Friday Favorites from Foodie Crush, Chow Hound, Joyous Apron and More

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Good morning friends! How are you? Are you excited for Memorial Day weekend? I am thrilled that the beaches are going to be open here for people to get out and not only exercise but to sit(socially distanced) on the beach and relax and enjoy the weather with their family, dogs, coolers, lawn chairs and all the beach paraphernalia they can carry. It has been a long 75 days for people and many just want to get out and relax. I hope that they stay safe. 

I have lots of food, articles, books and more to share this week so let’s get to it. 

Food

The Ultimate Homemade Burger from The Joyous Apron is at the top of my list of things to make this weekend. 

Image from Foodie Crush

Baked beans are one of my favorite sides at any bbq, this weekend I am going to try these from Foodie Crush. 

Image

And this potato salad too!

    

Don’t forget to add a colorful fruit salad, this one from How Sweet Eats would be great with brunch or dinner. 

This Easy Chocolate Sheet Cake with Mocha Frosting from Chow Hound reminds me of long ago summer bbq’s where the dessert table was laden with cakes and cookies and brownies that all of the aunts would bring. 

Trisha Yearwood Brownies with Chocolate Frosting are another easy treat to make this weekend. They are so good you will eat the entire pan. 

Articles

Cultivating Contentment in a Keeping Up Culture

It’s Not Your Imagination Grocery Bills Are Getting Bigger

The Ground Floor of this House is a Public Library

This Building is AMAZING!

Missing Graduation? Here Are 8 Inspiring Commencement Speeches From Carrie Mae Weems, Dana Schutz, and Other Artists Throughout History

The Whole World is Sitting Shiva

Into the Chrysalis

Tired of Being Inside? These Hacks Can Bring Nature Inside

The Nightmare That Colleges Face This Fall

Great article. Self Care is Not Enough to Fix How Burnt Out Moms Are

Books 

The First Mrs. Rothschild(free on Kindle Unlimited)

It is the turn of the eighteenth century in Frankfurt, Germany, and young Gutle and Meir Amschel Rothschild struggle to establish themselves in the cramped and restricted Judengasse. But when Meir’s talents as a novice banker catch the attention of a German prince, Meir is suddenly afforded entrée into the European world of finance and nobility, and the Rothschilds’ lives are changed forever. As proud as Gutle is of her husband’s success, she is also cautious—very much aware of the fact that her husband’s rise is tied to his patrons’ willingness to “see past” his Jewishness. As their family grows, and a dream of fortune comes true, so does their belief that money will ultimately bring the power needed to establish Jewish civil rights.

Told through Gutle’s intimate journals, revealed across decades—from the French Revolution through personal tragedies and triumphs—The First Mrs. Rothschild paints a rich and intimate tapestry of family drama, world-changing history, and one woman’s steadfast strength.

Life(Free Kindle Unlimited)

Lu Yao published only two novels before his untimely death—but their extraordinary influence catapulted the author to the top tier of Chinese contemporary fiction, establishing him as one of the most widely read and respected figures in Chinese literature.

In this first-ever translation of Lu Yao’s Life, we meet Gao Jialin, a stubborn, idealistic, and ambitious young man from a small country village whose life is upended when corrupt local politics cost him his beloved job as a schoolteacher, prompting him to reject rural life and try to make it in the big city. Against the vivid, gritty backdrop of 1980s China, Lu Yao traces the proud and passionate Gao Jialin’s difficult path to professional, romantic, and personal fulfillment—or at least hard-won acceptance.

With the emotional acuity and narrative mastery that secured his reputation as one of China’s great novelists, Lu Yao paints a vivid, emotional, and unsparing portrait of contemporary Chinese life, seen through the eyes of a working-class man who refuses to be broken.

The Secret Life of Evie Hamilton

When a woman’s charmed life falls to pieces, can she accept that perfection isn’t always best? “Possibly my favourite writer.” — Winner of multiple Irish Book Awards and bestselling author Marian Keyes Evie Hamilton’s biggest worry is when to book her next manicure. Happily married with an accomplished teenage daughter, she loves her privileged English country lifestyle. But when a mysterious letter exposes a crushing family secret, her Oxfordshire life falls to pieces.
Forced to confront the truth, a wave of gossip slams right into her picture-perfect household. To keep her close-knit family together, she’ll have to find something completely unfamiliar: limitless inner strength.
Can Evie lean into the scandal or will her refusal to change rip her family apart?
The Secret Life of Evie Hamilton is an engaging story of family challenge. If you like emotional ups and downs, page-turning conflicts, and melt-in-your-heart moments, then you’ll love Catherine Alliott’s captivating novel. 

Vegetables: A Biography

From Michael Pollan to locavores, Whole Foods to farmers’ markets,  today cooks and foodies alike are paying more attention than ever before to the history of the food they bring into their kitchens—and especially to vegetables. Whether it’s an heirloom tomato, curled cabbage, or succulent squash, from a farmers’ market or a backyard plot, the humble vegetable offers more than just nutrition—it also represents a link with long tradition of farming and gardening, nurturing and breeding.

In this charming new book, those veggies finally get their due. In capsule biographies of eleven different vegetables—artichokes, beans, chard, cabbage, cardoons, carrots, chili peppers, Jerusalem artichokes, peas, pumpkins, and tomatoes—Evelyne Bloch-Dano explores the world of vegetables in all its facets, from science and agriculture to history, culture, and, of course, cooking. From the importance of peppers in early international trade to the most recent findings in genetics, from the cultural cachet of cabbage to Proust’s devotion to beef-and-carrot stew, to the surprising array of vegetables that preceded the pumpkin as the avatar of All Hallow’s Eve, Bloch-Dano takes readers on a dazzling tour of the fascinating stories behind our daily repasts.

Spicing her cornucopia with an eye for anecdote and a ready wit, Bloch-Dano has created a feast that’s sure to satisfy gardeners, chefs, and eaters alike.

Finds

Cute summer dress, on sale this week. I like this one as well.

If you are in the market for cookware, bakeware and more check out the 20% off sale at Williams Sonoma, I have had this set(with different handles) for over 20 years and we use them daily. 

Soludos Espadrilles

I hope that you share your favorite finds from this week, books, recipes, articles, podcasts and more. Have a wonderful and safe weekend!