Happy Friday, all!
Hope you had a super sweet Valentine’s Day! Ben surprised me with hot pink roses. I nearly cried. I did not photoshop an inch of this photo either, that’s how brilliant and beautiful they are. What a stud!
For dinner we hopped over to Trostel’s Dish for tapas. Normally I don’t like to share food (Kristin doesn’t share food!) but I am always up for tapas where you get to have little nibbles of lots of different stuff. We started out with calamari strips, which was the best cooked calamari I have ever had, and pan seared brussels sprouts with pork belly lardons (WOAH!)
Ben and I always order arancini balls whenever we find them because they remind us of our time in Italy, and some super-tender lamb tacos rounded out the meal.
We finished off with vanilla bean creme brulee and berries for 2. PERFECT!
I’ll have to run several hundred miles to work off that meal, but it was totally worth it. Love splurging every once and awhile like this!
With that, I hope you have some fun plans for the weekend, and in the meantime please enjoy my favorite finds from around the web in this week’s Friday Favorites. See ya’!
Click on the light blue links to be taken to the original source.
Favorite accent: Argento Vivo “Love” Stud Earrings. Dyyyying over how adorable these studs are. Cute for Valentine’s Day, or any day, really!
Favorite healthy: Healthy Strawberry Orange Gummy Bears. WHAT?! Gummy bears are my faaave! You have to check out all the yummy combos of healthy gummy bears this blogger has come up with.
Favorite happy: Bad Hair Day Print. This sweet print makes me sublimely happy for some reason. :)
Favorite snack: Trader Joe’s Just Mango Strips. OBSESSION ALERT! I’ve had the dried mango strips that Starbucks sells, and they’re ok, but these are so. much. better. Softer and they taste just like fruit rollups. Gotta love the ingredient list too – MANGOES. I picked up a bag yesterday and they were half gone by the time I left the parking lot.
Favorite tablescape. I love this fun and festive tablescape, but especially those adorable plates. Believe it or not, they’re actually Diane Keaton’s line at Bed, Bath & Beyond! Click here to buy the plates >
Favorite find: How to Turn Cookie Dough into Frosting. MUST. TRY. Think I’ll swap the flour in the recipe for powdered sugar, as some commenters suggested.
Favorite furball. The labradoodle solves so many of Ben’s and my furball problems. It’s got poodle hair which doesn’t shed (we are both allergic to shedding dogs) and the cute factor of a lab. Squee!
Favorite dinner: Spicy Kale & Chevre Penne. Nothin’ wrong with this combo. Absolutely nothin’!
Favorite place: Cafe in Antwerp, Belgium. I can totally see myself sitting here on a crisp morning with a hot cup of coffee and fresh pastry. Perhaps with my labradoodle. Can you?
Favorite fresh: Spinach Shots. I’ve been juicing this combo of spinach, a green apple, and quarter lemon everyday this week – sometimes with some carrots or oranges thrown in. It is so fantastic, and I feel like my skin has been better this week, too (read: not breaking out like a hormonal teenager.)
Favorite homemade: Homemade Ranch Seasoning Mix. You can never have too many homemade seasoning mix recipes, and this one for ranch looks absolutely stellar!
Favorite fitness: I Love My Arms. I did this workout on Tuesday, I think, and my arms are still sore today. True, I’m weak, but still, this is a great little routine.
Favorite indulge: Reeses Peanut Butter White Chocolate Bark. Want to know what I love even more than Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups? WHITE CHOCOLATE Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. This looks fantastic!
Have a great weekend!
Those flowers and that little cafe… oh em gee! The girly girl in me is freaking out!
We have a labradoodle. I’m probably biased, but he is super adorable. I have allergies too, which is why we got him. If you pick a reputable breeder, you should be able to find one that doesn’t shed.
My friend has a labradoodle, and that thing was THE cutest puppy of all time.
Of all time.
Thanks for the link to my white chocolate peanut butter bark :) Have a great weekend!
Those roses are CRAZY! And more than a dozen!… Ben is a keeper for sure :)
Thanks for posting my gummy bear recipe! I read your blog all the time! We are both from IOWA!
Btw, I have a goldendoodle (kinda like a labradoodle) they are the best!:)
xoxo Taralynn
STOP IT – no way! Where are you from?
Yes way :)
From Ottumwa it’s southeast. I was also living in Iowa City for about a year!
If you like Mangos try Trader Joes Frozen Mangos. I gave up sweets for Lent and they were the perfect alternative last night, cold and creamy!
So….I will so be buying that dried mango this weekend and I’m definitely going to check out the gummy bears.
Was just going to post that labradoodles shed, but Stef beat me to it. Most people with dog allergies aren’t allergic to the fur, but the dander. Just don’t want you to be disappointed.
the best mango strips is Phillipine from Costco. We have tried them all and the quality of these blows all the others away. let us know if you try them. we go through bags and bags of them. I think they are 3# bags.
Totally trying that cookie-dough-as-icing recipe! YUM.
Re: the Labrador/Poodle mix… a “labradoodle” isn’t a breed, it’s a mutt. Responsible and reputable breeders – ones who compete in conformation or field trials – don’t breed mutts. Why not just go for a poodle or another already-established breed? There are so many mutts that exist in this world already, I just don’t see the point in creating new “designer” breeds. :(
We have a golden doodle, and she is the sweetest.dog.ever. But, she definitely sheds – quite a bit more than I expected. Her puppies, however, are guaranteed non-shedders, as their dad is 100% poodle. The 75% poodle and 25% golden retriever mix has much better odds of not shedding than a 50-50. Look for an F1b doodle, if you’re worried about shedding! I cannot say enough wonderful things about the breed, though!!
Great advice, Stef – thank you for the info!
The Bad Hair Day print will be mine by the end of the day! So fun for my bathroom redo.