A Real Food Halloween Party – Part Two

Enter if you dare! I’m continuing a four part series on real Halloween party foods. I define real foods as made in nature, not in a factory. This includes minimally processed foods that are made with ingredients we recognize, and regularly use in our kitchens.

Halloween doesn’t have to be all about the sugar buzz! Here are some real food options for your party that are easy to prepare, fun to serve and only slightly creepy to eat.

Deviled Eggs and Spider Eggs

Prepare deviled eggs according to the classic recipe here, or use your favorite recipe. I piped the filling using a dessert decorator for the spider eggs and used a cookie scoop to fill the deviled eggs.

Deviled Eggs
Slice thin ‘horns’ from the curved ends of a red bell pepper. Mine are about an inch long. Place two horns into each filled egg half.

Spider Eggs
For the spider’s body, slice whole black olives in half lengthwise, and place one in the center of each filled egg half. Slice tiny slivers of black olives for the spider’s legs. You’ll need eight slices for each spider. Place them around the olive half to create the spider’s legs.

Panna Clotta
This mildly sweet, coconut milk dessert becomes Halloween party ready with the addition of a ‘clot’ of strawberry chia jam. This is a great make-ahead treat, because both the panna cotta and the jam need time to set up in the refrigerator. I prepared the jam by following this recipe. Be sure it is completely jelled, not runny.

The panna cotta recipe is an old favorite of ours. You can sweeten it however you like. We’ve tried honey, Swerve and monk fruit and they each taste just great. After the panna cotta has completely set up, place the chia jam on top. I used a one inch cookie scoop in order to create perfectly rounded ‘clots’. Yum.

I hope this provides some creative inspiration for your Halloween party. If you missed Part One of this series, you can read it here.

To shop the post:
Dessert Decorator / Cutting Board / Paring Knife / Chef’s Knife / Swerve / Monk Fruit / Ramekins / Cookie Scoop / Votive holders – NLA, these would be pretty / Egg plate – vintage, but readily available online. Google “milk glass egg plate” Similar / Glitter Tablecloth – NLA, Similar

Disclosure: In addition to occasional sponsored posts, Arthurized Home uses clickable affiliate links. That means that I may receive a small commission from sales at no extra charge to you. As always, my opinion is 100% my own, and I only recommend things that I truly love or use myself. Thank you for patronizing the brands that support Arthurized Home!

Copyright 2019-2021 © Arthurized Home – All Rights Reserved. This post is the original content of Arthurized Home. If you’re reading this on another site, it’s unArthurized.

Real Food Menu for Week of 10.6.2019

October 7, 2019meal prepblack bean hummus, creamy tuscan soup, garlic butter sauteed spinach with salmon, green beans almondine, mediterranean green lentil soup, perfect roast chicken, strawberries and cream overnight oats, summer squash oreganoarthurized Leave a comment

I quit keto last week. I’ve been solidly in ketosis since late May and lost 13 pounds over the summer, but I don’t think the results were worth the restriction. I recently switched primary care doctors and my new doc feels that the Mediterranean diet is a better fit for me.

So I quit. I mixed up a salad of chickpeas, cucumbers, garden tomatoes (which are soon coming to an end), tuna, black pepper, apple cider vinegar and olive oil. And it was good. So good that I had the leftovers before my run this morning. Weird breakfast, huh? Going forward I will continue to focus on eating foods made in nature, and keeping the carbs low to moderate. Until the doctor tells me otherwise!

Breakfast:
Strawberry Overnight Oats – Overnight oats are back and I’m so excited! I’m decreasing the Greek yogurt slightly, and leaving the honey out of mine.
https://cleanfoodcrush.com/clean-mornings-strawberries-cream-overnight-oats/

Lunch:
Mediterranean Green Lentil Soup – It’s officially soup weather! My mother-in-law made the best lentil soup. So tasty and filling. It’s one of Pa Kettle’s favorites, so he orders lentil soup whenever we go to Zoe’s Kitchen.
https://www.unicornsinthekitchen.com/easy-mediterranean-green-lentil-soup/

Dinner:

Cedar Plank Salmon – {UPDATE: We found this salmon to be dry and flavorless. The green beans were delicious, however!}
Earth Fare had these on sale this weekend, and the ingredients all appear to be clean. I wish the package stated the source of the salmon, because we try to buy wild caught if possible. I’m serving the salmon with Green Beans Almondine and a little brown rice.
https://www.food.com/recipe/green-beans-almondine-14804

