Friday Faves

Hello and happy Friday!

If you’ve been a long-time follower here (we’ve been at it for 8 years!) you’ve heard mention of my Smudge. Along with me, you’ve watched her change and grow with each parental request (threat) to be the modeling hands and cute little happy freckled face in some of our favorite blog posts like this, this, and this post with her favorite birthday cake pie.

We christened her with the nickname Smudge while in utero, where she was just a little smudge of love we didn’t know we’d been waiting for all our lives. Her arrival was a game changer, and not the easiest of transitions for a happily-married-and-perfectly-content-to-be-twosome. But she pulled us out of groundhog day and rocked our world in the best of ways. Naturally, she is the center of our universe.

This weekend is our baby’s 15th birthday. Like I was, she’s probably far more excited for her 16th birthday and her driver’s license than for this one. But for me, 15 is a real hallmark, and why it’s making this birthday so hard.

continue to the recipe… about Friday Faves

Hello and happy Friday!

Given I’ve just returned home from a trip to Italy, this Memorial Day Weekend seems somewhat anti-climatic. I mean, I’m ready to heat up the grill for burgers and all, but my taste buds are still on pasta time. I know…such first world problems and I absolutely realize that I am spoiled beyond measure. And I’m relishing every second of this life I get to live.

This weekend marks the beginning of the big slow down. Work travel is over for the next few months, Ali Smudge finished her freshman school year yesterday, sunshine and sunscreened days at the pool are in my sights, and I am ready so ready to languish in the lazy days of summer. I haven’t yet officially made my summer bucket list, but it sure looks a lot like this one, but with more golf dates with my husband added in.

One of my main goals this summer is to recharge my batteries and become more productive because of taking time away. I’ll probably be talking more about this later if you’re interested…continue to the recipe… about Friday Faves

Hello and happy Mother’s Day Friday!

It seems silly to think there would be just one day of the year to celebrate our mothers. It should be an honor to celebrate moms every day. Moms are the ties that bind, the motivating force to push us past our limits, the guide that keep us in line, and the cheerleaders that keep us going toward the heights we never thought we could reach.

Or is that just my mom?continue to the recipe… about Friday Faves

Hello and happy Friday!

Last Friday I returned home from Cincinnati where I attended Kroger’s Zero Hunger Zero Waste event with Master Chef Graham Elliott. It was my third year attending the event and I was a whole lot more relaxed this time around. Unlike the first year where my husband and I were in a sweating-it-out-in-the-kitchen-stride competition with local chefs to create an on-the-fly dish made with rescued ingredients that had been delivered to Cincinnati’s local food pantry, and then make enough to serve 250 at the evening’s big Zero Hunger Zero Waste event hosted by Kroger, this year I was in an attendee-only mode.

Whew. That’s just one reason I was honored to attend, meet Chef Graham Elliott, and learn more about how we can each make small changes that add up to big differences.continue to the recipe… about Friday Faves

Hello and happy almost Easter Friday!

Here it is another Friday and all I can think about instead of getting things done is what would taste so good for Easter brunch (because last weekend’s bridal shower brunch was pretty amazing) and why is work taking me so long and the lessons I need to remember from my golf lesson and I need to get my flowers planted but what if it freezes after I do and why is this post taking me so long to finish?

Could it be it’s because I’m an adult female who deals with balancing family-life and work-like and hormones and pleasing others and what the heck is going on with Kim Kardashian’s sinks and probably adult onset ADHD all within the span of 30 minutes?

That’s it. I’m done. I’m making this my new mantra: When you’re working, be at work. When you’re not working, stop working.continue to the recipe… about Friday Faves

Hello hello and happy Friday!

As any mom of a teenager will tell you, the best time to learn what’s really going on in their lives is in the car. It’s one reason I’m always willing to be the after-school driver to get boba tea or shuttle to and fro from mall excursions or basketball practices. But most of those times are spent with Ali Smudge and her pals, so when I get some one on one in the car with my girl, that’s when we really get to visit, especially when I banish the use of her phone.

I’ve become more and more aware of how much time we all spend on our phones. One study, commissioned by Nokia, found that, as of 2013, we were checking our phones on average 150 times a day. But we touch our phones about 2,617 times.

