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Good morning! Happy Friday! Did you have a good week? It has been a wild, weather week all over the country. We were 17 degrees above normal 2 weeks ago and this week we are 15 degrees below normal. My mom is going to be getting snow this weekend in Wisconsin, it’s pretty early for that.
Food
The cooler weather has me thinking about comfort food this week. Enjoy.
I love butternut squash and more often than not just eat it baked, but these Butternut Squash Grain Bowls from Peanut butter Fingers look like a great alternative.
A big pot of White Chicken Chili from Once Upon a Chef can be on your table in under an hour with the help of a rotisserie chicken.
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Doesn’t this easy Italian Sausage Ravioli Lasagna from Cafe Sucre Farine look delicious?
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| Image and Recipe Julie Blanner |
I could eat two bowls of this Browned Butter Butternut Squash Pasta.
If you are in Canada and celebrating Thanksgiving on Monday, one of my favorite blogs, How Sweet Eats has put together some great recipes to celebrate the day.
And some other great recipes from Closet Cooking.
Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Cranberries and Chocolate.
Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Brownies with Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl.
Articles
The Advice Half of Working Women Need to Hear.
How MuchWould You Pay for A Private Tour of the Sistine Chapel?
If you are a Giambattista Vallii fan you will love the new collaboration with H&M, it launches November 7th.
It’s So Much More Than Cooking.
26 Ways to Take Back Your Life When You Feel Broken.
If you are going to be in Denver from October 21-Feb, 2, 2020 you are going to want to see Claude Monet: The Truth of Nature, the largest exhibition of Monets’ work in the US in 20 years.
Books
From rowdy Barcelona barrooms to the incandescent streets of turn-of-the-century Paris, Pablo Picasso experiences the sumptuous highs and seedy lows of bohemian life alongside his rebellious poet friend with a shadowy past, Carles Casagemas.
Fleeing family misfortune and their parents’ expectations, the two young artists seek their creative outlet while chasing inspiration in drugs, decadence, and the liberated women of Montmartre—creatures far different from the veiled ones back home.
The new life feels like bliss, and nothing can come between them…until a dark-haired, enigmatic muse enters the picture. The two artists’ passion for Germaine will lead to a devastating turn. Amid soul-searching and despair, however, Picasso discovers a color palette in which to render his demons and paint himself into lasting history.
Bringing the exuberance of the era vividly to life, this richly imagined portrait of Picasso’s coming of age intertwines the love, death, lust, and friendships that inspired the immortal works of a defiant master.
I could not be happier to get, Down to Earth by Lauren Liess. She is one of my favorite bloggers, and designers and it has been wonderful to watch her grow.
Down to Earth picks up right where Lauren Liess’s critically acclaimed Habitat left off. While Habitat walked readers through the decorating process step-by-step, Liess’s latest title takes a step beyond the basics and invites readers to incorporate the main components of her familiar design aesthetic: nature, easy living, and approachability. With evocative photos and substantive design advice, Down to Earth focuses on creating a lifestyle that inspires creativity and functionality.
Throughout the book, Liess shows readers how to incorporate six guiding principles in six unique homes: a new farmhouse, a classic American historical home, a lakeside contemporary house, a modern villa, a turn- of-the-century American Foursquare, and a cedar and glass house on a bluff. While each home has a different architectural style, fingerprints of Liess’s down-to-earth style are evident throughout.
I preordered Christmas at Highclere: Recipes and Traditions of the Real Downton Abbey. and am looking forward to curling up with a cup of tea and reading it cover to cover.
Highclere Castle, known as “the real Downton Abbey,” bustles with activity all year round, but it is never more alive than at Christmas. This book is a look behind the scenes at the routines and rituals that make the castle the most magical place to be throughout the festive season. Lady Carnarvon will guide you through Advent, Christmas preparations and Christmas Eve, all the way through to the day itself, and beyond. Learn how the manor and grounds are transformed by decorations, including the raising of a 20-foot tree in the saloon and the gathering of holly and mistletoe from the grounds. This book also tells the story of historic Christmases at Highclere—of distinguished guests warming themselves by the fire after a long journey home through the snow, unexpected knocks on the door, and, always, the joy of bringing family—and staff—together after a busy year. As well as telling the stories of Highclere Christmases past and present, Lady Carnarvon provides recipes, tips and inspiration from her kitchen so that readers can bring a quintessentially British festive spirit to their own home. The festive feeling is carried through to Highclere’s Boxing Day traditions, the restorative middle days and the New Year’s Eve celebrations. Lavish, celebratory and utterly enchanting, Highclere at Christmas is the perfect gift for any Downton Abbey fan.
Are you a fan of the Great British Bakeoff? Me to! I have also been a fan of Mary Berry for years. I recently got a copy of Baking with Mary Berry from the library and loved it so much I just bought it for my collection.
A sweet and savory collection of more than 100 foolproof recipes from the reigning “Queen of Baking” Mary Berry, who has made her way into American homes through ABC’s primetime series, The Great Holiday Baking Show, and the PBS series, The Great British Baking Show.
Baking with Mary Berry draws on Mary’s more than 60 years in the kitchen, with tips and step-by-step instructions for bakers just starting out and full-color photographs of finished dishes throughout. The recipes follow Mary’s prescription for dishes that are no fuss, practical, and foolproof—from breakfast goods to cookies, cakes, pastries, and pies, to special occasion desserts such as cheesecake and soufflés, to British favorites that will inspire.
Whether you’re tempted by Mary’s Heavenly Chocolate Cake and Best-Ever Brownies, intrigued by her Mincemeat and Almond Tart or Magic Lemon Pudding, or inspired by her Rich Fruit Christmas Cake and Ultimate Chocolate Roulade, the straightforward yet special recipes in Baking with Mary Berry will prove, as one reviewer has said of her recipes, “if you can read, you can cook.”
When We Believed in Mermaids (Free with Kindle Unlimited)
Her sister has been dead for fifteen years when she sees her on the TV news…
Josie Bianci was killed years ago on a train during a terrorist attack. Gone forever. It’s what her sister, Kit, an ER doctor in Santa Cruz, has always believed. Yet all it takes is a few heart-wrenching seconds to upend Kit’s world. Live coverage of a club fire in Auckland has captured the image of a woman stumbling through the smoke and debris. Her resemblance to Josie is unbelievable. And unmistakable. With it comes a flood of emotions—grief, loss, and anger—that Kit finally has a chance to put to rest: by finding the sister who’s been living a lie.
After arriving in New Zealand, Kit begins her journey with the memories of the past: of days spent on the beach with Josie. Of a lost teenage boy who’d become part of their family. And of a trauma that has haunted Kit and Josie their entire lives.
Now, if two sisters are to reunite, it can only be by unearthing long-buried secrets and facing a devastating truth that has kept them apart far too long. To regain their relationship, they may have to lose everything.
Finds
A classic blazer to wear all season long.
This dress from Anthropologie is a great casual piece.
I hope that you share your favorite books, movies, recipes and whatever else you found interesting this week. Have a safe and happy weekend.
Love the pretty fall table! Our weather is just as crazy. Remember I had two window air conditioners in my apartment while they fixed the central air last week. Last night I had to turn on the heater and tonight it will freeze. Happy weekend!
Brenda
The ravioli lasagna would suit me nicely right about now.
It's always fun to see what you come up with for Friday Favorites. Thank you for the links!