Happy Friday, everyone! How was your week? Hope you have some fun plans for the weekend!
I’m kicking today’s Friday Favorites off right away with my favorite place: our back patio now that we’ve actually got some furniture out there! (Oh, and my favorite person: the L man, of course! Can I please point out his baby flip flops (which he sort of hates)? DYING!)
Anyway, Ben and I bought our home almost two years ago, in large part due to the backyard. The previous owners put in a three level deck complete with an outdoor kitchen and enormous pond (which, any pond people out there?? We have no idea what we’re doing and it’s in desperate need of help!) Pond maintenance aside, the space has been an oasis for us, except we haven’t had any luck finding patio furniture we liked – or rather, agreed on. Determined not to spend another summer sitting in bag chairs though, we set out a few weeks ago to finally find us a set – and a set we did find.
We ended up buying an outdoor dining table for the section on the other side of the outdoor kitchen, and this 5 piece set for the main “living” area – both from Fireplace Superstore. We weren’t having much luck at the big box home stores, so we went small and found exactly what we were looking for. Bonus: both the furniture set and dining table were last year’s models so they were deeply discounted. Love me a good deal! This furniture set is by Erwin and Sons and we just love the quality. Cannot wait to kick up my heels here all summer long.
Now we just need consistently warm weather so I can trade these flats for flip flops! :)
Until then, wherever you are and whatever you do, have a wonderful weekend and in the meantime please enjoy my favorite finds from the web and beyond in this week’s Friday Favorites! Have a great weekend!
Click the light blue link to be taken to the original source.
Favorite sip: Fizzy Grapefruit Margaritas. Speaking of patios, I can’t wait to whip up a batch of these refreshing margs to enjoy outdoors the next chance I get. Seeeriously.
Favorite funny: 32 Pictures That Will Give You Intense Elementary School Flashbacks. DYING over this roundup! Seriously shouted YES to every single one. Especially these stamp markers and especially #14. #2 is gave me instant anxiety.
Favorite bite: Mini Cheese Ball Bites. These bites would be so cute for a party. Easily customizable, too.
Favorite fashion: Nellore Blouse. Love this sweet and flowy blouse, right? Can I please look as cool as this girl does when I wear it too?
Favorite fresh: Peanut Crusted Salmon. I’m partnering back up with the Better Homes and Garden’s Blog Delish Dish this month, sharing tasty 30 minute meals from the BHG.com archives. The first recipe I shared was this simple yet flavor-packed recipe for Peanut Crusted Salmon. The crispy peanut crust is SO yummy, and fresh orange kind of gives it a Thai flavor. Easy yet elegant, too!
Favorite read: 5 Things I Learned From Working in a Test Kitchen. I’ve always wondered what it’d be like to work in a test kitchen so this article was fun to read. I know I’d love it, but would undoubtedly gain 50 pounds! #noselfcontrol
Favorite crunch: Garlicky Kale Salad with Crispy Chickpeas. Does this photo make you want to dive face first into your computer screen or what??? Can’t wait to try this recipe!
Favorite homemade: How To Make an All-Purpose Cleaner Using Citrus Orange Peels. Ben and I are getting more and more into natural cleaners these days as we continue to deal with my Celiac Disease. It has made us hyper aware of not only what we’re eating, but spraying onto surfaces in our home (among other things.) We’ve been using a ton of Honest Company products, but I also want to give this citrus-based all-purpose cleaner a whirl, which is vinegar based. I can smell it now!
Favorite comfort: Ham and Potato Corn Chowder. My brain says move on from soups and stews but gosh darn it my heart could never turn down the creamy combo of ham and potatoes. This chowder looks fantastic!
Favorite fun: Chalkboard Runner Table. How much fun would this be for a girlfriend get together? Wine and cheese tasting, anyone?
Favorite treat: Coconut Flour Blondies. I’ve been experimenting with grain free flours lately like almond flour and coconut flour, with HORRIBLE results. Like, laughable – I have my work cut out for me! That said, it looks like Amanda from Heartbeet Kitchen has done some of the work for me. How yummy and gooey do these bars look??
Favorite snack. Strawberries have been tasting phenomenal lately so I highlighted a couple in my latest snack idea for The Laughing Cow. I used slivered almonds for the ears, mini chocolate chips for the eyes and nose, and the cheese wedge pull tab for the tail. I thought they turned out so cute!
Favorite devour: Garlic Chicken Kale Spaghetti. To. My. Freaking. FACE!!! I cannot wait to try this recipe!
Favorite DIY: Personal S’mores Roasters. Start with a patio project, end with one, too! I think these personal s’more roasters made out of mini terra cotta pots are so adorable – plus, no bon fire required!
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Love your patio set! Hope to see you this summer at an Iowa blogger get-together.
Some good cleaners you might look into are from Shaklee. They have some really great products and they are not toxic. You can look for a seller in your area by going to the Shaklee website. They also have other products, like skincare and vitamins. You can buy from their site, or a seller. It’s cheaper if you sign up, but they have “kits” you can try. And some sellers will give you samples.
I made that garlic chicken kale spaghetti from Lauren’s Latest and it was amazing! I even made it gluten free and dairy free and even my toddler couldn’t stop stuffing his face :).
Wow, what an interesting idea for the smores roaster! I’ll have to give that a try! Love your patio set too.
Thank you so so much for including my margs! So wish we could sip them together on your back porch. Hope you ladies are having fun in the sun this weekend! xo
I love outdoor furniture! The sectional looks so comfy and inviting! I like your flats but they make me laugh. My coworkers have this thing against toe cleavage. Haha – the kind from your shoes, err… not the other kind. I personally haven’t decided how I feel about it. Anyways I just got new flats from TOMS (that I LOVE by the way) and no toe cleavage so work approved. ;)
What a beautiful deck arrangement, Kristin! Also, [insert hand-raising emoji here] for the wine and cheese affair. The chalkboard runner is genius!
I dont have any memories that jumped out associated with #14…what is it?
We have a pond! We just bought our house last June and it came with one, complete with a mini waterfall and a pump system. It’s elaborate and complicated, so we hire a professional every fall and spring to open/close it for the season. It looks so gross now waiting for them to come! We bought fish for ours which help keep it clean. (we returned them to the fish store for winter) Our only issue is when it’s REALLY hot and humid we have to use a net to fish out the algae which grows super fast… and also trying to keep the dog out of the it!
For great gluten-free recipes, try “Flavor Flours” by Alice Medrich. She wrote it to focus on the flavors of various flours, but the recipes are all gluten-free (white rice flour as mostly the base, with other flours added) and everything I have tried has turned out terrific.
The patio furniture looks great! We are in the market for some right now too. We have a large deck that doesn’t look full enough with just our table. I would love to have seating like yours.
That patio furniture…LOVE!!!
instantly wanted that top, and totally remember those markers! such a great little read for a friday. thanks for including my blondies. they certainly are a favorite around here. the more you play with coconut flour, the more you’ll love it. have a great sunny weekend!