Perfect Roast Chicken – Again. But seriously, we never tire of this, and love turning the leftovers into something amazing the next day. Carrots and potatoes for Mark, Brussels sprouts for me.
https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/perfect-roast-chicken-recipe-1940592

Creamy Tuscan Soup – New Recipe! We’ll use leftover roast chicken in this soup.
https://cleanfoodcrush.com/creamy-skinny-tuscan-soup-recipe/

Garlic Butter Sauteed Spinach with Salmon – We’re subbing in olive oil for butter.
https://www.eatwell101.com/garlic-butter-sauteed-spinach-recipe

Summer Squash Oregano

Servings: 4-6
Difficulty: easy
Print

This old Southern Living magazine recipe is a favorite. It’s so old that I can’t find the recipe online!

Ingredients

3 T. butter
1 onion, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 small, green bell pepper, chopped
1 T. chopped fresh oregano
3/4 lb. yellow squash, sliced
3/4 lb. zucchini, sliced
4 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Melt butter in a large skillet; add onion, garlic and bell pepper and saute until tender. Stir in oregano, yellow squash and zucchini. Cover, and cook, stirring occasionally for 15 minutes. Stir in tomato, salt and pepper; cook, uncovered, until squash is tender. Spoon into a serving dish, sprinkle with cheese.

Snack:
Black Bean Hummus with Cucumber Slices – Hummus, how I have missed you! Not the prettiest dish to photograph, but this one is slap yo’ mama good! (Don’t worry, no actual mamas were injured in the making of this snack.) I swapped out chickpeas for black beans. Go easy on the lemon juice, but the more garlic, the better. We should not have any vampire problems leading up to Halloween.
https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/hummus-recipe-1940499

Treat: We’ll give the Mediterranean practice of fruit for dessert a try this week. I will likely stick with fresh berries. Or dragon fruit.

Happy Monday, and have a great week!

Halloween Hoosier – All Treats, No Tricks

October 4, 2019decorcottage kitchen, fall, fiestaware, funkins, halloween, halloween decor, hoosier cabinet, october, retro, vintagearthurized 3 Comments

It’s time to pull out the Halloween decor and get ready for Fright Night. (Actually, my Halloween tastes tend toward spooky/goofy/vintage rather than gory and horrific.) The Hoosier has a prominent place in our kitchen, so I love to decorate it for seasons and holidays. Care for a tour?

I used my Fiestaware and created a cake stand to give this pumpkin some height.

Our neighbor Norman (may he RIP) grew the gourd and gave it to me to paint. It’s been part of my Halloween decor for 13 years. I found these sweet ceramic jack-o-lanterns at a thrift store. Their insides are sooty from a previous owner burning what must’ve been the world’s tiniest tea light candles in them.

Rabbit Trail: I don’t burn real candles in the Hoosier. Have you ever seen a candle flare? Mark and I were watching TV one night and I had a jar candle burning on the coffee table. All of the sudden, the flame shot up about three feet into the air! It burned that way for just a second and then went back to burning as normal. We couldn’t believe what we’d just seen! That’s why I like to leave clearance of several feet around real candles.

The papier-mâché ornaments are from Department 56.

No such thing as unlucky black cats when they’re this sweet.

While the Hoosier is festive by day, it’s pure magic at night.

For the past several years, we’ve carved Funkins at my sister’s Halloween soiree. The Hoosier is chock full of them. Our nephew gave us the spiderweb candle below….about 20 years ago!

I debated placing the “G” marquee letter in front of the “eek”! We do geek out over Halloween.

The star led lights are from Anthropologie. They usually stock them before Christmas; I like to buy them on Boxing Day clearance.

Most everything in the Hoosier is thrifted, gifted, handmade or found on sale.

We put the string lights on a timer so they’re on for a few hours in the morning, and on again in the evening until we go to bed.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this little jaunt through the Hoosier. Happy Halloween!

A Real Food Halloween Party – Part One

October 2, 2019Foodclean food, cooking with kids, halloween, home cooking, party foods, party planning, real foodarthurized 3 Comments

Boo to you! Is it too early for a little Halloween fun? I think not. Today, I’m starting a four part series on real Halloween party foods. I define real foods as made in nature, not in a factory. This includes minimally processed foods that are made with ingredients we recognize, and regularly use in our kitchens.

