in love with this photo and finally finished painting it. There is such joy in completing something, right? Now I just have so many other canvases to either complete or paint over. Setting the time aside to do this is the hard part.

Cordless Table Lamps

https://lifeatbellaterra.com/dinner-in-the-library-tablescape/I cannot even tell you how much I LOVE these cordless LED table lamps. As you may recall, I purchased them for our Dinner in the Library charitable event. If you missed that post, you can see it here. That table was in a very large room, so even though the lamps created a beautiful ambiance, they are even better in a smaller setting.

A few friends came over for a casual dinner of quiche, salad and apple crisp. Since I didn’t have any fresh flowers I just placed the 3 lamps down the center of the table. Instantly this set the mood and everyone loved the warm glow they cast. We didn’t need any other source of lights in the room.

They are 25% off right now on Amazon, but they are still $60.00 each. However, I plan to use them alot and will be perfect for the holidays. You can find them here. If you don’t like the gold, they come in black and vintage copper. You will not be disappointed.

Big Deck Project at our Cabin

The front wooden deck at our cabin is being replaced and enlarged with Trex planks, new railings and staircase. As with any project, the minute you start tearing into it, you discover all sorts of problems. It was a nightmare just getting supplies, but the replacement is turning into dry rot repair and new structural beams.

More to come on this but I empathize with anyone tackling construction projects now. Mother Nature is providing her own set of challenges with severe storms too. Look at what a lighting strike did to a tree on the golf course.

Dreaming of New House Design

I have never built a house from scratch. Every house I’ve owned has been a rescue renovation/restoration. But often I find myself thinking about designing a house. You can find so many examples of farmhouse, shiplap, gray or blue and white, open floor plans, etc. but what a treat when you find something that is truly unique and spectacular.

My friend, Kim from Shiplap and Shells has a Sunday post where she shares really cool things from the Internet. So I am stealing this one from her. It’s called Moonlight Cottage, designed by Murphy & Co. Oh my, every single detail is spectacular. If I could design a dining room, it would be one with books, beautiful windows and look at the hand carved timber opening!

To see more gorgeous Moonlight Cottage photos, click here.

Freezing Tomatoes

My friend, Stacy has a gorgeous garden in New Jersey. Right now she is knee deep in fresh tomatoes. Since I tend to roast or can my tomatoes, Stacy shares how she freezes them. I’ve never done this, but it’s an alternative to canning them. You can get all of Stacy’s tips and tricks here.

Dream Home Makeover

Are you a fan of Studio McGee? I so enjoy their product line, Threshold at Target, actually much more than Magnolia Farm. It is young, stylish and colorful, as is Shea McGee, the founder. Shea and her husband, Syd, started Studio McGee in 2013 and it is an American success story.

Dream Home Makeover is produced by Shea and Syd. Not only does it tell their amazing story, but you get to see Shea work her magic on both new home builds and small room renovations. It’s on Netflix and already has 3 seasons so I feel like I need to catch up.

Trip to Chicago

I am heading out of town tomorrow for a week to help my son move into his new apartment in Chicago. He will be starting the graduate program at the University of Chicago Booth Business School in September. When I was working in corporate America, I traveled to Chicago all the time. However, it’s been years since I spent any quality time there. Really looking forward to a change of scenery.

In a perfect world, I would hope to continue with my Tuesday and Wednesday blog posts, but I may just skip next week, depending on how busy (and tired!) I am. You may not hear from me until next Saturday.

Enjoy your weekend and can August be nearly half over already?