Welcome to Friday Favorites, a weekly series where I share interesting articles, books, fashion finds, recipes and more.
Good Friday Favorites morning to you friends. It has been a busy week here, unfortunately it did not go exactly as planned. But that is a story for another day.
It is 2 sleeps until Christmas! Are you ready? Are the cookies baked, menu planned, packages wrapped?
Mother Nature is going out of 2022 with a bang. The entire country is affected by this massive store so do be careful. Dress appropriately, do not leave your pets outside, and drive careful. Here we experiencing chilly weather and high winds, always a worry with large pine trees.
I am still baking! I know I said I was finished, but I am trying to find “the perfect” Christmas breakfast, so far I haven’t found it. Trying to recreate the walnut rolls that my grandmother made  has been a challenge and I just cannot get it right.
Enough about me, on to Friday favorites.
Foods
I am sure that your Christmas dinner is planned so I thought I would share a few things that you might enjoy after your big meal.
Chicken pot pie, an easy comforting meal for a cold day.
Easy crockpot ham and bean soup, perfect to use up your leftover Christmas ham!
This winter slaw would make a great addition to your holiday table. Bookmark the recipe and serve it all winter long.
Chocolate Christmas cakes are a delicious addition to your cookie and candy tray.
Cranberry loaf, a seasonal favorite.
Looking for a cocktail to serve over the coming days? A cranberry margarita might fit the bill.
Links
The Surprising History of Christmas Carols
8 Myths About Christmas That Some People Really Believe
How to Help People with Memory Loss Enjoy the Holidays
holiday gifts Here’s why you feel pressured into buying unnecessary gifts — and how to resist
17 Lessons I Learned About Letting Go
Hundreds of Sick Children Are Transported to a Christmas Wonderland Thanks to Photoshop Artists
Books
I read this yesterday and loved it!
Newly single lawyer Gwen Baker is hoping that a family Christmas—countryside, a mountain of food and festive films—will salve the sting of her career hanging by a thread and her heart being trampled on. Because everyone else has their life sorted: even Dev, her boy-next-door crush, is now a tall, dark and handsome stranger with a fiancée. She can’t help wishing her future was clearer.
Then Gwen wakes up to discover it’s Christmas day all over again. Like Groundhog Day but with eggnog. And family arguments. On repeat.
As she figures out how to escape her own particular Christmas hell, Dev is the one bright spot. He might be all grown-up but underneath he’s just as kind and funny as she remembers.
Maybe, just maybe, her heart can be mended after all.
But how do you fall in love with someone who can’t remember you from one day to the next?
The year 1900 ushers in a new century and the promise of social change, and women rise together toward equality. Yet rules and restrictions remain, especially for women like Alice Butterworth, whose husband has abruptly disappeared. Desperate to make a living for herself and the child she carries, Alice leaves the bitter cold of Chicago far behind, offering sewing lessons at a New Orleans orphanage.
Constance Halstead, a young widow reeling with shock under the threat of her late husband’s gambling debts, has thrown herself into charitable work. Meeting Alice at the orphanage, she offers lodging in exchange for Alice’s help creating a gown for the Leap Year ball of Les Mysterieuses, the first all‑female krewe of Mardi Gras. During Leap Years, women have the rare opportunity to take control in their interactions with men, and upend social convention. Piece by piece, the breathtaking gown takes shape, becoming a symbol of strength for both women, reflecting their progress toward greater independence.
But Constance carries a burden that makes it impossible to feel truly free. Her husband, Benton, whose death remains a dangerous mystery, was deep in debt to the Black Hand, the vicious gangsters who controled New Orleans’ notorious Storyville district. Benton’s death has not satisfied them. And as the Mardi Gras festivities reach their fruition, a secret emerges that will cement the bond between Alice and Constance even as it threatens the lives they’re building . . .
I hope Santa brings me At Home in the Cotswolds!
At Home in the Cotswolds is a celebration of beautiful Cotswold houses and their interiors. Author Katy Campbell and photographer Mark Nicholson take us on a tour of the villages and rolling hills of the Cotswolds as they uncover some of the most charming and inspirational homes in the region: a chocolate box cottage, an exquisite old rectory, a Georgian farmhouse, a quintessential manor house, an historic stately home, and more.
The featured homes, along with their adjacent gardens, were chosen not only for their architectural beauty but for their stunning interiors, which range in style from classical English country retreat to chic contemporary dwelling. Each house, and the interior design of its rooms, reflects the charm and character of its owners—and comes with its own unique and intriguing story. With the homes’ idyllic settings—and a foreword by the Duchess of Marlborough—this collection presents inspirational ideals of English country style certain to fascinate and delight.
BLESSED BE HE THAT INVENTED PUDDING
The great British pudding, versatile and wonderful in all its guises, has been a source of nourishment and delight since the days of the Roman occupation, and probably even before then. By faithfully recreating recipes from historical cookery texts and updating them for today’s kitchens and ingredients, Regula Ysewijn has revived over 80 beautiful puddings for the modern home cook.
There are ancient savoury dishes such as the Scottish haggis or humble beef pudding, traditional sweet and savoury pies, pastries, jellies, ices, flummeries, junkets, jam roly-poly and, of course, the iconic Christmas pudding. Regula tells the story of each one, sharing the original recipe alongside her own version, while paying homage to the cooks, writers and moments in history that helped shape them.
Looking for More Books?
You can find most of the books I have recommended in my Friday Favorites posts in my Amazon shop.
Finds
Here are a few stocking stuffers that you might like to add to your list.
A pair of earrings, a candle, definitely a book or two, a card game, soap, nail polish,  perfume, gloves, a hat, lipstick, a mug, hot chocolate, the possibilities are endless!
The A”after Christmas” sales have started.
Belk BroochesÂ
BodenÂ
J Crew
Hot Chocolate
PlaidÂ
UNTIL NEXT TIME
Have a great day friends, I hope you found something to read, make or enjoy on Friday Favorites. Be safe in the storm and enjoy your time with family and friends. I hope that your holiday is everything you hoped it would be. Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah.
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
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The storm is making its presence felt here.
Really enjoyed the post about letting go. Lots of things I need to focus more on. Thanks for sharing and I hope you had a lovely holiday.
Happy New Year Rachel!