Friday Favorites~a weekly series where we share our favorite books, decor, fashion finds, recipes, podcasts, articles and more.
FRIDAY FAVORITES NO. 618
Good morning friends, how has your week been? If you are in California, please know that I am thinking of you and all who are in the path of these fires, including my cousins and friends. Stay safe.
It has been cold, in fact today the schools are cancelled and many of the business are closing early because we may get some snow. I can’t wait! We haven’t had any real snow in two years and I miss it. A snow day or even two days of a few inches of white fluffy snow is going to be beautiful.
What are your plans for the weekend? Will you have snow and cold weather? Are you settling into the new year?
Ok, let’s get to Friday Favorites, I have lots to share as always.
FOOD
Snowy cold days mean comfort to me. So today I am sharing some comforting recipes and a treat to enjoy as you settle in for a cozy weekend.
Crispy Poblano Chicken Tacos with Avocado-Jalapeño Salsa, corn tortillas stuffed with cheese & a smoky shredded chicken & poblano mixture then baked until golden.
Creamy, cheesy, comforting macaroni and cheese, a family favorite that is perfect to make this weekend.
Looking for healthy comfort food? Try this Spaghetti Squash Alfredo made with light cottage cheese sauce for a tasty twist on a classic dish.
Overnight cinnamon roll bread with chai frosting! Tiegan makes everything look easy and delicious. I cannot wait to make this bread.
LINKS TO READ+WATCH+LISTEN
What can we learn about sleep from the land of the polar night
Snow White and Superman to 28 Years Later: 25 films to look forward to in 2025
Sorry, but These Design Trends Will Be Outdated in 2025
I embraced this trend about 25 years ago.
I’ve Been Traveling Solo for Decades. Here Are My Pro Tips and Favorite Countries to Visit.
15 Destinations to Recondiser and Leave Off of Your Travel List in 2025
Ancient lead pollution may have lowered IQs across the Roman Empire
BOOKS
The Art of Winter
The extraordinary new novel by Jonathan Evison, about a married couple in their golden years, from when they met across big ups, deep downs, and survive-it-all, opposites-attract love
Abe Winter and Ruth Warneke were never meant to be together—at least if you ask Ruth. Yet their catastrophic blind date in college evolved into a seventy-year marriage and a life on a farm on Bainbridge Island with their hens and beloved Labrador, Megs. Through the years, the Winters have fallen in and out of lockstep, and from their haunting losses and guarded secrets, a dependable partnership has been forged.
But when Ruth’s loose tooth turns out to be something much more malicious, the beautiful, reliable life they’ve created together comes to a crisis. As Ruth struggles with her crumbling independence, Abe must learn how to take care of her while their three living children question his ability to look after his wife. And once again, the couple has to reconfigure how to be there for each other.
Christmas is a joyous time, but not everyone is merry and bright. Nicola is a star at the top of the corporate ladder, but her personal life is a disaster. A night of cancelled trains and festive carols at Waterloo Station is the last straw.
Dmitri loves conducting his pop-up choir during the festive season and spreading joy and cheer around London. But he carries painful secrets from his past that robbed him of his dream to become a concert pianist.
When Nicola and Dmitri’s worlds collide on a snowy night in London, their lives will never be the same. But will the power of music and moonlight lead to new love, or to devastating heartbreak?
The Stolen Queen
Egypt, 1936: When anthropology student Charlotte Cross is offered a coveted spot on an archaeological dig in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings, she leaps at the opportunity. That is until an unbearable tragedy strikes.
New York City, 1978: Nineteen-year-old Annie Jenkins is thrilled when she lands an opportunity to work for former Vogue fashion editor Diana Vreeland, who’s in the midst of organizing the famous Met Gala, hosted at the museum and known across the city as the “party of the year.”
