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Hi Reader,

We've had cooler weather with some rain (most of it the "Oregon mist" - it gets you wet, but doesn't really water plants deeply...) which meant that the corn I planted just last week in the new bed has already sprouted!! And the beans I sowed two weeks ago are finally sprouting, along with the sunflowers.

It's that fun time of the garden year when there's always some new growth to see when you walk through.

I'm also harvesting a ton of lettuce and spinach, along with onions and kale. AND I've planted a lot of flowers in the past two weeks - all my pots are planted as well as empty areas in the sunken garden and I'm adding more flowers to the vegetable garden this year.

So I'm ready to putter in the garden a bit more this holiday weekend (we should have some 70 degree weather!) and host friends for a Memorial Day BBQ (which may or may not be inside - that's not the day of the 70 degrees 😂) - what about you?

Of course I've got some ideas for any grilling or picnic ideas you may have below!

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BBQ & Picnic Recipe Ideas

​Cabbage Salad with Feta Vinaigrette & Pecans​ All slaws store well, making them great for picnics! Try this Cumin-Lime Slaw for a Tex-Mex theme or this Asian inspired slaw with vegetables. ​ ​

​Slow Cooker Honey or Maple Baked Beans​ Less sweet, more bean-y - add more sauce or some hot sauce to make it your own. Perfect for transporting or serving in the crock. ​

​Soy Sriracha Marinated Chicken​ This is NOT spicy, just super flavorful in the easiest 2-ingredient marinade around. I serve this to everyone and they love it! ​

Bar Cookies (easy to make and take) -Peanut Butter Oat Bars​ -Healthy Blueberry Bars​ -Whole Grain Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Bars​ ​

Memorial Day Sales

Two of my favorite hobbies (gardening and knitting) are having big sales at my go-to sites!

• ​Epic Gardening: Up to 50% OFF select products - AND get an extra 5% off with my exclusive code: ANOREGONCOTTAGE5
• ​Knitpicks (or WeCrochet): 20% Off Sitewide, Plus 25% Off Orders $150+ with Code: 5MEMORIAL25

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What's New

​10 Minute Creamy Pesto Pasta​ This 5-ingredient recipe has been spiffed up and refreshed for you - just in time for crazy May! Everyone has time for a 10 minute recipe, right? ​ RECIPE HERE! ​

​Summer Gardening Guide​ Easy tips to keep your garden thriving through the summer! ​ READ HERE! ​

A Few More Things

Funny story: I bought a walking pad (a small treadmill that doesn't go fast, so no running) because I've seen a lot of people using one at their desks while working on the computer. I thought it would be a great way to get more movement into my days that are spent working on the site. Totally forgetting that I get motion sickness if I try to read in the car... Yep, even doing easy tasks like photo editing while walking made me so nauseous that it took all day to feel normal again! I would just look at it sitting there under my desk and start to feel sick.😂 So, plan B: take it upstairs and use it to break up my days with 10-15 minute walks while listening to an audiobook - which has been much more doable! I've also discovered that this lower cost walking pad is way more sturdy and smooth than I hoped (and at a fraction of the cost of some). So if you're at all interested, check it out - it's been working well in the 2 weeks I've had it.

I'm listening to a fascinating book about the invention of reality TV which starts all the way back in the radio era with "candid microphone" which became Candid Camera on TV. I've had to share sections with Brian they've been so interesting. The surviver origin story is particularly gripping - both the contestants AND the crew literally starved the first season as they were woefully unprepared and underfunded. I will probably not finish it, though, as it gets to the Bachelor and Housewives era...never been my thing. But the historical part of things I remember from a kid's point of view has been compelling (I do NOT remember some of the suggestive/lewd questions from the Newlywed Game, ha!).

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Sure appreciate you - thanks for reading and I hope your week is wonderful!

PS- Remember to tag me on Instagram so I can see what you're making!

Remember it's easy to save recipes on An Oregon Cottage! Just click the heart when browsing to save your personal favorites! TIP: when you click on the link, it will take you to my site - click the heart like you see here to the left - it will be on the bottom right on the site. A pop up form will come up for you to create an account (or sign in if you already have). You need to create a password for this account (no info is kept besides your email) and then you can save all recipes and articles to this account and access it anytime to remember what you want and choose what to make!

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