Welcome to Friday Favorites, a weekly series where I share interesting articles, books, fashion finds, recipes and more.
Good morning friends, happy Friday Favorites No. 521.
How was your week, are you snowed under or sitting in shorts with the air condition on? I watched in awe as friends in California shared snow falling in their gardens while I roasted in the unseasonable heat. I even turned on the air conditioning on night because at 9;30 it was still in the 70’s. That is too hot for me to sleep.
Did you celebrate Fat Tuesday with pancakes, paczki or a piece of King Cake? I made a stack of fluffy, silver dollar pancakes smothered in syrup and they were delicious.
Aside from that it was a busy week, I am not sure why but it seemed like I was running around from morning til night. I am ready to sit with a book tonight and relax.
Ok, enough about me, let’s get to it.
Friday Favorites No. 521
Food
Something for everyone this week, a little comfort food, a better than take out recipe for chipotle chicken lettuce wraps and lots more.
Creamy Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese, the perfect comfort food on a cold, rainy day.
Lemon Orzo Chicken Soup is on the menu this weekend.
Chipotle Chicken Lettuce Wraps, are better than takeout.
Whipped feta with hot honey is an easy and delicious appetizer or a meal!
Did you know that yesterday was National Banana Bread Day? This double chocolate banana bread with cocoa nibs is one of my favorite Smitten Kitchen recipes.
Links
The Story of Grace Kelly’s Engagement Rings
Should Champagne Be Sipped From Coupes or Flutes? A Design Lover Weighs In
Your Burnout Is Unique. Your Recovery Will Be, Too.
The Surprisingly Sacred Roots of Chocolate
Love this  butterfly themed lunch.
Forget Milk and Eggs: Supermarkets Are Having a Fire Sale on Data About You
16 Easy Noodle Recipes for a Quick Meal Any Time of Day
After Winnie the Pooh, these other characters will soon enter the public domain
Books
Just Have’t Met You Yet
Hopeless romantic and lifestyle reporter Laura’s business trip to the Channel Islands isn’t off to a great start. After an embarrassing encounter with the most attractive man she’s ever seen in real life, she arrives at her hotel and realizes she’s grabbed the wrong suitcase from the airport. Her only consolation is its irresistible contents, each of which intrigues her more and more. The owner of this suitcase is clearly Laura’s dream man. Now, all she has to do is find him.
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Besides, what are the odds that she’d find The One on the same island where her parents first met and fell in love, especially as she sets out to write an article about their romance? Commissioning surly cab driver Ted to ferry her around seems like her best bet in both tracking down the mystery suitcase owner and retracing her parents’ footsteps. But as Laura’s mystery man proves difficult to find—and as she uncovers family secrets—she may have to reimagine the life, and love, she always thought she wanted.
Cocoa Beach
Burdened by a dark family secret, Virginia Fortescue flees her oppressive home in New York City for the battlefields of World War I France. While an ambulance driver for the Red Cross, she meets a charismatic British army surgeon whose persistent charm opens her heart to the possibility of love. As the war rages, Virginia falls into a passionate affair with the dashing Captain Simon Fitzwilliam, only to discover that his past has its own dark secrets – secrets that will damage their eventual marriage and propel her back across the Atlantic to the sister and father she left behind.
Five years later, in the early days of Prohibition, the newly widowed Virginia Fitzwilliam arrives in the tropical boomtown of Cocoa Beach, Florida, to settle her husband’s estate. Despite the evidence, Virginia does not believe Simon perished in the fire that destroyed the seaside home he built for her and their young daughter. Separated from her husband since the early days of their marriage, the headstrong Virginia plans to uncover the truth, for the sake of the daughter Simon never met.
Simon’s brother and sister welcome her with open arms and introduce her to a dazzling new world of citrus groves, white beaches, bootleggers, and Prohibition agents. But Virginia senses a predatory presence lurking beneath the irresistible, hedonistic surface of this coastal oasis. The more she learns about Simon and his mysterious business interests, the more she fears that the dangers that surrounded Simon now threaten her and their daughter’s life as well.
Secrets of the Mist
Maddie is restless in London. She has friends, a job and a sort-of boyfriend, but something in her life is missing. Then she visits the ancient village of Walditch, deep in the Dorset countryside. Something stirs in her, and on a whim she buys a centuries-old cottage and moves there three months later. Her friends think she’s crazy, but for Maddie it feels like coming home.
Late at night in the cottage, Maddie hears strange noises and sees mist gathering indoors and out. When she starts investigating the cottage’s history, she becomes drawn into the tragic story of a family who lived here 400 years ago. Meanwhile, Maddie starts to fall in love with a local carpenter – but he has a relationship already…
Can Maddie solve the riddle of the past? What is her connection with the family that lived there so many years ago? And can she and her true love ever be together?
Need More Book Suggestions?
If you have read these books and need more suggestions check out My Amazon Bookshop!
Finds
I shared this little rabbit this week and apparently I was not the only one that liked him because he was the bestseller on my blog so far this year. He has friends, including this little garden bunny!
I am looking for a few classic pieces to replace in my wardrobe. I need a new pair of ballet flats and am looking at these, and these.Â
New white jeans, although to be honest I do not want to spend and arm and a leg because I have 3 dogs, they will never stay clean. This pair is very reasonable!
Do you love the look of a stripe t-shirt or button down? This one is great,  and so is this one.
By the way, JCrew is having a 25% off sale, perfect to add a few classics to your summer wardrobe.
Great pieces to add to your home and wardrobe from H&M.
I must be having a strip moment because I shared this outfit on Monday and this one last week.
UNTIL TOMORROW
Have a great day friends, I hope you found something to read, make or enjoy on Friday Favorites No. 521. If you make one of the featured recipes come back and let us know how you liked it.
Thank you for spending part of your day with me, I always appreciate it. If you have missed a Friday Favorites post you can find them all here.Â
I hope to see you back here tomorrow for Weekend Meanderings with Kim and Juliet.
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When I click on the link for the bunny, it says page not found. I didn’t even know about Fat Tuesday. Learn something new every day. It’s cold here. Has been for several days now.
Brenda
Sorry Brenda, I guess that little bunny is sold out. I guess he was very popular. I hope that you warm up soon! Have a wonderful weekend.
I went to a restaurant on Tuesday and had pancakes.
I always love reading your Friday Favourites with a cup of tea, Elizabeth! There is so much inspiration here!
Thank you April! I hope that you have a wonderful week.
Love the Grace Kelly engagement rings story, so romantic.
Oh, I Pinned the mac and cheese and your banana bread. Loved the quote too.