Saturday Meanderings

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.