I am a fall girl through and through. I enjoy all the seasons but autumn feels like paradise to my body and brain. So right around August I start acting like a man with a porn addiction and I scroll Pinterest endlessly looking at autumn photos and autumn recipes and scary movies and shows.

A seasonal ritual.

So I figured why not create a guide for the spooky babies like me who are ready for summer to get the hell out of here!

3 Recipes. 3 Books. 3 Shows. 3 Activities.

3 Recipes

Okay I have to be so honest with you. I’m really bad with writing and keeping recipes. So I’m going to give this to you in rough estimates and that’s the best I can do. You may need to look up a genuine recipe. I guess I should have called this 3 meal ideas but I digress.

Potato leek cheddar Soup

• 3 small russet potatoes cubed

• 1 leek chopped

• 2 stalks of kale with the rib stripped

• Garlic (measure with ur heart)

• 2 veggie bullion

• 4 cups water

• 2oz cheddar

• 1 tbsp beer mustard

Sautee your leeks and onions first. Add the potatoes and ripped up kale. Add your bullion and simmer until the potatoes are soft.

Blend with immersion blender until smooth. Grate in cheese and blend. Add beer mustard and blend. Simmer until the flavors come together. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with a fat hunk of cheesy garlic bread.

Pierogi Ruskie

Filling:

• 3 russet potatoes baked

• 1 cup farmers cheese (or ricotta or cheddar whatever really)

• 1 yellow onion diced and caramelized

• 3 cloves garlic minced and cooked

• Salt and pepper

Wrapper:

• Don’t look at me. I make mine a little different every time.

• I will give you a secret though…. Add an egg.

Caramelize onion and garlic. Run potato through a ricer. Add cheese and seasonings. Add onion and garlic. Mix em up.

Cut out your dough, add a tablespoon of mix, seal.

Boil until they rise. Immediately drain and dump into a hot pan with butter and pan fry.

Serve with more caramelized onion and a dilly sour cream.

Apple Crisp

• 2 Granny Smith

• ¼ cup sugar

• ½ juiced lemon

• 1/3 cup almond flour

• 1/3 cup oats

• 1/3 cup Demerara sugar

• 1/3 cup butter cubed

• Cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice to taste

Peel and cube the apple. Toss with lemon juice, sugar, and spices. Let sit for 10-15.

Mix your dry ingredients and butter. Keep it cold!!!!!

In an oven safe pan, add your apple mix, top with crumble.

Bake at 375 for 20 or until bubbling and golden

Serve with ice cream

3 Books

How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix

It’s spooky. It’s campy. It’s gross. It’s completely out of touch with any semblance of reality.

What do you do when your Mom dies, leaves everything to your fuck up younger brother, and leaves you nothing but a sentient puppet collection and familial curse?

The book is somehow touching and honest, gory and campy, psychologically thrilling and hilarious.

Strange Pictures by Uketsu

A Japanese murder mystery. A really fun who done it and a quick read.

What do these three pictures have in common? How can a paranormal club help solve a murder? Who is the man following you?

There are so many twists and turns in this book. It really keeps you guessing the whole time. A fun journey and fun format.

Fallow by Sarah Anderson

Okay technically this isn’t out yet but it’s one of my favorite reads of 2026 and perfect for this transition.

No work is good work. Once you truly realize that the opportunities open up. What would you do if you had no shame and little options? How far would you go to get paid well to mostly just exist? What would you do to fix your teeth?

Weird girl lit!!!! Spooky adjacent. Brilliant commentary on society and womanhood but in a not insufferable way. Come join me in the pasture the grass is fine.

3 Shows

Moomins

Your favorite socialist cozy show. Truthfully this show is always on repeat for me but it’s so cozy for late summer/early fall.

If you don’t know the moominverse yet you will love this show. There are always new adventures ahead.

Widow’s Bay

Hear me out… I do have a critique. For a show based in New England there are NO New England accents. I didn’t hear one masshole, one Mainer. BUT!!!!

The show was really good and fun. Silly and spooky and very campy horror.

Adventure Time

Is it old? Yes! Does it stand up to the test of time? Yes! Especially the first season. Go on and give it a rewatch.

3 Activities

Cross stitch

Pixel art but make it fiber.

Low cost of entry. Very chill. Easy to pick up and put down. My one recommendation is to start with larger sized grids and work down from there.

Gardening

Tend to a little something.

Chances are if you have a garden it could use some work this time of year. If you didn’t have a summer garden (like me! Hello florida) you have even more work to do. Or you could use this to tend to a new flower pot or simply clean up some of the summer growth.

Reading

I mean… I have you 3 books. You knew it was coming.

Reading is the ultimate cozy activity. Curl up and get lost in a book. Low stimulation. High reward. Work your brain.

Don’t let anyone tell you it’s too early to start celebrating fall.

See you in the next one.

As a kid I was a voracious reader. I would spend entire days in a book. I was a kid who loved maladaptive day dreaming and fantasy worlds. Of course I loved reading.

As I grew up I got into more non-fiction. The people around me stopped reading fiction. Many stopped reading at all. I took that as a cue that reading anything but non-fiction was not adult.

Turns out there are only so many non-fiction books I could enjoy. I hit my limit and stopped reading.

I decided I wanted less hobbies that involved screens after starting to work remotely again. I ended up downloading an audiobook that was fiction and giving it a shot. I really enjoyed it but ultimately missed the physical books. It at least brought me back into realizing fiction can be fun as an adult and there are thousands of books I could actually enjoy out there.

This all brings me to my tips to help you get back into reading and some book recommendations to get you going (if you enjoy weird shit like me).

1. Start with the genres of media you already consume

I personally consume horror content like it’s keeping me alive. Horror, folklore, paranormal and cryptids, games, satire, etc. This is what I started with.

You’ll have much better luck tucking in and getting engaged with a book if it’s something you already enjoy.

1. Read a little bit every day and truly commit to it.

This is truly what sets readers apart from non readers. It’s the habit. Even 5 pages a day to start will get you into the practice but I bet you’ll find you read more.

1. Support your local library! Freedom to DNF!

Supporting your library is, first off, good for the community. It’s also good for your wallet. Take it from me… books are expensive! Not everyone has book money.

