Friday Favorites from Joy the Baker, Pinch of Yum, Savor the Best and More

This post contains affiliate links.

It’s the little things in life, sharing all of my favorite food finds, interesting articles, books and more.

Good morning friends! How was your week? Mine was great and I am ready for the weekend. It has been so hot here it will be nice to have some cooler weather.

I have lots to share this week so lets get right to it.

Food

Dessert first, that is my motto. I have been putting off making this Slab Apple Pie for a few weeks now because if I make it I will eat it for every meal. This is my grandmother’s recipe and it is one of my favorites. I think for Thanksgiving I will make a half recipe and then I won’t feel so bad if I eat it all.

For anyone that thinks they cannot make bread this recipe is for you! No Knead Bread from Pinch of Yum.

I LOVE bread and rolls and on Thanksgiving my favorite way to start the meal is with a warm yeast roll, these Everything Parker House Rolls from Broma Bakery might have to be in my bread basket this year.

I cannot wait to make these Sourdough Crackers from Savor the Best!

Thanksgiving is just around the corner and at my house it is all about the pumpkin pie and the sides/ This year I will be making Apple Walnut Stuffing from Damn Delicious!

Speaking of pumpkin, these Mini-pumpkin cheesecakes from Browned Butter Blondie look like an easy and delicious alternative to pumpkin pie.

If you are a fan of Joy( from Joy the Baker) than run out and get a copy of her first holiday magazine! It has 40 recipes to make all season long.

Articles

Mourning Lost Expectations and Recalibrating our Goals

5 Ways to Start Slowing Down

Tools for Cultivating Positivity

How to Organize Your Week with Time Blocking

35 Home Libraries For Inspiration

Ina Garten, “All of My Books are About Comfort.

Remembering an icon, Alex Trebek

This book Versailles From Louis XIV to JEff Koons is stunning! And has a price tag to match.

The National Parks are all in Flux, Here is What You Can Do in All 62.

Books

The Snowman’s Song

Witness a miracle this Christmas…

A little snowman longs for a voice of his own so he can sing Christmas carols like human children do.

When a cardinal gives him hope and a little girl shows him kindness, he receives his voice in a joyful, unexpected way.

The Story Orchestra: The Nutcracker

Follow Clara on a magical Christmas adventure in this musical retelling of The Nutcracker ballet—push the button on each beautiful scene to hear the vivid sound of an orchestra playing from Tchaikovsky’s score.

It is Christmas Eve at Clara’s house. Scents of ginger, chocolate, and peppermint waft through the air. Clara’s parents are having a party, and her little brother Fritz is decorating the Christmas tree. Clara’s godfather, a toymaker, arrives with gifts, including a very special one for her—a wooden nutcracker carved in the shape of a little man. After Fritz breaks it, the children are sent to bed.

The story follows Clara in her dreams as she battles and defeats a mouse king, then travels with her nutcracker-turned-prince to the Land of Sweets where she watches its enchanting inhabitants perform beautiful dances. As you and your little one journey through the magical scenes, you will press the buttons to hear 10 excerpts from the ballet’s music, including “The Waltz of the Flowers,” “The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy,” “The Russian Dance,” and the awesome “Finale.”

The Lost Pianos of Siberia

Siberia’s story is traditionally one of exiles, penal colonies and unmarked graves. Yet there is another tale to tell.

Dotted throughout this remote land are pianos―grand instruments created during the boom years of the nineteenth century, as well as humble, Soviet-made uprights that found their way into equally modest homes. They tell the story of how, ever since entering Russian culture under the westernizing influence of Catherine the Great, piano music has run through the country like blood.

How these pianos traveled into this snow-bound wilderness in the first place is testament to noble acts of fortitude by governors, adventurers and exiles. Siberian pianos have accomplished extraordinary feats, from the instrument that Maria Volkonsky, wife of an exiled Decembrist revolutionary, used to spread music east of the Urals, to those that brought reprieve to the Soviet Gulag. That these instruments might still exist in such a hostile landscape is remarkable. That they are still capable of making music in far-flung villages is nothing less than a miracle.

The Lost Pianos of Siberia is largely a story of music in this fascinating place, fol-lowing Roberts on a three-year adventure as she tracks a number of different instruments to find one whose history is definitively Siberian. Her journey reveals a desolate land inhabited by wild tigers and deeply shaped by its dark history, yet one that is also profoundly beautiful―and peppered with pianos.

The Coral Thief

Paris, 1815. Daniel Connor, a young medical student from Edinburgh, has arrived to study anatomy at the Jardin des Plantes—only to realize that his letters of introduction and precious coral specimens, on which his tenure with the legendary Dr. Cuvier depends, have been stolen. His thief turns out to be a beautiful woman who lives in a shadowy realm of outlaws, philosophers, and émigrés. As Daniel falls in love with her, he discovers a radical theory of evolution that irrevocably changes his conception of the world.

Finds

Cute Mugs, perfect for hot chocolate all season long.

I received one of these Lodge Cast Iron Dutch Ovens last year and I use it for everything from soups, to steamed pudding and you can even make no-knead bread in it!