Happy Friday, all!
Wow, I kind of thought today would never come – such a long week! While I wait for tomorrow to come, please enjoy my favorite finds from around the web and beyond, in this week’s Friday Favorites!
Favorite cookies: NYTimes Chocolate Chip Cookies. These chocolate chip cookies are my #1 favorite cookie OF. ALL. TIME. The longer the dough sits in the fridge before baking, the better the cookies get. Bleeeeeerg.
Favorite kitchen tip. Place condiments that won’t fit in the refrigerator door on lazy susans. This would be so helpful to corral all the jam, pickles and butter roaming wild on my shelves.
Favorite outfit. HEART this combo! I’m so into flowy blouses these days.
Favorite soup: Caramelized Balsamic Red Onion Soup with Cheese Topped Croutons. French Onion Soup on ‘roids!
Favorite truth. Ummm, yeah. Like, every Saturday and Sunday…
Favorite seasonal treat: Hot Cocoa Cookies. Now that we’ve finally got some snow on the ground, these hot cocoa-inspired sweet treats sound sooo yummy.
Favorite geek need: Cable Clips. This sounds ridiculous, but nothing annoys me more than when I unplug a cord from my laptop and it falls off the table and onto the floor. Just one of those things!
Favorite place: Alesund, Norway. Perfectly picturesque!
Favorite look: Floral Dress from Express. Perfect for a warm weather Spring Break vacation?! ;)
Favorite easy treat: Cheesecake Crackers. Stir softened cream cheese with fruity jam, and spread on graham crackers. The longer you let it sit, the more the cracker will soften, mimicking real cheesecake.
Favorite DIY: Chevron Prints. I’ve been loving chevron lately, and think these would be a great accent for the guest bedroom.
Favorite funny. Pretty much what I want to do to every printer I’ve ever met.
Favorite idea. Make a heart cake for Valentine’s Day with 1 circle cake cut in half, and a regular square cake. Genius!
Favorite wow: Thorn Crown Chapel in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. You have to checkout these pictures. What an amazing place!
Favorite hell yes: Peanut Butter Cereal Treats. Use Peanut Butter Captain Crunch instead of Rice Krispie treats – awwwww yeah.
Favorite kitchen. This is PERFECT to go inside my dream home, as the only room I didn’t really like in that house was the kitchen. :)
Favorite find: Essie “Meet Me at Sunset”. I bought this at Target last weekend and adore the shade. Bright, bright orange!
Favorite escape: Cafe Escapes Chai Latte. I cannot express to you how insanely delicious, sweet and spicy these babies are. I am OBSESSED! PS Get 15% off your GreenMountainCoffee.com order, plus free shipping, until February 29th with code AM0016-3592 at checkout.
Favorite picture: 6-Layer Rich Chocolate Malted & Toasted-Marshmallow Cake. Per-fec-tion!
Favorite pooch. CAN I HAVE HIM?!
Have a wonderful weekend everyone!!
Maggie 01.29.2012
OMG – the heart cake!! It brought me straight back to my childhood – my mom made every year on Valentine’s Day :). Also, the NY Times chocolate chip cookies are by far the best ever!
Michelle @ Brown Eyed Baker 01.29.2012
So many awesome things in your favorites! I have been meaning to try those NY Times cookies, as well as that cake, and now I’ve added the hot chocolate cookies to the list as well :)
Deanna 01.29.2012
Those cookies look divine. Since you’ve actually made them before (I’m assuming) do you actually make them that big? I much prefer a large cookie (about twice the size of a typical toll house cookie) but not 5 inches! Just curious.
Sophie @ LoveLiveAndLearn 01.29.2012
That puppy is ridiculously adorable!! And both of those cookies look seriously good, massive craving now. I’m quite a big fan of flowy blouses too, that green is a beautiful colour :-) And the photo of the chapel is amazing, imagine getting to worship there! I love your Friday Favourites :-) Hope you’re having a lovely weekend!
Amanda @ Semi-Health Nut 01.28.2012
I still can’t believe you’re going dessert free…even during the week! You are crazy. ;-)
I like your organizing finds this week…the lazy susan and the clip for the cords–genius. I too hate having the cords fall to the floor..but where the heck do you put em? In the handy-dandy cable clips!! Love.
Julie 01.28.2012
Eureka Springs is such a pretty little artsy town! I’ve only been once, but would like to go back. And I had to resist buying the Express dress in blue. It would be the perfect vacation dress!
