Friday Faves

Hello hello and happy Friday!

First off, thank you so much for so many birthday wishes! It was a great day that enveloped the whole weekend because that’s the way we do. And your kind emails and DMs on Instagram were so welcomed and appreciated. You guys are seriously the best.

And one of the best presents I received was…SNOW!  Finally!

While the rest of the U.S. has been blanketed, we here in Utah FINALLY got a killer snowstorm here in the valley which meant just one thing…we headed to the mountains!

Last weekend we hit the slopes for my annual birthday celebration of skiing eating the most decadent German chocolate cake from the bakers at Deer Valley Resort.

The snow was perfect, the crowds were thinned (thank you Sundance Film Festival for taking up all the hotels and condos) and I spent the rest of this week wishing I was back up there every.single.day. BTW, I gotta say, this list of where to eat during Sundance in Park City… they got it right. (HEY! ARE YOU FAMOUS???)

So now that the Oscar noms have been announced, I’m on my usual quest to see the movies that are nominated. Each year I say this and never follow through. And that’s why this year I’m making it a goal to see at least 3 of the best picture nominations, and I already have a leg up after seeing I, Tonya this week for a girls night out. Any suggestions on which one I MUST see next?

I’m zeroing in on at least one of my January Intentions and am finally taking the 15 minutes it takes to bake something homemade, not for the blog, not to recipe test, but just for the fun of it. I mean COME ON! It’s not like I’m building a house here…I should have 15 minutes in my week to enjoy a little kitchen time!

So…On Sunday night—post-German chocolate cake birthday feasting time—I had a hankering for yet more chocolate so baked my favorite brownies, and we all agreed, they were honestly the best batch I’ve made yet—and they were gone Monday afternoon! I’d say that’s a pretty efficient use of Sunday night meal planning. (p.s. if you make the brownies, use the alternated directions at the end of the post for the crackly crust and whip the sugar and eggs for 8 min and use 1 cup flour.)

And also, I’m loving this week’s challenge.

What Went Up This Week…

This week had a lot of recipe testing going down in the FC test kitchen aka my kitchen plus the recipes below going up on the blog. If you have any recipe requests, I’m happy to serve…just email me at [email protected].

• Instant Pot Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup where it’s creamy without the calories or fat from cream

• Roasted Beet, Avocado and Goat Cheese Spinach Salad with Chicken because lunchtime salads deserve more than just lettuce, cucumbers, and tomato.

• How to Make a To-Do List That Makes You Happier because our to-do lists shouldn’t run our lives, but instead, our to-do lists should help live it.

But enough about me, let’s dig into this week’s Friday Faves. :)

This plea from Olympian Aly Raisman raises so many questions of WHY??? so many layers of authorities turned a blind eye? As the mother of a teenage daughter it’s absolutely sickening and appalling.

and …

RIP Rosie, you represented us well!

My fave SLC boutique (I’m always sharing her online stuff here on FF because I love the styles + good quality + affordable!!) is giving away two sets of this super cute trio of necklaces and I’m just saying you should totally enter. And I love her photography on her feed too. Nice work Katie!

Did you hear who’s joining the cast of Big Little Lies? EEEP! How can I watch this if I don’t order HBO. Suggestions please.

This is hilarious –> What is wrong with the men on the covers of Instant Pot cookbooks? Ever heard of personal space? (via Eater)

An excellent podcast episode on self-care.

9 Skillshare classes that are worth watching. I need to take more advantage of these this year.

This is how Japanese students learn how to multiply. BLOWS MY MIND!

however…

Who needs college when you can make this salary as the manager of an In ‘n Out!??!!! I mean, really?

Or maybe I should concentrate on these 9 ways to save money in 2018. Because, I have more vacations to plan for!

thanks to…

These photos of the 20 most beautiful beaches in the world are tugging at my travel strings.

This adventurous couple got married on a space net at 400 feet in the sky. HOW IN THE HELL DO YOU GET A PERMIT TO DO THAT? The photos are STUNNING, and that dress! #LOVE. Also, way to rep my great state!

and, get out your bucket lists…

You can now zipline across the Grand Canyon. But in my book, you also need to be crazy.

Moon drinks. Am I missing out?

How to actually love to eat healthy.

One pot pastas will always have my heart, and I would happily devour a big bowl of this beefy, cheesy goodness.

How awesome do these poke bowls look? I love me some poke.

And this Instant Pot dinner is making me so hungry right now.

Ooey. Gooey. HOLY CRAP. I don’t care if it’s a cake/bars/whatever I just want it.

How 34.1 tons of garbage turned into 23 million meals and how you can be a part. Love this idea!

This soup is right up my alley.

Peanut butter, banana, and chocolate for breakfast? Yes, please!

But first, these muffins! (this is how you get me baking in the kitchen!)

Salad fries? SHEER GENIUS.

I really wouldn’t hate it if someone made me this snacking cake. And Smudge would be over the moon. Looks like she’s going to get a baking lesson!

How to care for cast iron and enameled cookware. I swear give more TLC to my iron skillet than I do myself sometimes. #truth

What ballet dancers really eat. (check it out to see if chocolate make the list?)

The Super Bowl is fast-approaching, and you know what that means…everything gets buffalo-ed!

• Game Day Buffalo Chicken Meatballs with Blue Cheese
• Buffalo Chicken Drumsticks
• Buffalo Chicken Twist
• Buffalo Chicken Casserole with Tahini Ranch Dressing
• Roasted Buffalo Chickpea Bowls

Speaking of … these pretzel dogs would make a killer snack on game day.

So when I cook I don’t always have pockets on for my phone so I can listen to my favorite podcast. So I discovered a waist pouch (smaller than a fanny pack) to hold my phone at TJ Maxx that’s made by the same co. as this one which is actually even cuter than mine. And I love it. But the real question is when did they quit calling them fanny packs?? #sadface

The best shoes to wear in the kitchen. I love my clogs but my bro-in-laws dog used them as a chew toy so I’m thinking about getting these…herringbone!

and…

Crushing on these kicks. Loooving.

Eyeing this pretty top. But what color?!

Did you know Rifle Paper Co. has a stamp? So cute, and just in time for those Valentines.

Get ready…19 practically free ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day. (I love #2.)

And because it’s not too early to stock up on some V-Day cards, here are a few punny food favorites: let’s canoodle, life with you is eggcellent, Stranger Things, let’s avocuddle

These homemade lipstick valentines are the CUTEST!

And speaking of lipstick…

How adorable is this? HEARTS!

The best arm workouts you can do without weights. Flab, be gone!

Okay, that’s it friends. Have a great weekend, and get in the kitchen to cook some real good real food!

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