WHOA. That was way back in 2013. Imagine how it’s gone up since then.continue to the recipe… about Friday Faves

Hello and happy Friday!

If you ever doubted, jet lag is real. And depending on how you look at it, my jet lagged REM state is either benefitting from the time change or become a victim to it because this girls dreams have become vivid with a capitol V.

And now Kanye West is following my daughter on Instagram.

My jet lagged dreams have been both good and bad. And because they’re still dreams, they don’t always make sense.continue to the recipe… about Friday Faves

Hello! (Bonjour!) and happy Friday! (joyeux Vendredi!)

I’m writing from gay Paris where we are spending the week for my daughter’s spring break. Months ago I found cheap air fare thanks to this site I follow, so I jumped at the opportunity and my man and my baby jumped for joy too.

It’s the first time we’ve been to Paris and we have quickly become just as enamored of this city as everyone else who has ever visited. It truly is a special place and has captured our hearts.

Do you want to see a wrap-up of our visit so you know where to get these pancakes and more? If so, leave a comment below and let me know.

We have a lot more sight seeing and baguette eating to fit in so I’m going to go straight to this week’s list of faves. If you want to follow along on our adventure, follow me on Instagram and check out my InstaStories for daily updates.

Let’s dig into this week’s Friday Faves.continue to the recipe… about Friday Faves

Hello you beautiful people and happy Friday.

Today I’m starting a new habit. It’s not one I’d really planned on or plotted about. In fact it really just came to me as I sat down to write this post.

Each Thursday I wonder what in the world I have to share in this Friday Faves introduction that would be even remotely interesting to anyone. 10% of the time I have stuff. 90% of the time I stare at my blinking curser on the screen, cursing it’s impatience with me because my mind is a blank. Your time is valuable, and so is mine, and I don’t want to bore you because once again I’ve fallen into the trap of spewing about the mundane like talking about how spring has sprung or my how time flies or gee whiz it was a busy week. Bleh.

We’ve been talking about creating habits in this year’s Nourished Planner so maybe that’s why creating habits is top of mind. Or maybe it’s because three of my BFF siblings lost their dad to a heart attack this week. These moments have launched spells of self-reflection, and likely contributed to starting a habit I’ve always intended to ccreate but just never seem to get around to doing.

And it’s an easy habit to start and keep.continue to the recipe… about Friday Faves

Hello March, and Happy Friday!

Today is the first day of March and all I can say is did February even happen? Sure it was a short month but whew, it flew by. The potted flowers sitting at the entrance to the grocery store have replaced the snow shovels and sleds.

I have to admit, I’m not all that sad about winter lessening it’s chilly grip. Spring skiing in the morning with golf in the afternoon? That’s what’s on my agenda this month.

Every change of season has me wanting to refresh and renew. It’s like I’m in a constant vortex.

continue to the recipe… about Friday Faves

Hello and happy Friday friends, lovers, and life mates!

Who is reeling from their Valentine love hangover? Did cupid find you with his pointy arrow to deliver his love bite? If not, don’t fret. He probably had germs anyway.

As we just about always do, my lover and I laid low with our romancing as the king and queen of hearts. I made him a healthy breakfast (above) knowing our Valentine’s meal of king crab legs and artichokes would be buttery delicious. Just like on New Years Eve, we leave the going out to the amateurs and novices. We always find the food, atmosphere, and the company so much better when we celebrate with dinner at home minus all the hype.

I’m really looking forward to a cloudy, cocooning weekend of cooking for fun, organizing, and a general haze of laze. Because while I love the sun and fun, sometimes this girl just craves some gloom to make the brightness of spring days all that more special when the calendar pages flip again. Am I the only one who feels this way?

But enough about me. Let’s get into the goods of why you’re here and dig into this week’s Friday Faves. continue to the recipe… about Friday Faves

Hello hello and Happy first Friday of February!

Re-entry into real life has not been easy. For 10 days my husband and I were beyond fortunate to spend some much needed one on one time thanks to Viking Cruises. We languished, explored, ate ourselves silly, and met some wonderful people while ocean sailing through the Caribbean and West Indies.