Hillary [Nutrition Nut on the Run] 01.28.2012
i <3 essie polish. i wonder if that would be a pretty pedi color :)
natalie @ blackbirdideas 01.28.2012
I love the NYT Choco Chip cookies! I actually made them a while back and they were a HUGE hit! http://blackbirdideas.com/2011/10/31/i-am-baker/
Hannah (Hannah Lives) 01.28.2012
I NEED those cable clips! When the cord (i’ve actually taped my phone charger to the back of my night stand) falls off the table it is just one of those things that drives you crazy, that if you could think of a super simple solution it would just make your life -that- much easier! It’s the little things!
AND… the Cheesecake Graham cracker thingy brings me back to my high school dance team days, when we would legit buy tubs of Betty Crocker cream cheese frosting, and a box of graham crackers, and dip, dunk, and spread our hearts out. Sometimes if we were feeling fat we would mash up raspberries and mix into the frosting, for a serving a fruit! I miss the days when my metabolism was lightening fast….
Iowa Girl Eats 01.28.2012
Ohhh Lordy, we totally did that too! Ack!
Michelle 01.27.2012
I’ve made the peanut butter cap n’ crunch squares all the time. They’re so delicious.
Lindsey 01.27.2012
Where can I get that puppy!!!! I can’t stop looking at him and talking in a “puppy voice” to him… on the computer screen!! :)
Jessica F 01.27.2012
Ha my brain decided it’s the weekend and to not connect thoughts… I also wanted to say I’ve been in Alesund (I lived in Bergen for 6 mo. while I studied abroad and traveled around the country some). It was a gorgeous city. That picture looks like it’s taken from the top of this little ‘mountain’ which you can easily hike up. To the sides of the city are fjords (relatively short mountains but they stretch soo far). It was beautiful. If you ever visit (which I would recommend), try and take the bus from Alesund south towards Bergen. You will get the MOST INCREDIBLE bus ride. Seriously, that ride was 9 hours of the most stunning views of my life. The mountains toward above, water below, and little houses, farms, etc in between. I didn’t even try photographing it because I knew I would only be frustrated at my inability to capture it.
Jessica F 01.27.2012
I found my cravings for chocolate huge when I did a 4 week challenge of no processed/added sugar (I included juice and dried fruit in this). Not sure if you find this acceptable, but I definitely did: bar of unsweetened bakers chocolate + mash banana in oatmeal. The banana provides a ton of sweetness and this gives you a dessert without breaking your rules. Just throwing it out there, in case you get desperate! (It’s chocolate…we’ve all been there.)
Becca@learnasyougocook 01.27.2012
Oh wow two kinds of rocking cookies and an adorable puppy! Who could ask for more?
em @ simplypresent 01.27.2012
I LOVE Reese’s! Especially when they have the special seasonal shapes (more peanut butter! :)
Alyssa 01.27.2012
I just got an email today for the solution to your cable problem! And it’s probably something you already have on hand! I was thinking about implementing this on my desk!!
http://thereifixedit.failblog.org/?s=cable+clips
Jordan 01.27.2012
I live in Northwest Arkansas and I visited that chapel for the first time last summer! In fact, this very afternoon I was scrolling through my cell phone photos and came across the pics I took of it! I deemed it my future wedding location. It’s amazingly beautiful. Look at that surrounding forest! Arkansas is the Natural State for good reason. [Can you tell I’m fond of my homeland?]
Sarah 01.28.2012
i completely relate. i live in central AR, butlove this state; and agree that those who have never been here and ay think the worst don’t know what they are missing. We have every season here and have lakes, rivers, mtns, and trails…
Life's a Bowl 01.27.2012
Tasty treats, cute outfits, beautiful escapes… All dreamy!
P.S. That outfit rule of not seeing anyone important one day and re-wearing the outfit totes works ;P As long as you’re a girl, not a sweaty boy…
Meghan 01.27.2012
This is so weird, I just had a client of mine at the salon I work at get married at that chapel in Arkansas. She and her now hubby had rented out the entire place just for themselves, no guests at the wedding! They did the same with a nearby conservatory, a romantic dinner for just the two of them. She’ll be back soon so I can wait to tell her I saw it here on IGE!
Angela 01.27.2012
Nice finds! The puppy is so cute:)
I’ve found an awesome way to curb chocolate cravings (AND have chocolate for breakfast..while still feeling healthy/sugar-free..inspired by chocolatecoveredkatie.com)
Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal!
1/3 cup of oats
1 banana, cut up
1 tbsp chia seeds
1 tbsp cocoa
1 packet of stevia (could omit, the banana keeps it pretty sweet)
and then a half mix of almond milk/water (I just eye it since I’ve been making oatmeal for a while now). Microwave 2-3 minutes, stirring once. Then top with a spoonful of peanut butter (OR chocolate peanut butter!).. definitely feels indulgent but doesn’t make me feel guilty!
Have a good weekend!