Sure you might need to put on holds. You might need to wait or adjust your picks. But it opens you up to a world of books. PLUS all libraries now give you access to services like Libby or Hoopla.

1. Make it a community affair

Build a community around reading. You get book recommendations. You get people to talk about your books with. It keeps you consistent and inspired.

1. Accept that you may not like some books but still give them a chance

Some books that have started off rocky for me have ended up as my favorites. Sure you can DNF but if you give things a chance you might be surprised. It also builds some resilience.

1. Release expectations

There will be days you don’t read. There will be months you don’t get through a book. It doesn’t make you a bad reader. Stay curious and ENJOY your reading!

Books for classic horror movie lovers:

• Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

• How to Sell A Haunted House by Grady Hendrix

• A House With Good Bones by T Kingfisher

• Maeve Fly by CJ Leede

For lovers of satire:

• Canon by Paige Lewis

• Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman

For the fantastical:

• A Magical Girl Retires by Park Seolyeon

For the weirddddddd girls:

• The Lamb by Lucy Rose

• Odessa by Gabrielle Sher

• The Hounding by Xenobe Purvis

A few years back I sold my Nikon D750. I could use the money and I thought I could justify it because I hadn’t touched the thing in many months. I told myself I would just shoot film instead — and for a while that’s exactly what I did.

But I regretted it. I struggled with the cost of both film and processing. So I mostly stopped taking photos at all. Sure iPhone pics were good for stand ins but it’s just not the same.

I continued to still take photos on my film cameras but less. Most of these rolls still haven’t been developed because of said exorbitant costs.

Fast forward to now, I’ve got a much better paying job and stability. I’m no longer in severe burnout. I have a home in a place that actually inspires me. I have creatively woken up from a deep slumber.

So I started looking and asking myself what I would want in a camera.

My Nikon was so heavy. I hated having to juggle multiple lenses. I felt awkward trying to shoot the documentary style photos I loved with it and people felt awkward in front of the camera.

What I wanted was light, compact, and good enough to carry everywhere everyday. A camera to truly practice with — to challenge myself with.

A lot of people think the better the gear the better the shot but the real truth is the better the shot the more practiced photographer. It is not gear dependent.

Enter the FujiFilm X Half camera. A way too expensive compact point and shoot. And I love it.

Let me preface this by saying, I got this on sale and would not pay a penny over the sale price for this little toy. It is simply not worth the $850 they sell it for new. $650 was the max I would pay and that is out of the box new.

Now that housekeeping is done, let’s carry on…

What I Love

• Ultra compact — fits anywhere. Even in girl Jean pockets.

• The OS is really fun. It feels very fresh and unique coming from Nikon.

• It has film simulations for the possibility of SOOC images that are ready to post.

• It is so unassuming since it is so small. People don’t really notice it. Perfect for the awkward street and documentary photographers like me.

What Could Be Better

• The film simulations are just so so. I still need to play around with them but I can see myself still doing a fair amount of post processing.

• The auto-ISO genuinely sucks. Thankfully it’s nice and easy to turn off/adjust.

• The price tag is crazy. Simply not worth the full asking price.

Overall, this sweet little camera is perfect for me right now. I’m not looking to print posters, shoot client work, etc. I’m looking to take photos for me and the betterment of my craft. I’m looking to take photos of my everyday life and family.

Expect more photo dumps and long musings to come.

We’ve also got a lot of updates happening soon. A recent move to Jacksonville, FL with our new little 1940s home we’re fixing up means plenty of news coming your way.

Until next time friends.

Xoxo, Roo

I asked myself this question recently while I was thinking about the good ol’ days of the early internet. When personal blogs reigned supreme. When we shared simple memes and the most mundane aspects of our lives with each other.

I started this Substack years ago with the idea of it being highly curated and on topic but the truth is that’s not me. It’s not necessarily what I want to share.

So as I was reminiscing over lost culture and different times I asked myself what’s stopping me? What’s stopping me from sharing that now? What’s stopping me from forming community in a space where it feels like community no longer exists? What’s stopping me from putting myself out there and unapologetically sharing my life as is no frills?

The answer was, nothing. Nothing is stopping me. So here I am. Ready to start a revival.

Here are some things that have changed since the last time I showed my face in these parts.

I have a new corporate insurance job. It is life sucking but a good challenge for me on many levels. Including challenging my perfectionism, people pleasing, and ability to set and keep boundaries with myself and others. Oh and it pays the bills most importantly.

We got a new car. A cutie little Kia Soul. Never in my life thought I’d buy a brand new car but hey the price was right. Driving around in a 2012 Rav 4 with a broken AC and radio for the past 3 years really built an appreciation for a new economy car.

I started therapy again and was reminded that it’s so good to be able to talk through even the most petty of grievances.

Hurricane Milton took out our garden and my beautiful passionfruit vine. I’m currently in a landscaping class for Florida Friendly Landscaping to learn more about how to build a resilient landscape.

I’m excited to see how this space grows and changes. I admit it’s scary to begin something with not knowing where you’re going but that’s also part of the fun.

Until next time,

Roo

I have felt at peace with the space I am in. I want to make it home. So I decide to work towards that goal.

1. Small Bursts of Effort Lead to Results

The air in Florida is hot and sticky. 97 degrees with 83% humidity. I rise and put on a heavy layer of sunscreen, fill up my water bottle with ice water, stuff a hand towel in the band of my shorts, and head outside. This week I am reminded that projects do not need to be completed all at once to get done.

This week’s project is removing the St. Augustine sod from the side garden bed. A bed that is overgrown with ferns and grass and weeds. It is no easy feat in any weather let alone the heat wave we’re experiencing. So I chip away slowly. Removing 1-foot by 3-foot patches. Drenching myself in sweat each time. Rewarding myself with too many ice cold showers throughout the day.

I take pause between sessions of cutting the sod, loosening the roots, and the rhythmic rise and fall of the hoe to rehome a lone toad or observe the hummingbird that visits the flowers that tower above my head.

By the end of the week what started as an overgrown space is one that has regained order. A blank canvas for my dreams to come to life.

During this process, I am reminded that I do not need to burn myself out to achieve what I want. I am reminded that not every project can be completed in a day and that there is power in showing up and doing what I can every day.