Our trip ended on Monday when we tried to fly home from Puerto Rico, but the airline had a hiccup due to a fight on board our inbound plane that had to be turned around and sent back to Orlando, causing us to miss our connection, so our one travel day turned into two.

No big deal, until…continue to the recipe… about Friday Faves

Hello, hello and happy Friday!

It’s an especially happy Friday for me because it’s my birthday on Monday! One more year down and I’m still kickin’. Sure, it’s a little more achey when I do, and sometimes I can’t remember where I put my boots to kick it up in, but hey, I’m lucky in so many other ways that another wrinkle isn’t going to ruin my day. Or my year!

And this girl is celebrating her birthday in style.

It was just last Friday we were skiing the slopes of Park City’s Deer Valley Resort and eating the BEST lobster rolls right on the mountain (thanks Rime Raw Bar!) and here we are today, in a tropical paradise. I mean, I am literally counting my lucky stars every.single.day.

Last night my husband and I left the snow and cold behind and took the red eye to arrive today in Puerto Rico, readying ourselves to set sail through the Caribbean with Viking Cruises. When Viking asked us to join them on this trip it was a happy coincidence it fell upon my birthday week. And yes, I learned years ago from my best friend Kim that each of these momentous yearly occasions should always be looked at as a birth-week instead of a measly birth-day. Raise your hand with an an enthusiastic HECK TO THE YES!continue to the recipe… about Friday Faves

Hello hello and what a happy Friday it is!

We’re here. We’re alive. We have money for food on the table and an internet to scan for the links we love. There’s so much big, heart wrenching stuff going on out there that focusing on the little things that matter are a real source of joy.

We’re nearly two weeks into the new year and I’m still committed to my NY resolve and eating more plants (this avo toast has been breakfast every.single.day), getting more sleep, and keeping my inner and outer critic in check.

Life is a work in progress. Last week I talked about how I’ve always believed I was a good multi-tasker until I was called out as simply being a procrastinator.

Well, yesterday I read this article that is 100% how I feel 99% of the time. Decision fatigue, where “people’s brains get worn out by the necessity of being decisive and exercising restraint, usually at work.”

Is decision fatigue a real thing? I 100% think so, because I live it, and too often I feel just like Gloria who is quoted about completing personal chores, “Instead of doing it, I’m thinking about all the times I should have been. So I end up kind of catatonic over not doing stuff instead of doing that stuff.” Hand to heart, that’s me.

It’s another supporting reason why I chose my word of 2019: DO IT. 

continue to the recipe… about Friday Faves

Hello and happy final Friday of 2018.

Whoa. We say it every year but this year it’s totally true. This year went by SO DANG FAST. Did the year fly by for you? Because it sure did for me, and for nearly every person I talk to, too.

Remember how loooooong it took to finally get your braces off, or become 16 to get your first driver’s license, to go on your first date, and what about turning 18 and finally graduating from high school to become an adult? Each one seemed like a mother loving eternity. But each one was a first, a rite of passage, and marked something you’d never done before.

It’s a fact that time really does go by faster as we age. We get stuck in the routine. Things become mundane. Days turn into weeks and weeks into months and we feel like the year is one big replay of the movie Groundhog Day.

But this article says there’s a simple way to make the year go by slower, and it’s done by simply doing something different. By switching things up. Getting out of the same old routine. Adding some spice to life.

The key is to add a list of “firsts” to your year. So this year, instead of making resolutions, make it the year to try new things. Go someplace you’ve never been. Try something for the first time. Do it differently—whatever it is.

Create your list of intriguing but not totally out-of-the-realm things you’d like to try. And then simply do them.

Challenge yourself to bake a cake every week. Or make that road trip you’ve always daydreamed of taking. Learn how to stand-up paddle board, take a lettering class, or become a volunteer to inspire yourself thanks to giving to others.

Instead of middling in the middle, move to the front.

This year, choose to be extra.

Whatever you do, just choose to do something different. And watch time slow down as you savor every minute.

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Let’s make 2019 amazing together, and let’s dig into this week’s Friday Faves.continue to the recipe… about Friday Faves

Hello hello and a Ho to the Ho Ho Ho!

