Friday Things #331
1. We finally have a legit walker! She took her time, but unlike her brothers who looked like wobbly little drunk people when they first started walking around 12 months, she is crazy steady on her feet and just goes once she decides to take off. Ahhhh she seems so much older all of a sudden!
2. Ahhh these boys. They can really get into it some days, but the last few days they have been playing together so nicely 80% of the time and it is just the absolute best thing seeing them be kind to each other, giggling together, making up games, running around and having fun. Seriously, the best.
3. I would love some feedback from you on things you would love to see on Brown Eyed Baker, or food blogs in general. Is there anything you would really love but just isn’t available or no one has – a certain functionality? Type of information? Setup? Share in the comments below or shoot me an email!
4. Did you score any Prime Day deals? I bought… diapers, because we needed them lol! Not very exciting!
5. Really enjoyed this read –> How To Be Happy? A Nearly 90-Year-Old Has Some Advice
6. To piggyback on that – 3 Reasons Why Gratitude Will Make You Healthier
7. Two weeks ago, I made Ina Garten’s outrageous brownies for the first time in a few years and was immediately reminded as to why I need to make them much more often. SO GOOD. Luckily, they make an enormous batch and are quite rich, so my freezer is stocked with them for, ahem, “emergencies”.
8. If you watch tennis, how amazing was that men’s final last Sunday? Dare I say, epic! Was totally rooting for Federer, but was just such a great match to witness.
9. Did you hear? A new Top Gun movie is coming out next year! I seriously CANNOT WAIT. My husband showed me the trailer yesterday and I was ready to head to the theater that very minute. I was pretty young when I saw the original and it has always been one of my most favorite movies; I don’t even know how many times I’ve seen it – countless!
10. TGIF! I hope you have a snuggly weekend!
Do you have an instapot? If so what have you cooked? Any recipes or suggestions. My husband surprised me with one for our anniversary. I’ve wanted one , but didn’t want to spend the money. I can easily cook without it. Was surprised he remembered the one I wanted
I have had one for almost a year and have used it exactly once 😬
Love you blog. My grandson just turned 3, and it’s been a loooong time since I shopped for kids clothes/toys, so I love your recommendations. I appreciate your links to recipes with your Sunday dinner menu. I love to cook, but find myself making the same things every week. I tell my family, “I’ll make ANYTHING, just tell me what you want!”
I love your blog and have been following for around 6 years now. I especially like seeing your Sunday menu. Something that I would be interested in seeing is pairing ideas. If you have a recipe what do you typically eat with it to make a balanced meal (even if the answer frozen peas and tater tots) . I feel sometimes I only have time to “cook” one component of the meal and have to do “cheater” things to balance it out.
Big fan of Friday Things, and have value in product recommendations, and tidbits. [ Oh, and I love the kid and golden pics over the years…original Einstein fan here, and we have two GR’s ourselves ]
A couple of your recipes have been our absolute tried and true over the years. Peanut Butter Cup Overload Cake is really a #1. I use that chocolate cake recipe -every- time (for cakes, and cupcakes…though I know you don’t prefer it for cupcakes).
Everyone who has ever had it comments how rich, moist, and beautifully chocolate-y it is. Recently made cupcakes and a celebration cake for a large family party of almost a hundred. Two different guests approached me asking for my business card, and wanting to contract with me for baked goods. LOL Never fails.
Hi, while I’m not much of a dessert/baking guy (I fill up on the entree, and take the lefties home-small eater), I love your site as much for the family pics as the recipes. Glad to see she’s showing the guys how it is done! (2 older sisters who helped me learn how to walk even though in MY memory I was fine.) did the same. Peace, Buddy
I can’t believe how much bigger Isabelle looks walking! Glad the boys had a good day together. I too want to see Maverick – I can’t wait to see who comes back and how they look now. I have to admit that Tom Cruise still looks good for his age and has kept himself in good shape. Brownies are a strange thing for me – just haven’t been in a brownie mood for a while – but I used to love them. Have a great weekend
I’m not sure what kind of cookware you use, but I would absolutely love a series on cooking with stainless steel. I have a very nice set, but I can’t seem to find the sweet spot when cooking with it, and I struggle with things sticking and not turning out the way I want them to. For that reason I still reach for the nonstick much more than I’d like. Thanks for your consideration! :)
I love your blog! Every recipe I have tried has been successful because of your detail. Could you do some more with “smoothies”? Our daughter had major dental surgery this summer, and I spent more time and money at the local smoothie shop than I wanted. I know I could have made some great smoothies, but it wasn’t the time for me to experiment! Thank you for all you do!!!
