Welcome to Friday Favorites! This quick glimpse of my week is for all subscribers (free and paid). I include a fan-favorite recipe, something I’m watching, reading, or listening to, a recent find, and a weekly win.
Guys — if you haven’t indulged in summer peaches, nectarines, apricots and plums it’s time to get busy. Or make a tomato and burrata salad with summer heirloom tomatoes that are just coming into their own. Sweet summer corn on the grill, finished elote-style with crema, lime, and Tajín, or thin ribbons of zucchini (use a vegetable peeler to cut the ribbons) on top of stracciatella, drizzled with good-quality olive oil and toasted pine nuts. Going to a farmer’s market is the best way to brainstorm dinner with the season’s best. Keep it simple and let the ingredients shine.
Yesterday I shared a recipe post and a video all about this super-fast and simple Cast Iron Blueberry Cobbler. It seriously comes together in 10 minutes. Make it for dessert pronto and report back.
You can find all the SITK recipes I’ve shared, organized by ingredient, in my Recipe Index.
Shampoo Effect really came into its own for me. Halfway through the book, nothing much had happened except for extensive character building and nothing else. Then a bomb dropped in the plot and I love what happened next. I don’t want to give too much away, but if you’ve started this book and you’re not sure where things are going, stick with it. Things come together in the end! The characters aren’t necessarily likable, but they’re real, and the honesty that shines through in the book's final pages gave clarity and a sense of oxygen to the plot.
Last night my daughter had me lock into a late-night viewing of Interstellar because I’d never seen it and she wanted to tutor me on the merits of a Christopher Nolan movie. We went to see The Odyssey today and I can truly say I’m exhausted from two back-to-back Nolan movies.
Loving the Schostal x Alex Mill pajama collab in a blue striped long-sleeve pajama set and green striped nightshirt. My daughter ordered an army green Alex Mill “Perfect Weekend Tote” to use as a work bag and it turned out so cute with her monogram in red. She can pack it up for her job that starts next week!
We’ve been dorm shopping, and my to-do list is happy to report that we’re finally making good progress on some room decor decisions. My daughter and her roommate decided on this king scalloped pillow from Look Linen and a monogrammed appliqué pillow for their beds. Her dorm bed might be nicer than mine! We ordered headboards from Dorm Decor and couldn’t have been more charmed when a woman with a sweet Southern accent actually answered the phone and made sure our order got shipped out today.
Just ordered these Nike retro sneakers and they’re not a terrible price! I wanted to change up my typical Adidas trainers.
Sadly, on a recent trip to Southern California, I lost my favorite Diff sunglasses (shocker!). I originally ordered them from Tuckernuck, but they no longer carry that style. They were the perfect shade of green! Ugh. They were similar to this shape but in this color. These Chimi sunglasses in green are super similar. I should probably get these $16 cuties from Amazon knowing that they won’t stick around for long.
Today is my dad’s birthday, and it’s so nice to be together to celebrate while we escape the Houston heat. We’ve had a month of family time with a bi-annual family reunion in Southern California, time with our oldest before she starts her job and extended summer quality time as a family of five. I’m making the most of it before we drop my youngest at school in August.
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