Howdy all, how was your week?
It’s been a pretty typical Midwestern summer so far, what with some rain here and scorching hot temperatures there, but I tell you what, Goldilocks would’ve loved these past couple of weeks. They’ve been juuust right.
Lincoln and I have been getting out and about with friends and family as much as possible, trying to soak up every minute of the quickly waning summer with long walks, picnics (oh yes, I’ve come to love and adore a good summer picnic. Who knew?) and splashing around in the water. We got him this Spiralin’ Seas Waterpark (really, waterpark?) which has been a Godsend. Every afternoon or evening I strip him down to his birthday suit then let him splash and play away. Mommy gets a good 20-30 minute break while the L-man cools down and has a blast.
Translation: everybody wins! (Just typed “wines” – TGIF!)
Anywho, quick announcement for you local folks – I’ll be at the Downtown Des Moines Farmer’s Market this Saturday, 7/26, from 8-10am handing out FREE Iowa Food and Family Project cook books at the Rhinehart Family Farms booth at the west end of the market. Whew! If you can’t make it, or don’t live in the area, it’ll be available via free PDF download sometime in August or September. I’ll definitely keep you posted!
Well wherever you are and whatever you do have a wonderful 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 forkful: Nectarine and Fig Summer Salad with Crispy Pancetta. I literally gasped when I saw this photo. Summery perfection on a plate!
Favorite getaway: 42 Perfect Summer Trips. It’s not too late to fit a perfect summer trip in, and I love these ideas! Tahoe will be mine someday. Folks who have been – north or south shore?
Favorite sip: Fresh Peach Margarita. Doesn’t this look like the most refreshing drink you’ve ever seen in your whole entire life? Must try while peaches are at their peak. Aka…now!
Favorite dip: Cheesy Margarita Pizza Hummus. Know what would go great with a big pitcher of those margaritas? THIS. Oh my word, this.
Favorite DIY: DIY Frame Shelves. Another Shanty-2-Chic project I must try! Love this cool and clever, easy-looking project.
Favorite wake up: Huevos Rancheros Nachos with Avocado Crema. How much more excited would you be to get out of bed if you knew a platter of these babies were waiting for you for breakfast? Oh my word.
Favorite breakfast: Pork Maple Fully Cooked All-Natural Skinless Sausage Links. Speaking of breakfast, I have been obsessing over these preservative-free pork sausages lately that contain just 6 ingredients, and no asterisks. They are FABULOUS and I enjoy ’em 2-3 times a week with eggs and hash browns while Lincoln takes his morning nap. They make me as happy as a well-fed lark. (Found at Whole Foods.)
Favorite tutorial: Top-Knot Tutorial. I am totally, completely, 100% hair challenged but this easy-to-follow top-knot tutorial from the always adorable Madison has me convinced that even I could do it!
Favorite twist: Toasted Marshmallow & Chocolate S’Mores Milkshake. Um, omg, YUM. I love me a good twist on a classic and this fab new take on s’mores looks totally dreamy.
Favorite idea: Cake Smash. I kind of thought every baby had a cake smash on their first birthday but then I found this article saying it’s all the rage right now. Regardless, I can’t wait to see little Lincoln’s face smeared with (dairy free) icing next week! (FYI – these photos are hysterical.)
Favorite fashion: Calita Dress. Is this not the cutest little easy-breezy summer dress you’ve ever seen? Simple to dress up or down, too.
Favorite dinner: Crusted Quinoa Chicken with Goat Cheese. I thought I knew where this recipe was going but was totally thrown for a loop by the end. What a tasty way to jazz up an easy weeknight meal.
Favorite find: MollyMats. I have no idea how I stumbled upon this product, but it’s really cool. MollyMats are high quality picture mats that you can buy in really fun patterns and shapes – there’s even collections that fit standard-sized Pottery Barn and West Elm frames (my favorite!) Looks like a fun way to spruce up a ho-hum space!
Favorite crave: Balsamic Watermelon Chicken Salad. Face plant alert! Man, if this combo doesn’t cause you to crave salads – seek help.
Favorite giveaway: Crunchmaster Crackers Giveaway
Calling all cracker lovers!
I don’t know about you but I always have two or three types of crackers in the house for dunking into hummus or pairing with The Laughing Cow cheese wedges. The last time we were in DC our friends Kim and Dylan bought Crunchmaster gluten-free crackers to have with some hummus they bought for us to snack on while we were visiting, and they were so good that I kept buying that at home. Ben calls them “those one crackers.”
Can I get you anything while I’m at the store?
Just those one crackers.
Translation: we both love ’em. Really good story so far, no?
That said, I was pumped when Crunchmaster recently reached out and asked if I’d be interested in running a giveaway of their crackers. I wanted to give you a taste of what we’ve been loving, so of course I said, yes!
Crunchmaster crackers are available in a wide variety of flavors (my favorite is white cheddar,) and are great at holding up to hearty dips as they’re super, well, crunchy – hence the name. The fact that they’re gluten free is a huge bonus. Crunchmaster is giving away 6 products of your choice – all you have to do is follow the directions to enter below!
Enter to win the Crunchmaster Crackers giveaway by using the voting widget below (may not work in Internet Explorer.) To enter, click the “+1″ button then click “Enter” by 11:59pm central time on Monday, July 28. Receive an additional entry by following me on Facebook. Good luck!