2. Growth and Progress Take Time

I tend to be all or nothing. This mindset does not leave space for much wiggle room or compromise.

“If I cannot get this done all at once then I will not do it.” It sounds silly when you say it out loud. Rarely is growth made all at once.

A small sprout does not instantly produce fruit. The oak that sits tall with its wide canopy spread over my yard did not simply pop up like that one day. Instead, each spring it puts on an inch or two of growth from the tips of its canopy. Easy does it.

I often have to remind myself that Rome was not built in a day. That dreams are rarely achieved instantaneously. That growth and progress take time. That some trees take years to fruit. That, maybe, I am that tree in question.

3. Hard Work Feels Good

I wake up early in the morning and get to Lowes. The container garden bed needs far more mulch than I planned on. I got distracted by the guava plants sitting outside yesterday and had no room left in my cart, or car, for the extra bags.

I leave the store by 7:45 am with 8 more bags. No more plants. I head home and bring yet another load of mulch to the backyard. Bag by bag. Squat, lift, carry, drop, repeat.

It has been a long, hot week. My body is tired. Still I push on.

I have made slow progress this week. Progress nonetheless, but definitely slow. The humidity sits like a wet blanket over everything.

I cut open each bag of mulch and begin to spread it. I move each potted plant as I go ensuring an even layer is distributed over the whole area. Taking a break to look at my progress I am proud. This space once overgrown with weeds and filled with dog shit is now shiny and new. It is repurposed and beautiful. New life fills it. Pride fills me.

I sit down for a moment. I see the last 3’ x 5’ section of sod that needs removing. The pride leaves me. The sight of unfinished work makes me squirm. The idea of doing more work makes me squirm. I wrestle with the thought of which makes me want to crawl out of my skin more. I give myself 10 minutes.

“Just take 10 minutes and see if you get into it,” I tell myself.

30 minutes later the sod is removed. 50 minutes later the sod is bagged. 4 hours later several bags of sod are dragged to the curb for green waste pick up. 5 hours later I am eating dinner outside filled with pride again.

I am reminded that hard work feels good.

4. The Right Environment is Needed for Growth

I did the thing where I ordered plants in the dead of Summer again. If I were in Maine this would be no problem, but I am in Florida and things are entirely different here. Florida Summer’s are to Maine Winter’s when we talk about gardening. Nothing, except for native plants, wants to grow.

I ordered kiwi vines, a male and female, they come to me with bare roots wrapped in plastic. I transplant them on a 98-degree day. Inevitably the male dies. The papaya and passion fruit that came in the same order and were transplanted on the same day thrive. They come from a climate similar to this. The tropical weather does not get them down. They love it.

I wonder how many more Summers it will take for me to fully internalize the lesson it continues to teach me. I cannot expect growth in a hostile environment. Conditions need to be right.

Everything is an ecosystem. From the outside world, to my house, to my internal being. The environment needs to be correct in order for growth to happen. Otherwise, no matter how much energy I put into it, things may still collapse and die. You cannot force growth without improving the environment and system around it.

5. Little Miracles Are All Around Us if We Take Time to Notice Them

I move potted plants around the garden. It has just rained and my guava tipped over. During this process, I notice something I’ve never seen, fluted birds nest mushrooms. They have taken over a planter that is really just weeds at this point. Their tiny cups filled with small gooey balls and little raindrops. I am amazed at how prolific they are. Even more so, I am amazed they seemingly only exist in this planter.

By the next day, they are gone. All I have is a photo to remember them. They have done their job and moved on.

Little miracles are all around us if we take time to notice them.

I have been reminded of this as I do my morning pages every day. Most days, I don’t know what to write, so I sit outside with my pen and notebook and simply observe. I observe the way the light shines through the clouds. I observe the black and yellow butterfly that visits the fire bush and the monarch that dances around my last blooming snapdragon. I observe that one day the neighbor’s rose has grown over my fence, 4 rose heads opening up right under each other and that the next day it is gone again.

I have become acutely aware that to observe these fleeting moments is to take witness to small miracles. To be in the right place at the right time.

To tend to my garden is to tend to myself.

This tending is reminding me that I too, like my plants, deserve a nice place to grow in and the love and time to do so.

Until next time.

Xoxo,

Roo

I couldn’t tell you what in particular has shifted over the past month.

Maybe it was the reminder that life is often too short and our end could come at any time. Maybe it was the shift from Spring to full-on Summer. Maybe it was whatever extra substance was in that spliff we smoked in Wales. Maybe it was the dopamine detox.

Maybe it was the stark reminder that whenever one door closes another opens and life truly will be okay despite it not feeling as such. Or maybe it was simply enough time passed for me to heal whatever part of me needed healing.

All I know is that the grass is greener, the sky a more vibrant blue, the sunlight feels like angels kissing my skin, and for the first time in a very long time, I go through each day feeling more alive and feeling the gratitude that I am alive.

All I know is that there has been a massive shift.

I spent the past 3 years in a deep dark depression, all of my own accord. I couldn’t see the beauty around me. I couldn’t appreciate what I had. I couldn’t see how things would work out. I was all reaction all the time. My nervous system destroyed by my own anxiety and hopelessness.

For so long there was so much doubt that I simply did not know myself anymore. Already struggling with a deep depression I was now struggling with a crisis of identity on top of it all.

It feels like I am truly coming home to myself.

For the past month, I have woken up and felt so smitten to be where I am. Nothing has changed situationally. I live in the same house I did a year ago. I have the same friends. I have the same partner. I go to the same places every week. Yet, it all feels fresh.

What has changed is me. What has changed is my own gratitude.

You can’t outrun your own mind.

Today, I cried. Not because I was sad, but because I was HAPPY. Because I had forgotten what happiness was and felt like. I had forgotten how to be happy and now I feel it daily. I had forgotten who I was and like someone snapped and woke me up, I now remember.

I had forgotten that happiness comes from the hummingbird that visits every red flower around my home. That happiness comes from the blooming of the milkweed and the growth of the oak tree. That happiness comes from the passion fruit vine that will bless me with one simple fruit.

That happiness comes from our simple, everyday interactions and observations with the world around us. That happiness is simply bearing witness to this world and finding the beauty in every corner we can.

