Friday Favorites No. 537~a weekly series where I share interesting articles, books, fashion finds, recipes and more.
Good morning friends, happy Friday Favorites to you! How was your week? Summer has arrived and brought the heat along with it.
The wildflower field is in bloom, there are shades of pink, purple, white and yellow dotting the circle. Each day another flower and a pop of color. Hopefully deer don’t like wildflowers because I will be so disappointed if they eat them all.
Sunday is Father’s Day! Do you have any plans? Will you be hosting a barbecue or a brunch for the dads in your life?
Pour yourself a coffee, tea or cocoa and join me as I share my favorites books, recipes, articles and finds from this week.
FRIDAY FAVORITES NO. 537
FOOD~RECIPES TO TRY
There is nothing easier than meat and cheese board. Pull out your favorites and serve them for Father’s Day brunch.
Did someone say nachos? Chipotle braised chicken nachos are right up my alley.
Gilled chicken souvlaki is a delicious Greek alternative to grilled bbq chicken.
Peach, corn and burrata salad is going to be a staple at my house over the coming weeks.
Links
What’s Causing Americans to Turn Away from Their Faith?
Love wallpaper? Check out these beautiful patterns.Â
What to Paint the Outside of Your House White? Here are 5 Colors to work with!
12 Homemade Pizza Recipes to Satisfy Every Craving
89 Summer Recipes That Taste Like Pure Sunshine
Books
Rose Zadeh pleases everyone, except herself. Memories of her late Iranian-immigrant father, who valued hard work and family, keep Rose in a dead-end job as a Silicon Valley copywriter, and tethered to her guilt-trippy mom and needy sisters. As much as it would disappoint her father, Rose needs an escape. Voilà ! A mandated vacation gives her the chance. Three weeks on a long-dreamed-of trip to the City of Light.
Instead of landing in a Parisian fairy tale, Rose falls under the spell of a charming and possibly dangerous expat and encounters an old family friend keeping a surprising secret. With the aid of a French self-help guru, Rose really believes she’s blossoming. Until an unwelcome reminder of home proves that finding herself will require more than a change of scenery.
From Paris’s cobblestone streets to Provence’s sun-soaked hills, Rose embarks on a journey of adventure, betrayals, and even amour. For the first time, the directions she follows are up to her.
The Life She Wanted(Free with Amazon Prime First Reads)
1926, Hyde Park, New York. Born to modest means but befriended by the wealthy, aspiring dress designer Pandora Carmichael has been surrounded by privilege yet never at home in it. That hasn’t stopped her from dreaming—of a romance in a rarified world that could also give her the status and resources to start a business of her own. When she’s introduced to a charismatic Princeton student, Pandora’s future begins to fall into place.
Marriage provides Pandora with a devoted husband, comfortable love, and the prominence and affluence to open a boutique. It’s a fantasy realized, until scandal and tragedy upend Pandora’s life and she flees Hyde Park with a heart-wrenching secret. As the Depression looms, Pandora must rethink everything she’s ever wanted.
From sprawling Gilded Age mansions in New York to the seedy underbelly of Greenwich Village and the stunning coastal vistas of the French Riviera, Pandora’s escape is a journey of self-discovery, adventure, true love, and ambition. There are new dreams to be had, and Pandora is betting on herself to make them come true.
In this witty, warm novel by award-winning author Corinne Demas, unexpected changes bring two retirees together on a voyage of self-discovery from past regrets to the true meaning of happily ever after.
Widower Noah Shilling considers Clarion Court to be less an independent living community and more a prison. But there may be hope for the place yet. The newest resident is bold, eccentric, rule-breaking Cassandra Joyce―whom, as it turns out, Noah met long ago in college.
As Noah and Cassandra get reacquainted, major changes at Clarion Court force them both to reevaluate their living situation. When Noah invites Cassandra to rough it with him at his Cape Cod cottage, the old friends must decide whether they should risk embarking on the next stage of their journey together.
But moving forward means coming to terms with the past and relying on each other to do so, which is something the stubbornly independent pair may not be ready for. They’ve come this far on their own, and unless they can reconcile a lifetime of emotional baggage, the road they started down together may lead instead to parted ways.
One hundred morning treats to start your day with smiles: These baking projects will bring delight to your family breakfast, a Sunday brunch or bake sale, a morning at the office, or kids’ soccer practice. Whatever your preference alongside your morning cup of coffee or tea—sweet or savory, buttery or flaky, hot off the griddle or taken to go—you’ll find a recipe for it here, from coffee cakes to danishes, doughnuts, scones, quick breads, quiches, and muffins galore!
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.Â
Finds
Outfit
sandals//dress//bag//perfume//bracelets//hat
Love these rattan placemats for summer entertainment.
Father’s Day Last Minute Gifts from Target
You can find more Father’s Day gift ideas here.Â
UNTIL TOMORROW
I hope you enjoyed the recipes, links and books I discovered this week on Friday Favorites No. 537.
Did you see a recipe that you might make?
Do you have a book to share this week that we can add to our beach bag?
If you have missed a Friday Favorites post you can find them all here.
Don’t forget to visit the blog tomorrow for Weekend Meanderingswith Kim and Juliet.
This post contains affiliate links, if you make a purchase I will earn a small commission at no cost to you.
There’s a Greek bakery here that does souvlaki in a pita wrap. I usually go for pork, but have had chicken instead.
That sounds delicious!
Love those wallpaper choices. Chintzy but so happy!
Thank you Rachel! Have a wonderful weekend! Stay cool.
I am still getting your headings for your sections shaded and taking up half the page. Also the black box won’t let me read your Friday favorites. This is very annoying. It is an orbits ad that runs repeatedly. Can you do something about this?
Martha, I am trying to fix the issue. I apologize that you are having a problem.