TGIF, everyone!

After months and months of freezing cold weather, and blizzard after blizzard after blizzard, things are starting to look up around here. We’ve got 50s and even, gasp, 60s in the forecast over the next week or so, which is making me think this thing called Spring will finally happen afterall. A girl can dream, anyway!

My schedule is about to get bonkers over the next month and a half, so I’ll be savoring this final free weekend (with more sunlight – thanks daylight savings time!) by getting in some spring cleaning, an outdoor walk, if I’m lucky, and maybe even firing up the grill. Like I said – a girl can dream! : )

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 find: The Creamy Cauliflower Sauce Cookbook. (<– affiliate link.) I bought this e-cookbook from Pinch of Yum a few weeks ago and, oh my gosh, I’m obsessed! The book includes recipes built around a luxurious sauce that you’d swear has loads of cream in it, but what makes it rich and creamy is actually…cauliflower! I’ve made the the Creamy Garlic Rice three times already. #cantstopwontstop

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Favorite fashion: Fashion by Mayhem. This adorable 4 year old, nicknamed “Mayhem” by her parents, makes homemade dresses from things around the house every single day. The site has blown up in the past two weeks in the media and I can understand why. Her joy radiates through the camera!

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Favorite photo: Edible Eggless Cookie Dough. This photo makes my mouth water. I want to devour the entire bowl!

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Favorite DIY: Bold Split-Photo Wall Art. $10 to make awesome, custom wall art? Done. I foresee a travel photo broken up into 4 pieces hanging on a HUGE bare wall in our living room.

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Favorite bite: Vegan Peanut Butter Pretzel Truffles. Chewy, crispy, salty and, most importantly, chocolaty. I need a big batch of these stashed in the freezer to pull out any time I’m craving a sweet treat.

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Favorite slurp: Philly Cheesesteak Soup. Ahhmazing. Another photo, and recipe, that I want to dive into head first. Look at that melt-age! Which brings me to…

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Favorite find: The Secret Ingredient is Always Cheese. Story of my life.

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Favorite no-fry: Healthier General Tso’s Chicken Tenders. Baked, not fried, these crispy, spicy-sweet chicken tenders are a fun twist on a favorite take-out dish.

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Favorite PSA: How To Mix Fonts. Good reminder for bloggers who lay text over their photos!

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Favorite remake: Crispy Beef. I made this for dinner last night and omg, so good. Ben’s and my favorite Chinese restaurant switched owners a few years back and it tasted pretty close to their original Orange Beef, which we used to love!

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Favorite sip: Coconut Creamsicle Margaritas. Yesssss. PS remember those Flinestones push up pops? They’re always the first thing I think of when I see the word creamsicle! #deepthoughts

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Favorite getaway: Belizean Cove Estates. Cowboy take me away! No seriously, get me outta this frozen tundra we call the Midwest and to a warm beach somewhere, stat. Preferably with one of those Coconut Creamsicle Margaritas in hand.

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Favorite treat: Texas Sheet Cake Cookies. Have I ever told you that Texas Sheet Cake is one of my favorite desserts in the entire world? (The Pioneer Woman makes a mean one!) Obsessed with this poppable take on the classic. I’d eat about 600 in one sitting, I’m sure!

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Favorite giveaway: Klean Kanteen Stainless Steel Water Bottle. I have been on a hunt for the perfect water bottle for what feels like my entire life. Can you relate? Well, I think I’ve found it!

The Klean Kanteen Stainless Steel Water Bottle is made from food-grade stainless steel, the sport cap is BPA-free, and it’s just the right size. Not so small that you feel like you’re refilling it after every guzzle, but not so big that it can’t fit in your cup holders. It is, as they say, da bomb. Even Lincoln begs for sips from my pretty blue bottle that just so happens to match my site. I’m not kidding – he loves drinking out it!

Anyway, like I said, I think a lot of people are also on the hunt for the perfect water bottle to tote with ’em everywhere, so Klean Kanteen is giving away a water bottle in your choice of the three colors below to one IGE reader!

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Enter to win a Klean Kanteen Stainless Steel Water Bottle in one of the three colors shown above by using the voting widget below (may not work in Internet Explorer.) Click the “+1″ button then click “Enter” by 11:59pm central time on Tuesday, March 11. 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. ***

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