New Fav Healthy-Ish Snack, The Best Brow Gel, & My Dream Concert (Again 💛)
Female Foodie Friday Vol. 31
This week was steadily infused with the good life.
Homemade banana bread muffins. The good life.
Catching up on the phone with my sister. The good life.
Reading “Oh, The Places You’ll Go” with my oldest. The good life.
A date night with Cody. The good life.
A green lawn & blooming hydrangeas. The good life.
A concert with girlfriends. The good life.
A giant turkey sandwich loaded with veggies. The good life.
A totally clean house with laundry put away (for a few hours, at least). The good life.
A great deal on a patio table from FB marketplace. The good life.
Birria tacos & lots of breakfast burritos. The good life.
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10 Things That Made This Week Great
If you don’t love Florence Pugh already, you’ll love her after you watch this interview.
Siggis coconut yogurt + Guittard dark chocolate chips = the BEST snack.
Preschool drop-off has nothing on me. And speaking of chocolate…I stumbled upon this adorable shop in Portland and was *smitten* by their incredible selection of craft chocolate.
Landed on these three and loved every bite. Not pictured: the most insane chocolate covered salted caramel purchased from behind the counter. My little herb garden is 80% loaded! Need to fill in some gaps, but we’re nearly there. I have dreams of a big Martha Stewart garden someday, but for now this corner of my backyard brings me lots of joy.
Totally procrastinated getting my Real ID and found myself in White Salmon (about 75 mins east of Portland) on Saturday applying for a new license. After getting my picture taken and sharing 13 different forms of proof of ID, I made my way over to one of my favorite bakeries in the area: the White Salmon Baking Co. This place is an absolute gem and 100% worth the drive if you’re remotely close.
Personal favorites: sourdough rustic loaf, double chocolate sea salt cookies, brioche cinnamon roll, and their locally loved blueberry polenta cake with citrus & EVOO. I’m not one to rave about beauty products, but this brow gel has CHANGED MY LIFE.
Have actually shed tears watching vids from this Instagram account.
Dove headfirst into Stanley Tucci’s brand new series “Tucci in Italy” and I cannot get enough. Have you been watching too? It’s on Disney plus AND Hulu, so you basically have no excuse. 🙃
Date night ends with Salt & Straw more often than not, and I can’t get over how good this month’s Chocolate Chili Crisp Peanut Butter Cups flavor is (it has Fly By Jing’s Sichuan-style chili crisp swirled into the PB—don’t knock it ‘til you try it!). I paired that with some of their OG Sea Salt with Caramel Ribbons, and the two were seriously a match made in heaven. Cody is a creature of habit and (almost) always gets olive oil with sprinkles.
PS- the PB chili crisp flavor is from my friend Tyler Malek’s brand new cookbook! This would literally be the perfect end-of-school-year gift. Need more convincing? Listen to my recent interview with Tyler here.
My biggest highlight of the week was seeing James Taylor in concert in Bend, Oregon, with a few of my dearest friends. A chilly evening turned into quite the cold outdoor performance, but James and his All-Star Band still thrived. James Taylor was the soundtrack to my childhood, he’s my #1 Spotify artist year after year, and somehow someway his songs get better the more you listen to them. This wasn’t my first James Taylor concert, and I certainly hope it won’t be my last.
Best music and even better company. Concert highlights:
Soooo many of my personal favs performed: My Traveling Star, Up On A Roof, You’ve Got A Friend, Shower The People, Your Smiling Face, and more than a dozen others that just warmed me from the inside out.
When a fan from the front row offered James his puffy down coat, which he happily zipped up and wore for the entire performance.
His closing duet with son Henry, who has an incredible voice and tours with James regularly. They sang “Close Your Eyes,” and it was poignant and perfect.
Reminiscing on seeing James in concert last year with my parents, just days before they left on their 3-year mission to the Philippines. I miss them and I love that songs (just like food) can help us feel close to the people we love in an instant.
James Taylor last year with my parents, almost exactly one year ago.
I’d love to hear WHERE you’re reading this week’s FFF from! Send me a pic and I’ll share the best ones next week. :)
Example: “Reading FFF at 30,000 feet with a blackberry mango seltzer in hand.”
This whole list reads like a deep exhale and a grin. I felt that “laundry put away (for a few hours, at least)” in my soul. It’s the stringing together of small, sacred joys that really is the good life, isn’t it? Pass me a muffin and a breakfast burrito, I’m in 🫶🏻
Should have clarified on the last part. You can send a pic to me via email Brooke@femalefoodie.com or DM me on Instagram :)