Both Ambitious Kitchen (she just had a Smoothie Week series) and Minimalist Baker have lots of smoothie recipes to try. And really once you try one recipe you like, it’s easy to play around with flavors.
Those kids, so, so sweet. Oh look at that sweet Isabelle, she looks like she knows what she is doing, watch out brothers! Thank you for the banana pudding recipe, I am not good at making that but I will try again and use your recipe. Everyone has this ridiculous heat, I am so ready for cooler days.
Hi Michelle,
Love your blog, especially with your friday things and weekend dish and recap. We get a glimpse of family life (gorgeous kiddos) and other blogs we don’t know about.
I can’t cook/bake all recipes here for myself as I am dairy and gluten intolerant so I sub where I can, but the rest of the family is OK.
My son surprised me with and instant pot from amazon(prime sale) and I was wondering if you have any recipes or suggestions . Thanks.
Happy Friday! My Amazon Prime “Treat-yo-self” purchase was an ice cream maker. (I also nabbed some car seats for when my new baby outgrows the infant seat, but that’s not as much fun.) I can’t wait to start trying out some of your ice cream recipes! I’m hoping to recreate my favorite flavor from our local shop, raspberries and cream. It’s a sweet cream ice cream with fresh raspberries. So that’s my recipe suggestion. I love your site and I always recommend it to friends.
FIrst I wouldn’t like to say that your children are adorable.
Secondly, I would love to have a recipe for sour dough starter. I had one and made it but it’s went bad I need the fridge.
I wish your search function was more… functional. I’ll be on the site, search something, and have to go back to Google to actually find it. I was looking for the Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake the other day and it wasn’t even in the first couple pages of results. It’s similar even when the words aren’t as generic. I don’t know if you can do anything about it, but it would be super helpful!
Hello, …I just love your friday’s things. as well as watching your family grow! What I would like see again not sure if i saw it on your site or another site. bu if you have a home made barbeque sauce recipe. Please post it or send it to me. Also those chocolate chip cookies recipe were the best i have ever made.
Angrla
Love your blog just the way it is. My one comments would be that I would like to see something in the title or early in the text of reposts of older recipes. Maybe something in the first paragraph or so.
My oldest didn’t walk until he was about 15 months old either. But once he did walk, he totally had it mastered. And that’s been his personality ever since. If he can’t do something perfect, he doesn’t want to do it at all! My younger son was quite different – he’d take a step, fall down and just keep getting back up – over and over again.
One of the things we need is more healthy or healthyish everyday recipes to get dinner on the table efficiently. Special event and over the top recipes abound, but new ideas for the slogging it out 5 days a week dinner category can always use more variety.
Two suggestions for the site. 1). Would love a “search” link from the home page. I make your meat sauce recipe at least once a month, so would love to be able to just type in “meat sauce” from the home page, rather than clicking over to the main recipe index.
2). It might be fun to feature a reader, family favorite recipe every now & then. You could either have readers send in various recipes, & feature one, or, ask for specific reader family favorites, like a family favorite pasta salad.
Love your blog! I especially enjoy seeing what recipes you’ve bookmarked from other sites, as it’s given me ideas.
That’s such a great idea. I would love that too…family recipes handed down or old neighbor etc. Recipes with stories are so awesome.
Thank you….just went and watched the trailer. I rarely see movies anymore, but this one will be a must!! I also saw it when I was pretty young and loved it. Hope this one compares! I have only tried the Ina brownies once and ended up ruining the whole batch. I think I mixed everything when the melted chocolate was too hot? This was about 15 years ago and I didn’t pay too close of attention to detail at the time. Maybe I should retry. :)
Love the blog, so fun to watch your children growing. As for requests we would love to see the nutritional information for recipes. My husband really needs to watch his simple carbs and knowing the carb, fiber and sugar content helps me to know which recipes he can enjoy.
