Many people have asked… so I’ll be sharing my “Stuff I’ve Gotta Share and You’ve Gotta See” as “Weekend Link Love” from here on out.  Look for it about every other weekend– as I gather links to things I simply must share with you!  Here’s the news this week… First things first:  Instagram is the new Snapchat!  Have you heard?  Instagram now has a “Stories” feature verrrrrryyyy similar to Snapchat.  I actually like it a lot because you can share single photos AND stories all in one place.  On my RecipeGirl Instagram profile, just click my round photo to see video story updates each day (stories only stick around for 24 hours, and then POOF they disappear).

I’ve been hanging out here a bit the last couple of weeks- Sand Harbor in North Lake Tahoe.  It’s peaceful and relaxing, and it’s a good place to read your book.  I’ve been using my sister’s new book review blog for my summer reading choices.  This book is my next pick! OMG, from shore we watched these guys ride Flyboards out on the water and they were INSANE.  I’ve never seen anything like it! My husband and I have decided that we need a couple of these next summer- I had no idea they had inflatable ones… so much easier to store!  Oh, and I already have my eye on getting at least ONE of these for my beer-loving husband for Christmas.

My Tessie the Labradoodle will be 2 years old in November.  She always has a tennis ball in her mouth.  Always! This toy comes in mighty handy since she’s so ball-crazy.  I wish I could find some bones I’m happy with for large dogs.  Just the kind of bones that dogs eat entirely (not chew bones).  Any suggestions? Here are some fun dogs to follow on Instagram… if you’re truly a dog lover and you like that sort of thing!

These delicious treats are the latest creation from my son Brooks at RecipeBoy.com.  There’s a special something in the middle there that makes these WOW. Kids in our city start school on MONDAY (too early!!)  I’m spending the weekend making homemade snacks (mini loaves) to send with him to school… and also to have ready for him when he comes home starving.  I know he’ll be into these (no bake!)… and this healthy snack is on my list to make too. Clothes shopping is fun with a teenager (um, NOT!)  My son likes wearing Vans for shoes… but he also loves these shoes and says they are super comfortable.  I have to say that I like them much better than regular sneakers- they’re more stylish.  You’d have a tough time finding them in the stores, but they do run true to size if you want to order them online.

My latest write-up for Parade Magazine‘s blog is all about making EASY JAM that you store in the freezer.  I’m not a canner… so the freezer jam recipes appeal to me a lot.  If they appeal to you too, then visit this post:  15 EASY FREEZER JAM RECIPES … like this beautiful peach jam you see pictured here. If you make jam, then you’ll want to make the best buttermilk biscuits from a Southern cook, right?  Or you may choose to make homemade English muffins… and omg, THESE would be amazing to make with your homemade jam too.

Am I crazy?  I went to Sephora the other day and bought too many things!  It’s like a candy store for girls, isn’t it?  I do love They’re Real Mascara, and I usually buy brown or black… but I saw the BLUE MASCARA and I couldn’t resist.  It’s not major– just adds a blue tinge to your lashes that is kind of fun. I also bought this fragrance— which I’m loving because it’s a rather mellow scent and not flowery.  My husband sneezes too much if I buy the flowery scents.  If you go into Sephora, they sell tiny spray bottles that are more affordable, if you want to try it out.

A blog I’ve drooled over for a long time is Baker By Nature.  Sometimes you just need a good drool.  You’ll find seriously droolworthy treats like these ice cream sandwiches and donuts and cake. The blog’s author, Ashley, is someone you should be following on Pinterest, and she curates an awesome Instagram feed for the blog too.

So tell me… have any of you ever tried the Whole30 program??  The basis for the program is cutting out dairy, grains, sugar of any kind, legumes and alcohol (and eating whole, healthy, unprocessed foods) for 30 days.  I’m following the program to give my body a nutritional re-set after some indulgent vacations… and I’m on DAY 7!  So far so good.  I’m loving the recipes in the book, I’m not finding too hard, and I actually already feel REALLY GREAT!  A blogging friend of mine also wrote several Whole30 recipes that I’ll be trying.  AND, I have been using these Whole30 approved spices from Spice Cave in my recipes too! The Whole30 isn’t a losing-weight “diet” kind of program (though you do usually lose weight because you’re eating healthier).  It’s more of a program to get your body healthy again… then after the 30 days you gradually re-introduce those “forbidden” foods to see if any of them wreak havoc on your body.  As it turns out, certain foods could be having a negative impact on your health and fitness.  If you want to try it out sometime, you don’t necessarily have to buy the Whole 30 book (though I do love having a book to read)– you can access a lot of information on the Whole30 website and here is a link to a bunch of great information that you can print out. Not to worry… the RecipeGirl blog will carry on as usual with normal kinds of recipes of all kinds! For my fitness friends, I enjoyed reading this article on 7 Things That Will Happen When You Start Doing Planks Every Day.  It makes a lot of sense! Let me know if you’re happy to see my Link Love (Stuff) post return! Have a terrific week ahead!

