Happy Friday, everyone!
How is it that we’ve already arrived at Easter weekend? Per usual it totally snuck up on me. I’m SOOooo very excited to celebrate, (Easter is one of my favorite celebratory holidays – it’s so very joyful) and feast on all my Mom’s classic Easter dishes like Party Potatoes Deluxe, Amana ham, and green beans and bacon for lunch. I’m trying to decide between bringing Beecher’s Kale and Brown Rice Gratin with Smoked Cheese Sauce and Kale and Wild Rice Bowls with Honey-Balsamic Vinaigrette as my contribution. Who knows, maybe I’ll go crazy and bring both. Probably not. Aint nobody got time for that!
Especially since it’s going to be a full house this weekend. My little brother’s flying in from Denver for the weekend, Ben’s little brother will be in town AND my Mom’s best friend is also coming in from Ohio to spend a few days with the fam. Should be crazy but fun!
Well wherever you are and whatever you do have a wonderful weekend (and Easter, if you celebrate!) and in the meantime please enjoy my favorite finds from around the web and beyond in this week’s Friday Favorites!
Click the light blue links to be taken to the original source.
Favorite copycat: Copycat Cafe Rio Sweet Pork. I’ve never been to Cafe Rio but I have been to Paseo in Seattle and this recipe looks like it could be similar to the epic pork they’re known for. My mouth is watering!
Favorite find: Bird Chirping Weather Print. I’ve been going around the past week or so proclaiming how happy I am that the birds are back. Their chirping makes me automatically think of spring and warmer weather. That being said I bought this sweet print the second I saw it so I can think of them even when they’re all south for the winter!
Favorite homemade: Homemade Flour Tortillas. The one thing I’ve been really missing since going gluten free is flour tortillas. I never knew how much I relied on them for quick meals and snacks! Definitely going to try making my own using GF flour.
Favorite DIY: Chalkboard Globe. What an adorable project, right? Love the cut outs that let you see the colorful globe underneath. Going to see if I can snag a cheap globe now that garage sale season is upon us.
Favorite bite: Parmesan Potato Stacks. One word: DROOL. Cheese and crispy potatoes? I am not mad at that.
Favorite tutorial: The Easy Way to Make a Luxury Bed. Make your bedroom even more of a retreat with this guide on how to really spruce up your bed. Yes please.
Favorite salad: Ranch BLT Pasta Salad. This is an awesome homemade take on suddenly salad which I used to plow through as a teenager. Like, come home from school, make a box and eat the entire thing. That radiatore pasta shape gets me every time!
Favorite sip: Rhubarb Strawberry Margarita. My Mom has three rhubarb plants that come back year after year which means she ends up with about 10 gallon-sized ziplock backs of frozen chopped rhubarb at the end of each summer because there’s only so many strawberry rhubarb pies a girl can bake! These margaritas look like a tasty and refreshing way to use some of it up.
Favorite bling: Asymmetrical Mini Letter Necklace. Wishing this was about $120 cheaper because it is seriously stylin’!
Favorite dinner: Tex Mex Quinoa Casserole. This meal is right up my ally and COULD NOT be easier. Cannot wait to make it!
Favorite travel: The Catalina Bag. Why this model looks so angry to be carrying such a lovely weekender bag, I’ll never know. I just love it! Perfect size for a quick trip and the separate zipper compartment on the bottom would be great for storing shoes or worn clothes.
Favorite bite: Crispy Black Bean Tacos. Easy. Crispy. Vegetarian. YUMMY! These would be really good to make then freeze, me thinks.
Favorite fitness: 7-Minute HIIT Workout. Looooove HIIT workouts. Get more bang for you buck, y’all!
Favorite sweet: Caramel Macchiato Gooey Cake Bars. Sweet, dense, and decadent. And gooey. Anything with the word “gooey” in it and I’m so in.
Favorite advice: 45 Life Lessons Written by a 90 Year Old Woman. Sometimes these can be kind of cheesy or redundant, but I really liked this list. :)
Favorite lick: Salted Bourbon Caramel Pops. C’moooon, summer!
SO very kind of you to share my post in your Friday Faves. Thank you. And it is super nice to connect with you as well. I am off to have fun perusing your site and your YUM healthy recipes! Thank you again!
I have a gold asymmetrical letter necklace and it’s beautiful. it really stays where it is supposed to, too. i ordered it here.
I grew up in Utah, where Cafe Rio started and their pork is the BEST. None of the knockoff recipes (and I’ve tried them all) taste quite like the real thing so if you ever have a chance to try it at the restaurant, you have to! There is even an location at the Salt Lake City airport so if you ever have a layover there, check it out!: )
I love the Bed Making Pin!
I think I will do the workout and then have a caramel pop. Yum! Happy Easter!!
I LOVE party potatoes, too! After going gluten-free, I miss them probably more than I should admit. :-/ Do you have a good suggestion for making them gluten-free?
We used homemade cream of chicken soup made with gf flour then nixed the corn flake toppings. I’ll admit that it missed the crunch but the rest of it tasted exactly the same!!
Thanks for the reply & the tip! I added crushed corn chex because I didn’t think I could go without the crunch. Love your blog! ;)
Those tortillas, tacos and quinoa casserole all look amazing! Thank you for sharing them! Oh, and I wanted to tell you that the new Seasons magazine from Hy-Vee has a whole feature on gluten-free beers that I thought you might be interested in :)
Sweet! Mine’s sitting on the counter but I haven’t had a chance to go through it yet!