Friday Five {Blogs I Love}

Via

The blogging world is huge, inspiring and overwhelming.  There are so many unique, creative and informative spaces on the world wide web.  While my Blogloving account is overflowing, I would love to share some of my favorites!

How do you keep up with all of your blogs?  Do you have favorites?  What do you look for?

Aspiring Kennedy//Based in the UK, Lauren, her husband and their adorable baby are living the ex-pat life!  Her writing is beautiful, advice is spot on and it is so incredibly genuine.

Love and Lemons//Lemons are my favorite ingredient, so it made sense that I started following this a few years back.  The recipes are healthy, easy and tasty!

The Beauty Department//The Lauren Conrad collaboration is by far my favorite beauty blog.  The tutorials are easy to follow and the content is so diverse.  It never bores me!

Torie + Tristan//Torie and I are actually good friends from college!  She and her husband are living the newlywed life up in Seattle.  Her taste is impeccable and she is always ahead of the curve!

Dinner a Love Story//I always salivate when reading this blog.  I have tried many of the recipes and have never been let down.  Jenny's voice is so beautiful and humorous.

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Friday Five {Sister Sister}

Next week marks the birthday of one of my most favorite people in the whole wide world; my older sister!  So, in honor of her anniversary of life, Friday Five is all about Stephy J and what makes her so awesome!

Notre Dame Cathedral

She is always up for trying new things.  Hikes, runs, museums, recipes, etc.  And the girl loves Macaroons!!  We have tested, critiqued and kept notes on dozens of macaroon flavors.  We know, it is a tough job but someone has to do it.  

A sea of macaroons

She makes things fun; even when you are wet, hungry and tired.   While in Paris, we had spent the day trekking around Monmarte, climbing the hills, exploring stores and getting somewhat lost.  In the rain.  Instead of throwing a pity party we popped into a cafe, ate Pomme Frites {American Style} and chair danced to French Abba!

She loves Gilmore Girls and is almost always willing to binge watch it with me.  She also references real life situations back to Stars Hallow!  Need I say more?

Shenanigans in North Portland

The girl can cook!  For our parent's 2013 Holiday Party she made marshmallows!!  They were clearly the hit of the party.  It is probably wrong to ask someone to make you a special treat on their birthday, right?!?!

NPR Swag

She is a fantastic and thoughtful gift-giver!  For my college graduation she and my oldest sister gifted me a goat!  She also gifts NPR Swag and fancy pastries just because!  She is always thinking of others.

Always making me laugh!

Friday Five {What I've Been Eating}

Portland is a food city!  There are so many amazing restaurants and creative people.  The Food Carts, restaurants and bloggers always bring so much to the table.  It is inspiring.

It can also be a bit unhealthy.  Which is why I try to follow a rule of thumb that I cannot eat out more than three times a week.  This includes coffee runs, lunches, etc.  Because of this rule, I cook a majority of my meals at home.  Shocking!  I know.  I eat more than three meals a week.  And, I write a food blog.  BUT, for me, that is still a lot of at home cooking.  Especially when trying to keep it original, tasty and healthy-ish!

If you are following me on Instagram you already saw my version of pepperoni pizza.  I stopped by City Market and grabbed a few cheeses and spicy salami options.  I then pan crisped the dough in EVOO on the stove , assembled the pizza and finished it off in a 475 oven.  Best part... it cost less than $10 to make!

This week, I was able to have coffee with the lovely Jane from In The Pink and Green!  The conversation was delightful, the weather gorgeous, and, the drip coffee with steamed hazelnut milk was magical!

Remember Portland Dining Month?  Well, it is still happening!  And, I was able to eat at Genoa.  It was a truly memorable experience.  The service was top notch and the food was so delicious.  It was also an incredible deal.

I made this Pinkberry Original Fro-Yo Copycat recipe this week!  It tastes like the real thing!

I also sauteed cabbage in lemon juice and dijon mustard this week.  It was crunchy, tangy and very filling.

Friday Five {Recipe Edition}

We are only a few days into Lent and I am already thinking about Easter.  Specifically, the menu!  While the star of the show is always the ham, I like to give special attention and extra love to the sides.   While I don't think all of these will be incorporated into my Easter festivities, they will be made and consumed this Spring.  The Carrot Lemon Risotto may need to happen this week!  

What are your favorite Spring celebration sides? 

Smoked Salmon Galette

Carrot Lemon Risotto

Rhubarb Chutney

Dilled Deviled Eggs

Meyer Lemon Crepe Cake

All images from Martha Stewart Living

Friday Five {Go for the Gold}

With the Olympics right around the corner, I've been drawn to all things gold.  Something about the yellow metal seems to feel decadent and celebratory.

Hope you have a great weekend!

Image via Nordstrom

This Essie "Good as Gold" nail polish seems like the perfect way to cheer your team on!  

Image via Guest of a Guest

Did you see that Michelle Kwan's husband is running for Governor of Rhode Island?  Of course, this made wonder what she has been up to since her days on the ice.  My goodness, that girl is accomplished!!

Image via Kalb

For the first time ever I am actually excited about the Superbowl!  The Broncos and Seahawks were both the "regional" teams growing up.  It also seems like the players for both teams have a lot of character on and off the field.

Image via Camille Styles

This Bees Knees cocktail looks refreshing and easy to make during the winter months.

Image via Read Between The Lines

I received so many nice comments about the "I Love Your Hair Will You Marry Me" print from this post.  It was actually a house warming gift from a very kind friend who happens to know that complementing my locks guarantees eternal love.  It is one of the most complimented pieces I own!!!