I can’t explain it. I don’t know if there’s a road map to finding it. I do know that if you take enough time to center yourself and simply observe that you too will start noticing the beauty around you and in turn, you might just feel a little tingle of happiness too.

This weekend I urge you to be present. To notice the world around you. To write down your observations in detail. To make a practice of finding the beauty around you.

If you’re struggling in life right now, like I was for so long, I am here to remind you that this struggle does not last forever. That things do get better. That happiness will find you again in unexpected ways, like the sweat on your brow after tending to your garden bed, or a ripe pineapple on a summer day.

I love you, friend.

Until next time.

xoxo,

Roo

Another recipe inspired by my Grandma, this lemon curd ricotta coffee cake is sure to be a hit.

One thing I remember my Grandma making often was coffee cake. Specifically, ricotta coffee cakes. Ricotta was a staple in my Grandparent’s home and was used for cooking and baking often. Consequently, I now keep a giant container of it on hand always.

Making scrambled eggs? Add ricotta. Making coffee cake? Add ricotta. Making pierogi? Add ricotta. This versatile and light cheese is perfect for everything.

This recipe was adapted from two recipes: Spruce Eats Coffee Cake and Borrowed Bites Coffee Cake.

Notes:

My Grandma always used a bundt cake pan for coffee cake. I couldn’t tell you why but I now use one as well. If you don’t have one feel free to use a normal cake pan instead.

Use cake flour, I promise it will come out better. It’s worth the extra trip to the store.

I personally used store-bought lemon curd in this recipe. It’s easy and quick. Just heat the jar lightly before spreading it to help make it more liquid. Pro-tip: save the jar and make some overnight lemony oats in it.

Let’s get into it!

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As we approach late Summer, I wanted to share a list of my favorite cookbooks that have changed the way I cook and have unlocked a whole new world and way to eat delicious Summer produce.

These cookbooks are ones that I have in my kitchen and reference often. They’re (mostly) approachable in terms of ingredients, often offer substitutions, and have a recipe for just about any veggie under the sun.

Greenfeast

Greenfeast by Nigel Slater is a delightful cookbook broken into two. One book is for Autumn and Winter, the other for Spring and Summer. This makes it incredibly easy to reference what is in season. The book has categories that are broken into cooking methods rather than recipe categories or veggie highlights.

This book teaches you how to build bold flavors with simple ingredients. It allows for exploration and serves as a base for you to build on.

You can find the Autum/Winter cookbook here.

You can find the Spring/Summer cookbook here.

Ruffage.

What makes this cookbook so delightful is that it was written by someone who has an intimate understanding of farming. Abra Berens has created an incredible encyclopedia of recipes from all different types of produce out of a need to use up such abundance.

The cookbook is broken down by vegetable type and offers a few ways of cooking each vegetable with additional variations for each recipe. There are raw recipes and cooked recipes featured for each vegetable which I love. This book truly highlights the versatility of each vegetable and the magic that can be made with them.

You can find Ruffage here.

Six Seasons

Joshua McFadden is the brilliant author behind this cookbook. I’m not just saying that because I’m partial to him and his work at Four Season Farm in Maine.

Joshua has broken down all six produce seasons in the year and provided a rich arsenal of recipes for said seasons. The recipes in this book are broken down by season which makes it easy to find inspiration for exactly which season you’re in.

The beginning of the book also comes with bonus recipes that are perfect to mix and match throughout the book or use with other recipes. Compound butter, herby sauces, and enticing salad dressings create perfect pairings for all the recipes you’ll find. This book does offer substitutions for items although not quite as robust as the substitutions in Ruffage.

You can find Six Seasons here.

Fresh From Poland

I grew up in a Polish family and thought I wouldn’t be able to enjoy traditional Polish food in the same way after going vegetarian. Polish food is traditionally looked at as being very meat heavy. Lots of smoked sausages, pork, and beef. Fresh From Poland is an absolute gift from Michał Korkosz to all of us vegetarian Polish people.

This cookbook has allowed me to reconnect with my roots and the flavors I loved so dearly growing up. It’s even inspired new favorites for me, like the dill pickle soup. I reach for this cookbook just as often as the others on this list and even though it’s not specifically veggie focused, it has a space on this post for that very reason.

You can find Fresh From Poland here.

If you’re looking for a way to use up what you have in your garden, make use of the delicious seasonal produce we have coming in right now, or simply want to impress your friends or family at your next community dinner I hope these books are able to help you. They truly are staples that I use so often when I’m feeling uninspired.

Until next time!

xoxo,

Roo

Okay, I’ll admit it… this is more of a road map than a recipe. There aren’t really measurements in this post because it’s all fairly intuitive. That’s how I think cooking really should be in general, intuitive.

We all have different tastes and preferences and it’s important to honor those. We all want cooking to be fun, easy, and TASTY!

If you aren’t an intuitive cook yet then just wait until I’m done with ya. Cooking is an exploration of food, flavor, and texture. If you look at it as such you’ll be a lot happier.

This recipe was created for two reasons:

1. to use up excess veggies in my fridge;

2. to consume a butt load of various veggies in one sitting.

Simple as that!

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The Recipe Base

Let’s talk veggies…

You can use literally whatever veggies you have on hand in whatever proportions you want. The veggies I typically use are potatoes, kohlrabi, cabbage, mushrooms, onions, carrots, and asparagus.

Let’s talk herbs…

If you haven’t made an herby green sauce in the past the recipe might shock you a little. Basically, you just take a ton of different herbs and toss them in a blender together. The only caveat is that I wouldn’t use many herbs with a “woody” stem as their flavors can clash some. I typically use a combo of mint, cilantro, tarragon, dill, and parsley.

Let’s talk batter…

I use Korean pancake mix. After all, they literally make it to create scallion pancakes along with many other varieties of pancakes. We aren’t talking pancakes in the traditional breakfast sense. These pancakes are crispy and more align with a tempura/fritter style mix.

If you can’t find Korean pancake mix, try using a 2:1 ratio of all purpose flour to cornstarch or potato starch.

Another key note here is to use ice cold water when mixing your batter. You want the batter to be fairly thin, to coat the veggies evenly, and to have minimal (if any) gluten development.

Let’s Get Cookin’!

The Fritter

Step 1: Julienne your veggies. You want them fairly thin so they cook well. We don’t cook the fritter for long on either side so if you leave your veggies chunky you run the risk of biting into raw veg and no one wants that.