Halloween doesn’t have to be all about the sugar buzz! Here are some real food options for your party that are easy to prepare, fun to serve and only slightly creepy to eat.

Severed Fingers
I’m sure your guests will love these ‘finger’ foods! Muahahahaha!

Materials:

Mozzarella cheese sticks (jack cheese sticks would work as well, for a little extra creep factor)
Cream cheese – You don’t need much. I used about a teaspoon total.
Almond slices
Marinara sauce for dipping
Sharp paring knife

Twist each mozzarella stick to break it in half. With a sharp paring knife, taper the smooth end of the stick for the fingertip and create a flat area on top for the nail bed. Carve thin slits for the knuckles. Spread the tiniest dab of softened cream cheese on the nail bed, and place the almond slice on top for the finger nail. Serve with marinara sauce for dipping.

Slithering Snakes

Materials:

Black grapes
Cream cheese
Milk – for thinning the cream cheese, if needed
6 inch wooden skewers
Dessert Decorator

Optional: Chocolate chips pressed into cream cheese for eyes. I didn’t use them because they looked cartoonish and bug-eyed, not spooky. Variation: Use green grapes for the body, and chocolate chip eyes to make cute caterpillars.

This little bite is so easy it almost needs no explanation. Simply load up the skewers with a row of grapes, and pipe on cream cheese eyes and decorative patterns as desired. This is a fun project for kids to assemble.

This orange Fiestaware dinner plate belonged to my Hoosier Grandma and was one of her everyday dishes. The 3-D EEK sign is a craft store clearance bin score. I bought the glitter velvet napkins and placemats for a New Year’s Eve dinner party a million years ago. I love these for a Halloween party tablescape as well. While I couldn’t find an exact match, I’ve linked a similar sequined tablecloth below.

To shop the post:
Paring Knife and Cutting Board Set / Dessert Decorator / Skewers / Chocolate Chips / Fiestaware / Placemats and Napkins NLA, similar tablecloth

Happy Real Food Halloween, and thank you for taking time out of your busy day to read here! I truly appreciate it.

Real Food Menu for Week of 9.29.2019

September 30, 2019meal prepcauliflower pizza, cinnamon roll drizzle, cinnamon roll noatmeal, keto lava cake, keto meatballs and sauce, keto white chicken chili, parmesan chips, perfect roast chicken, salmon in roasted pepper sauce, stuffed peppers with ground beef and cheesearthurized 1 Comment

Happiness is getting to visit with your Tennessee sister twice in four days. She spent the night Thursday night on her way to Massanutten Resort for the Xtreme Hike for Cystic Fibrosis, and then we met for lunch out by the interstate on her way back home. We met at Angelle’s Diner, and sat outside on the patio in 94° heat listening the roar of tractor-trailer engines off in the distance. We really know how to show our guests a good time! It was too brief a visit, but we’ll take what we can get.

This is shaping up to be a busy week, so we’re sticking with mostly tried and true recipes. Except that keto lava cake. We’ll need to perfect that recipe just a little more.

Breakfast:
Cinnamon Roll Noatmeal – There’s nothing like starting the day with a warm bowl of noatmeal. I double the recipe, add 3/4 tsp. of cinnamon and a smidgen of nutmeg (’cause it’s my favorite!) to the dry noatmeal mix from here…
https://www.healthysweeteats.com/my-favorite-noatmeal-aka-low-carb-oat-free-porridge-the-basic-recipe-and-6-variations/
…and made the cinnamon roll drizzle from here:
https://www.wholesomeyum.com/easy-low-carb-keto-oatmeal-recipe/

Lunch:
Cauliflower Pizza – I’m making two of these pizzas, pepperoni for Mark and cheese pizza for me. This crust holds up well to reheating in the toaster oven at work.
https://thestonesoup.com/blog/2016/09/27/cauliflower-pizza/

Dinner:
I only plan five dinners each week to leave room in the schedule for dining out, or having a leftovers night.

