Happy Friday, everyone!
The weekend is so close that I can practically taste it. Right now it’s tasting rich and chocolaty…that is to say, I made Brownie Mix Truffles on KCCI this morning!
I may or may not have gotten so excited about the cute Valentine’s Day-themed sprinkles on top of the truffles that I temporarily forgot where I was and what I was doing and said I wanted to hug them…on air. I don’t even remember saying it! Take a look for yourself, if you please!
Click here to watch >
In other news, it should be a fun weekend around here! My Mom and I are heading to the Home and Garden show to get some good ideas for, well, our homes and gardens. I’m going to really switch up the landscaping in my front yard this spring (who am I) so I’m excited to get some good ideas.
Wherever you are, and whatever you do, have a great weekend yourself (stay safe & warm east coasters!) and please enjoy my favorite finds from around the web in this week’s Friday Favorites. And don’t forget to check out the chocolate giveaway at the end of this post!
Click on the light blue links to be taken to the original source.
Favorite treat: Red Velvet Puppy Chow. Looks perfectly sweet and poppable, and what a fun treat for Valentine’s Day!
Favorite spot: Alcazar Leather Armchair. I’m fairly certain that if we had this chair in our home I’d never, ever leave. It kind of reminds me of the chair Aidan made Carrie, no? Starting a savings account for it…NOW!
Favorite photo: Strawberries and Cream Cake. Ali @ Gimme Some Oven has totally outdone herself with this cake. First of all I can’t wait to make the fresh strawberry cake inside, second of all the Valentine’s Day heart outside is the CUTEST!
Favorite accessory: Jemma Cake Stand. Isn’t this country-chic cake stand the sweetest? That cake would look so adorable on it.
Favorite furball. Melting.
Favorite ‘wich: Spinach & Artichoke Melts. My mouth is watering at the site of this hand-held twist on one of my favorite dips.
Favorite place: Emerald Lake. Just 20 miles or so west of Lake Louise in Alberta, Canada, this lake is absolutely breathtaking. I would rent a house here for a week in the summertime in a heartbeat!
Favorite DIY: Crate Wall Storage. Finally, a crate project that I could actually do, and would actually be useful! Love this idea for creating towel storage in the bathroom.
Favorite dessert: Vanilla Cream Filled Double Chocolate Cake. Trouble. Delicious, delicious, trouble.
Favorite fitness: 5-4-3-2-1 Workout. I can’t remember if I’ve posted this workout on Friday Favorites before. Either way, I really like that you can do the whole thing at home!
Favorite fish: Salmon Honey Teriyaki. I’m always looking for new ways to cook salmon and this looks absolutely delectable. Not very many ingredients, either!
Favorite project: Stackable Fruit Crates. LOVE these!! So great for saving valuable counter space, and much cheaper to make, than buy.
Favorite fresh: Grilled Kale Salad with Beets, Figs, and Ricotta. All. The. Things. Especially the figs – Ben and I have been craving figs like crazy lately.
Favorite idea: Lazy Girl Fitness. This blogger has tons of clever ways to fit fitness in throughout your day – no gym required.
Favorite splurge: (Black Bean) Chili (Sweet Potato) Fries. Great spin on chili fries. Add a healthy drizzle of homemade nacho cheese sauce and I’m so sold.
Favorite outfit. Perfect for spring break!
Favorite devour: Vanilla Bean Cookie Butter Cup Cupcakes. Vanilla bean cupcakes swirled with cookie butter, stuffed with Salted Chocolate Cookie Butter Cups, then topped with Vanilla Bean Cookie Butter Cream Cheese Frosting. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! Come to Mama!
[…] wish I had a better fashion sense. Well, yesterday I open my reader, and there at the bottom of the Friday Favorites post are MY CUPCAKES!!! My favorite ones I’ve ever […]
If I could only have one sweet treat ever again, I just might choose Brookside chocolates! The dark chocolate and fruit combo are a match made in heaven, so decadent. I LOVE raving about them to people. If you’re a fan of those and haven’t tried this raspberry dark chocolate fig bar: http://melzyinc.com/products.php- you’ll have to seek it out (available at some Hy-Vee’s with the nutrition bars). The flavor is reminiscent of the Brookside bites but the nutritionals are quite impressive. I’d choose this over a candy bar any day!
Also, I’m curious how you choose your Friday favorites?? I love looking through them and often find things I want to pin for future reference. I follow handful of food bloggers (you as my fav, of course) but am not sure how to seek out others that are a little more diverse in their topics. Any tips would be appreciated!
I absolutely love your Friday round ups. So many fun new things to check out. That last cupcake has me dying! I want those so bad!!!
I just read this post tonight, and I SAW you and your mom at the Home and Garden show, I was so excited haha, my husband gave me a weird look. “That was the girl from the Iowa Girl Eats blog!” I’m a newer follower and I love your recipes, they are a hit in our house!
The pomegranate ones are delicious!!!
Love the red velvet puppy chow!
Drooooollling over those cupcakes. And lovin that bag featured in the spring outfit!Dr
wonder why my comments keep being deleted?
Hey Laci! I just tried emailing you but it was returned as a non-valid email address. Shoot me a message at iowagirleats@gmail.com!
That last picture…..oh my!
the salmon recipe looks great
You were so cute on tv I could hug a sprinkle!
You were so cute in your on-air video spot! But I’ve gotta say, that kitchen set needs a makeover STAT! Paint the cabinets, put out some cute accessories…and that lighting is simply horrible. It looks like you’re standing in front of a cave. I’m not trying to be mean towards the station, but they really should recognize how bad it looks on camera.
This is awesome! So love these. Our daughter gave us a bag last year!
Omg that cupcake at the end! And the heart covered cake is adorable :)
There are so many good looking recipes here that I don’t even know what to comment on!! ;) Those cupcakes, though….WOW!!