Step 2: Add some seasoning. I use Adobo or another basic all purpose seasoning mix. We don’t need much here as the herby green sauce packs a huge punch of flavor.

Step 3: Mix it all up. This incorporates the seasoning and ensures you get a mix of veggies in each fritter.

Step 4: Mix a 1:1 ratio of crispy pancake mix with water and stir until incorporated.

Step 5: Pour said mix over veggies and toss.

Step 6: Heat up a shallow pan with enough oil to pan fry them bad boys.

Step 7: Fry over medium heat until golden brown on each side. This usually takes 3-5 minutes per side but will vary based on thickness and your stove.

Tips and Tricks

• I portion out what I want to use and save any additional mix in the fridge for later.

• When placing your batter in the pan you want the fritter to be fairly thin. I put a heaping scoop in the oil then flatten with a spatula.

The Green Sauce

Step 1: Take a handful or two of each herb, separating the herb from any woody stems, and toss into a bowl or blender. (Bowl if you’re using an immersion blender.)

Step 2: Juice 1-2 lemons and pour juice into said blender. (Opt for 2 if you want it more acidic.)

Step 3: Add 1-2 raw garlic cloves to the blender.

Step 4: Add a pinch of salt to the blender.

Step 5: Pour a generous helping of olive oil into the blender and begin to blend while maintaining a steady stream of oil until it comes together. You may need to scrape the sides down multiple times to get everything mixed and incorporated. You want the end result to be a slightly runny dressing.

Get Eatin’!

All you have to do after making both components is plate it! I’ve served them over a bed of greens and had them as is. I’ve drizzled herb sauce over the entire thing and also gone for a rip and dunk approach. Whatever tickles your fancy works!

Each time you make this recipe you’ll find new combos you enjoy. Now you have the tools to eat well, reduce food waste, and get your veggies in!

Until next time!

Xoxo, Roo

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I wish I could say that this trip was a wonderful vacation but in reality, it was anything but. The circumstances that lead us there were that of a hard loss, nearly everything that could go wrong did go wrong, and each day was a series of somewhat stressful events.

Despite this, we managed to make the best of the shitty circumstances and find beauty, community, and love through the pain.

Wales reminded me a lot of Maine. It made me feel strange and nostalgic and sad and at home all at the same time. The community there was absolutely beautiful. Any time we left our AirBnB we were met with rich conversations, smiles, laughter, and love from strangers. It was the most welcome I have felt anywhere. Complete strangers joining you for breakfast. Warm hugs from people you just met at the pub. A beautiful country filled with beautiful people.

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My Grandma had a friend I remember fondly as a child. She was a Persian woman who would often come visit us Grandkids with her. Along with her visits came rich stories and delicious flavors from her country. These memories have stuck with me for a lifetime.

One Summer on the Cape, shortly after I went vegetarian, she came over to stay with us. She knew my family wasn’t great at cooking for vegetarians and spent an entire afternoon batch cooking meals for me. Pilafs and salads filled with spices, olive oil, garlic, and fresh flavors.

One of those meals was a bean salad. It amazed me how something so simple could taste so good. As a child it seemed like she did magic turning basic dry beans into the most delicious food I had eaten in a while.

This was my attempt to re-create these flavors from my childhood.

Note: I personally use dry beans for most of my recipes. It’s the most economical and also the best tasting in my opinion. With this said, you can sub for canned beans if you find it easier for you. I recommend cooking red beans separately from any white beans as the red beans will eventually stain the white beans. If this does not bother you you can feel free to cook them all together.

This recipe is incredibly simple but packed with flavor. It gets better the longer it sits so feel free to make ahead and serve the next day.

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If I do not allow myself to romanticize and write out the perfect script, the perfect time, the perfect items, the perfect way.

I am a perpetual planner and a closeted perfectionist. I will sit and plan and daydream and consequently talk myself out of doing something because I simply will not be able to do it all or do it perfectly or succeed in creating my vision in one go. I will write everything out in detail and then avoid starting the tasks needed because it will not be perfect.

This is my crux. Determining how to achieve my goals while allowing leniency in my vision.

I have been putting off walking Jojo all week. Despite her needing it. Despite me needing it. I’ve been putting it off. It’s been too early or too late or too hot or some other excuse. It hasn’t fit the script of my perfect day. So instead, I’ve sat and watched TV. I’ve played in the yard. I’ve done the dishes. I’ve done everything but go on a walk.

Yesterday, the thought popped into my head, “I should go on a walk.” Instead of giving myself time to think I grabbed her harness and my shoes, and we went on a walk.

Was it too hot? Yes. Not hot enough to end the walk but slightly uncomfortable for both of us. Did we walk the entire length of the trail? No. Because it was too hot, we walked half the length and took many breaks in the shade to sniff and rest. Did we both enjoy our time? Absolutely, it was a wonderful walk.

Yesterday was a great lesson and a great example of my ability to adapt and adjust despite the conditions not being perfect.

See for the last several years I’ve held myself back because of this internal perfectionism. I’ve avoided trying new things or starting projects because of the fear of not being perfect or not doing it perfect. The fear of failure.

So, I’m taking this lesson with me. If I think I should do something instead of reaching for a notebook I will simply get up and do it. If I have the time and space to do something I will not waste time scheduling it in I will simply, do it.

Planning and preparing is a valid skill that many of us take too far.

Afterall, planning and preparing only goes so far if there is not action to back up said plans. This is a rather large “Aha!” moment for me that I wanted to share, because moments like this lead to change. They lead to growth.

Action can be uncomfortable and scary and messy but the same can be said for stalling and avoiding action at all.

Until next time.

xo,

Roo

I wanted to make a super quick post on fully utilizing Substack and seeing everything that your favorite writers offer. I’ve noticed that there is very low engagement on notes and chat and wanted to ensure folks know what they are and where to find them. This will be a very brief post.

Notes

Think of Notes as Substack’s version of Twitter. It’s a place where your favorite writers can share quick updates, photos, ask questions, share posts, and more. It’s also a place where you as the reader can interact with your writers and share your own thoughts. You can also “re-stack” and share posts or quotes you like.

On the browser version of Substack you can find notes on the lefthand side clearly labeled.