Keto Meatballs and Sauce – I like to make the meatballs using ground turkey. We’ll serve over zoodles to amp up the veggies. The cream in this tasty sauce cuts some of the acidity of the tomatoes.
https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/keto-meatballs-and-sauce/

Salmon in Roasted Pepper Sauce – This sauce is creamy and delicious! I’m doubling the sauce so there is plenty to mix into the cauliflower rice.
https://cooktoria.com/salmon-in-roasted-pepper-sauce/

Keto Stuffed Peppers – Earth Fare had green peppers 3/$1 and Mark really loves these, so…
https://www.dietdoctor.com/recipes/stuffed-peppers-with-ground-beef-and-cheese

Perfect Roast Chicken – Ina’s classic roast chicken. This recipe is an oldie, but a goodie. We’ll do carrots and potatoes for Mark, brussels sprouts for me.
https://barefootcontessa.com/recipes/perfect-roast-chicken

Keto White Chicken Chili – We made this for the first time last week and it was so good we’re bringing it back again! We’ll use the leftover roast chicken in this creamy soup.
https://www.heyketomama.com/keto-white-chicken-chili/

Snacks:
Parmesan chips, if I have a hankerin’. I’m not really snacking on keto.
Carb-loading Hubby will enjoy bananas, grapes and Tiny but Mighty Popcorn. When Mark was a kid, his family had Friday movie nights and his Mom made popcorn on the stove by shaking the kernels in a covered sauce pan. He makes his popcorn on the stove top just like his Mama did.

Treat:
Keto Lava Cakes – We may or may not have had to bake these several nights last week. For purposes of recipe testing, of course. *ahem* These are topped with fresh raspberries and powdered Swerve. Who says you can’t eat low-carb and enjoy it, too?
https://kirbiecravings.com/keto-lava-cake/

Have a great week, everybody!

Packing a Shoe Box for Operation Christmas Child – What Fits Inside the Box?

September 27, 2019giftsgood news, great joy, operation christmas child, pack a shoebox, samaritans purse, shoebox giftarthurized 9 Comments

Since the gift idea blog post, I’ve had some requests to show how those items fit inside the shoe box. While I can’t send every toy to each child, I squeeze as much as possible into each box, making use of every nook and cranny. It’s most important to send a fun “wow” item and school supplies, clothing and extra toys are secondary.

I ordered plastic shoe boxes from Samaritan’s Purse for a few reasons: They’re large (6 quart), sturdy and reusable. The children can use them to store their things long-term. Parents often use them for food storage in the home, to keep foods dry and pests out, or to hold washing water.

Here are some things I learned while packing the boxes:

Roll the clothes. I tried several different packing tricks but rolling made them the most compact. The boy’s socks are thick with larger cuffs, so I rolled each pair separately. When rolling socks, stagger them so that the cuffs aren’t lined up. The girl’s socks are thinner, so I rolled two pairs together.

Underwear: Folding and rubber banding the underwear together spares the recipient the potential embarrassment of opening underwear in front of their friends. That’s never gonna be a fun party game! I folded them so that the elastic waistband shows, and they’ll get an idea of what it is without removing the rubber bands.

Boys underwear: While I don’t regret buying the five pack of boxer briefs for $2, I’ll stick to only buying briefs in the future. They take up a lot less room than boxers.

This next point blew me away! It’s so important to remove the packaging. I decided to collect all of the paper and plastic trash in one bag, and see how much our boxes generated. WOW! Enough to overflow a laundry basket. When you think of sending all of this trash overseas, the decision to remove the packaging becomes very obvious.

I used my car packing method to pack the boxes in layers. Here’s what fit into the girl’s boxes.

Layer One: tiara headband

Layer Two: 20″ beach ball

Layer Three: pencil pouch with school supplies, comb, leggings, three pairs of underwear, pencil sharpener

Because we want to send as many gifts as possible, the pencil sharpener has three pencil cap erasers stuffed inside, along with two stretch headbands.

The pencil pouch contains: 6 pencils, 10 markers, 10 colored pencils, 1 highlighter, 2 large erasers and 1 pair of scissors

Layer Four: toothbrush, tee shirt, bag of jacks, toy turtle, toy fish, bar of soap, box of 24 crayons, smooshed Minnie, 2 glue sticks, 2 pairs of socks

Layer Five: washcloth

Layer Six: composition notebook

The lid snaps on flat (mostly!) and because the box is filled to the gills, I placed rubber bands around it. Godspeed to the fantastic volunteers in the processing center who have to unpack and re-pack these boxes to go through customs!

So, that’s what fits! I hope this post was helpful to you. If you have ideas to share about how to pack shoeboxes, please let me know in the comments. Click to learn more about Operation Christmas Child.

This post is not sponsored. I only endorse charities that I personally support, and I hope you will consider supporting them too.