Meanwhile, Charlotte is now leading a quiet life as the associate curator of the Met’s celebrated Department of Egyptian Art. She’s consumed by her research on Hathorkare—a rare female pharaoh dismissed by most other Egyptologists as unimportant.
The night of the gala: One of the Egyptian art collection’s most valuable artifacts goes missing, and there are signs Hathorkare’s legendary curse might be reawakening. Annie and Charlotte team up to search for the missing antiquity, and a desperate hunch leads the unlikely duo to one place Charlotte swore she’d never return: Egypt. But if they have any hope of finding the artifact, Charlotte will need to confront the demons of her past—which may mean leading them both directly into danger.
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.
Shopping
Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and while I do not typically dress from heat to toe in hearts and cupids I thought these separates were fun. Comfy jeans studded with hearts, paired with a traditional blue and white strip shirt with heart patches on the elbows, your favorite red shoes, a spritz of perfume and that’s all you need for a whimsical Valentine outfit.
Outfit Details
UNTIL Next Time
Tell me your favorite thing about winter?
What is your favorite winter soup recipe?
I hope you enjoyed the recipes, links and books I discovered this week on Friday Favorites. Thank you for spending part of your day with me, your time is valuable and I am grateful that you spend a little of each day with me. Have a wonderful weekend.
Don’t forget WEEKEND MEANDERINGS tomorrow with Kim and Juliet!
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A few years ago I started on a fall soup project. Every weekend for a few weeks I made a large pot of soup. After a dinner I then packaged up the rest for the freezer. If the portion was for lunch is was smaller, and if I was going to use it for a dinner portion my container held enough for a large bowl for 2. My soups range the from bean, vegetable, beef with barley, chicken, French onion, you name it. After a month or so I had a nice variety to choose from – all made with mostly organic food, low sodium, just very healthy. It took some pressure off me when trying to put together a dinner. I always have French bread, muffins or naan in the freezer as well. It makes life easier when you just need a a break but need to put dinner on the table.
Lyn, this is a wonderful idea. I think soup is the perfect winter meal, not only because it is warming and delicious but because on long cold days often times the last thing you want to do is cook.
I like to “put up” roasted tomatoes in the summer and freeze them to use as the base of soups, pasta sauces and braising liquid all winter long. Truth be told, I like to cook but it is not my favorite thing to do, baking however is a different matter.
Have a wonderful week!
Elizabeth, I so love your posts!
I live in Maine, and my favorite thing about winter is the beginning (and the end)!
The beginning of winter, to many, looks bleak but to me it is a beautiful austerity. November in Maine is idyllic. Brisk but not the numbing cold we know is coming; gray after the riot of fall and crisp after so many lazy summer days. Cozy reading after one too many days on the terrace in a damp bathing suit. It is very beautiful.
And my favorite soup is Martha Stewart’s chicken soup, with this change: roast the chicken in the Duch oven you will use to make the soup, then remove it to a platter. Put the dutch oven on top of stove and proceed with the recipe. Meanwhile, after the chicken has cooled, take meat off bones and refrigerate, and add it to the soup at the last few minutes. Put the bones into the simmering soup pot, along with any accumulated juices.
I can pretty much guarantee you’ll never make chicken soup any other way. Eat it with thick sliced garlicky sourdough toast. Another reason to love (like? Tolerate?) winter.
Linda, I love Maine! I had high hopes of moving there when my husband retired but he wanted to be somewhere warmer. Maine is one of the most beautiful places that I have visited, I have been several times in the Fall but never in the Summer or winter. Fall and winter are magical times in my opinion, there is a riot of color as the leaves and plants change and go to sleep for the winter. Winter brings its own beauty, the naked trees casting shadows and swaying on the crisp air of winter. Gray, cold days offer the perfect excuse to rest, recuperate and regroup after a flurry of activity over the holidays. It is really my favorite time of the year.
I am trying your chicken soup recipe this weekend, it sound delicious!
Have a wonderful week and thank you for sharing and reading the blog.