Spring recipes from three bloggers I love, three books for the season, and everything else on my radar this week
It has been a good week. I went back to yoga after a long break, which felt more significant than it probably sounds. And yesterday I got what I think was winter’s last hurrah — woke up to the heat clicking on, thirty-eight degrees outside, a high of sixty-four. I did not mind one bit.
The cooler weather has been good for the garden, actually. Everything has had time to settle in and take root, and right now it looks lush — green in that way that never lasts long enough. Even my wildflowers are doing something, though you have to get low to the ground to see it. Little purple and white faces tucked down in the grass, along with a few orange and yellow ones too.
This weekend the forecast says sunny and eighty degrees, and Bill is already lobbying for the pool or the lake — he has paddle board ambitions. I think the lake water is probably still too cold so I will be at the pool with a book while he figures that out for himself.
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Food — Spring Recipes
Three recipes I am loving this week, all of them spring-shaped and each from a blogger I return to again and again.
Spring Asparagus Galette from Deb Perelman at Smitten Kitchen — asparagus, ricotta, lemon, and parmesan in a free-form pastry shell. It looks like you tried much harder than you did. She salts the asparagus first, which makes all the difference. Perfect for a spring lunch or a casual dinner on the porch.
Spring Tortellini Soup with Pistachio Pesto from Jessica at How Sweet Eats — leeks, carrots, garlic, asparagus, and peas in a parmesan broth, finished with cheese tortellini and a spoonful of pistachio pesto stirred in at the end. Published just last month and already on my list to make.
Peanut Chicken Spring Roll Bowls from Tieghan at Half Baked Harvest — a spring roll made easier, served bowl-style with spicy peanut dressing over rice or noodles. All the flavors you want without the rolling.
And from my own kitchen this week —Banana Bars with Browned Butter Glaze.
Books
Three books this week, all of them spring-shaped.
The Garden of Letters by Alyson Richman — a novel that moves between WWII Verona and a garden in modern-day New Jersey, and the setting is as present as any character. I picked it up for the Italy thread and stayed for the writing.
My Garden by Jamaica Kincaid — if you love gardens but have also said something honest about what it actually means to grow things, Kincaid is for you. She is funny in the way that tells the truth. This book reads like the conversation you wish you could have with your garden itself.
The Morville Hours by Katherine Swift — a gardener restores a medieval garden in Shropshire, and a memoir turns into something far more beautiful: part garden journal, part English history, part meditation on what it means to tend a particular piece of ground over time. If you have ever stood in an English garden and felt something you could not quite name, this book names it for you.
You can find all of my book recommendations at My Bookshop. Most are also available from Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org and on Libby through your local library.
Links to Read + Watch + Listen
Baby squirrels are here! Here’s what to do if you find one.
What’s the Most Painful Sting in the World?
The Engagement Ring Is Having an Identity Crisis
Why our annual April showers are becoming April storms
My Blissful, Unbothered Life as a ‘Do Not Disturb’ Maximalist
Can a single therapy session make a difference? Experts say yes, with the right mindset
Brown, White, or Blue Eggs—What Matters for Taste (and What You’re Really Paying For)
The Best Sleep Position According to Science
A $58,000 sofa? Inside the mind-boggling crime spree of L.A.’s ‘most tasteful’ burglar
Shopping — Outfit of the Week
When I saw this dress I immediately put it into my cart. I have something very similar, same colors and embroidered around the neck. This dress can be worn all day and into the night, it can be casual, dressy or worn as a coverup at the pool. Take off the belt and it’s a caftan. Pair it with your favorite black slides, don’t forget to paint your toes. Then add a little bling, a bracelet or earrings and a tote.
Click the images below for all of the outfit details. Follow me on SHOPMY
I hope your weekend has at least one long stretch with nowhere to be — a good book, something cold to drink, and the kind of afternoon that does not require a plan. Bill has already mentally committed to that paddle board. I am committed to the pool chair. We will see who makes the wiser choice.
Are you a pool person or a lake person? Tell me in the comments — I genuinely want to know.
If you enjoyed this post, I would love it if you shared it. You can find me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and X — I would love to have you along. Don’t forget to join Kim and Juliet tomorrow for Weekend Meanderings.
You might also enjoy:
Who Am I Now? How Midlife Didn’t Change Me — It Reminded Me
A Spring Bucket List for Women Over 50
On My Radar