Copyright 2019-2020 © Arthurized Home – All Rights Reserved. This post is the original content of Arthurized Home. If you’re reading this on another site, it’s unArthurized.

Make an Easy Beaded Bracelet

September 25, 2019create, giftsbeaded bracelet, craft, craft with kids, crafternoon, gift, gift idea, tutorialarthurized Leave a comment

Each year at the beach, the whole crew goes souvenir shopping at Callahan’s of Calabash. It’s tradition. We load up on tees, hoodies, ball caps, beach totes and usually buy a blown glass Christmas ornament or two. We try to find an ornament that commemorates a special occasion, accomplishment or event during the year. For the past several years, my cousin Ruby and I have selected a piece of costume jewelry so that we can ‘twin’ across-the-miles when vacation is over.

This beaded bracelet with wooden buckle clasp was our pick a few years ago. Over time the elastic has become slack on a few of the strands, so it’s time for a restring. While I’m repairing mine, I thought it would be fun to show you how to make these easy bracelets. This project is simple enough that older kids can make them, with a little adult assistance in tying the knots.

Here are the materials you’ll need:
Buckle Clasp
Beads
Jelly Cord – I’m using 1mm
E-6000 – optional, to secure knots
Scissors
Ruler
Toothpick, or other small implement for applying glue – if using E-6000
Beading tray or kitchen towel – I don’t have a beading tray, so I use a terry cloth kitchen towel to stop beads from rolling off my work surface.

Now it’s time for math class! To calculate the length of beads needed: Using your favorite bracelet length, subtract the length of the buckle clasp when closed and multiply the result by the number of strands in the bracelet. (If you are using very chunky beads, make your bracelet a little longer than normal because of the larger bracelet circumference. The cord will sit farther away from your wrist. Does that make sense?!)

I like a 7.5″ bracelet. The buckle clasp is 1.5″ long when closed, so my strands of beads would be 6″ long. I have 5 holes in the clasp, and 6 x 5 = 30, so I need 30″ of beads. I bought a little extra in case there are any wonky beads. Make sure the bead strands will be narrow enough to fit into your clasp without crowding – I’m using 6mm beads, but I could have gone a little wider. Okay, class dismissed. Now it’s time for the fun stuff!

Taking your bead length measurement from above, cut a generous length of jelly cord. Keep in mind that you will need extra cord to feed through the clasp ends and for knot tying. I cut mine at about 40″.

Slip one end of the jelly cord through an end hole in one of the clasp pieces. Tie a large knot in the jelly cord, and pull it tight. Tug on it to make sure that the knot will not pull through the hole in the clasp. String the first row of beads, measure for length, then weave the jelly cord through the other clasp piece.

Repeat the process for each row. Before tying the final knot, lay the bracelet flat and make sure that the rows are uniform in length, and the cord is pulled firmly through, but not stretched. I used the toothpick end to tighten the jelly cord loops, row by row. Tie a large knot at the end. Trim the excess cord off of each end, and place a dab of E-6000 on each knot to help secure it. Your bracelet is complete!

To shop the post: Jelly cord / E-6000 / Buckle clasp / Beads

Love the beads, but not up for a crafternoon? I got you.
Multicolor / Turquoise / Lavender Multi / Red

Do these beads look like Sixlets to you, too? Don’t you think this is the adult version of wearing a candy necklace? This bracelet is a fun way to perk up weekend denim or a plain jersey and would make cute, girlfriend gifts. Happy Crafting!

Real Food Menu for Week of 9.22.2019

September 23, 2019meal prepalmond flour pancakes with chocolate chips, baked garlic parmesan salmon, blt breakfast bake, chili lime cucumber, easy garlic butter keto chicken thighs, homemade taco seasoning, keto lava cake, keto sweet chili chicken thighs, keto taco salad, keto white chicken chiliarthurized Leave a comment

I know what you’re thinking. “Wow! That’s a load of chicken for one week.” Yup. Mostly because I peered into the freezer and found six(!) packages of frozen chicken. So, here we go, Chicken Week. Let’s do this thang!

