Deck Planter Box

We have wood planter boxes on top of a retaining wall on our kitchen deck which we love. It makes the space cozy and cute, blocks a little of the neighbors looking straight into our deck, and softens looking at the tall wall of the neighboring condos. I've struggled for years with what to plant in the boxes - I've tried filling the planters with dirt and planting right into them, I've tried dropping potted plants into the boxes, we've rigged up irrigation systems...nothing has been perfect. We aren't here year round so when we leave I either had to uproot the plants, or toss them, or leave them to deal with next time we're here - and I always forgot to water until we set up the irrigation but then the water ran straight down the sides of the walls which isn't good long term. What to do...

This year I had an 'ah ha' moment and thought I'd try fake plants and see what happens. The biggest catch is that it's very windy here and how could I anchor the lightweight faux fern plants that I found at Hobby Lobby? Dave and I went to Lowes to see about maybe some pea gravel or small stones or something. He saw some thick rubber pavers and we brainstormed how we could possibly use them - they're less than 6 bucks each and we only needed 3, so we figured we'd try.

We were able to cut them in half with a hack saw and drill a hole in the center a little smaller than the diameter of the plant stem. Jammed the stem in the hole as far as we could, then jammed the paver and plant down into the planter box. The pavers are a little bigger width-wise than the boxes so jamming them into the box made for a very tight fit. 

Last week was very rainy, chilly, and super windy - I kept checking the plants and while they were whipping around like they might take off in flight at any second they held! Woohoo! It's ridiculous how happy this simple solution makes me - the deck looks great and other than bringing the plants inside when we leave there is no more maintenance. Love. 

1.23.22: 🔥 week 4 

1.23.21: cord mask leash

1.23.20: tbt southern spoon bread

1.23.19: buttermilk drop biscuits (apparently not like Dave's mom used to make, insert eyeroll)

1.23.18: attempting to organize my life

1.23.17: heart and Scottie string art

1.23.16: Dave's cosmopolitans

🔥 Around the Campfire (week 4)

Dear Campers ~

Here's a quick recap of what happened at camp last week in case you missed anything:

Posts ~

1/15: 🔥 week 3

1/16: MNIH: gluten-free poke brownies

1/17: TT ham stock

1/18: ham soup with potatoes and beans

1/19: peach mustard barbecue sauce

1/20: shrimp scampi by Macey

1/21: yet another phone case

What's Cooking ~

• bbq ribs, cauliflower tots, wedge salad
• grilled thin sliced chicken, zucchini and mushroom parmigiana 
• baked bbq salmon, rice pilaf, roasted green beans
• baked chicken with panko crumbs, sautéed sugar snap peas, pasta with olive oil and parmesan
• pork tenderloin with peach mustard bbq sauce, mushroom ravioli, roasted broccoli   
• I just realize we had some kind of bbq 3 times this week hahha, but they're all different! 

Miscellaneous stuff keeping me busy ~

• took everything off the shelves in my office, dusted and re-arranged. Ahhhhh, hate doing it but love the results! 
• read 'These Precious Days' by Ann Patchett and loved it. Loved it so much I will probably buy myself a copy (I read it with my library app). ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
• read 'It Ends with Us', I've seen this book everywhere so of course wanted to read it, it took forever before it was my turn and - no spoiler alert but have you guys read it? - I just didn't love it. I didn't know what it was about, the first half was going along all light and harmless and then took a turn I did not see coming and didn't like. ⭐️⭐️1/2. Not sure why I then thought to read "It Begins with Us', but am glad I did; it's the follow-up book to It Ends with Us that the author (Colleen Hoover) said she had no intention of writing but people begged to know more about what happened to the characters - I don't know if I'd like it as much without reading the first one so I'll go ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2.
• also read 'Mad Honey' by Jody Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan. One of my all-time favorite books is by Jody Picoult (Lovely Bones) but this is one of my least favorites by her. I didn't like the subject matter, the long court case, most of the characters, and the ending. I'll give it ⭐️⭐️ only because I did read it all and didn't skip to the end to just find out what happens already - trust me I was tempted haha.

