Friday Faves

Hello and happy Friday!

October is my spring.  It’s when I feel like everything around me needs a clean sweep, a spring cleaning. It’s when I feel the urge to dump all the extra stuff. Clear it all out. Simplify my closet. Cleanse my system. Clear my mind. Set new goals. Basically give everything I touch, inside and out, a good, old-fashioned scrub.

A fall sweep. That’s what I’m craving now.

But it isn’t just about things I need to get rid of or shouldn’t be doing. It’s also the things I want more of. It’s balance.continue to the recipe… about Friday Faves

Hello and happy Friday!

What a gorgeous day today is about to be. I’ve been relishing doing my work from my deck in these fair 70°F days of prime fall weather because it’s all about to change tomorrow. Rain is coming all weekend long and then chillier weather ahead. So I am ready to cocoon my way through the weekend, do some baking, maybe see this movie, and celebrate my mom’s birthday with the family.

Last weekend we ate our way through delicious reubens and bratwurst at the Bavarian SnowWeisen event held at the ski resort where I learned to ski, Snowbasin in Ogden, UT. It really is a hidden gem, and if you’re into Oktoberfest celebrations, I totally recommend going.

Or, if you’re craving reubens for your own Oktoberfest, I have the best reuben sandwich recipe for you right here.continue to the recipe… about Friday Faves

Hello and happy Friday!

I’ve never been one to go half way, especially when I put on my Julie McCoy cruise director hat to share intel, tips, and info about things I love that I think will make your life better too. It’s why I started posting this list of Friday Faves 8 years ago.

It seems that each and every week when I sit down to write up this list of Friday Faves, I tell myself DON’T OVER DO IT! Keep it simple. People like simple. They don’t have that much time. They don’t want to be overwhelmed. And by “them”, I mean YOU.

But then I check out the links I’ve saved from the week, and find myself looking for more on the web to share. Why do I always have this feeling like it still isn’t enough? That we’re enough? Guess what? We are. I am.continue to the recipe… about Friday Faves

Hey hey, and happy FriYAY!

First thing first, because you always ask where the recipes are…the souvlaki recipe, lemon rice, and grilled zucchini recipes shown in my dinner above can all be found on le blog.

This was the first summer in 10 years where I finally felt like I finally got it. I didn’t realize it while I was going through it, but now, looking back, I realize I really did have a great, enjoyable, eventful but relaxing summer. It might be the first one where I don’t feel regret at not completing my summer bucket list. I’m okay with that. Because what I did get to do and enjoy was fulfilling enough.continue to the recipe… about Friday Faves

Hello and happy Friday!

Looks like we made it! If you have a school-age child, you know exactly what I mean. The first week of school can be just about as hard on the parents as the kids. Everyone’s adjusting their schedules, managing expectations, and still wondering where summer went to.

Now, instead of taking “me” time with coffee and my News feed in the morning, I’m back to making my teenager’s school lunch before she leaves for school at 7:10 a.m.. Yep. I still make her lunch every day. Why? Oh, I don’t know. She’s certainly responsible enough to do it, but it’s one thing during her day I know she’ll enjoy (she’s a food lover just like her mom) and it makes me feel good knowing she’s eating healthy instead of crap from the vending machines. I’m just waiting for her friends to get their drivers licenses when her take-lunch-to-school plans will likely be seriously curbed.

But until then, I’m good with making killer sandwiches each and every morning. (get my tips for making your own here.)continue to the recipe… about Friday Faves

Hi. Hi. Hi. And happy Friday.

Or, at least, a happy Friday to the rascally rodents in my garden who snaked my first, oh-so-anxiously-waiting-for crop of tomatoes. Dag nabbit! At least my tomato TLC is benefitting someone in need. Fingers crossed that will be the last of them.

This is the unofficial last weekend of summer here at the casa de Larsen. School starts on Monday and my teen is not one bit happy about it. Why would she be? Staying up late and sleeping in ’til noon was exactly what I wanted to do at her age too. But then real life had to butt itself into the non-busy summer schedule. And now look. It’s time to crack the whip and get back to it. Rude.

I’ll miss my girl being home with me during the day, but I’m ready to get back to the regular flow of things.continue to the recipe… about Friday Faves

Hello, and happy Friday!

It’s the first Friday in the month of August. Taking a review of my summer bucket list, I am in the dregs. I’ve been to only one outdoor summer concert, two farmers markets (what!), went paddle boarding just one time, spent just a few hours tanning at the pool, and hosted a measly few dinners on the deck, one where the grilled pizza was totally delish.