*** PLEASE NOTE: the voting widget below may take up to a minute to load and may not work in Internet Explorer. The winner will be chosen randomly via Random.org and will be contacted directly via email. ***
Jolynn Toma 07.26.2014
Are you making Lincoln’s birthday cake? If so, will you share the recipe with us, please!
Ali | Gimme Some Oven 07.26.2014
You look too cute in the Food and Family Project photo! Love Lincon’s new “water park” too! Cheers to splish splashing the rest of the summer heat away.
Thanks for featuring the margaritas! I’ll make you some next time you return to KC…hopefully in October! ;)
Mona 07.25.2014
I was just at Whole Foods earlier today – now have to go back to get those sausages…oh darn:)
Love these crackers!
Jennifer 07.25.2014
I thought cake smashing was a pretty regular thing too. Maybe they just mean giving the baby a whole mini cake as opposed to a piece? I had cake for my first birthday.
Diana 07.25.2014
oh my! That s’mores milkshake!! yummmmmmmmmmmmm
Great post ! :)
Katie 07.25.2014
Our family is from Tahoe. It’s all so gorgeous, and I think you should do the north and south shores. You won’t regret it! Emerald Bay (west shore)is my favorite.
Lisa 07.25.2014
I live in Reno so we go to Tahoe all the time. West shore is the best shore (emerald bay!). Hike down to Vikingsholm castle and take the short hike to see balancing rock at D.L. Bliss campground. You might as well drive all the way around the lake. Other favorite stops are Sand Harbour (they do shakespeare on the beach in July and August). If you like to gamble there are casinos at South shore. And the M.S. Dixie has a cruise to Emerald bay which is fun (and where I was married!).
brandy m 07.25.2014
TAHOE!! Love it, myself and 10 of mt best girlfriends from college go every year (this being year 15!). I prefer, South…no, North …well…anywhere really! Areas that are a bit touristy but really fun:
Zephyr Cove
Camp Richardson
Emerald Bay
Regan Beach
You can easily skip the casino scene (though it can make for a fun night out), but the hikes, beaches, water and snow are amazing. We’ve stayed in some amazing rentals through vrbo, go for a lake view if at all possible – stunning!
Sarah @ Making Thyme for Health 07.25.2014
You absolutely have to make it to Tahoe! You will love it!
I live about three hours south so we’ve been several times. We’ve stayed on both the north and south shore and I personally like the north better. It’s quieter and has a more remote feeling. But they both have great things to offer. I actually posted a few recaps about our time there.
Here’s one from a hike on the south shore:
And a look at some of the beaches in the north:
Hopefully you get to go one day soon!
Jennifer Wolfe 07.25.2014
Tahoe is my second home…agree with the comments about casinos on south shore. My choice? West shore! Tahoe City is full of great things to do and perfect beaches for the little one, plus great access to all winter sports and restaurants! BTW-loved the top knot video, too!
Betsy 07.25.2014
I am soo excited to hear about MollyMats!! I’ve had the hardest time finding mats for odd shaped frames and photos, this will make decorating so much easier!
Jessica 07.25.2014
I live in Sacramento and we make it to Tahoe at least 4 times a year. North shore is prettier and more remote feeling. South shore has better bars, better food and lots to do. We prefer South. The comment above comparing South shore to Vegas is unfair, IMO. We intentionally avoid the casinos (which isn’t hard to do, they are clustered on one block) and yeah there are lots of ski bums but 99% of them just love to ski Tahoe and are super friendly and chatty. The good news is the lake is small enough that you could visit both shores on one trip. That’s what I would recommend to first time visitors!
Cindy 07.25.2014
North Shore versus South Shore. The North Shore is nature focused. The South Shore is more Casino and party focused. I refer to the South Shore as mini, dirty Vegas with less money and less sparkle.
Julie 07.25.2014
I love cake smash videos!! We decided to do one for our twins’ first birthday a few months ago and it turned out so well! The twins are obsessed with watching it and point and scream at the tv when we at it for them! Here’s the link if you’d like to check it out!
http://vimeo.com/90142263
Kristin 07.25.2014
Oh. My. Gosh. Honest to goodness top 5 cutest things I’ve ever seen! I can’t decide what I like best, Callum’s little finger swiping the frosting, their faces after realizing how yummy it tastes, your family walking into the light at the end, or the dog being plucked from the middle of it all. So, so adorable – what a treasure!
Tieghan 07.25.2014
Thank so much for featuring my Margherita Pizza Hummus!! :) so excited you like it!
Have a great weekend!
Tom @ Raise Your Garden 07.25.2014
Thanks for sharing some of your favorite’s! I’m looking forward to that pdf cookbook coming out. Keep us posted!
Emily @ Life on Food 07.25.2014
That dress is so pretty and looks super comfy too. Dresses are my pick of choice in the summer.
Erica { EricaDHouse.com } 07.25.2014
Love those crackers! My Dad has Celiacs so he introduced me to them.
Martha 07.25.2014
Lake Tahoe is one of my favorite places and we have stayed at both North & South. I prefer South Tahoe over North.
Taylor @ Food Faith Fitness 07.25.2014
Thank you SO much for featuring my Goat Cheese and Quinoa Crusted Chicken – I love that meal!! Happy weekend! :)