Friday Favorites

Hey, hey, happy Friday!

My schedule has been all out whack this week, what with the holiday on Tuesday, then having Ben home from work, then not – I feel like I’ve lived 3 Fridays already!

I’m looking forward to a quiet weekend at home, including making homemade sushi for dinner tonight with Ben, then STEAM MOPPING my entire house this weekend with the new STEAM MOP I’m buying today. I could not be more excited, if you can’t tell (what has my life come to…) All I can say is keeping the tile in my entryway, kitchen, and bathrooms is, well, it’s a challenge my friends. One I’m going to tackle head on with the power of steam on my side, muwahaha!

At any rate, let me in on your fun plans for the 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 mini: Birthday Cake Brownie Pops. How adorable and intricate are these cake pops? Totally appeals to my miniature-obsessed self.

Favorite reads: The Violets of March by Sarah Jio. I have now read all of Sarah’s books and The Violets of March might be my favorite. I read it in one day over Christmas break (which seems to be a pattern with her stories – I cannot put them down!) and was enchanted by the tale of a mysterious novel that the main character finds in a drawer at her great Aunt’s house, whose story somehow weaves itself into her present-day life. LOVED it!

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. I also read this book over the holidays, and it is warped in the best possible way. It’s a tale of a toxic, he said/she said relationship that has the craziest ending. This was a day and half read – again, totally sucked me in!

Favorite bite: Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Cups. Mini, browned butter, chocolate chips, plus a gooey center? ‘Nuf said. Oh, one more thing, YUM!

Favorite fitness: Brazilian Butt Workout. I find walking incline workouts to be much tougher than running workouts. They BURN to the point where running feels like relief! That said, I can’t wait to try this one out. :)

Favorite sip: Spiced Ginger Pear Cocktail. Festive for the season, but also really fresh too. This actually sounds like it’d make a really good tea blend!

Favorite tip: Pashmina Wrap. I have tons of pashminas which I love taking with me to weddings and events to drape around my shoulders if I get chilly, but they’re hard to wear as scarves because they’re so long, and I’m so short! I think this simple way to tie a pashmina as a scarf, with a unique little wrap on top, is sooo cute though. There’s also a video which show’s you how to do it!

Favorite dish: Roasted Corn Pasta Salad. To be honest the gemelli is what first caught my attention (my favorite pasta shape!) but the flavors of chipotle and sweet corn in this recipe had me hooked.

Favorite space saver: Bed Sconces. None of the bedrooms in my house are particularly huge so I’m always looking for ways to save space. This sconce solution would totally work for me!

Favorite yum: Honey Mustard Glazed Chicks in a Blanket. Because, what isn’t made better by wrapping in bacon, and glazing with honey mustard sauce??? Love the super-short ingredient list in this recipe, too.

Favorite funny: Trust Fall. Ok, this video is really stupid, but it makes me laugh really hard. I TRUST YOU!

Favorite sweet: Fresh Strawberry Cake. While it’s definitely not strawberry season – far from it – I’ve been seeing strawberry recipes everywhere lately. Perhaps its our collective wishful thinking for warmer weather? Whatever the case may be, this Fresh Strawberry Cake is the best looking recipe I’ve seen yet.

Favorite place. If I can’t be twirling in strawberry fields, I’ll take a cup of hot chocolate and a good book in front of this roaring fire in my cozy, log cabin thankyouverymuch.

Favorite fresh: Deviled Egg Chef Salad. I am a total sucker for Chef Salads (sans bleu cheese) and Deviled Eggs. What a great, fresh combo of the two!