I’m feeling all nostalgic. Yesterday I updated and re-shared my mom’s famous fudge recipe, I found this pic on my phone from when Smudge and I baked my childhood Christmas sugar cookies before she grew into a too-busy-to-bake-with-her-mom teen, and today we are only four days away from that jolly old elf making his way to slay on his sleigh … and whaddya know? It’s another week of Friday Faves!

The more things change, the more I crave the familiar.

It’s so weird. These Friday Faves posts make me realize just how quickly time flies. Each week I sit at my computer to compile my list of weekly favorites and every time it feels like just a day ago I was doing the same exact thing, but it’s actually been a full week.

It’s one reason this weekly post—more than any of the recipes or round-ups—drives me to be more accountable with my time so I can be more adventuresome too. It’s why I try hard to be more efficient at work so I can get out and do the things I really love, read up and research random stuff I find interesting, and to really enjoy life, and actually create the moments to have something to share here :)

Life goes by even when you aren’t noticing. And nobody wants to look back on their memories and see themselves sitting at their computer all day.

Plus, it keeps me connected with you!

Last week I received an email that totally made my day, and it read:continue to the recipe… about Friday Faves

Hello my friends, and happy Friday!

It’s been a week of comings and goings and while my Christmas tree went up the day after Thanksgiving, it still stands naked of any ornaments to adorn it. Sunday will be the day I’m taking care of getting on my ho-ho-ho and adorning some Christmas cheer.

But first, I need your help.

Tomorrow is the last day for raising money for my part of the Shred for Red leukemia fundraising drive and I’m short of my goal.

I’m happy to be raising money for blood cancer research in honor of two fellow food bloggers who have young children diagnosed with leukemia, @kadeemorrison of the blog Oh So Delicioso and Deborah Harroun of @tasteandtell.

For Kadee, on the eve of her son Graham’s 2 year anniversary of his leukemia diagnosis, they received the news that her toddler Ian also has leukemia. Ian is still in the hospital fighting his fight.

Deb’s young son was also diagnosed two years ago. Following chemo treatments, steroids and more, he is now thankfully in remission, but always with a watchful eye.

Families like theirs give their everything to fight cancer, will you help fight it too?

Donate to my fundraising campaign to fight Leukemia here.

Did You Enter this Week’s Giveaways?

This past week I shared two giveaways over on Instagram that if you haven’t entered you should:

Enter this cookbook giveaway here and this product giveaway here.

And now, let’s dig into this week’s Friday Faves.continue to the recipe… about Friday Faves Holiday Ed.2

Hello, hello! And happy Friday.

Last night I was lucky enough to sample the new winter dining menu at Park City’s Deer Valley Resort. Every year it takes a village of chefs and staff to produce this event, and every year I wish I could take those chefs and all their kitchen knowledge, tricks, and efficiencies home with me, because for any food lover, next week is the holy grail of food holidays. And I could use some help.

This year I will be the hostess with the mostess, and making Thanksgiving dinner for about 15-20 of our family. This is the kind of thing where my stress levels rise and my patience runs short and I end up barking orders at my husband and becoming short-tempered with my daughter, all in the name of creating a meaningful dinner for everyone, except for the three of us because I end up getting all stressed out and set a negative tone before we even get close to getting dinner on the table.

Can I get a raised hand from anyone out there who’s victim of this too?continue to the recipe… about Friday Faves

Hello, hello, and Happy Friday!

Why is it that the only years I get a flu shot are the ones I get sick within the next two weeks of getting the shot??

Last year I didn’t get a flu shot, and I didn’t get sick. The year before that, I got a flu shot and I got sick.

This year, got the flu shot last week, and I yesterday I woke up with a sore throat, coughs, aches and pains and tired and grouchy. GRRR. What’s a self-care enthusiast to do?

That’s why I’ve been triple dosing on this immune booster, and why I ordered another batch of this homeopathic remedy we preached about back in my health food magazine designing days. And yes mom, I’m washing my hands.

But instead of boring you with my cold and flu symptoms, I’m gonna get right to the Friday Faves point, and then snuggle up in my bed and hit the hay to dream of reaching for last Friday’s burger lunch at SLC’s Lucky 13 instead of reaching for another tissue to blow my snotty nose.

So let’s do this, and start clicking away.

continue to the recipe… about Friday Faves