This post contains affiliate links.
Friday Favorites~a weekly series where we share interesting articles, books, fashion finds, recipes and more.
Good morning friends! How was your week? It was a busy one here. I had appointments the last 3 days and another one today, so I am ready to be at home this weekend to catch up. Why is it that when you have appointments in the middle of the day it is like a whole day wasted? Or is that just me?
Aside from that the weather at night has been cool enough to sleep with the windows open. I love the sounds of the crickets and the wind through the trees. We are still having warm days what about you?
Today on Friday Favorites, we have cozy one pot meals, taste treats, books, outfits and more so lets’ get to it! Grab your coffee and settle in for a nice long read.
FRIDAY FAVORITES NO. 552
FOOD~RECIPES TO TRY
Easy green chili enchiladas, an easy and delicious comfort food all year long.
One Pot Greek Chicken and Lemon Rice – best chicken and rice ever! I am going to have to try this, my husband loves rice.
French onion pasta! Doesn’t that sound amazing? A soup and pasta combination.
Yes please, Brownie Cheesecake Bars with Dulce de Leche. Or if you are not a cheesecake fan, try these dulce de leche brownies INSTEAD.
Read+Watch+Listen
Why Quality Time Is the New Wellness Ritual
Vacation Ideas for Every Decade of Your Life
10 of the Best Butter Croissants in Paris
7 Ways Batch Cooking Can Save You Money
Vulnerability, Death and Dinner
Bama Rush Is a Strange, Sparkly Window Into How America Shops
Do One Things to Prevent Clutter in Your Home
46 Classic Church Recipes Southerners Serve Every Sunday
How to Create When Feeling Overwhelmed
Revisit 51 Years of Giant Pandas at the National Zoo, From Beloved Babies to Fun in the Snow
BOOKS~On My Stack
Spring Rain: A Life Lived in a Garden
Best enjoyed in a single sitting under the shade of a tree, this inventive and curative book captures the moment when an adventurous young boy who traveled the world in his mind meets the old man he becomes. Together, they build a new garden from a neglected plot behind his house on the edge of town.
Retired professional gardener Marc Hamer has always found the answers to life’s questions in the natural world, whether as a child watching ants, as a young man living homeless in the countryside, or as a professional gardener creating places of calm and restoration for others. Now in his sixties, he is finally creating a garden for himself, at his home in Cardiff, Wales. This moving memoir follows his process as he shares what he’s learned, from the spring of youth to his autumn years, and reflects on how we reconcile our childhoods with where we end up.
In Hamer’s own words, “Spring Rain is about the joy of your own back garden. It is a story about the joy of small things, the world in a grain of sand, a universe in a small garden, with love for all the insects and slugs and flowers and weeds and seeds and roots and boundaries and shade and weather that the garden contains.”
The year is 1746. The Jacobite rebellion has failed catastrophically and Scotland is reeling in the devastating aftermath of the battle of Culloden. Far to the west, on an island in the Outer Hebrides, twenty-four-year-old Flora Macdonald is woken in the dead of night by a messenger with urgent intelligence.
Bonnie Prince Charlie is outside, begging for her help.
With Flora’s assistance, the Stuart prince is disguised as an Irish maid and smuggled to the Isle of Skye, evading government troops. Flora’s bravery and determination will see her immortalised in ballads and proclaimed a Scottish heroine. But her efforts also result in her capture and detention in London. Released the following year and returning to Skye, Flora goes on to marry and emigrate to North Carolina, only then to be caught up in the American Revolutionary War.
In Pretty Young Rebel, award-winning biographer Flora Fraser tells the remarkable story of Flora Macdonald. It is a tale of adventure and daring, wit and charm, struggle and survival, and of a woman who showed extraordinary courage in the face of great danger
I was a brash newcomer to it, and yet when I first felt the rhythm of its streets and smelled its ancient smells, I said, ‘Of course,’ for I was once more in my own place, an invader of what was already mine.’
M.F.K. Fisher moved to Aix-en-Provence with her daughters after the Second World War. In Map of Another Town, she traces the history of this ancient and famous town, known for its tree-lined avenues, pretty fountains and ornate façades. Beyond the tourist sights, Fisher introduces us to its inhabitants: the waiters and landladies, down-and-outs and local characters all recovering from the affects of the war in a drastically new France.
When Jan Vidor, an American writer and academic, rents an apartment in a Tuscan villa for the summer, she plans to spend her break working on a novel about Mussolini. Instead, she finds herself captivated by her aristocratic landlady, the elegant, acerbic Beatrice Salviati Bartolo Doyle, whose family has owned Villa Chiara for generations. Jan is intrigued by Beatrice’s stories of World War II, particularly by the tragic fate of her uncle Sandro, who was mysteriously murdered in the driveway of the villa at the conclusion of the war. Day by day, Beatrice makes Jan privy to her family history.
As years go by and the friendship is sustained by infrequent meetings, Jan finds she can’t resist writing Beatrice’s story. But as she works on the novel, it becomes clear that the villa itself is at risk and that Beatrice is incapable of saving it. Jan understands that she is telling the story of a catastrophe her friend might prefer to conceal. She presses on.
NEED MORE BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS?
If you have already read these books or missed something I have featured before on the blog check out My Bookshop on Amazon.
FINDS & SALES
All the details for the outfit of the day:sweater//pants//ballet flats//bag//nails/perfume//scarf.
Don’t forget to check out J. Crew, lots of new J.Crew styles are 30-50% off today with the code ‘SHOPNOW’
Boden is having a sale, up to 50% off!
UNTIL TOMORROW
I hope you enjoyed the recipes, links and books I discovered this week on Friday Favorites. If you did please share the post on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter!
If you have missed a Friday Favorites post you can find them all here.
Don’t forget to stop by tomorrow for Weekend Meanderings with Kim and Juliet. Have a wonderful weekend.
This post contains affiliate links if you make a purchase I will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
It’s Time for Amazon Prime Days!
Monday Musings No. 125
Friday Favorites No. 577 from Foodess, What’s Gabby Cooking, Butter Your Biscuit, and more.
Friday Favorites from Hello Lovely, Butternut Bakery, Natasha’s Kitchen and More
Your Friday posts ( and all the ones in between) are always so good. I appreciate all the effort you obviously put into these posts. Thank you.
Sandra,
Thank you! That is very kind of you to say and I really appreciate it.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Another damp day. I have also have meeting and appointments everyday this week including one this afternoon. I didn’t click on the link 10 Best Crossants in Paris…but my question was honestly, have you had a bod one?? Thanks for good books recommendations.
Good point Linda! Although to be honest I am not a fan of croissants. I usually have an eclair for breakfast when in Paris.
I’m so with you on the midday appointments, Elizabeth. It’s like by the time you get ready to go to the appointments you can’t do anything in the morning and by the time you get out of the appointment you’re kind of drained. It’s very strange. Hope you’re able to take the weekend to reset and all your appointments will be behind you soon. Love all the recipes you shared and the fabulous links too. I can’t wait to dive in. Hugs, CoCo PS: J Crew is totally killing it this season.
The French onion pasta looks delicious! Come October, I imagine you’ll have your baking mitts on for fixing holiday food.
Brenda
Love all the book recommendations! Outfit of the day is perfect. The sweater is in my cart. Is there a link for the scarf? Have a great weekend!
Hello Melissa,
I hope you enjoy the books. I love that sweater! Let me know if you get it and how you like it. Here is a link for the scarf! https://amzn.to/3PGd50t
Have a wonderful weekend.
Elizabeth