On the App version of Substack you can find notes on the bottom of the app. It’s the second icon from the left. A square with three lines in it.

I typically share everything from quick updates and questions to other publications I’m loving reading. It’s a great place to connect with each other on the fly.

Chat

Chat is a message type service available as well. This section of Substack allows writers to create threads for paid subscribers only or all subscribers. I currently have a couple threads that are open to everyone as well as some other threads that are for paid subscribers only.

Chat allows for better discussions and allows for said discussions to be kept in clean threads. It’s a place where everyone can dive into a specific topic whether it’s discussing how to create a more sustainable future or discussing what your pets’ names are.

On the browser version of Substack you can find the Chat clearly labeled on the left hand side.

On the app version of Substack you can find Chat located at the bottom of the app. It is the middle icon that looks like a chat bubble.

My current chats include a space to introduce your pets, a space for me to share music and what I’m listening to lately, and a space to share quick on the fly recipe videos with paid subscribers.

Overall, I’d like to start using these features more and really build our little community of readers up! However, that requires y’all knowing where to find it and how to use it! Hopefully this helps you out if you didn’t realize these features were available.

Expect updates on chat and notes while I’m out abroad. I’ll be sharing photos and maybe some videos through these features.

Until next time.

xo,

Roo

At the end of April/Beginning of May, I received an offer for a great job in California. I accepted the offer but immediately I could feel something was off. My partner wasn’t fully behind it. My family expressed their desire to keep me here. In my gut, beyond my initial excitement, I could tell that there was something deeper urging me to think about things more.

I had already made plans to meet my sister in Raleigh, NC for a Lizzo concert. While I’d like to say this was a great trip it was a bit messy. I drove the 8 hours North and had a nice time with my sister. We didn’t end up seeing Lizzo because her anxiety spiked during the concert. I then drove another 8 hours back.

The blessing in this visit was that a) I got to have some sister time and b) I got to start a new book on boundaries. (It’s listed in my book section below.) By the time I got home, I was feeling very anxious about needing to make a decision on whether I would be moving across the country in a couple weeks or not.

See I wanted the job so badly. I wanted to move so badly. I was holding so tight to the outcome and feeling anxious, sad, and miserable.

We got multiple rounds of bad news this month and the more I looked at the decision the more I realized I couldn’t list enough good reasons to move. I couldn’t rationalize why it was worth it other than it was a pretty area.

So ultimately, I made the hard decision to pull out from the job and let them know that things would not work out.

It’s tough to give up on something but it doesn’t always mean it’s the wrong decision. There is power in knowing when to quit.

My Month In Photos

(P.s. out with the new, in with the old. I dyed my hair back at the end of the month because I was tired of the upkeep lol.)

May’s Noteworthy Moment

Though it was stressful, my noteworthy moment this month was my Raleigh trip. Even though we didn’t end up seeing Lizzo we had a nice time exploring the little city of Raleigh. I got to see some elevation changes and nice weather. We got to explore a little community garden and a bunch of bakeries and cafes.

May Gratitude

• I am grateful for my family and the love and support they give me.

• I am grateful for my partner and the love we share.

• I am grateful for everyone here who sticks around to share this space with me and read what I’ve written.

May Monthly Reflection

This month really reiterated to me that what I struggle with the most is a lack of self-respect and boundaries. It’s very easy for me to blame others and for me to want to withdraw from everyone because of this. Instead of having the tough conversations and asserting myself, I shy away. Instead of taking time for myself to do what I want to do I focus on others then blame them and use them as an excuse for why I can’t get something done.

Books / Podcasts / Shows of the Month

• Book: Set Boundaries, Find Peace by Nedra Glover Tawwab

• Podcast: Common Shapes by Marlee Grace

• Show: 90 Day Fiance

Energy Givers vs Energy Takers

Energy Givers

• Being outside

• Researching my interests

• Road Trips

• Farms and Gardens

• Flowers

Energy Takers

• Not setting and enforcing boundaries

• Clutter and dirt

Yet another month of lessons. Another month of growth. Another month of healing. Hopefully May treated you well. If it didn’t here’s to good things coming in June. We have a busy month ahead of us with some international travel but I’m hoping June brings some warmth our way.

Until next time.

xo,

Roo

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• Upgrade to a paid subscription. $5/month gets you access to exclusive content and supports the free content as well.

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My brain and home have too much clutter to see clearly. The disorganization impacting the way I feel. The items overloading my nervous system.

Sensory overload.

When it comes to decluttering I get stuck. Whether it’s dealing with my mental or physical clutter. I become too burdened to dig myself out so I just stay covered feeling the weight of it all.

It’s so heavy.

When I think about downsizing more I feel a tightness in my chest. “But I don’t know where home is yet. What if I’ll need this in the future? What if we move? What if I don’t know what I want?”

The what-if questions flood in pulling me under.

So then I have to counter myself. I have to check in with myself and my worries.

What if I don’t? And what if when I do I find I still don’t need it? And what if I just buy it again in the future with even more intention?

What if I commit to making decisions that increase my happiness now? What if I stop waiting to live the life I want to live? What if I make my spaces and where I’m at in life work for me instead of creating some strange timeline or reward that defines when I can decide I’m happy?

What if I stopped telling myself things are impossible? What if I decide that anything is possible? What if I expressed myself wholly and gave myself the same space I leave for others?

What if I stopped letting my anxiety dictate what is possible and what my future has in store?

For every negative and limiting “what if” there are 55 more that bring you closer to your truth. 55 more reasons that bring you closer to your potential.

Right now my truth is this:

• I have too much clutter. Physically. Mentally. I need to release.

• I am uncomfortable with myself right now.

• I haven’t been working for what I want because I’ve been acting as my own worst enemy instead of a good friend.

• Writing has been helping me get better.

• I’d rather have hope in the future than dwell on all the potential negatives and never try for what I want.

• We’ve handled a lot of loss recently and it’s been a stark reminder that life is way too short to not take chances.

Life Update

Thank you for sticking with me this month. I realize it’s June and I’ve barely been present here. The month started with me trying to determine whether or not I’d be moving across the country. Based on some life circumstances we decided that this was not an ideal time for another move and unfortunately, I pulled out from the position I was offered. Not even a week after this decision we got news of a family loss. This has been difficult for us to process and as a result, we are traveling internationally this month to handle affairs.

