I think I’m coming down with a fever.
Spring Fever! :D
That is, I cannot friggin’ wait until Spring officially arrives. It’s been warm and sunny all week, which has me feeling like winter is finally on its way out, plus all the snow that fell a couple weeks ago is nearly melted. That, and daylight savings time starts in THREE WEEKS, and Negril is less than two months away – whee!
Which reminds me…I gotta hit the gym this afternoon. ;)
In the meantime, enjoy your weekend (your long weekend to those who have President’s Day off!) and please enjoy my picks from around the web and beyond in this week’s Friday Favorites!
Favorite sip: Raspberry Beer Cocktail. I CANNOT WAIT TO TRY THIS!! We’re having family pizza night tonight, and I think I’m going to bring a batch.
Favorite party: MARDI GRAS! I wrote a freelance article this week about mardi gras foods, which got me missing my favorite city. HARD. I tried to convince Ben to take a last minute trip down to NOLA this weekend and into next week for Mardi Gras but, no dice.
Favorite funny: Dogs under water. If you click through just one link in this week’s Friday Favorites, make it this one. It will nearly make your heart explode with love and laughter.
Favorite bite: Veggie Gyros. I have not had falafel in a hot minute. This needs to change with Veggie Gyros!
Favorite kitchen accent: Moroccan Backsplash. Love. Love. Love. Love. Did I mention, love?
Favorite easy dinner: Spaghetti Aglio, Olio, e Peperoncino (Garlic, Olive Oil & Chili Flakes with Spaghetti.) This reminds me of some of the yummy pasta dishes Ben and I had in Italy. Simple pleasures.
Favorite face lift: Walnut Scratch Remover. I’d heard of this tip before, but have never seen it in action. Going to try it out with some scratches that over the door hangers have made on a few doors around here. :(
Favorite mmmm: Pudding Icing. Check. This. Out.
Favorite sweet accent: The Cooking Necklace. Awwww!
Favorite time waster: Food on My Dog Blog. I seriously want a dog just so I can balance food on her head and post it here on IGE.
Favorite outfit. Minus the hat (I look ridiiiiiculous in hats,) this is the perfect summer outfit. Jorts are my fave. :)
Favorite indulgence: Bacon and Corn Griddle Cakes. There are not enough words to describe how much I want these. Sweet & savory to the max!
Favorite cereal: Nature’s Path Crunchy Vanilla Sunrise. I picked up a box of this cereal at Costco last weekend and one of the two pouches is cough already gone cough. It tastes like Rice Krispie Treat Cereal, but is gluten free and the sugar content isn’t that crazy either. It’s soooooo good with unsweetened vanilla almond breeze.
Favorite energy saving tip. This tip comes from my sister-in-law. If you don’t have little ones or pets running around, keep the oven door open after cooking something in it. You already paid for the energy to heat up the oven, so you might as well use what’s left to help heat the house!
Favorite tip: Frozen Ginger. This is absolutely brilliant!
Favorite sweet treat: Strawberry Layer Cake with Whipped Strawberry Frosting. The frosting on this cake looks like airy, melt in your mouth perfection. What a perfect girly/summer/everyday cake!!
Have a great weekend everyone! TGIF!
Emilia 02.18.2012
I’m totally there with you on spring fever! I cannot wait to be able to walk around without a coat one. Seems like it might still be a bit aways for us in England, oh well. That kitchen black-splash is amazing, I adore the color…actually that color would go very well with the pink cake you posted. :)
Laura 02.18.2012
Wow, I don’t even know what to comment on! There is so much I love here… that dog’s face made me smile! I also LOVE pudding and feel like I need to make that icing right away. And I adore the backsplash, would love to try those pancakes, adore the pink cake…. love it all.
Mac 02.17.2012
We’re having a Mardi Gras party this weekend! I’ve never seen the real deal, but my bf has.
Jen 02.17.2012
Loved the pictures of the dogs underwater, thanks for sharing! I do the same thing with my oven during the cold Iowa winter months. :)
Emily @LivingLongfellow 02.17.2012
Oh my, lOVE that moroccan backsplash. Totally need it when we reno our kitchen someday. We’ve never been to NOLA but it’s on our list. always looks like a blast.
Jane 02.17.2012
My mil has made this cake for years–you bake a devil’s food cake as directed. Let cool, then mix vanilla pudding as directed, and add cool whip (as much as you want). Then refrigerate, it is awesome! The chocolate with the cool pudding/whip mix…so good! So simple too :)
Caitlin Murphy 02.17.2012
omg I loooooooove that Vanilla Crunch cereal too!
Maria W 02.17.2012
Friday Fave’s are great! I love scrolling through them and reading your comments. Take care!!
Michelle (Better with Berries) 02.17.2012
As always, love your friday favorites! I think my favorite this week is the moroccan backsplash, but I DO need to try that drink, and I literally lol’ed at the “food on my dog” :-) Have a great weekend!
Katherine 02.17.2012
Do you know of a place in the DSM area that sells falafel’s? They are so yummy and now craving one!
Kary 02.17.2012
Love the dog pictures! Anyone with a dog can so relate to their expressions!
melanie 02.17.2012
ever since finding your green monster smoothie on pinterest, i’ve totally been enjoying your blog. :)
Melissa 02.17.2012
Oh! That dog looks so sad in all the pictures! :( Poor thing!
Beth 02.17.2012
I LOVE Friday Favorites! It gets me through my long day knowing I can sit down, curl up on the couch, and read you Friday Favs! Thanks for being a bright spot in my week!
Holly 02.17.2012
I always look forward to your Friday Favs :)
If you’re looking for a frozen ginger shortcut, Whole Foods sells frozen ginger cubes (along with other types of spices). Trader Joe’s carries a lot of them but I haven’t seen ginger there yet. Have a good weekend!
Lindsay 02.17.2012
Now I have a major hankering for a veggie gyro! MmMmMmMm!
Ellie 02.17.2012
Oh my gosh, I am obsessed with that cereal, too! I bought it a few weeks ago and I have to restock every week…the two pouches don’t cut it :) lol.
sharon weaver 02.17.2012
I’ve been doing the oven trick for years. Growing up it was so cold in our house in the morning. My mom always light the oven and heated the kitchen while we ate breakfast.
Danielle 02.17.2012
I LOL’d at the dog under water photo. Also, be careful with that drink. We called it “Pink Panty Dropper” in college. ;)
CherubMamma 02.17.2012
The ginger tip is spot on. However, when I clicked through, the original author says that using a rasp to grate the ginger leaves the fibrous strings.
If the ginger is frozen – it does not! Instead you end up with a little pile of shavings like are so tiny they melt into whatever you’re making with the ginger. It’s amazing! And the frozen ginger grates so easy!
I love always having “fresh” ginger on hand!!