The ladies at Read Between The Lines were really amazing and made sure every detail was special and unique. 

Friday Five {Fresh}

Perhaps it is the fact that I am experiencing my first winter outside of a tundra, or, that Portland is having its driest winter on record, but, I am already anticipating spring.  Queue: blizzards, rains, sleet, and the groundhogs shadow. Or, it might be something else that I can't jinx. Remember the NutriBullet I mentioned?  Well, Nellie is now part of my family. She is sleek, beautiful, and such a gem.   Every day is filled with fruity smoothies, sunshine, and, eternal happiness.  Well, not quite, but it is pretty amazing.  And makes life feel very fresh.

What are you loving this week?

Cheers,

Mere

Image via bestmakeupproducts.com

Last weekend, I had the opportunity to have my make-up done for free at Nordstrom with the ladies at Laura Mercier!!  I have been incorporating her products into my routine for over 7 years.  While I loved everything they used on me, two products really stood out. The Creme Smooth Lipstick, in Haute Red may be the perfect red for someone with my coloring.  It isn't too matte, but doesn't have a sticky lip gloss consistency.  It wasn't stuffy, but wasn't channeling a harlot.  I also really, really loved the Secret Brightening Powder they used under my eyes.  It did just that.  I had very tired, puffy eyes that day.  Not only did it waken them right up, but kept me looking fresh for a night of partying, dancing and shenanigans.

Image via People.com

You may have heard, but Frankie and Barry are getting together this Spring!  That is on a Thursday.  Spoiler Alert: March  28ths Friday 5 already has a theme!

Image via TodaysMama.com

Last night's Parenthood was painful.  We are talking gut wrenching sobs.  It wasn't pretty.  And since #Joelia won't be back until the end of February {Thanks Olympics!} I am going to sedate myself with a non-stop Friday Night Lights marathon.  Only Coach and Tami Taylor can get me through this one.

Image via SpoonForkBacon.com

Teri and Jenny just put up this mouthwatering Smoked Salmon Pizza recipe.  I may have to wait until the Farmer's Market opens back up in March to get my favorite smoked salmon for this recipe.   Until then, I will implement this fool-proof method of making the tastiest salmon in all of the land.

Image via Piperlime.com

While I rarely wear necklaces, and usually just stick to over sized studs, I am loving this necklace from Piperlime.  The lilac color is very "Spring" and the design is a nice nod to the 20's without being too costume like.

Friday Five {Birthday Edition}

Image Courtesy of {une-deuxsenses.blogspot.com}

This weekend, I will be celebrating 27 trips around the sun.  I am having a cake, ice cream and cocktail party.  Since moving to Portland, I have had the opportunity to reconnect with some old pals and make some amazing new friends.   I am really looking forward to seeing how the night plays out, especially since there are so many entertaining characters in the bunch.  

Image via {TheBeautyDepartment.com}

When I moved to Portland it was a big adjustment.  Most of the changes were very fun or a good kind of hard.  Finding a person to do my hair has NOT been easy.  You see, the same woman has been doing my hair for almost 15 years.  It is the longest, healthiest and must aesthetically pleasing relationship I have ever been in.  Well, this Fall, after 6 months without a trim or glaze, I knew it was time to try someone new.  Well, that was a fail.  Instead of schwoopy bangs, I have been growing out a mullet on the right side of my head for months.  So you better believe when I was in Montana over the holidays one of my first stops involved seeing my hair therapist!  While she did an amazing job, I still have a few months of growing my hair out.  Luckily, The Beauty Department, just put up this amazing post to help style hair when growing out bangs.  Or, in my case, growing out a temple-to-ear-mullet. 

Image via EOnline.com

I am not the only girl who will be celebrating her birthday this weekend!!!  Michelle Obama turned 50 today!  My goodness, she makes 50 look GOOD!!!  Our First Lady is a pretty amazing person.  She is committed to a healthy and active lifestyle, supporting military families, and, has amazing dance moves.  It is hard to imagine why anyone would feel so down about this milestone birthday, when, MO clearly embraces it. 

Image via {teenmusic.com}

One of my all time favorite shows is Gilmore Girls.  While it is an amazing show for so many reasons, one thing I really love about those quirky girls is their love of birthday celebrations.  Though a giant pizza would not be my birthday request, it is still pretty epic.  If only were streaming on Netflix, I could transport to Stars Hollow on a regular basis. 

Image via {PortlandMercury.com}

If I were in Montana, I would most likely be having my birthday dinner at Barclay's Supper Club for the world's greatest steak.  And, since I really only eat steak in Montana, that is a tremendously biased opinion.  This year I am hoping to have some really amazing Pho at Luc Lac. The restaurant has been undergoing construction and renovation since mid-December.  It is slated to open on Monday {my actual birthday} and you better believe I will be singing this tune if that doesn't happen.  And then go to Boxer Ramen.

Image via Pinterest

It was over 50 degrees and clear blue skies more than once this week.  Not only is that unheard of for Portland, it is also in huge contrast to the rest of the country.  Due to this unexpected "dry spell" I am already starting to think about summer sandals.  I saw these Toms in the store yesterday and they are even better in person. These Kork-Ease wedges also caught my eye.  While they are different from anything I own or gravitate towards, they have quite the reputation for being incredibly comfortable.  Maybe 27 is the year to broaden my horizons.  At least in the shoe department.