Monday, June 23, 2025

Well, we have August weather now! What a weird year; June is typically the perfect summer weather and I feel a bit ripped off!

Anyway, what are you gonna do? Let’s link up with Holly and Sarah to share our weekends!

My cooking challenge with niece Nora is going well! The first week we did stromboli with homemade dough and the second week was last week and Thursday I did her pick of homemade black bean burgers.

I made mine Thursday morning to serve Thursday night for dinner.

Thank you for your feedback on my Aerie order. I returned the lobster sweatshirt and the jeans and looked around in the store but didn’t find anything.

Later I decided to place another online order to try the blue in one size down, the lobster in one size down, and I saw a graphic tee so I added that.

I received a super sweet Crumbl gift card and decided to see what they had. I got Heath…

a sugar cookie with vanilla and raspberry frosting. I made these last a few days cutting them in pieces.

I don’t think I would get either of these flavors again.

I brought home a Tropical Smoothie Cafe thai chicken salad. I love this salad! This is only half of it. Mason ate the other half.

So, Thursday night I had a black bean burger with roasted sweet potato. I made Tom a BLT because he didn’t look excited when I told him Nora picked black bean burgers and he wants meat (I guess bacon counts?) at every meal.

They were really good with avocado, tomato and a mayo/siracha spread. I am going to freeze the rest and pull one out for lunch when the mood strikes!

I did a fun summer red press on after letting my nails breathe for a couple of days. Peep the blue Aerie that I was trying on to see if it was too big or just right.

This is a great breakfast combo – roasted sweet potatoes again, egg, and Amylu chicken sausage.

Mason and I went to a coffee shop Friday morning. Ntaba Coffee Haus is a local shop that is super cute inside.

Mason got a grilled ham and cheese and really liked it and I had a cheddar chive scone. This ended up being my lunch. I would like to try to make these. Maybe this will be one of my picks for Nora and I!

I am reading this; I feel like it’s moving pretty slow and of course, it’s predictable, I think.

Here is my outdoor reading setup:

This OFF! Clean Feel bug spray is really good. I purchased a Thermacell based on many of your recommendations, and I have a dedicated fan based on many of your tips. This has helped quite a bit! I’m trying to go back outside after dinner to enjoy the summer evenings!

I need to buy more Rioja Tempranillo – my favorite red wine to make a tinto de verano with. I do about half and half – half wine and half Fresca. You can use any lemon lime soda. And, it looks nice with a lemon slice. This is such a good summer drink!

Speaking of tinto de verano and Spain… my pick for our cooking challenge this week comes from Spain! Nora is really excited and that makes me happy. We show each other the pictures of our final product and then pretty soon after the person whose turn it is gives the next recipe. Maybe she will get bored with it and that’s ok. It’s been a bonding thing and I am really enjoying it.

We are making gambas al ajillo and patatas bravas.

I fell into a DCC rabbit hole on Thursday and Friday afternoon and finished season 2. It made me sad. I didn’t like it as much as the first season.

Friday night I made Tik Tok pasta and blackened fish sandwiches. I know it didn’t go together. We were using up stuff!

I kind of wanted to go out but I knew Saturday was going to be a social day so I did the adult thing and cooked. Tom was super happy with his food!

Saturday morning Eddie Otis and I filled our bird feeders and cut some hydrangea blooms that were in the back of the bush and wouldn’t be noticed too much if they were gone. This is just three blooms!

I got a Kroger delivery early Saturday morning. I am trying the Boost membership for one month. I think I will cancel it for sure because I just don’t want to pay. It’s been great though! It was nice when my car was in the shop last week.

I was making three things for a pool party after my delivery came…

Classic chip dip:

A cup of sour cream mixed with a cup of mayo, 1 T. lemon juice, 2 t. garlic powder, 1 t. onion powder, 1 t. dried parsley, 1 t. dried dill, and 1/2 t. of salt and pepper. It was really good and this is a keeper!

Taco dip:

Mix a block of softened cream cheese with about half a pint of sour cream and then mix in a packet of taco seasoning. Spread in a dish and add shredded cheddar, green onions, tomatoes, olives, whatever you like.

Peanut butter Rice Krispies Treats

My friend Beth’s beautiful pool! Beth and her husband Mike were both in my high school class and they have an annual Class of 90 pool party. Several of us live in this area now but a few come from out of town. One couple came from Cincinnati and one couple came from Indianapolis.

Dan made homemade pretzels and they were amazing!

My Rice Krispies above, too!

The taco dip:

The chip dip in a fish bowl and people called it “fish dip”:

Dan’s photo:

Dan of the pretzels and Tom:

We stayed from 1 until about 6 and I was in the pool most of the time with the ladies and Tom was watching the Reds game with the guys. He was super happy because we can’t get a lot of them on our streaming services.

We came home and I was beat! We ordered pizza and we went to bed in the 9 o’clock hour!

I woke up Sunday and the air outside at 7 was already so humid and muggy!

The river is a mess from recent rains – it’s high and there is lots of debris – so there was no boating for us.

What was the highlight of your weekend?