Breakfast:
Almond Flour Pancakes with Chocolate Chips – These are mini chocolate chips and we use them sparingly. One bag goes a long way when you’re using a few tablespoons per recipe.
https://joyfilledeats.com/almond-flour-pancakes/

Lunch:
Keto Taco Salads – I don’t have a recipe for the taco meat, I just cook it thoroughly with a diced onion and loads of taco seasoning. I packaged the taco meat into ramekins for reheating in the toaster oven at work. To assemble the bowls add toppings to a bed of lettuce. I used this taco seasoning recipe:
https://cleanfoodcrush.com/homemade-taco-seasoning/

Dinner:

Easy Garlic Butter Keto Chicken Thighs – Simple and delicious!
https://www.ieatketo.com/easy-garlic-butter-keto-chicken-thighs/

Baked Garlic Parmesan Salmon – New Recipe! I love using home grown, flat leaf Italian parsley in this dish. It’s one of my favorite herbs.
https://www.healthstartsinthekitchen.com/2016/04/06/baked-garlic-parmesan-salmon-primal-low-carb-keto/

White Chicken Chili – New Recipe, and so good! Mark said “the next time we make this, let’s make a double batch.”
https://www.heyketomama.com/keto-white-chicken-chili/

BLT Breakfast Bake – New Recipe!
https://www.realfoodwithjessica.com/2018/09/05/paleo-whole30-blt-breakfast-bake/

Keto Sweet Chili Chicken Thighs – New Recipe! I reduced the heat and the sweetener here: 1/3 c. of monkfruit sweetener and medium heat on the stove top. Yes, this looks burned, but I promise it’s not!
https://fitmomjourney.com/keto-sweet-spicy-chicken-thighs

Snacks:
Chili Lime Cucumber – I know this sounds weird, but this snack is so refreshing. Simply slice an English cucumber into rounds, season liberally with chili powder and squeeze fresh lime juice over it. A sprinkle of sea salt is optional.

Dessert:
Keto Lava Cake – New Recipe! So rich and fudgey! Mark has wanted to try baking these for some time now. Lava cakes are perfect for dinner guests because you can prepare the batter ahead of time, refrigerate it in the ramekins and just pop them in the oven to bake, about 20 minutes before serving.
https://kirbiecravings.com/keto-lava-cake/

Have a great week, everyone!

Visit Berkeley Springs, West Virginia

September 20, 2019travelalmost heaven, berkeley springs, country roads, travel, visit wv, wanderlust, west virginia, wv tourismarthurized 4 Comments

For years we’ve driven through the tiny hamlet of Berkeley Springs, WV on our way to visit family in Pittsburgh. We’ve said repeatedly that “one day” we’ll stop and explore. We finally decided to stop waiting for that one day to come, and put a visit to Berkeley Springs on our itinerary. We’re so glad we did.

Berkeley Springs has an eclectic vibe and is a haven for artists and art-lovers. Pop into most any store and you will find local art of every description for sale. Washington Street/522 is very walkable, and filled with quirky and interesting shops.

I loved this shop. They have great jewelry, clothing and home goods. I’ll take one of everything, please!

If you’re just passing through, we recommend stretching your legs in the heart of the town, Berkeley Springs State Park. During the summer months, the natural spring water pool is open to the public. There are a couple of bathhouses in the park and you can make an appointment for a soak at one of them, have a sauna or book a massage. Before you leave the park, be sure to pay a visit to George Washington’s bathtub. Yes, Berkeley Springs was even a spa destination for the Father of His Country.

We recommend having lunch or dinner at Tari’s Cafe. It’s a just short stroll from the park. Tari’s is a combination restaurant and art gallery. We chose it because they advertise as gluten-free friendly and our server was certainly knowledgeable about the ingredients in their food. The food was amazing and the service was prompt and friendly. Mark ordered the French Dip (hold the baguette) and went crazy for it. Tari’s showcases glass artwork, so the environment is not super kid-friendly. Honestly, I was a little nervous that I would accidentally hit/buy something with my pocketbook on the way past a display shelf. I’m not the most graceful thing.

Instead of stopping for coffee at a franchise, we opted to caffeinate at Fairfax Coffee House. With exposed brick walls and wood shelving, the Fairfax has a cozy, general store feel. It’s full of local art, most of which is for sale. There are pastries (some are gluten free) and frozen treats on offer, as well as the requisite coffee house drinks. When we tried to tip the barista, she said “Oh, no. We’re tip free here.” Even the restroom is graced with unconventional art and signage.

If you’re there on the weekend, take in a show at the Star Theatre. With a 90 year history, it’s pure nostalgia. The concession stand features popcorn prepared in a 1949 Manley Popcorn Machine, topped with real butter.