Guys, I gotta put it in full gear. Summer is going way too fast.

continue to the recipe… about Friday Faves

Hello, and happiest of Fridays to you.

Ah. This summer has been the most relaxing summer I’ve had in over 10 years. I’ve taken a load of work off my to-do list and allowed myself to believe, and to know, that it’s okay that I’m not doing it all. I’ve said “no” to opportunities and commitments I usually feel compelled to agree to. I’ve gotten outside more. I’ve cooked for fun. I’ve puttered in the garden. I’ve finished home projects that I’ve ignored for years.

It feels SO good. I love summer.

This weekend I’m continuing with the trend. I’ll be soaking up some sun, working on my golf game, cooking great food for good friends and loving time with my family. Life isn’t always about having more. It’s about being more.continue to the recipe… about Friday Faves

Hello and happy Friday!

Are you waking up with that post-holiday, all-the-potluck-eats, in-need-of sunburn relief, fireworks-bangin’ hangover? If so, it’s likely you’re also feeling the need to loosen the belt a notch after my mom’s best potato salad  (that I couldn’t let the 4th fly by without making at 8 pm last night), burgers, and dogs with a side of leftover sparkler sulfur-ish smell.

Me too. And nothing makes me happier.

Last Friday I talked about taking a phone-free weekend for less temptation to fall down the social media rabbit hole.  And guess what? We made it! It was such a great experience with a whole lot more freedom and time to connect one on one. It’s one exercise we’ll be doing when I things are feeling out of balance.

But for now, we are back. So let’s dig into this week’s Friday Faves.continue to the recipe… about Friday Faves

Helloooo and happy Friday everyone!

First off, a warm welcome to so many new readers here on FoodieCrush, where I share recipes like those in my husband’s Father’s Day dinner above (he is a master at the ribeye steak and grilled corn) I hope you’ll love every week. Thank you for being here!

You may be wondering what this non-recipe post is that’s popped into your inbox? Welcome to Friday Faves, where I share a weekly round-up of random items I discover on the web, and where I get to be a little more personal and don’t worry so much about search engine optimization, the perfect photo to illustrate the most delicious recipe, accounting, brainstorming, scheduling, social media promoting, and all the agenda items that go along with running this business we call blogging.

So happy almost-birthday to Friday Faves. Looking back, I think I found the original post here—dating back to July 1, 2011,—where my 15 year old AliSmudge was still just a Smudge of love, and the gorgonzola burger recipe somehow got deleted (must amend that!), and my faves list was a whole lot shorter.continue to the recipe… about 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!

It’s spring, and the blooms on the trees and sprouting from the ground are proving it. Is it weird to fall in love with flowers? Because I have, and I’ve fallen hard. I’ve always loved flowers. Outdoors. Indoors. Flowers, flowers, give me flowers everywhere.

Lately I’ve been finding so much joy in buying one or two grocery store bouquets and re-making them into something that looks like some of my favorite flower-arranging artists. Having a few hostessing duties like bridal showers brunches and Easter dinners  (my au gratin potatoes above are always the BEST!) have given me the perfect excuse to keep my new flower-making happiness habit going strong.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

Hi there friends, and happy Friday!

Since I’ve moved my home office into a new room of the house, I’m finding myself working more consistently (the laundry can wait!) and being more productive with my head down and fewer distractions. Kudos for that! And while I enjoy the silence of a quiet house where the only sounds are the hum of the furnace and the click clack of my puppers paws on the upstairs floor, I’m also listening to more music as I work at my desk.

At first I was skeptical of the hype, but the more I listen to this album, the more I totally get lost in it. I can’t stop listening because it’s so easy to listen to. It’s her lilting voice but also the lyrics that drift into my consciousness without drilling them into my brain.

“Even if you got somebody on your mind, It’s alright to be alone sometimes, sometimes.”

That line begs the question I think of a lot: Why is it that so many of us can’t be alone?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 and happy luck o’ the Irish Friday!

Somewhere under that pile of veggies and pickling spices is a rump of corned beef waiting to be slow cooked with cabbage. Since we’ll be on a plane this St. Patrick’s Day (bonjour Paris!) I HAD to make my corned beef and cabbage before we left. Per usual, it was all a ruse for leftovers for my favorite rueben sandwiches. So. Dang. Good.

I updated my corned beef and cabbage recipe post this year to include instructions for both the crock pot and the Instant Pot, plus a link to a free download of my 10 Commandments of Slow Cooking. Sharing all the secrets and all the goodness all year long.

If you’re in need of a reminder, Sunday is St. Paddy’s day so don’t forget the green. And if you need some luck of the Irish recipe ideas, check out this post here.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