Friday Favorites from Habitually Chic, Lemon Tree Dwelling, Gimme Some Oven, Thistlewood Farm and More

Good morning! I don’t know about you but I am still trying to wrap my mind around the fact that it is November, seriously where did this year go? These next two months will be a blur with the holidays, family, travel and Christmas activities. I have to find a way to slow it all down.

Image from Lemon Tree Dwelling

Butternut squash is on of my favorite Fall and Winter vegetables, I like to eat it plain, in soup and in salad. This Roasted Butternut Squash Soup from Lemon Tree Dwelling looks like its right up my alley! 

Image Cooking Classy

Is there anything better than comfort food on a cold Fall evening?  A nice big bowl of steaming Butternut Squash Pasta Carbonara from Cooking Classy would be perfect this evening. 

Fridays call for a cocktail and I think this Cranberry Margaritas from Gimme Some Oven would be delicious this weekend. 

Image Habitually Chic

Are you a fan of Louis Vuitton? If so and you find yourself in New York in the next few months you might be interested in this exhibit of the iconic brand that Heather from Habitually Chic wrote about this week. 

I found this article about the Pleasure/Happiness Gap interesting. 

Image Home Adore

Check out this old train station in Switzerland that has been made into a home. 

Image from Medium

 The Inspiration Behind Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man is a fascinating article by Walter Isaacson.

As is the book Leonardo da Vinci which I am currently reading by the same author. 

I just received a copy of The Grand Central Market Cookbook: Cuisine and Culture from Downtown Los Angeles and I love it! I have been to LA but never to the market but I can see from this book that it needs to be at the top of my list the next time I visit.  The book gives a gives a brief history of the market and then dives right into the recipes. There are 85 recipes covering everything from Crunchy Avocado Tacos, to Huevos Rancheros, Grilled Margarita Pizza, Thai BBQ Chicken, drinks, desserts and more. There is something for everyone. The recipes are straightforward and can be easily made at home. Whether you love the LA Market or have never been and just enjoy good food this is the perfect book for you.

Have you ever heard of BookCrossing? I had not until I saw it mentioned on The Modern Mrs. Darcy this week, it is:

 “the act of releasing your books “into the wild” for a stranger to find, or via “controlled release” to another BookCrossing member, and tracking where they go via journal entries from around the world.” You can identify a BookCrossing book by the sticker on the inside cover.

I love this idea of leaving your books on a plane, in a coffee shop at a hotel and letting other people enjoy them.  My friend Jeanne from Collage of Life came up with an book sharing idea many years ago and she called it the Brown Paper Book club, in which she or you could send your favorite books wrapped in brown paper to other readers to enjoy.

Christmas Cards Minted

For those of you who like a little help getting ready for Christmas, Karianne from Thistlewood Farm made a great 6 Week Checklist with excellent tips to keep you on track for the big day!

I have decided that I am going to post a link everyday to a few things that I like for the upcoming holiday, today it is all about candles. Now that it is getting dark so early I enjoy the house with the glow of candles emanating my favorite scents, like cinnamon, cloves and evergreen.

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 hope that you found something interesting here. If you made a great recipe, saw a wonderful movie, listened to something we need to know about please share. 

 Have a happy and safe weekend.