Friday Favorites
Salted Chocolate Sheet Cake, Amy Poehler's podcast, The Studio, Emily Henry's new book, Zara and Amazon deals, and my mindbodygreen haul! LOTS to cover, so let's dig in.
Welcome to Friday Favorites! This quick glimpse of my week is for all subscribers, both free and paid. I include a fan-favorite recipe, something I’m watching, reading, or listening to, a recent find, and a weekly win.
What I’m Cooking
Guys. I need a serious cleanse after all the chocolate cake I took down over the past week. So, in the spirit of sharing, I’m attaching not just the Salted Chocolate Sheet Cake recipe, but also, in the spirit of balance, a link to a mostly Whole30 Meal Plan from my blog. We sprinkled the finished cake with a little Maldon Sea Salt and more espresso powder, but I honestly think I’d skip both next time. It was already salty (and caffeinated) enough.
You can find all the SITK recipes I’ve shared on Substack in my Recipe Index.
What I’m Watching, Reading AND Listening To
The Studio (available on Apple TV or Prime Video) is an “inside baseball” show for film fans, full of iconic references and anxiety-inducing one-shot sequences. I also love Kathryn Hahn who plays a delulu and slightly manic marketing exec. I love her interview on Smartless, if you haven’t listened.
I just started listening to the Amy Poehler Good Hang podcast. If you want a good place to start, I suggest the Kathryn Hahn episode. She is probably my favorite character on The Studio (see above).
This week was also the launch of Emily Henry’s newest book, Great Big Beautiful Life, and I can’t wait to break into it over the weekend.
Last but not least, some recommended Substack reads:
Amanda Hesser’s look back on her 90s stint at a French Chateau.
Love this chat Jenna Helwig had with Kate Leahy. Jenna wrote an endorsement for my cookbook and is the food editor at Real Simple. Kate has worked on numerous iconic cookbooks and is a seasoned pro. So many great mentions. (Agree, Jenna!)
David Lebovitz’s French Costco adventures continue.
What I’m Coveting
I should probably change the header for this section, as I only write about and recommend items that I’ve already purchased. So it’s not so much what I’m coveting, but what I’ve coveted and brought home and hung up in my closet. Anywayyyy! I was headed to a fundraiser this week and searched for a new dress. I didn’t find one, but I ended up happily wearing the Christy Lynn dress I wore to my cookbook launch party. It’s this style from Christy Lynn, but the print I have is sold out. However, after my shopping outing, I came home with this lightweight Zara jacket with cute white buttons. Yesterday, I wore it over my shoulders with this inexpensive striped shirtdress I grabbed before a trip to Europe last summer.
I just did a major mindbodygreen haul (creatine with taurine in a large bag and small creatine with taurine to-go packets, clean coffee and grass-fed whey protein). I like their products and they conduct extensive blind testing. I haven’t tried the coffee yet, so I’ll report back.
We have two April birthdays in our house. I stocked my son up with Poncho shirts (also what my husband got for his birthday in March), and my daughter is getting a set of Lake Pajamas in butter yellow. Let’s hope she doesn’t read this newsletter since she hasn’t opened her gifts yet.
This Week’s Win
It was a quiet work week, and it was lovely to catch up, brainstorm, and get creative. I’ve realized that I need plenty of downtime and open calendar space in order to create new work, develop interesting recipes and enjoy what I do. Moving forward, I’m carving out weekly “blank space” to make sure I don’t overschedule myself. It happens fast and I’m trying to be more cognisant of what I say yes to and protect my energy and sanity!
Thank you for your continued support and encouragement. Engaging with Substack writers by liking and commenting on their posts and notes, even as a free subscriber, is a valuable way to show your support. Your involvement makes a big difference! You can check out all my past Friday Favorite items on my ShopMy page. Using an affiliate link is an easy way to show your support, at no cost to you. It doesn’t add up to much, but helps “keep the lights on.”
GIFT CARD
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Looking forward to making this cake 🎂