That's it for this week - hope you'll stop back often for more projects, recipes, crafts, whatever else I can think of to make (or get other people to make for me hahah). Bye!

Sincerely ~

Jill

camp counselor

1.22.22: whiskey sour lite

1.22.21: cauliflower crust pizza

1.22.20: jam crumb cake

1.22.19: kale salad

1.22.18: skillet chicken and veggie pot pie

1.22.17: reserved signs

1.22.16: pencil holder by B

Phone Case v.225

You might be sick of me personalizing phone cases using my Cricut Joy haha, but this one comes with a cute story so I'm sharing it! I titled this one version 225 'cuz it feels like that's how many times I've shown you phone cases.

When my niece Mickey was young (I can't remember but I'd say early teens) we went to a Bob Evans for lunch between her ball games. While looking at the menus she said, in all seriousness - she wasn't trying to be funny - 'oh I wish I had time for the slow-roasted chicken'. So naturally we laughed at her and still to this day say 'wish I had time for the slow-roasted chicken' when we are really busy LOL. 

So this happened:

1.21.22: mushroom potato soup

1.21.21: Natalie's butter curry chicken 

1.21.20: making plarn

1.21.18: greek pork, lemon rice pilar, tzatziki sauce

1.21.17: Jen's stuffed spaghetti squash

1.21.16: painting a side table

Shrimp Scampi by Macey

My niece Macey sent this recipe and pics for me to share with you, how good does this sound (and look)? I think instead of doing 'my niece is hungry' posts they should be 'your aunt is hungry' instead hahah. Thanks Mae!

This week I attempted shrimp scampi! In a cast iron pan on high heat, sautéed shallots in a butter/wine mixture  (melting the butter first).. when the shallots looked about done, I then added chopped garlic and more white wine, turning the heat up for ~30-45 seconds to burn off the alcohol taste. 

I added shrimp, parsley, a little salt and pepper, (stirring in more melted butter as needed)… squeeze of lemon, a tablespoon of sugar, and waited for the shrimp to cook through. From here, I added cooked pasta directly into the cast iron pan to coat every noodle in delicious butter/wine/yummmy-ness. 

I served onto a plate, sprinkled some more fresh parsley and a little Parmesan cheese on top! 

This meal came together with a little side salad that I served roughly 5-10 minutes before the pasta was done. I used a honey Dijon mustard dressing for the salad, with cucumber, tomato, a little red onion, and salt and pepper to taste. 

So yum!! 

1.20.22: smoothie tips and treats

1.20.21: mixed fruit crisp

1.20.20: transplanting from pot to ground

1.20.19: 🔥week 3

1.20.18: broccoli apple salad with creamy Italian dressing 

1.20.17: loaded cauliflower

1.20.16: dry erase message frame

Peach Mustard Barbecue Sauce

This recipe originally called for fresh peaches but it is January and way off-season for fresh peaches so I improvised with canned peach slices. I followed the rest of the recipe as written other than I let the mixture cool slightly before blending it - 'cause I really don't want boiling hot peaches splattering on me!

I'm thinking I'll marinate a pork tenderloin in the sauce for a couple hours and then grill it - I'll update with a photo of how it turns out. 

Click the link below to read the original recipe. 

1/2 onion, thinly sliced

1 T. vegetable oil

salt and pepper, to taste

2 cans peach slices, drained

1/4 cup water

1/3 cup prepared yellow mustard

1 t. Worcestershire sauce

2 T. molasses

pinch of cayenne pepper

In a medium skillet, combine the onion, oil and a pinch each of salt and black pepper. Saute over medium heat until soft and starring to brown, about 6 minutes. Add the peach and 1/4 cup water, saute until heated thru. Stir in remaining ingredients; bring to a simmer and cook to infuse the flavors, about 3 minutes. 