Love your blog and always look forward to your Friday posts!! Love your leather couch and have a couple questions! We have two goldens as well, and I just ordered new leather furniture for our family room. (Delivery in September). So, do you let your goldens on your leather furniture? If so, do they scratch it? Doesn’t look like your couch has any scratches on it!! If you do let them up, do you use a cover for your furniture? If so, what do you use? Thanks!!
Hi Jan, We don’t let them on the couch. Duke basically never gets on his hind legs – never jumps on furniture, never counter surfs, doesn’t jump on people… Judith will put her front paws on the couch and snuggle up that way :)
I also use your recipes and blog. It is my go to when I need to take something or have something in the frig to use.(ingredient recipes). I can search for the make ahead recipes but would like to see it’s own category
How about a savory muffin recipe? We love sweets at our house, but I would like to try to reduce my son’s sugar consumption. School will be starting soon and muffins are so easy for a grab and go breakfast!
On ideas for the blog/food world….I would love to see more recipes where vegetables are the star. I’m diabetic and need to eat low-carb, which means amping up the vegetable servings. But most recipes barely feature the vegetable and when the veg is the main dish it’s most often drowning in a same old-same old cheese sauce. There’s got to me more to vegetables then that!
Hello, I saw your picture with you & one of your dogs on your beautiful leather couch. May I ask what cleaner you use on your couch? We have two cats that love to chase each other which includes running over our new leather couch . I have noticed some little claw marks on it & do not know what to use to seal the scratches. Any advice would be appreciated! Love your recipes and pictures of your children. They are growing up so fast! Beautiful family!
Hi Judith, We usually just use leather wipes on the couch. The dogs don’t go up there regularly; Judith will sometimes put her front paws up and snuggle though :)
First off, I love your blog/recipes! I always recommend it to friends and family with the guarantee that ANYTHING they make from your site WILL turn out great. I love a good in depth recipe, especially for holidays or special events, but what I find myself looking for most often are quick, easy, healthy recipes to get through the week, often what I call “cheat” meals. For example, something I can grab some pre-made this, frozen that, jar of this, microwave rice packet, etc. from the grocery store combined with minimal chopping of fresh produce or quick cook of fresh meat, and whip together a quick meal with minimal effort- but one you’d think I’d taken a lot more time on. Or, if I’m going to spend more time on prep, the recipe describes or I can easily figure out how to double it and freeze half for later. Basically anything that maximizes the output for effort!
HI
I love your blog and your recipes.
Two things I would like to see: I have a nut allergy. Many (baking) recipes contain nuts. Can I just leave them out or do I need a volume substitute?
I love hermits but I have not found a great recipe, Any suggestions?
Thank you!
LOVE YOUR BLOG -ESPECIALLY FRIDAY’S! I am looking for more adaptations of recipes to serve two. For instance, pressure cooker recipes for cheesecake are always for a 7” size. I have small 4” size pans, which would make enough for only two without having a lot left over. I am not sure if I would cook for the same amount of time since the pans are more shallow? I think it’s great that recipes are posted for family size cooking, but an addendum on how to modify the recipes for two would be a great benefit!
Hi! I love the Cake for Two site, which has tons of recipes sized down to two-servings. Everything I’ve tried has been delicious – and no wasted food! You just need the right sized pans and you’re all set!
https://www.dessertfortwo.com/mini-vanilla-cake/
There is a site called Dessert for Two and she features main course meals for two. I think her name is Christina and she has been on QVC selling her cookbooks.
I do love this the Brown Eyed Baker Blog because she has such great recipes and love the videos. I have been following for hers even before she was ever married.
You asked about Prime Day wins… I got 2 liters (!) of EVOO for $4.73! It’s the Amazon brand, which I’ve never bought before, but I’ve only heard good things.
Sweet pictures of everyone. Love that you let your dog sit there with you on the couch. Such an adorable picture of you and Duke I think that is. Isabelle, go girl. Soon she can chase her brothers.😊
Btw..I just said this afternoon the Top Gun sequel trailer is out…cant wait to see it too…