title: “Weekend Link Love Recipe Girl” ShowToc: true date: “2022-07-27” author: “Laura Patao”

That glorious fudge that you see above is creamy Peanut Butter Fudge.  My friend Miranda from the fabulous blog, Cookie Dough and Oven Mitt shot that photo to update an old, icky photo from my archives.  Isn’t it lovely?? I haven’t been making sweets lately because I’m on DAY 19 of the Whole30 program.  Can you believe I’ve made it that far??  You’re not supposed to weight yourself while on the journey, but since I’m mildly obsessed with weighing myself daily… I haven’t been able to resist.  And I’ve dropped 10 pounds without even trying… just by eating foods that are good for me.  Yay!  The toughest things for me have been not being able to go out to dinner (because you can’t find foods that match the Whole30 program) and not drinking wine at all.  I’ve been really happy with all of the recipes I’ve made.  And it’s likely that I’ll keep some of these “new” habits around.  Have you ever tried Whole30?  It’s probably best to start with buying the book and reading every bit of it. But if you’re not watching what you eat and you’ve been craving sweets like crazy, I did spot a few things that you should probably try making like right now:  I haven’t been able to stop thinking about these cookies, if I don’t get to ever taste this completely amazing looking goodie then my life will not be complete, and Hello Delicious Caramel on these treats too.

As far as exercising, I’ve been hiking with my dog about an hour every day… and a little bit of treadmill and elliptical. I spotted these on Facebook the other day, and now I want to try them on Lake Tahoe!  I think I may be able to handle them better than a paddleboard as it doesn’t take as much coordination.  Maybe they’ll be for rent at beach locations sometime soon! And then, of course, I’m supposed to be doing this 30 day Crunch Challenge with my friend Jen.  I might be a little bit behind on this, but I’ll get my act together.  Can you tell I like 30 day challenges?? I’m still trying to get my husband to put this crazy thing together for me.  It’s in a box in my office… just waiting for me to use it!

This is a great round-up of Easy Family Dinner Recipes that I put together for Parade Magazine‘s blog.  I focused on choosing things that everyone in your family will want to eat (so pretty mainstream types of recipes) and things that are quick and easy for busy weeknights.  It’s worth taking a peek.  Also… if you are into making homemade Rice Krispie Treats, I also shared 20 Rice Krispie Treats Recipes.

My husband has been teaching our teenager how to drive (around the neighborhood only) – he’s not quite 15 1/2 yet, but I think as much practice as possible is best.  The cool thing is that he’s driving a variety of cars, so he’s getting some experience with how different they feel.  This one is my hubby’s newest addition- an old Chevelle with no power steering or brakes!  Oh, and no air conditioning either- which has been totally fun this summer!  Not. Are you familiar with the Life 360 App?  Life360 runs on your mobile device to allow you to view your family members on a map, communicate with them, and receive alerts when your loved ones arrive at home, school or work.  In other words, it’s a good app for keeping track of your teenagers.  Do you think it invades their privacy, or is it a good idea?  I’m thinking… good idea.

My friend Jesseca Hallows has released a cookbook called, Foiled: Easy, Tasty, Tin Foil Meals.  This book will be especially handy for all of you campers out there.  Meals made in a foil packet are easy clean up meals!  Jesseca has some great ideas for recipes in the book that will make your camping trip more gourmet!

A couple more of my foodie friends have recently released ebooks:

Blend Smoothies ($12): written by Faith Gorsky and Alyssa Brantley, features 35 artisanal, healthy smoothies made with natural ingredients and all in less than 5 minutes.  Plus they include every tip, trick, and time-saver you need to make your own perfect smoothies every time. Food From Our Ancestors: The Ultimate Italian Sunday Dinner ($3.99): written by Liz Della Croce, the first in a series of eCookbooks documenting the ethnic recipes of our childhood. Future cookbooks will include The Ultimate Lebanese Sunday Dinner, The Ultimate Mexican Sunday Dinner, The Ultimate Jewish Shabbat Dinner and more.

I have been getting the itch to travel again lately!  Every few months, my passport seems to be calling out to me to get out there and explore the world.  This is a shot of Machu Picchu in Peru- taken by my cousin Paula Danner who is a freelance travel photographer.  You can follow her fun travels on her Instagram account:  @PaulaDanner.  She shoots some cool stuff.  Oh, and she also shares photography and stories on her blog:  Looking for the Sweet Spot.  Fun fact:  When Paula was younger, she played parts in the broadway shows- Annie and Cats! New York City is one of the cities that has been on my radar to re-visit soon.  Especially because of this cool museum. I had a cool comment on one of my travel posts from a reader who enjoys my hotel reviews.  She ended up choosing a hotel in San Francisco for her family based on reading several of my San Francisco hotel reviews.  I love that!