Berkeley Springs is a two hour drive from Baltimore or D.C. and a popular, weekend tourist destination. The first time we stopped for lunch was on a Wednesday, and I commented to our server at Tari’s that the town seemed deserted. She said “Yeah. We’re a Thursday through Sunday kind of town.” If you need lodging while in the area, try The Country Inn of Berkeley Springs or Cacapon Resort State Park Lodge, which is a ten minute drive from town.

Pro Tips:
Berkeley Springs police have no chill. No, I don’t know this from first hand experience, but we literally have never gone through there without seeing someone pulled over. Fair warning.

Because Berkeley Springs is a tourist destination, weekend parking is in high demand. We’ve had fairly good luck trolling side streets for an open spot. I’d rather walk a few blocks than feed the meter.

Shop owners take a break after the tourists go home each week. Many of the shops are closed on Monday. Some don’t re-open until Thursday. We recently visited on a Tuesday and very few shops were open along Washington/522.

We love this quirky, little town.

To learn more about Berkeley Springs: https://berkeleysprings.com/
This post is not sponsored, I just enjoy sharing good things with my readers.

Easy Care Plants – Sedums

September 19, 2019plantsattracting pollinators, easy care, ground cover plants, perennial plants, propogation, sedumarthurized Leave a comment

Years ago when our area was going through a drought, we started researching xeriscaping, and buying drought-tolerant plants. One of the plants we purchased was an ‘Autumn Joy’ sedum. We love these plants for their end-of-summer enthusiasm. In August, just when most other garden flowers are looking a little bedraggled, mounding sedums spring into bloom.

Sedums are non-native perennials, great for hot, sunny rock gardens and dry slopes; they store up water in their succulent type leaves. While they love full sun, they’ll tolerate a little shade. They grow just fine in average to poor soil as long as it is well-drained. Give them sunshine and dry feet and they will be happy.

Plant them in the spring after the threat of frost has passed. Water daily for the first few weeks, then as needed during dry spells. Once established, they truly are low maintenance. Except for cutting armloads of blooms to enjoy in bouquets, there is no need to trim them back at any time. Leave the entire plant for winter interest in the garden. Sedums die back to the ground over the winter. In the spring, simply gather up the dried stems and toss them on the compost pile.

Sedums in spring. I think they look like little Brussels sprouts!

I have three different varieties of sedums in my garden. The Autumn Joy and pale lavender sedums are mounding varieties and grow to about 18 inches tall.

Sedums are an important food source for pollinators, because there are fewer floral options in late summer and into early fall. While they are rabbit resistant, deer will nibble on them from time to time. Free-loaders.

The yellow variety was a gift, but I believe it’s a ‘Kamtschaticum‘. This semi-evergreen ground cover blooms in late spring, much earlier than the mounding varieties. Once it’s finished blooming, you’re left with a carpet of glossy, green leaves. Even though it has a spreading habit, it’s easily controlled. Kamtschaticum is tough as nails and thrives in the harshest conditions. I’ve had this variety in a hanging basket on the garage for several years and it rains seeds down into the gravel below. Now I have a nice patch of sedums growing underneath in my hot, dry, gravel driveway!

Sedum is easy to root in water. Simply take a cutting, strip off any leaves below the water line, place in water in a clear container. I like to use small mason jars or good ol’ drinking glasses. Keep an eye on the water level and replenish as needed. It may take several weeks before you see roots. Either transfer to a pot when long roots form, or transplant directly to the garden in early fall.

These purple sedums are pass-along plants from my brother’s wedding; all rooted in water.

Our neighbor, Ronnie propagated sedums by snipping off a stem, dipping the cut end in rooting hormone and planting it directly into the ground. He had a fairly good success rate with this method.

Established sedums should be divided in spring every three to five years. Dig up the plant and slice the root system into sections using a clean, sharp knife. Replant immediately without letting the divisions dry out.

Whether you enjoy them in your flower beds or bring them inside in bouquets of cut flowers, sedums are sure to charm you. Have you planted these beauties in your garden?

To shop the post:
‘Autumn Joy’ Sedum / ‘Brilliant’ Purple Sedum / Yellow ‘Kamtschaticum’ Sedum / Mud Gloves – my favorite gloves for gardening / Kate Spade Larabee Dot Creamer – NLA, but there are some available in other colors on eBay

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Summer Squash Oregano

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