Let cool a few minutes. Carefully pour the sauce into a blender and puree until smooth (leave the lid slightly ajar and put a dish towel over the top to protect from splattering. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. 

makes 1 1/2 cups

original recipe from Trisha Yearwood, found here on good morning america

1.19.22: 12 week workout plan

1.19.21: TT Teri's baked chicken tenderloins

1.19.20: 🔥 week 3

1.19.19: tri-color veggie saute 

1.19.18: carved watermelon helmet

1.19.17: color coded keys

1.19.16: chopping vegetables (and not your fingers) 

Ham Soup with Potatoes and Beans

Yesterday I shared how to make ham stock so you'll have it to make this soup. I posted another recipe for hambone soup in the past (click here) which is really similar to this one but for some reason this just turned out even better. Maybe because I made the stock this time in the crockpot for hours instead of on the stove for an hour? I changed it a bit from last time, here's what I did:

• 7 cups ham stock
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 T. olive oil
• 1/2 large onion, diced small
• 1 cup carrot shreds, chopped into smaller pieces
• 1 lb. small red skin potatoes, diced
• 1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed well
• 1 cup frozen corn 
• 1 t. dried thyme leaves
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 t. garlic powder
• 1 t. ground pepper
• 1 1/2 cups chopped leftover ham

Instructions:

1. Heat olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, and potatoes; cook, stirring frequently so the onions don't burn, until onions have become translucent and potatoes get a little browned, about 3 or 4 minutes. Sprinkle with garlic powder and pepper.

2. Add the ham and chicken stocks, beans, corn, thyme, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in ham until heated through. 

3. Remove bay leaves before serving. 

note: if foam is on the top of the soup I skim it off before adding the ham. It tastes fine, I just don't like how it looks.

Makes 8-10 servings. 

1.18.22: healthy-er potato soup

1.18.21: chain mask leash

1.18.20: avocado fries 

1.18.19: meat lovers pasta sauce
1.18.18: birthday card gift box
1.18.17: cinnamon roll fail
1.18.16: parachute cord dog collar

Tip-sy Tuesday: Ham Stock

Today's tip is a little boring, but useful if you want to make the ham soup I'll post about tomorrow. I froze the leftover ham bone from Christmas and it's been chilly and raining here so I thought I'd get the bone out and make some soup. First up is to make stock from the ham bone.

In a large crockpot (or big pot on the stove) put the bone (meat still on it is good, you can also pick away most of the meat and set aside for adding back to the soup later), a couple stalks of celery, a chunk of onion, and any seasonings that sound good to you - I added black pepper and dried thyme. Add enough water to cover at least half of the bone, I added about 8 cups. I set the crockpot on high for a couple hours and then turned down to low for another 4 hours. If you do it on the stovetop I'd simmer for a couple hours. It's not an exact science, just boil the bone in water to make stock. Strain into a big bowl and refrigerate the stock until ready to use it. Pick out any good pieces of ham from what you strained out and discard the rest of the solids. 

When I made the soup this morning I removed the stock from the fridge and there was a solid layer of solidified fat on top - just skim that off with a big spoon and throw it out. Ham is fatty enough without adding that layer back into the soup!

Come back tomorrow and I'll show you how I made really flavorful ham soup with all kinds of good things in the stock.

1.17.22: sliding side lunge

1.17.21: 🔥 week 3

1.17.20: fried cabbage with bacon

1.17.19: how to clean a fan

1.17.18: baked eggs in avocado

1.17.17: tuna-egg salad

1.17.16: best meatballs ever

My Niece is Hungry: Gluten-Free Poke Brownies

I was telling Macey about the poke brownies I made last week (click here for that post) and she said that she bought a gluten free brownie mix if I wanted to make some for her hahaha - I said perfect, I still had 1/2 can of sweetened condensed milk left over and as I've never baked any gluten-free desserts I'd love to try it out. This is what she had to say:

So I told myself that I could not have a brownie until I finished my chores…. Which was ~5 mins ago. I was going to take a selfie of me, scarfing the brownie, but I left my phone upstairs and I for real, couldn’t stop eating it in time to get my phone 😂 Now I’m standing here, texting you with brownie fingers, and potentially what could be drool coming from my mouth 😂. I have not had a brownie in I can’t even tell you how long, and these with that condensed milk... OMG 🤤  

Seriously, they should go on the blog! And then I will write a raving review! 😂 

Side story: I popped these in the oven and set the timer. When I checked them they still needed like 2 more minutes and I said to myself "you don't need to reset the timer, even you can remember they only need 2 minutes'. 

