Happy Friday, everyone!
Gosh this week flew by, didn’t it? I could really use one more day to catch up! Plus I feel like it always takes me two weeks to get back into the swing of things after vacation. Gone for 3 days, messed up for 14. Please tell me I’m not alone?
Thankfully it should be a calm weekend at home before the storm of summer activities begins. If you’re anything like me than your calendar for the next three months is filling up fast with road trips, weddings, baby showers and get togethers. Can’t wait to fill in the cracks with long trail walks, a baseball game or two (it is my MISSION this summer – we never made it to a single one last year!) and plenty of patio time. Ben and I had fun hanging out on the deck wine tasting last Saturday – made me thirsty for more. ;)
Well I hope you’ve got some fun plans in the works for this weekend, 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 flavor: Watermelon Caprese Salad with Balsamic Glaze. The foodie world is abuzz about watermelon right now, (and making sandwiches out of waffles, but that’s another post!) specifically mixing it with savory flavors. This sweet and savory combo looks perfect for summer. (Check out my Peach Caprese Salad for another sweet spin on the classic!)
Favorite sip: Berry Pineapple Cooler. Speaking of perfect for summer… Why yes, yes I DO want a pitcher!
Favorite craft: Personalized Photo Map. Yes, yes, yes! I have been wanting to do something like this for ages. Print out pictures of yourselves in all the 50 states then cut out and pin over a map. Too cool.
Favorite fresh: Strawberry Kale Salad with Nutty Granola Croutons. What a delicious mouthful of super foods like kale, berries, and oats, plus strawberries are so delicious right now. I have a carton in my fridge and they’re the first thing I smell anytime I open the door. Mmm.
Favorite party: Mojito Jello Shots. How fun would it be to surprise guests at a summer BBQ with these babies?
Favorite DIY: DIY Floating Rustic Shelf or Mantle. Ben and I finally got a new bedroom furniture set a few months ago complete with an epic tufted headboard, but there’s still a lot of space between the top of it and the ceiling. This would look so cool hung with some pictures propped up on it.
Favorite upgrade: Rhubarb Raspberry Crisp. Love the switch up from regular Strawberry-Rhubarb crisp by using fresh raspberries instead. Fruit crisps are one of my all-time favorite quick and easy go-to desserts (always doubling the crisp portion, of course!)
Favorite tip: 16 Foods that’ll Re-Grow from Kitchen Scraps. LOVE the idea of re-growing food from scraps. Have you ever re-grown/planted any of these scraps with success?
Favorite snack. The crunchy-creamy combo of rice crackers spread with The Laughing Cow® Light Queso Fresco & Chipotle cheese wedges, tart cherry jam and pepitas is my latest snack creation for The Laughing Cow, and is just crazy enough to work. The smokey cheese, sweet-tart jam and crunchy pepitas are aweeesome together. Try it!
Favorite funny: Wet Dog. Cracking up at these pictures of wet dogs mid-bath. Poor poochies!
Favorite dinner: Crock Pot Rustic Italian Ragu. We’ve gone from highs in the mid 80s to the 50s this week, wah wahhh. Something tells me I still have time to fit in a homey, rib-stickin’ meal before summer’s here for good. Doesn’t this meaty ragu look mouthwatering?
Favorite crunch: Late July Chips. I found these chips at a coffee shop inside my hotel in Vegas while searching for a gluten-free poolside snack to crunch on. I picked up a bag and WOW – so, so awesome! The whole chip line is organic, gluten-free, made with 100% whole grains, and is also peanut, sesame and tree-nut free. Plus 5 of 7 flavors are vegan. With so many restrictions you’d think they’d taste like cardboard, but the bag never made it to the pool if tells you anything about how good they are!
I had the “Dude Ranch” flavor in Vegas then bought the Sweet Potato flavor at home (a Whole Foods find.) Both get two crunchy thumbs up!
Favorite find: Ruffled Halter Maillot. I have been on a mad hunt for a cute one-piece for this summer. How adorable is this suit?
Favorite side: Stick of Butter Rice. Ben and I have been eating a lot more rice since going gluten-free so I’m always looking for ways to spice it up. DYING to try this stick of butter rice recipe. Sounds so decadent!
Favorite must-have: Vegan Peanut Butter Cup Pie. I think the intro says it all. Must. HAVE!
Have a great weekend!
I am an official spokesperson for The Laughing Cow® in 2014. While I receive compensation for participation as a brand advocate, opinions are my own
I saw that peanut butter pie too and definitely want to make it this summer. Loving the map idea. So much fun to track your travels like that.
I LOVE that photo map idea! How creative!!
Have a great weekend!
I have re-grown some stuff! Green onions – super easy. We have tried potatoes. And I have 4 pineapple plants on our deck. One is 2 years old already! My husband has had to replant them each year but it is cool to watch them grow.
Wow! Do you actually get pineapples then? Where do you live?
Sure thing time is flying by. I don’t even know where the weeks go :-) That pineapple cooler is looking mighty good right now. I am going to see if I have the ingredients to see if I can have one for lunch. I think I need one!!
TGIF!
I have regrown green onions in my kitchen and garlic in the garden. Garlic can be invasive, so we have it contained in the garden. Good thing because we planted it last year with little progress. This spring, it is going bonkers! My son’s preschool class is regrowing celery.
Oh and we have 2 squash plants inadvertently growing in our garden right now from composted seeds!
Ooo – love that, how fun!
Those mild green mojo chips are LEGIT. Seriously so good. As for regrowing veggies, I usually regrow green onions during the summer in a jar on my kitchen counter. It’s crazy how fast they grow… I took a picture each day over a 5 day period a while back to show, it was pretty cool! —>
Ummm – that is RIDICULOUS!
I grow green onions from the blubs in my kitchen too. I’ve been putting them in a small pot with dirt and that method seems to take a bit longer than a cup of water! (But it still is not a long process)
Oh your peach caprese is amazing! I have to make that again this summer!
Where did you find your tufted headboard? Been on the search in the Des Moines area and can’t find anything we LOVE.
We got the Chesterfield headboard and storage bed on sale from Pottery Barn!
This list is awesome this week, as usual! I just pinned the above-bed shelf the other day too – so neat.
Curious as to why you and Ben are eating gluten-free! Did I miss it in an earlier post? I always go back and forth about gluten. I don’t have celiac (I’ve been tested) but do feel better when I don’t eat gluten and would love to hear your thoughts!
Check these posts out :) https://iowagirleats.com/2014/05/14/50-gluten-free-recipes/ and https://iowagirleats.com/2014/03/14/lemon-blackberry-breakfast-cookies/
Read the article on growing food from scrapes…
I have a celery bush (it really is a bush) the size of a kitchen table. Huuuuuuuge.
I’m scared to eat it though. Don’t know why, just because it grew out of my compost =)
Have a lovely weekend from Niagara Falls where things are heating up!!!
That’s crazy! And I know what you mean. :)
Love your Friday finds postings! But can you share how you make your own crumble topping? Would love to hear of a gluten free one!
I’m going to use a gluten-free flour blend in place of all purpose – or just brown rice flour. That’s been my go-to for everything from breading to thickening sauces!
Those Late July chips are some of my favs! I’ve already had my eye on that strawberry kale salad…. so pretty! Have a great weekend!