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Friday Favorites~a weekly series where we share our favorite books, decor, fashion finds, recipes, podcasts, articles and more.

Good Friday morning friends, how was your week? I’ve had a productive week. After I had the genius idea last Sunday to find a new home for part of our cookbook collection I spent this week sorting, donating and re-homing books, dishes, serving pieces and all sorts of stuff.

I feel lighter and ready to let go of lots more stuff. Which leads me to the question, why is it so hard to let stuff go? Is it the memories attached to the stuff? Laziness? Overwhelm? In my case a little bit of each.

Sunday is the Super Bowl! Will you be watching? I will be in the same room as the tv, eating snacks, watching commercials and playing on my computer while Bill cheers on the Chiefs.

Ok, let’s get to the fun stuff!

FRIDAY FAVORITES NO. 571

FOOD

The Super Bowl is Sunday and I am still searching for a few recipes to make. I would be happy with a bowl of chip and dip or nachos but Bill wants something a little more substantial. Here are a few things I am thinking about.

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You can never go wrong with nachos in my book. Try this recipe for chicken nachos for your next gathering or weeknight dinner.

Crispy Baked Buffalo Wings and celery with a side of blue cheese dressing.

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Baked buffalo chicken wings are on the menu at our house this weekend, they are my husbands favorite.

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Easy blender salsa to eat with chips or even the nachos above.

Don’t forget an easy meal to feed a crowd is chili!

Last but not least, condensed milk brownies for dessert.

LINKS TO READ+WATCH+LISTEN

63 Unbelievable Valentine’s Day Desserts To WOW Your Honey

10 Delicious Salt-Free Seasoning Blends to Help You Cut Down on Sodium

Forget “Quiet Luxury” — 2024 Is All About “Loud Budgeting”

The Joys of Thrifting

Why interiors need to evolve – and how to tweak them without a full overhaul

The most breathtaking church from every country in Europe.

A Garden from Scratch: How to Build a Strong Foundation

How to turn anything into soup.

How AI is Used to Scam You

The Power of Ritual

An Exhaustive Guide to the Best Coffee Makers

TikTok Shop is taking on Amazon — one viral video at a time

BOOKS~ ON MY LIST AND MY BEDSIDE TABLE

When the World Goes Quiet

It’s 1918 in German-occupied Bruges, Belgium. With luck, Evelien will make it to the end of the war and be given what she was promised: a prized painting in exchange for safeguarding her employer’s possessions. Until then, Evelien knows to keep her head down and stay out of trouble. But life never goes to plan, especially in war.

A member of the resistance approaches Evelien: steal a list of names hidden in her employer’s home. In return, she’ll get a letter from her long-missing husband, Emiel. She’d lost hope of Emiel’s survival, but the promised letter puts her certainty of his death in question. Evelien begins her mission and soon forms a friendship with a soldier who is struggling with the devastating demands of battle. Their shared passion for art deepens the bond, and Evelien faces a heart-wrenching truth: she longs for Emiel’s safe return…but not necessarily to her.

As the final days of the war loom closer, Evelien has never been in more danger. And should she survive the war’s bitter end, what choices will she make for a life beyond liberation?

The Women

Women can be heroes. When twenty-year-old nursing student Frances “Frankie” McGrath hears these words, it is a revelation. Raised in the sun-drenched, idyllic world of Southern California and sheltered by her conservative parents, she has always prided herself on doing the right thing. But in 1965, the world is changing, and she suddenly dares to imagine a different future for herself. When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, she joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows his path.

As green and inexperienced as the men sent to Vietnam to fight, Frankie is over-whelmed by the chaos and destruction of war. Each day is a gamble of life and death, hope and betrayal; friendships run deep and can be shattered in an instant. In war, she meets—and becomes one of—the lucky, the brave, the broken, and the lost.

But war is just the beginning for Frankie and her veteran friends. The real battle lies in coming home to a changed and divided America, to angry protesters, and to a country that wants to forget Vietnam.

Blank

A wife, mother, and frustrated writer faces an impossible deadline for turning her life around in a hilarious debut novel about family, friendship, success, and exhilarating self-(re)discovery.

Pippa Jones is a fortyish former literary sensation who fears she will be a one-hit wonder. After the follow-up book she was almost done writing, Podlusters, had to be tossed (it ended up sharing a plot and title with superstar author Ella Rankin’s summer blockbuster!), she couldn’t write a thing. Months of staring at a blank page made her confidence vanish like a one-night stand. When she finds out that she has only five days left to finish (or rather, start) or repay an advance she’s already spent, Pippa has a brilliantly original idea. Okay, fine, her twelve-year-old son came up with it as a joke, but Pippa and her teenage daughter approved.

Pippa’s not only going to make a bold statement, but she’ll change the book world while she’s at it! Can she pull it off? At this point, she doesn’t have a choice.

When Pippa’s publisher gets intimately involved, it unlocks a series of plot twists she never saw coming. From the courtyards of posh Beverly Hills hotels and Malibu mega-mansions to Brentwood and Santa Monica bookstores, Pippa races against time—in her used Volvo—and discovers more about her career, marriage, family, friends, and herself than she ever could have dreamed up.

I mentioned Big Bites last week and after reading through the entire book and making several of the recipes this week I wanted to remind you to check it out. Most of the recipes are gluten free and are very healthy.

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.

SHOPPING

OUTFIT OF THE DAY

With a few basics in your wardrobe you always have a classic outfit for the day. These trouser jeans elevate your jeans just a little, they are still comfy but look like pants. A classic white t-shirt, loafers and a lady jacket look great! Add a scarf and your favorite tote and you are ready for work, a day out with friends, a trip to the shops or even a day at home.

Other Finds

Have you shopped TJMAXX online? I perused the new arrivals this week, lots of Tory Burch sandals, Oribe hair products(I use the shampoo, conditioner, anti-humidity spray and the styling spray). There are lots of things to spruce up your house too.

Are you celebrating Galentine’s Day? These glasses are perfect for your champagne, margaritas or other cocktail and mocktails. This scalloped set is great too!

This botanical flower candle is a favorite.

Reese’s lovers, this is a fun Valentine’s Day gift.

UNTIL TOMORROW

I hope you enjoyed the recipes, links and books I discovered this week on Friday Favorites. Have you read any good books this week? Listened to an interesting podcast or made something delicious? If so please share!

Follow along with us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

Don’t forget that Kim, Juliet and I will be back tomorrow on Weekend Meanderings!

If you have missed a Friday Favorites post you can find them all here.

This post contains affiliate links, if you make a purchase I will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. If you choose to purchase after clicking a link, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.