Are you looking for some comforting recipes to make this week? Or a 30 minute meal for next weeks dinner? How about a book to read by the fire? I’ve got you covered, I am sharing recipes, books, finds and more this week in my Friday Favorites post.
Good Friday morning friends! Did you have a nice week? Are you ready for the weekend? I sure am. It has been a busy week, the landscapers have been here every day and it has been pretty exciting but not without some hiccups , as is to be expected with any project. So far they cut the cable line, the invisible fence and the main line for the irrigation, all because they were mis-marked, the good news is that they are all fixed, except the internet and the cable. I am waiting for the the technician and working from my hot spot. Hopefully everything will be back to normal this afternoon.
I have lots to share with you today, as always, so lets’ get to it shall we? Grab your coffee or cocoa and settle in for a nice long read.
Friday Favorites
Food
The big game is over and there isn’t a holiday to celebrate but that doesn’t mean I didn’t find some scrumptious food for us to make.
Friday night at my house is pizza night, I wish it could be every night but that would not be good for my waistline. Quattro Formaggi Pizza, yes please. You can find this recipe and more authentic Italian recipes at Inside the Rustic Kitchen.
Pasta Putanessca is an easy and delicious recipe to make during the week or for Sunday dinner.

Image Half Baked Harvest
You can have Spicy Peanut Noodles with Chili Garlic Oil on the dinner table in 30 minutes.
Do you like cheese? Then you are going to be head over heals for Provoleta. When my step-son and family lived in Argentina and we went for our annual visit there are three things every day I ate every day, provoleta, empanadas and alfajaros.
Just in case you missed it I share an easy and delicious recipe for Nigella Lawson’s Dense Chocolate Loaf Cake.
Mardi Gras starts in a few weeks and that mean King Cakes are popping up all over. You can order on online or simply make your own. Lemon Sugar has two versions for you to try.
House, Home & Gardens
Step Inside The Breathtaking Homes Of A Countess In Paris
Rethinking the Uncool Daffodil
Colourful kitchens: Why even a dash of a bold, vibrant hue goes a long way in a kitchen
Read This Post Before You Buy Another Throw Pillow!
Interesting Articles
What does Your Front Door Color Say About Your Personality?
What Is the Future of Organic?
Jams and Jelly fans, Discover French Jam Brands Other Than Bonne Maman
Have you tried the TIKTOK breakfast craze for custard toast? I have not but Food52 states Custard Toast Is an Actually Delicious TikTok Trend
The Secrets Behind The Perfect Curling Stone
The Race to Free Washington’s Last Orca in Captivity
Why Trucking Can’t Deliver the Goods
Man Ray Work Could Become Most Expensive Photograph Ever Sold at Auction in ‘Unprecedented’ Sale
Love this post by Nena’s Notes and the dressmakers to Jackie Kennedy and Mary Todd Lincoln.
Amateur sleuths help solve 160-year mystery by decoding Charles Dickens letter
Beatrix Potter Fans who happen to be in London Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature Exhibition, V&A Museum
Do you like botanical illustrations?J0in artist and designer Silvia Ospina to create artwork inspired by nature, combining traditional hand-painted techniques with digital tools on-line at the V&A Museum.
Gilded Age fans, will enjoy What Went Into Building The Gilded Age’s 19th-Century New York
Podcast
Let’s Turn Up the Volume on the Food Podcast
Speaking of podcasts, my friend Ahnas’ podcast Imperfectly Empowered is one that you will want to add to your list.
If you like Jane Austen tune into Audiofile Audiobook Break where this month they are reading Pride and Prejudice.

Cicero
Books
Here are a couple of the books that I read this week and one that I will be reading this weekend.
The Wish List
I read the Wish List in one sitting and loved it!
Maria Birch is seventy years old and, for her, every week is the same.
On Monday, she does her weekly shop. On Tuesday, she goes for a blow-dry. On Wednesday, she visits the laundrette. But Thursday is her favourite day of all – everything hurts less on a Thursday.
Every Thursday Maria walks to her local café. Waiting for her at one of the red gingham-topped tables is Albie Young, a charming man with a twinkle in his eye and an impressive collection of tweed flat caps. Every week, the pair share a slice of marble cake and a pot of tea.
Except, one week, Albie doesn’t turn up.
When Maria finds out what has happened, her perfectly ordered life is ripped apart at the seams. Suddenly, she is very lonely. Without her Thursday friend – her only friend – she no longer has the energy to circle the weekly TV listings, she has no reason to leave her apartment, no reason to laugh.
Then she discovers that Albie isn’t who she thought he was, and she’s left wondering if she knew her friend at all. But Albie has left behind a legacy – a handwritten list of wishes he never got the chance to complete.
Maria is resigned to facing the rest of her days heartbroken and alone. But fulfilling Albie’s wishes could hold the key to her happiness – if only she’s able to look past his secret…
Other Women
Just finished this last night.
Three women. Three secrets. Three tangled lives…
Sid wears her independence like armour. So when she strikes up a rare connection with unlucky-in-love Finn, they are both determined to prove that men and women can just be friends. Can’t they?
Marin has the perfect home, attentive husband, two beloved children – and a secret addiction to designer clothes. She knows she has it all, so why can’t she stop comparing herself to other women?
Bea believes that we all have one love story – and she’s had hers. Now her life centres around her son, Luke, and her support group of fierce single women. But there’s something that she can’t tell anyone…
Painting the Light
Martha’s Vineyard, 1898. In her first life, Ida Russell had been a painter. Five years ago, she had confidently walked the halls of Boston’s renowned Museum School, enrolling in art courses that were once deemed “unthinkable” for women to take, and showing a budding talent for watercolors.
But no more. Ida Russell is now Ida Pease, resident of a seaside farm on Vineyard Haven, and wife to Ezra, a once-charming man who has become an inattentive and altogether unreliable husband. Ezra runs a salvage company in town with his business partner, Mose Barstow, but he much prefers their nightly card games at the local pub to his work in their Boston office, not to mention filling haystacks and tending sheep on the farm at home—duties that have fallen to Ida and their part-time farmhand, Lem. Ida, meanwhile, has left her love for painting behind.
It comes as no surprise to Ida when Ezra is hours late for a Thanksgiving dinner, only to leave abruptly for another supposedly urgent business trip to Boston. But then something unthinkable happens: a storm strikes and the ship carrying Ezra and Mose sinks.
In the wake of this shocking tragedy, Ida must settle the affairs of Ezra’s estate, a task that brings her to a familiar face from her past—Henry Barstow, Mose’s brother and executor. As she joins Henry in sifting through the remnants of her husband’s life and work, Ida must learn to separate truth from lies and what matters from what doesn’t.
You can find all of the books I share on the blog in “My Book Shop”, simply click the icon on the sidebar or visit “My Book Shop” Pinterest Board.
Finds
I ordered this doormat for Spring to match the color of the flowers in my new landscaping. I like this one too.
Boden is one of my favorite places to shop, they just released their Spring collection and I think this dress is the epitome of a spring garden.
I have this sweater in my cart. If you are a fan of Boden hop over there are so many great pieces for Spring.
I hope that you found something to read, make and enjoy here this week. Thank you for sharing part of your day with me, I appreciate every comment and email. Have a wonderful weekend and stay warm and safe in the storm.
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This post contains affiliate links, I am an Amazon affiliate and will earn a small commission if you purchase something from a link on this blog.