Here are a couple of books that my sister Susie has reviewed recently on her book review blog:  NovelVisits.com.  I hope you’ve taken a peek at the blog if you love to read because it will be a great resource for you in choosing what book you want to read next!  Her most recent post reviews the Kindle Oasis in detail.  She’s tried a few of the Kindles and this is the one she recommends.

And finally, as always, this little girl:  Tessie the Labradoodle.  Tessie prefers playing with her toy BOX instead of her actual toys.  She’s driving us a little bit crazy lately.  Tessie doesn’t really like to be alone- she follows me everywhere I go around the house, and she doesn’t really like to be outside unless we’re out there with her.  And she wants me to throw the tennis ball and have her fetch it pretty much all day long.  I do take her for a rather long hike every single morning.  It appears she needs more.  We love Tessie to death, but man sometimes she’s needy! Have a wonderful weekend!  

title: “Weekend Link Love Recipe Girl” ShowToc: true date: “2022-05-13” author: “Joseph Henry”

On Parade Magazine’s blog this week, I shared links to some rockstar brownie recipes.  Check it out here: 11 BROWNIE RECIPES THAT WILL ROCK YOUR WORLD.  Chocolate craving satisfied!

Here is the first video I’ve had produced for RecipeGirl- for my Basement Brownies recipe!  I’ve been sharing my new videos on my Facebook page and sharing them on the recipe pages too.  Let me know what you think!

I also gathered some super cool restaurant copycat recipes (because everyone always loves a good copycat!)  You’ll find those here:  16 RESTAURANT COPYCAT RECIPES

One of my fabulous behind-the-scenes photographers – Miranda from the Cookie Dough and Oven Mitt blog- updated the photos on this older recipe of mine:  MAPLE- PECAN BARS.  Don’t they look delicious?!

I spotted these Kate Spade cat loafers in a recent Macy’s mailer.  As much as I love kitty cats, I’m just not sure about wearing cutesie cat shoes.  MAYBE for kids or pre-teens, but not at the grand price point of $258, that’s for sure?  Your thoughts on those?

THESE, however, would be super cute if AND ONLY IF you were dressed as a sexy black cat for Halloween!  Otherwise… they’d just be weird.  Oh, and they’re $350.

I treated myself to these Born Kerri Booties for fall.  I seem to have tall boots, medium-height boots and shorter boots… but no booties.  So these were a must-purchase ($120)!  They look cute with jeans and dresses too!  (I bought mine at Dillards, but I’m sure they carry them anywhere you can find Born brand boots).

I really dislike shopping at Walmart, but I go there for the cheap things… like family-sized boxes of cereal, plastic jars of Dole mandarin oranges and Nature’s Bakery bars.  It’s fun to spot new things… Pumpkin Spice Cheerios (totally bought those), Pumpkin Spice Oreos (couldn’t resist) and Deep Fried Twinkies (UM, NO.)  I don’t know who thought up that Twinkie idea, but it’s just not a good one.  Try a fried Twinkie at the state fair maybe… but you don’t need to be eating those at home.  Would you have bought them??

I finished Whole30!  That means I finished 30 completely-perfect-no-cheating-days of eating whole and healthy foods— avoiding all alcohol, dairy, sugar and gluten.  I feel great, and I lost a bit of weight.  I’ll be writing more about my experience with Whole30 in a couple of weeks so I can give you all the juicy details!  In the meantime, if you’re interested… reading The Whole 30 Book is a good place to start!

Random funny:  Santa Claus left a comment on one of my Pinterest pins.  Maybe I’m not on the naughty list then??  Haha.

My kiddo made the BEST PIE EVER last weekend.  It was one of the easiest recipes he’s ever made, and it turned out absolutely perfect.  Check it out here:  NO BAKE NUTELLA PIE. 

This is kind of a funny read- some random guy’s first week on the job as a cashier at Target.

I’m craving this beautiful Breakfast Energy Smoothie from the Deliciously Sprinkled blog.  Yum! Have you seen the CUDDLE MATTRESS??  It has little grooves along the mattress so your partner can slide their arm underneath and cuddle you.  Kind-of a cool idea!

My friend Mary Younkin (Barefeet in the Kitchen blog) has just published a new cookbook:  The Weeknight Dinner Cookbook: Simply Family-Friendly Recipes for Everyday Home Cooking.  It’s a good cookbook to purchase if you are forever looking for new things to make for dinner (like me!!)