As you can see, I have been cooking a lot lately! This post was heavy on the food pics and recipes!

Amy

27 thoughts on “Hello Monday”

  1. Yep we went from cool and rainy to so hot, muggy, and sunny it’s crazy! We had a graduation party in the extreme heat yesterday but luckily they had tents and things set up to keep most of the sun off. Your food all looks real yummy!

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  2. All those food pics are making me hungry! Very impressed that those pretzels are homemade! And I think you should try to recreate the scone you enjoyed at the restaurant. I’d drive pretty far for that pool, too! (Ok, your hs friends likely traveled to see friends but the pool would be a pretty good incentive, too!). It sounds like it was a really good weekend- I hope your Monday is good as well :).

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    1. Sorry! He said he learned to make them this winter and we all raved about them!
      The pool was so refreshing! I am glad all these people actually get in! I have been to some pool parties where no one is willing to get in!
      You too!

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  3. Your breakfast looks so good! That is so fun there is an annual pool party for some of your classmates. That food looks good too! Yes, the heat is a bit much just in the last week. Stay cool and will chat soon!

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    1. Thank you! It was so fun and I am so happy to have these friendships.
      I realized many of your comments from the past couple of weeks were going into spam so I am so sorry! This one didn’t, though!
      You had a question about the brow gel. Honestly it does the same as hairspray. Spray a bit of hairspray on your spoolie to keep in place.

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  4. I haven’t been cooking much since we’ve been on the go a lot lately, but we’re home for a while now and I want to try some new recipes, or old ones I haven’t pulled out in a while. I have a really good black bean burger recipe I haven’t made in ages, so might try that again. I can’t remember how hubs felt about them lol. Those pretels look fabulous! We were on a tiny little lake in Owenton called Elk Lake. A really peaceful spot. We didn’t take their boat out because it stormed and we were only there the one night, but it was fun to catch up. Have a great week!

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    1. I haven’t heard of that lake but I had a college friend from Owenton.
      I get that – you are probably anxious to get back in your kitchen. I made a really good and simple dinner last night. Sometimes I am really happy to cook and other times I’m over it!

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  5. All your food pics look delicious! My husband made regular scones on Saturday. I should put an order in for some cheese and chive ones. They sound tasty! I hope you get some relief from the heat. Send some our way- we’re freezing over here!

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  6. I have seen that meme and it’s so true! I did go to a street art fair. We went early and didn’t see anything we had to have! But, then we had lunch, and I discovered a really cute shop that sells neat crystals, wind chimes, and jewelry. I’m on the struggle bus as far as food. I need to look at Pinterest, but I’m really thinking about Hello Fresh.

    https://marshainthemiddle.com

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    1. I feel like I went to so many art shows that I am over them. Isn’t that awful? I really think you should try Hello Fresh and see what you think. I know people that save and us the recipes after their subscription runs out.

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  7. Your food looks amazing! I think it’s great that you’re cooking and staying home for some of the nights. Your Saturday sounds fun! I was so glad to be able to spend time in a pool this weekend as well, since it was so hot. We’re in the mid nineties here all week! A weekend highlight for me was seeing my sister Debi, and Saturday with J. Fun times!

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  10. All of the food looks delicious. I love pretzels like that, and can’t wait to hear about the potatos bravas. It is so discouraging to wake up to let the dog(s) out and think it will be refreshing outside, only to have a wall of humidity hit you! Trust me, I know!! The red nails look awesome, and I want to watch the DCC show. I loved season one.

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    1. This was a food heavy post! It was impressive that he could make those.
      I really love a cool morning so yes that stinks.
      I am loving this orangey red color.
      I didn’t like season two as much. Let me know what you think.

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  11. The first quote is my fave – it’s so hot! I now sit outside on the front porch from 8:30 -9:30 or so (PM) . It’s been a good way to wind down after dinner. The pool looks fab! … as do the pretzels. I have one hydrangea bush that’s thriving…Trav just said that I should cut the blooms and enjoy the flowers inside …but it just looks so pretty outside. I’m not sure if I’ve ever had a black bean burger. Tom I’d like hayden – bacon is a requirement at any meal possible haha! Love that you are doing the recipe swap! That’s so sweet.

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    1. I want my June weather! Give me my June weather! This is August weather. That is so nice. Do you get eaten alive?
      Can you cut a back bloom or a low bloom? You really don’t need many!
      I think you might like a bbb if you like black beans.
      Bacon and cheese make most things better!

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  12. What a fun pool party and the pretzels look delish! I hope you and Nora keep up the cooking, what a sweet way to stay connected. So very special – I would have loved to do something like that when I was her age.

    xo,

    Kellyann

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    1. I like a pool party where people get in. It was too hot not to. I love standing in the water and chatting. This group is very low maintenance and we have our shared history. It’s so nice.
      I would have loved an aunt to do this with me.

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  13. We are in the upper 90s all week with a ton of humidity! Not fun! We have a Crumbl here, but I have yet to find anything I like. It’s much more like a cake than a cookie! That coffee shop looks adorable.

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