Friday Favorites~a weekly series where we share our favorite books, decor, fashion finds, recipes, podcasts, articles and more.
FRIDAY FAVORITES NO. 634
Good morning friends, it’s Friday! And it’s May! Can you even believe how fast the year is going? This year just seems to be speeding by, do you feel the same?
This week has been beautiful! Yes, a little weather update. We had a few cool mornings and were able to keep the doors and windows open all day. Sadly that seems like it is coming to an end because yesterday it was 86. I will be honest, I am not ready for summer, are you?
We have a busy weekend ahead, what about you? Tomorrow we are going to my nieces horse show, then a derby party. Sunday we have lunch with friends and then Monday my other niece is coming to visit.
What are your plans? Who are you rooting for in the Derby? Admittedly, I do not know much about the horses this year, I will have to read up on the contenders.
Ok, on to my favorites.
FOOD
As Monday is Cinco de Mayo I thought I would share a few of my favorite Mexican dishes.
Quick and easy and crowd pleasing chicken enchiladas.
Tinga de pollo is a delicious chicken stew that you can use to make tacos, burritos and tostadas.
Sweet mango, spicy jalapeño, onion, and lime juice makes a delicious mango salsa. Just add chips.
Just in case you were having a party here is a spicy margarita recipe that you can make by the pitcher!
LINKS TO READ+WATCH+LISTEN
What to Do When You’re Super Cranky and Hate Everyone
Most parents don’t enjoy reading to their children.
How to write a whodunnit – with help from AI-gatha Christie
The people making millions off Listerine royalties~this is so interesting.
Is It Ever Appropriate to Trim Your Neighbor’s Plants? Etiquette and Garden Pros Weigh In
The Trick to Making an 18,000-Square-Foot New Build Feel Cozy?
The Lives of the Party: A Whirlwind History of the Met Gala
BOOKS~ ON MY LIST AND MY BEDSIDE TABLE
Most people don’t even notice them—three tiny figures sitting at the end of a long pier in the corner of one of the most famous paintings in the world. Most people think it’s just a depiction of the sea. But Louisa, an aspiring artist herself, knows otherwise, and she is determined to find out the story of these three enigmatic figures.
Twenty-five years earlier, in a distant seaside town, a group of teenagers find refuge from their bruising home lives by spending long summer days on an abandoned pier, telling silly jokes, sharing secrets, and committing small acts of rebellion. These lost souls find in each other a reason to get up each morning, a reason to dream, a reason to love.
Out of that summer emerges a transcendent work of art, a painting that will unexpectedly be placed into eighteen-year-old Louisa’s care. She embarks on a surprise-filled cross-country journey to learn how the painting came to be and to decide what to do with it. The closer she gets to the painting’s birthplace, the more nervous she becomes about what she’ll find. Louisa is proof that happy endings don’t always take the form we expect in this stunning testament to the transformative, timeless power of friendship and art.
Your Presence is Mandatory
Ukraine, 2007. Yefim Shulman, husband, grandfather and war veteran, was beloved by his family and his coworkers. But in the days after his death, his widow Nina finds a letter to the KGB in his briefcase. Yefim had a lifelong secret, and his confession forces them to reassess the man they thought they knew and the country he had defended.
In 1941, Yefim is a young artillerist on the border between the Soviet Union and Germany, eager to defend his country and his large Jewish family against Hitler’s forces. But surviving the war requires sacrifices Yefim never imagined-and even when the war ends, his fight isn’t over. He must conceal his choices from the KGB and from his family.
Spanning seven decades between World War II and the current Russia-Ukraine conflict, Your Presence Is Mandatory traces the effect Yefim’s coverup had on the lives of Nina, their two children and grandchildren. In the process, Sasha Vasilyuk shines a light on one family caught between two totalitarian regimes, and the grace they find in the course of their survival.
The Sicilian Inheritance
Sara Marsala barely knows who she is anymore after the failure of her business and marriage. On top of that, her beloved great-aunt Rosie passes away, leaving Sara bereft with grief. But Aunt Rosie’s death also opens an escape from her life and a window into the past by way of a plane ticket to Sicily, a deed to a possibly valuable plot of land, and a bombshell family secret. Rosie believes Sara’s great-grandmother Serafina, the family matriarch who was left behind while her husband worked in America, didn’t die of illness as family lore has it . . . she was murdered.
Thus begins a twist-filled adventure that takes Sara all over the picturesque Italian countryside as she races to solve a mystery and learn the story of Serafina—a feisty and headstrong young woman in the early 1900s thrust into motherhood in her teens, who fought for a better life not just for herself but for all the women of her small village. Unsurprisingly the more she challenges the status quo, the more she finds herself in danger.
As Sara discovers more about Serafina, she also realizes she is coming head-to-head with the same menacing forces that took down her great-grandmother. At once an immersive multigenerational mystery and an ode to the undaunted heroism of everyday women, The Sicilian Inheritance is an atmospheric, page-turning delight.
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~OUTFIT OF THE DAY
I know that butter yellow is “the color” of the season but I have been drawn to green all season. In fact I even shared a “Spring Green” post. This linen caftan caught my eye this week, the beautiful, rich green and the white embroidery are perfect for a Cinco de Maya party, a Derby party or a day in the sun.
Paired with the most popular item of the week on the blog, a pair of Talbots sandals, which by the way are 40% off! Add your summer tote, glasses, a spritz of your favorite perfume and you are done. Looking fabulous and ready for the day.
Outfit Details~Click the Photos Below
Don’t forget to follow me on LTK for more outfit ideas!
UNTIL TOMORROW
I hope you enjoyed the recipes, links and books I discovered this week on Friday Favorites. If you did please share the post on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter!
Kim, Juliet and I will be back tomorrow on Weekend Meanderings!
If you have missed a Friday Favorites post you can find them all here.
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Hi Elizabeth,
Yes, this year is going by super crazy fast. For me, there is never enough hours in the day to get everything I need to do. I had some personal goals to start cleaning out. Starting with shredding mounds of paper in personal files, then hit one room at a time. I haven’t even started.
I LOVE Spring time in AZ, but I have a feeling that our oppressive summer heat is just around the corner.
Your weekend sounds like lots of fun. We went to the Kentucky Derby one year. It was a joy marker, a great place to people watch.
I used to go to horse races until I read how cruel it is on the horses. So I’m no longer into it. That said, I have finally recovered from a back spasm due to gardening and can get back out in the garden. After a week of nothing but rain, there is much to do and seeds to plants, weeds to pull, and plants that need planting. Whew! I’m tired thinking of it. We finally have 3 decent days before the rain comes back!