Friday Favorites~a weekly series where we share our favorite books, decor, fashion finds, recipes, podcasts, articles and more.
Friday Favorites No. 653
Good morning friends, how was your week? I was busy this week, I feel like I am behind on what I don’t know but just behind. This morning the landscapers are coming. We are having part of the front beds refreshed because the plants kept dying of root rot. They were mini gardenia and we replace 12 of them twice and now are throwing in the towel. Then there are the 14 “Baby Gem Boxwood” that are slowly dying, they are being replaced by holly. In the back they had to remove 5 holly when the tree fell and we are replacing them with camellia bushes.
I have a heavy heart this week. Sometimes it is hard to believe the world we live in and it is a challenge to show up here with a smile when there is so much sadness, violence, unrest, natural disasters, etc.
But we can all use a distraction so let’s get to some of my favorites from this week.
Food
Fall to me is all about comfort food, here are a few recipes that fit that bill.
Does anyone else remember Hamburger Helper? And that little talking hand in the commercials? I do not even know if they still sell it, but now you can make your own Homemade hamburger helper!
These smoky grilled chicken, sizzling peppers and onion fajitas may be better than your favorite restaurant, and the good part is that you can make them at home.
Spicy spaghetti! Spaghetti is one of my favorite pastas and it’s even better with a rich spicy tomato sauce, this recipe is easy to make and delicious!
Easy apple honey cranberry crumb bars, a great treat for game day!
LINKS TO READ+WATCH+LISTEN
What really happens to your bag after you check it in?
5 Great Truths We Often Learn the Hard Way in Life
She Vanished on a Colorado Mountain. 19 Years Later, a Mysterious Dream Helped Rescuers Find Her.
Apocalypse now? Why tech billionaires are suddenly hoarding doomsday mega-bunkers
The Deadest Dead-End Job in Hollywood?
The sunscreen scandal shocking Australia – the world’s skin cancer hotspot
6 Habits Neurologists Swear By to Keep Their Brains Sharp
“The eye of the beholder”: A history of ancient beauty rituals
Use the “Johari Window Model” to improve your conversations
3 Ways Decluttering Helps You Spend Less and Save More
Books
Twelve years have passed since a high school accident derailed Jane’s once-promising future. When the owners of the powerful Firth Gallery invite Jane to bring her beloved family painting, The Lover, to Switzerland, it looks like a second chance. But on her first night in Geneva, the painting goes missing, and she suspects the Firths.
Determined to recover her painting, Jane is led to a dying village in the high Alps where an enigmatic man living in a château is waiting for her. Within the château’s walls, she uncovers a history of lies, murder, and, at its heart, an appalling injustice that will shake the art world to its core.
But not everyone wants these facts brought to light. Jane will need to find the strength she lost in her accident and face the shocking truth about her past, her painting, and, finally, an epic love affair between a destitute painter named Vincent Van Gogh and a mysterious woman who inspired a portrait that may be his greatest work.
The Hidden Letters
As the storm clouds of war gather, Cordelia seeks refuge in the grounds of her family estate.
Handsome landscaper Isaac has recently arrived to tend to the gardens, and the connection between him and Cordelia is as immediate as it is forbidden.
Isaac begins to secretly teach her how to cultivate the gardens, so when he and all the young men are called away to war, Cordelia takes over.
From the battlefields of Europe, Isaac sends her letters, that give her hope for their future in peacetime.
But when these messages abruptly cease, Cordelia must face up to the worst and take her future – and the fate of the garden they both loved – into her own hands…
London, 1907: When the Season’s most accomplished and elegant debutante, Victoria Goldsborough, collapses and dies at her engagement ball, the great and good of London Society prepare to mourn the tragic loss of an upstanding young woman. But all is not what it seems, and after a toxic beverage is revealed to be the cause of death, the king himself instructs Lady Emily and her husband Colin Hargreaves to unearth the truth.
Who would want to harm one of the most popular women of the year? Is it her fiancé with whom she had an unusually brief courtship; a rival for his affections bitter at being cast aside; her best friend who is almost certainly hiding a secret from Colin and Emily; a disappointed suitor with a hidden gambling habit; or a notorious jewel thief who has taken a priceless tiara from the Goldsborough home? When a second debutante succumbs to poison, the race is on to find a ruthless killer.
Emily and Colin’s investigation leads to a centuries old tomb in the center of London with a mysterious link to another death dating back to Roman times and the violent reign of Boudica, ancient Britain’s fearsome warrior queen. As the stakes rise and the clock ticks down, Emily must find the killer before they strike again.
Looking for more books?
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
Everybody loves a casual, cosy outfit for days at the market, out shopping, game day or just a day at home. Pair a comfy sweater with a top and a pair of jeans and you are all set.
Outfit Details
On another note: Fellow plaid lovers! Have you seen the new collection from Sezane? It is gorgeous, especially the coats.
UNTIL TOMORROW
I hope you enjoyed the recipes, links and books I discovered this week on Friday Favorites. Don’t forget to come back tomorrow for Weekend Meanderings with Kim and Juliet!
I hope that you have a wonderful day, thank you for spending part of it with me.
Before you go, tell me something that made you smile this week?
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On My Radar~Fall
So many great shares! The honey cranberry bars look delish! I always enjoy your fashion picks, too! Have the best weekend!
Thank you Kim!
HAve a wonderful week.