News From The Nest, March 3
Good Morning, and Happy March!
“March is a tomboy with tousled hair, a mischievous smile, mud on her shoes, and a laugh in her voice.” Hal Borland
The next three months will be hopping in our world, all for excellent reasons. We will attend our daughter’s Match Ceremony (where she finds out her residency placement) in two and a half weeks and then her medical school graduation in mid-May, both in Philadelphia. We will help her find and move to her new town in April, plan a celebration party at our home for May, and enjoy a family celebration trip to Greece towards the end of May.
We’ve been doing a lot of construction in the back of the house and backyard this winter, so we need to re-landscape the backyard before the big shindig. But we can’t do that until the construction wraps up and the fence gets installed, the timing of both is sadly and frustratingly out of our hands. We will also squeeze in a trip to visit our son this weekend, and Elsa and I (fingers crossed) will finally get to our appointment at NC State Animal Behavioral Clinic on Friday. I’m making lists, and my lists are starting to make their own lists! Spacing out all the to-dos with weekly ‘to be done by’ dates will hopefully make all the projects much more manageable.
Table of Contents
New on the Blog
Again, I’m super excited to share two new posts with you today!
- Holy Fluffy Pancakes, Batman! This pancake recipe uses sourdough discard, other leaveners, and simple techniques to make lofty, tender, and delicious pancakes. While they come together quickly, you can speed up the morning prep by mixing a batch of the dry ingredients beforehand.
- Easter is right around the block. In fact, I think I see Peter Cottontail hopping down the bunny trail! 🐰 Knowledge of basic crochet is all you need to crochet this Easter Basket! The scalloped edge is just too darling! We have step-by-step, illustrated directions to help you create the basket. And while we love it for an Easter Basket, you can leave the handles off and use it as a storage basket.
From the Knit + Crochet Studio
- If you are anything like me, most of your knit and/or crochet projects are gifts for others. After you’ve caringly knit and purled or crocheted all those stitches and created that gorgeous love project, it only makes sense that you want the new owner to know how to care for it! Print off and cut out these Knit Care Tags to accompany your knitted or crocheted gifts. The care tags instruct the recipient how to wash and dry their new gift.
- With this Knit Garter Stitch Trivet Pattern and a spool of rope, you could knit several handy trivets in a day!
From the Kitchen
- Zucchini takes on a new appeal when it’s transformed into crispy, golden fries in the air fryer. This Air Fryer Zucchini Fries recipe produces a healthier alternative to traditional fried food.
- Ready in just 35 minutes, these mini tacos are easy to make and a healthier option thanks to the air-frying method, which requires minimal oil. What’s not to love? Utilizing convenient store-bought rotisserie chicken and zesty homemade taco seasoning, each bite of these packs a punch of deliciousness, all wrapped in a perfectly crunchy corn tortilla. While the rotisserie chicken is our option for a quick dinner, you can substitute any meat, as we will discuss below.
- Often, the most simple ingredients combine to make the most flavorful soups. White beans, onion, garlic, celery, and carrots combine with stock, a parmesan rind, bay leaves, and tomato paste to create the alchemy known as Tuscan White Bean Soup. It can be made in the slow cooker or on the stovetop. The results are equally delicious; it’s up to you what would make your day easier!
- This crispy brownie brittle recipe satisfies those who prefer the crunchy edges and corner pieces of a traditional brownie. And not for nothing; it’s quick and easy to make.
- This reliable raspberry macaron recipe, with chocolate raspberry filling, is a delightful dessert for special occasions. In addition to this step-by-step recipe, I share fourteen tips for successful macarons and show the steps in a video.
From the Arts + Crafts Studio
This Herbal Bath Salts Recipe includes a combination of Epsom salt, Dead Sea salt, and/or baking soda, dried herbs, and flowers, and is a mind and body therapeutic often recommended to soothe sore muscles and irritated skin and reduce stress. Make a jar for yourself or package into jars to give to someone who could use a little TLC.
- This simple abstract watercolor and gold leaf painting filled a spot in our daughter’s bedroom wall. Sharing simple tips to achieve a similar painting.
In the Garden
- So, it was 70°F (21°C) on Saturday, and as I write this morning, less than 48 hours later, it is 30°F (-1°C)! I’m glad we got out, enjoyed the warmth and sunshine, and tackled some of the garden chores that piled up over the winter. This post is a little refresher on essential garden maintenance for daily, weekly, monthly, and seasonal upkeep. These tips are available as a printable, in addition to the very helpful Pruning & Fertilizing Log to help you remember each plant’s fertilization and pruning needs.
- Raised garden beds are an excellent option for raising vegetables, providing an optimal environment for growth. Among other benefits, raised beds allow for easy access, management, and soil enrichment. So, let’s dive into the advantages and disadvantages of raised bed vegetable gardening, the best vegetables for raised bed gardens, what vegetables to grow each season in your raised beds, and different types of raised garden beds.
In the House + Home
- This post provides instructions for cleaning a rusty cast iron skillet. After thoroughly cleaning it, we will also explain how to season the skillet.
- This post discusses the best oils to season cast iron. Armed with both posts, you can maintain your cast iron for years.
Two Fabulous Finds
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- I am rough on my hands and nails. I try to remember to use gloves, but I’m at 50% at best. Suffice it to say, all this hard work and neglect shows. One of my biggest problems is that dry skin that forms right at the side of the nail, at the tip of my fingers. Other than going to a manicurist (a complete waste of time and effort since they’d be home working within 30 minutes of leaving the place), I had difficulty dealing with that dry skin. I figured I needed a clipper that would open enough to clip that dry, calloused skin, and I found it! Who knew there was such a thing; but I think I found the Rolls-Royce of nail clippers! (Only a 60+ year-old woman would get excited about nail clippers, am I right?) It’s very sharp and open wide enough to tackle that corner skin!
- This pet hair remover has a 4.5/5 Stars review from over 195,000 reviews for a reason!
Well, my friends, I wish you a wonderful week! Thanks for spending some time with me this morning and I’ll see you next Monday!
Hugs,