And I forgot them.

For 9 minutes!! Great. My next thought was the brownies were going to be so over-baked they'd probably be inedible and that means I'd have to remake them in which case I'd once again have 1/2 a can of sweetened condensed milk leftover - it's going to be a never ending problem HAHA. Fortunately the condensed milk must have kept them moist! 

I made these the same as before - mix and bake the brownie mix according to the package directions; while still hot poke holes all over the top and spread 1/2 can of sweet condensed milk over top. Sprinkle with chocolate chips and let cool. 

1.16.22: 🔥 week 3

1.16.21: crochet cat basket version 2

1.16.20: TBT: potted ham

1.16.19: removable wallpaper

1.16.18: beading basics

1.16.17: unfinished projects

1.16.16: whiskey sours

🔥 Around the Campfire (week 3)

Dear Campers ~

Here's a quick recap of what happened at camp last week in case you missed anything:

Posts ~

1/8: 🔥 week 2

1/9: clear marble notecards

1/10: tip-sy tuesday: clear shade fix

1/11: Italian-style meatloaf

1/12: coconut pecan filling

1/13: vegetable parmigiana 

1/14: sweet tea swagger

What's Cooking ~

• the worlds easiest/laziest enchiladas - roll shredded chicken in corn tortillas, place in baking dish, cover with enchilada sauce and cheese. bake at 350 until browned and bubbly. serve with lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, and sour cream. 
• meatloaf, butternut squash, green salad
• baked pork chops, mushroom ravioli with Alfredo sauce, roasted asparagus 
• grilled chicken and apple sausages, ditalini pasta with olive oil and herbs, roasted broccolini
• grilled tuna, sticky rice, wilted spinach

That's it for this week - hope you'll stop back often to see more of whatever I think to make at camp next week! Bye!

Sincerely ~

Jill

camp counselor 

1.15.22: Dave's cosmopolitans

1.15.21: skinny chicken parmesan

1.15.20: spinach salad with warm bacon dressing

1.15.19: chocolate chip marshmallow cookies (the worlds ugliest cookies!)

1.15.18: bird cage slipcover

1.15.17: Mimi's neighbor's fish tacos 

1.15.16: dipped shortbread cookies

Sweet Tea Swagger

I've had this recipe in my files since 2016 and am just now realizing I'm not going to make it - I don't like sweet tea! I guess it reminded me of Long Island ice tea, which I do like, but I don't think this is going to taste like that. I'd love for someone who does like sweet tea (and cocktails) to make it and tell us how it tastes hahahah. I'm intrigued but not enough to do anything about it. 

I'm also curious about the brown sugar - usually when sugar is added to cocktails it's either super-fine white sugar or simple syrup (which is typically white sugar and water boiled until it thickens), so I wonder  how much of a difference brown sugar adds. Still not curious enough to make it tho....

It seems like maybe more of a warm weather drink, so I'd probably leave the watermelon out - the rum will warm you up! LOL. 

Ingredients:

• 6 cups water
• 8 black tea bags, such as Earl Grey
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 1/2 cups dark rum
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• ice cubes
• 2 cups club soda
• 3 cups seedless watermelon cut into 1/2" cubes
• lime wedges
• fresh mint

Directions:

 1. In a small saucepan bring 3 cups of the water to boiling. Remove from heat. Add tea bags; let steep for 10 minutes. Discard tea bags. Transfer tea to a heatproof pitcher. 

2. Stir brown sugar into tea until dissolved. Stir in the remaining 3 cups water, the rum, and lime juice. Cover and chill for 2 to 48 hours. 

3. To serve, pour tea mixture into glasses over ice cubes. Slowly pour in club soda; stir gently. Garnish with watermelon, lime wedges, and mint.

found at bhg.com

1.14.22: t-shirt rag quilt

1.14.21: dog crochet basket 

1.14.20: TT: cleaning your mattress

1.14.19: bath salt cakes

1.14.18: west coast chili

1.14.17: Janis's chicken soup

1.14.16: fringe and chain necklace