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Friday Favorites~a weekly series where we share our favorite books, decor, fashion finds, recipes, podcasts, articles and more.
Good morning friends! It has been a week of highs and lows. High from the Super Bowl win and Valentine’s Day and low, low, low from the senseless shooting of 23 people at the KC Chiefs parade. My heart breaks for the family of Lisa Lopez-Galvan and for those still in the hospital and recovering.
It is a 3 day holiday weekend, what are your plans? A staycation, a weekend trip or a little downtime? We are having friends for dinner on Saturday and possibly a family outing Sunday depending upon the weather.
Do you shop the President’s Day sales? Is there something I should be looking for? Now that I am in my purging mode it has zapped any urge to purchase new things for my wardrobe or house. That said, if you find something fabulous let me know so that I can take a look!
Ok, let’s get to the food, books, fashion and more.
FRIDAY FAVORITES NO.572
FOOD
Lemony Broccoli Pesto Pasta is easy full of fresh vegetables and herbs and a great way to use up some of your lemons.
Sheet Pan Herby Lemon Garlic Chicken and Potatoes is easy and delicious! All you need to do is marinate the chicken and the vegetables, pour on a pan and bake!
One-pan easy creamy lemon Parmesan orzo, with an easy stir-together sauce. I love a one pan dinner!
Do you have problems with gluten? This week I found what looks like a delicious Gluten free quiche with spinach and leeks recipe that I will be making for Easter brunch.
Chocolate chip cookies are the best, especially for a crowd. Doesn’t this cookie look scrumptious?
LINKS TO READ+WATCH+LISTEN
The Parents Taking a Snow Day Anyway
Does Your Bedroom Have the Right Nightstand?
What You can Learn from Regreat
The Winners and the Losers of the Super Bowl
The Best and Worst Commercials of the Super Bowl
The 38 All-Time Best Food Movies
Beware: A cheese crisis looms.
Why is Red Dye Still Allowed in Food.
BOOKS~ ON MY LIST AND MY BEDSIDE TABLE
Midnight Blue
Amsterdam 1654: against the backdrop of Holland’s Golden Age, a dangerous secret threatens to destroy a young widow’s new life.
Following the sudden death of her husband, twenty-five-year old Catrin leaves her small village and takes a job as a housekeeper to the successful Van Nulandt merchant family. Amsterdam is a city at the peak of its powers: science and art are flourishing in the Golden Age and Dutch ships bring back exotic riches from the Far East. Madam Van Nulandt passes her time taking expensive painting lessons from a local master, Rembrandt van Rigin, and when Catrin takes up a brush to finish some of her mistress’s work, Rembrandt realizes the maid has genuine talent, and encourages her to continue.
When a figure from her past threatens her new life, Catrin flees to the smaller city of Delft. There, her gift as a painter earns her a chance to earn a living painting pottery at a local workshop. Slowly, the workshop begins to develop a new type of pottery to rival fancy blue-on-white imported Chinese porcelain—and the graceful and coveted Delft Blue designs she creates help revolutionize the industry. But when tragedy strikes, Catrin must decide whether to defend her newfound independence, or return to the village that she’d fled.
The Spice Master at Bistro Exotique
Kate Jenkins doesn’t believe in fate. She believes in a clear vision, meticulous planning, and hard work in order to achieve her culinary dreams. On the cusp of opening her own Parisian restaurant, Bistro Exotique, she isn’t even concerned when her standoffish—and annoyingly sexy—neighbor dismisses her as a crazy American tourist or when she meets the wildly eccentric Garrance, the self-proclaimed Spice Master of Paris, who ominously warns her of the previous owner’s failures.
Confident and optimistic, Kate keeps calm and cooks on. Until a series of unfortunate events derail her plans and her entire staff quits.
Kate is about to throw in the kitchen towel on her lifelong dream when Garrance offers to use her mastery of scents and spices to help her, but it comes at a price: Kate must work with Garrance’s son, Charles, a world-class chef and total jerk. After Kate hesitantly concedes to the deal, she slowly learns to open her heart and mind to new concepts, not quite sure if the magic she’s experiencing comes from Garrance’s spices, from within herself, or from the growing chemistry with Charles. One thing is certain, though: her kitchen is getting increasingly hot.
The Power of Ritual
“After half a decade of research and hundreds of conversations with people around the country, I am convinced we are in the midst of a paradigm shift. That what used to hold us in community no longer works, and that the spiritual offerings of yesteryear no longer help us thrive.”–Casper ter Kuile
What do Soul Cycle, gratitude journals, and tech breaks have in common? For ter Kuile they offer rituals that create the foundation for our modern spiritual lives.
We are in crisis today. Our modern technological society has left too many of us—no matter our ages—feeling isolated and bereft of purpose. Previous frameworks for building community and finding meaning no longer support us. Yet ter Kuile reveals a hopeful new message: we might not be religious, but that doesn’t mean we are any less spiritual.
Instead, we are in the midst of a paradigm shift in which we seek belonging and meaning in secular practices. Today, we find connection in:
- CrossFit and SoulCycle, which offer a sense of belonging rooted in accountability and support much like church groups
- Harry Potter and other beloved books that offer universal lessons
- Gratitude journals, which have replaced traditional prayer
- Tech breaks, which provide mindful moments of calm
In The Power of Ritual, ter Kuile invites us to deepen these ordinary practices as intentional rituals that nurture connection and wellbeing. With wisdom and endearing wit, ter Kuile’s call for ritual is ultimately a call to heal our loss of connection to ourselves, to others, and to our spiritual identities.
The Power of Ritual reminds us that what we already do every day matters—and has the potential to become a powerful experience of reflection, sanctuary, and meaning.
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 warmer weather comes lighter, spring colored pieces for your wardrobe. I like this stripe garçon blouse alone or paired with a sweater to keep you warm on chilly evenings. It can be worn with jeans, pants, a skirt and shorts too. Sling-backs are classic and they can be worn again and again all year long.
These jeans look very comfortable.
Floral trench coats are popping up all over the place this spring. This version is stylish and reasonable priced.
Looking for a new tote?
UNTIL TOMMORROW
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!
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.
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Monday Musings No. 125
Monday Musings No. 112
Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, Barbara Walters, Victoria Henderson| Tale Victoria and more on weekend meanderings. 
Favorites on Friday from The Adventures of Tartan Scott, Things That Inspire, and More
Thanks for actually sharing some meaningful insight to the world’s chaos and instability. I’m new to the blog and am enjoying it. Love to see your pups you speak about and I’m always looking for a good pair of lightweight jeans, books to read with some good recipes.
Welcome Lori! It is so nice to have you. It is always a delicate balance of what to write especially about world events; people have very strong opinions and in this day and age almost everything involves a heated discussion.
My pups are 3 dachshunds, I will heave to get some current photos to share.
Have a great day.
I’ve actually just started reading The Power of Ritual earlier today. I had no idea how supportive a Cross Fit group could be. I should have joined one through my messy divorce since I had no family in my state – I muddled through it alone. I hope to finish the book this weekend.
I can’t wait to read it. I am not in Cross Fit but I have heard the same. I am sorry about your divorce, I hope that you are in a better and happier place. Have a wonderful weekend.