Ideally, I’ll be posting more this month. We will be traveling for about 10 days and outside of that I’m back to the grind of applying for positions, taking exams, and writing for here. I just wanted to post a quick update to keep you in the loop and thank you for being patient with me.

Until next time.

xoxo,

Roo

That’s why I’ve always gravitated toward visual forms of expression like photography, painting, sewing, etc.

When I was young I used to write down how I was feeling instead of saying it out loud. Conflicts and heavy feelings would be passed back and forth on a legal pad to my Mother because it was easier than uttering any words of confirmation on how I was feeling or what was wrong.

Always scared to share. Scared to speak. Scared to say the wrong thing or to have my words twisted.

I cried in kindergarten when I got cast in the school play with a speaking part. Cried because I couldn’t find my voice to tell them I didn’t want it. Cried because I would have to speak. Of course, upon crying they realized I was not a good fit for the limelight.

I’ve never been good at being under the spotlight. The pressure builds to an unbearable level and I crack.

Lately, I’ve had to reconcile with my feelings on the internet and social media and success and what I actually want in my life vs what said internet and social media pushes and promotes.

Even with my smaller following there was a pressure for growth for growth’s sake. To share so much of yourself and continue to feed the machine and build yourself up. To turn yourself into a business. To be the product for sale.

I found myself feeling like my kindergarten self. Crying at rehearsal because I couldn’t utter the words, “No, this doesn’t suit me.”

I write to process. To work through my own inner world. To share what I cannot speak. To communicate my whole self.

For the past few years, I stopped writing. I became scared to write. Scared to say too much. Scared to share too much of myself with the wrong people.

See it’s difficult to be selective on social media and hard to be private when your writing is about these inner dives into your own humanness and mind and the lessons you learn along the way that have been tainted with very personal pain and tears and joy.

It’s a dance I’m learning to take part in again. Writing for others to see. Sharing myself without sharing all of me.

This learning started with the practice of simply keeping a daily diary. A ledger of how I feel. What mundane things I got up to during the day. What questions popped into my head and how I responded to those questions. What inspired me. What challenged me. Writing to release. Writing to remember. Writing to rejoice.

I’m grateful. Grateful for this process. Grateful to be coming home to myself. Grateful to feel safe enough to begin to share again.

In this process, I know some things will be shared. Some things will not. Some things will be alluded to only to never be elaborated on or discussed again. I am re-learning, after years of being told to overshare for an “audience” that I am allowed to share myself in a cultivated manner to preserve my sanity, safety, and peace.

We don’t need to (and probably shouldn’t) subscribe to a culture that tells us that you need to overshare your life to make people stick around, interest others, and become successful.

Nor should we demand that from others.

Share Mundane Joys

I’m grateful for you and this space and this community that has grown to support me and allow me the safety to come home to myself as a human and an artist and a feeler of complex feelings.

Thank you for being here and seeing me and accepting me as I am.

Until next time.

xoxo,

Roo

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I want this space to not only be a place for me to share my work and musings but to also update y’all on what’s going on with me and my life.

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In late April, I was given a job offer for a position in medical coding. This has been a super exciting opportunity but also a complicated one.

The position offered was a billing and auditing position in Northern California. It’s definitely a dream to get this opportunity but it hasn’t been as dreamy as I hoped. It’s actually been pretty difficult thus far. I accepted the position as it gives me the opportunity to get to a state with better insurance and the landscape I so dearly wish to exist in… (I haven’t talked about it much but lordy am I not a beach girly.) and as much as I want this to work out there are some big hurdles in the way.

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If you’ve enjoyed these photos consider becoming a paid subscriber. Free subscribers get access to multiple monthly posts. Paid subscribers get access to exclusive content, full photo galleries, and more! Unable to become a paid subscriber? That’s cool! Consider sharing this post on your favorite social media platforms. I’m grateful you’re here friend.

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If this is sounding like you don’t worry friend, you aren’t alone.

This method will honestly sound super similar to other goal setting methods but there’s one key difference… a heavy dose of ensuring there is alignment.

See, like New Years resolutions, we usually set goals from a superficial surface. We want to lose some weight or get a new job. Our subconscious mind is running the show and filling in limitations before we even know it causing us to set goals that just aren’t truly aligned with our happiness overall.

This is where my method comes into play to change the game entirely.

(For my paid subscribers you can find a workbook provided below to help guide you through this process. Feel free to read on or scroll down and get to the workbook!)

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Getting Into Alignment

The first step, and the most crucial, is getting into alignment with what we really want.

As I said above, our subconscious mind tends to place a heck of a lot of limitations on us without us even realizing it. This first step of setting our goals helps us to clear those limitations and dream big so we can identify what we actually want in our lives.

We’re going to utilize a technique called scripting to get us into the zone and determine how we truly envision our lives.

What does your dream life look like 5 years from now?

If you feel limitations pop up I want you to honor them and then shoo them away. It can feel scary to dream big but what’s scarier is living a life dictated by fear.

If money were no object, what career would you have? How would you spend your time every day? What would your ideal day look like from wake to sleep?

What does your dream home look like? Where is it? What feeling does it give you?

What do your relationships look like, both romantic and platonic?

What does your physical self look like? How do you hold yourself? What is your style? How is your mental health and physical health?

The most important part here is to d r e a m B I G !

Establishing Our Goal Categories

Breaking our dream life into categories helps us to digest our vision in a way that’s manageable for our brains. Look at your dream and break it into the following categories:

• Environment (home and location)

• Career

• Finances

• Relationships

• Personal

• Mental Health

• Physical Health

What Needs to Change?

Now that we’ve established our dream life and our categories lets create our big goals. Our big goals are our general goals for each category. Avoid going overboard and choosing multiple goals for each category. Try to limit yourself to one big goal per category. You can always revisit this once you’ve completed a goal.

Compare your life now to your dream life. It’s incredibly important to now allow yourself to get discouraged during this process. Your dream life might seem so far from where you are now and that’s OKAY! This is the entire point of the process. We’re creating stepping stones to safely cross the ocean.

Let yourself make this a brain dump. Write down all the changes you need to make, file them into your categories, and then create your big goal for each using the list.