I loved this quote from the countess: . “I like the kind of decoration that admits a certain degree of useful disorder,”
I liked the article about jams as well: of course as French we have all sorts of classifications and jam categories, and don’t you dare mix them up! My ( American) husband still can’t wrap his mind around the number of cakes/ pastries, cheeses, jams I know ( and tasted!) and the subtle differences I try to point out. I think we may be ‘slightly’ obsessive about good food as a nation.
Thanks for beautiful links and reading suggestions! Have a wonderful weekend!
Valerie, I loved the Countess and her beautiful houses. As for jams and jellies, please share any all all knowledge that you have on this subject. I would love if you would share your thoughts, I could add them to the post! I have been traveling to France since I was 16 and have spent many summers there with friends, you are absolutely correct about the food, and wine, and meals, etc. Which is always a bit difficult for me because I do not live to eat, I eat to live. That said when I am in France my diet consists of eclairs, chocolat chaud, jambon et fromage sandwiches, between visits to museums and of course I have to have a few Polain punitions.
Thank you SO much for the mention of my nenasnotes blog post on Black fashion designers. I’m honored to be included in your always extraordinary Friday Favorites….but then I’m obsessed with all your posts! Keep them coming.
Nena
You are very welcome! I hope that you have a wonderful weekend.
Always a great read on Fridays! So many bunny holes here that I love…jams, painted doors, and who knew you had a Pinterest Book Shop?!! So sorry for your landscaping woes and hope all of those issues are resolved quickly. Have a great weekend, Elizabeth!
love the bounty you give your readers every Friday!
Thank you Linda!
I love everything about this post. Thank you so much.
Thank you Rebecca!
Interesting info about truckers. I know you always have food on your blog, and I finally, after three weeks of living here, cooked my first meal here. It wasn’t extravagant or fancy, but it tasted like the best meal in the world after picking up food for weeks. But I still haven’t used my pots and pans. I’m so accustomed to cooking in the convection toaster oven. Great book finds here today too! And interesting info about throw pillows as well.
Brenda
Brenda, thank you for your always kind comments! I love that you actually read and enjoy the links. I know that you are a voracious reader so I think you will love the book suggestions. I hope that you are enjoying your new house, it is so nice to see you in a new place with people that are kind and care about the tenants. Happy weekend my friend. Enjoy your sweet Ivy and Gracie.
Always a treat to read your Friday Favorites Elizabeth, thank you for compiling such a generous list! Best wishes for a lovely weekend… xx
I can spend a whole day on your blog! I LOVE your Friday Favorites.
Marieza, thank you! That is such a nice compliment. Have a wonderful weekend.
Wow! So many favorites! I have a few tabs open for when I am done reading, especially the book you recommended. And that quote from Erma Bombeck made me laugh out loud, because that is me at Target… always. LOL.
Angie, as soon as I read that quote I thought the same thing. I can fill a cart at Target with things I never knew that I needed. I love when people find something interesting here. I am happy you enjoyed the books. Have a wonderful weekend.
The pizza looks good.
Thank you William, have a wonderful weekend.
What an amazing post! Can you believe I have never made a cookie from scratch! Yours look incredible.
Melba, then you must try making cookies! They are so good that you will eat the entire batch!
Thank you for all of the links to enjoy reading!
Thank you Paula!
If you are near a Trader Joe’s, try the deep friend Pesto Pizza. It is so good. Not very big, but oh so good.
Rosemary, thank you for the tip! I will pick one up when I am there next! Have a wonderful weekend.
What a wonderful collection of fun finds! My grandmother used to read Erma Bombeck books…the quote made me chuckle. Thank you for sharing!
So much fun stuff to discover. Thanks for sharing.