Get specific with your big goal as well.

Instead of this: I want a new job.

Try this: I will find a new job making $80k a year working in tech for a company that values work life balance and treats their workers with respect.

Breaking It Down Into Action Steps

The popcorn chicken of your roast chicken goal.

In order to actually make progress on our goals we need to create action steps that can easily be chewed away and added into our daily lives.

Write down as many of these action steps as you need.

For example:

Main Goal: I will find a new job making $80k a year working in tech for a company that values work life balance and treats their workers with respect.

Action Steps:

• I will complete a UX design course within 6 months while working at my current job.

• I will update my resume to highlight my completion of this course and my soft skills I’ve gained from working my other jobs.

• I will network with 4 people a week through various platforms to help get my name out there and find opportunities.

• I will apply for 5 jobs a day 4 days a week until I find my dream job.

• I will work on 1 personal project a month to boost my UX portfolio.

Schedule It In

The only way to actually make your dreams come true is by taking aligned action. Sprinkle your action steps into your schedule so you can get the groundwork done. Our goals aren’t accomplished simply by thinking about them.

B E R E A L I S T I C!

For the love of yorba be realistic with yourself when adding these items in. Honor yourself and your need to rest and have downtime while working on your goals. Burnout leads us nowhere.

Add Monthly or Quarterly Check-Ins

Adding your daily action steps in can be great but we aren’t always going to be great at getting them done. Especially if we aren’t being realistic with what we can get done.

Set monthly, bi-monthly, quarterly, or bi-yearly check-ins with yourself to ensure that,

A) you’re on track with your goals and;

B) you’re still aligned with your goals.

Our goals may change over time as we change as well. Honor this process and allow your goals to flex and change with you. Also acknowledge that being behind on, or simply not completing, a goal does not make you a moral failure. Allow yourself grace and the space to be human with this process.

I sincerely hope that this guide helps to get you on track and inspires you to set goals that help get you closer to your dream life. You are so capable of achieving amazing things and I want you to truly internalize and understand that.

Dream big and shoot for the moon babes! You can do it!

Until next time!

xo,

Roo

(Ps. Paid subs don’t forget about your printable workbook pages below! I’ll be sharing a complete example of my personal goal-setting guide and process in another post for you paid subscribers only as well.)

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Enjoying the content? Here’s how you can support more of it being made!

• Upgrade to a paid subscription. $5/month gets you access to exclusive content and supports the free content as well.

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• Send me a coffee or a tip on the Venmo app. Username: (@roonor)

• Buy something off my Amazon Wishlist

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What is the challenge?

Over the next 31 days we will be decluttering our lives. Each day you remove a corresponding amount of items based on the number of the day. So day 1 you remove 1 item, day 2 you remove 2 items, day 3 you remove 3 items, and so on. The items end up compounding throughout the month until you reach nearly 500 items total!

This is a serious decluttering challenge for those of us looking to shed some weight and clean up our lives.

Why should you try it?

1. Studies show that clutter can be linked to stress and other negative mental implications. When we live in a cluttered, messy environment we feel it mentally as well.

2. Personally, I accumulate clutter quickly. We’re a household of two ADHD folks and things get messy easily. Reducing the number of objects that can contribute to clutter will make staying on top of cleaning much easier for us.

3. Reducing and removing clutter allows us to make space for the items that truly benefit and bring joy to our lives. By removing what no longer serves us and weighs us down we can get that extra space back.

4. Peace of mind and mental clarity. Going back to our first point, clutter weighs down our minds and emotions. Think about working in a messy environment vs a clean and organized one. Chances are you preferred working in a well-organized environment. It’s easier to move around, find what you need, and get work done.

(Reminder: this substack is reader supported. Enjoying the content? Consider becoming a paid subscriber. It helps me to continue to create content like this for you!)

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My tips for the challenge:

• If you live with someone else, get them involved. Ask them to contribute to the challenge even if it’s not their idea. Chances are they’ll be happy to find a few items to part with as well. (Note: don’t force anyone to participate. If they don’t want to they don’t want to. Your work will allow for better organization of their items in the end.)

• Break from chronological order. While this challenge was designed to be done chronologically, it’s just not how life works realistically. Some days you’ll be busier than others. Some days you’ll be in a bad mood or have a hard time. Reserve the little days for when you’re feeling down and the bigger days for when you’re feeling motivated.

• Stick to one room/one area. It can be easy to try to move from area to area on the bigger days but I highly suggest sticking in one room to find the items you need to declutter. Decluttering itself can be a messy process. Don’t make it harder on yourself by tearing up the entire house trying to find 10 items to remove.

• Don’t get distracted. This isn’t a deep clean project it’s a declutter project. You can deep clean areas after the challenge is done.

• Be critical. You will find items you forgot you had and think to yourself, “Oh this is great I should keep this!” Remember that there was a reason you forgot the item ever existed. Look at it critically and truly ask yourself if you will use this item or if it will just go missing again in a few months.

• Re-visit areas. As iterated above, this challenge will be emotionally and physically draining at times. If you’re having a hard time finding items to declutter re-visit an area and see if you can’t find additional items to remove.

• Don’t hold onto items during the challenge. Remove them immediately. Make weekly, or even daily, donation and trash drop offs.

• Recycle and donate what you can and trash what you can’t. If you’re feeling bad about the amount of waste you’re creating during this challenge remember a lot of items can be recycled, regifted, or donated. A quick google search will put you into contact with places that will take items like cosmetics, food, clothing, etc. For the items that need to be trashed, remember this, if you don’t remove it from your life you’re just living with trash. Do you really want that?

• Don’t forget a digital declutter counts! Our digital spaces take up a good portion of our lives now. Clean those areas up too. They count.

• The small items count. Little pieces of paper, pens without ink, packaging, etc. It all counts toward the number of items you’re removing.

• Download and print out the free tracker at the bottom of this post. (For paid subscribers.)

Share Mundane Joys

I’ll be sharing my experience with this challenge once I’ve completed it myself. At the time of this post’s publish date, I’ll have gotten through 10 days of the challenge myself. (Remember you don’t have to start this at the beginning of the month! 31 days is 31 days no matter when you start it.) Let’s declutter and clean up our lives together!

Until next time!

xoxo,

Roo

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