Over on my sister’s blog – NovelVisits.com– she has been busily reviewing books!  Recently, she published this post on 4 books she read over the summer that she is sharing mini-reviews for:  Four End-of-Summer Book Reviews.  Check it out, Book Lovers!  

I have been looking for a new collapsible water bowl for my dog- and this is it:  SiliPet Collapsible Dog Bowl (for water or food) $13.97.

And finally, here is Miss Tessie the Labradoodle.  My sweetie… just shy of 2 years old now.  We love our labradoodle!

title: “Weekend Link Love Recipe Girl” ShowToc: true date: “2022-02-13” author: “Robbyn Judkins”

Over on Parade Magazine‘s blog, I’ve been busy sharing a few lovely goodies… my latest:  15 BEST POUND CAKE RECIPES TO BAKE AND SHARE.  This is because I love pound cake with all of my being!  I want to try them all.

Also:  15 BEST MUFFIN RECIPES FOR HUNGRY MORNINGS— because there is much more to muffins than just making banana or blueberry!  Muffins are fun to make on the weekends, and they are the best for freezing and grab-and-go for weekday mornings too.

And here is the one I love most right now:  20 SOUP RECIPES TO MAKE ON CHILLY DAYS.  Is it chilly where you live yet?  It’s finally getting a little bit cooler here in the Reno-Tahoe area, and I love it!  Soup is the perfect warm-you-up kind of meal, and leftovers for lunch are amazing!

This is my latest super-quick recipe how-to video on my very popular CINNAMON ROLL PANCAKES!  I’d love to know if you’ve ever made these pancakes of mine and what you think about them!

Here is an older recipe of mine (one of the oldest!) that was recently updated with new photos by Serene Herrera (House of Yumm blog).  Serene is one of my fabulous RecipeGirl photographers!  The recipe is from my sister, so I named it SUSIE’S BREAKFAST POTATOES— and it has been made on countless mornings where we have large family gatherings (usually Christmas or Thanksgiving).  I recommend you save this recipe for gathering for your family too.  It’s always a big hit.

Here’s a book written by the Dad of one of my son’s best childhood friends:  KEEP IT TOGETHER MAN by Rick Daynes.  Many of you can relate and might find it of interest.  Rick is a great guy.  Here’s what he shared on Facebook, and it describes the book perfectly: Dear Family and Friends, Almost all of you don’t know this, but I have three children on the Autism spectrum. One of them has Aspergers and another Down Syndrome. I’ve written a book about it. I know! “Holy cow! Rick wrote a book?!!” Yes, well it took me seven years to write, and I really think you’ll enjoy it. It covers all the victories and defeats of raising a kid with special needs. In a nutshell, it’s everything I wish someone would have told me 10 years ago when our Tyler was diagnosed with Autism. Enjoy!

My son likes to shop at American Eagle, and I’ve been a little obsessed with this store too.  Here are three fall-appropriate tops that I’m currently browsing.  Ok, I admit that I bought the white one… but the other three are in my shopping cart!

Have you seen this product at the store yet?  It’s expensive… and it’s very sweet… but it’s darn good.  Oh, and bonus is that it’s gluten-free if you need that!  Warning:  it’s pretty easy to eat the WHOLE BAG.

My sweet friend Gina Homolka has a new cookbook coming out on October 11th:  SKINNYTASTE FAST AND SLOW: KNOCKOUT QUICK FIX AND SLOW COOKER RECIPES.  I cannot wait to get this book in my hands, make some of the recipes and share them with you here on RecipeGirl.  Gina is the author of Skinnytaste.com, has a really successful first cookbook (The Skinnytaste Cookbook) and she is a wonderful person inside and out too!  This new book is going to be awesome- she has been working so hard on it for many, many months.

Are you looking for a new book to read?  Have you read any of these yet?  Here’s a peek at the new reviews on my favorite book review blog:  NovelVisits.com.  Check out all of the reviews on Novel Visits to find a new book to read- it’s a fabulous resource for people who love to read!

Here’s another product I’m currently obsessed with:  PUMPKIN NOOSA!  It’s seriously like eating pumpkin dessert.  I LOVE IT.

The latest recipe from RecipeBoy:  GAMEDAY SLIDERS.  These sliders have a “chicken cordon bleu” theme to them.  They’re perfect for gameday, but they’d also make for an easy weeknight meal.

An important article by Paul Coughlin: Read this if you have kids! » BULLIES GO SHOPPING IN SEPTEMBER.  Paul is a fantastic, well-known expert and speaker on bullying.  If you’ve ever had any experience with your child being picked on my bully-type kids, he is a great person to connect with and follow. I’ve asked him for advice many times!  You can find more information about Paul on this website:  TheProtectors.org

If you’re a Mom, you might find this video funny.  And if you’ve made any effort at trying to do things to be the PERFECT Mom, you’ll probably find it even more funny.

A friend of mine recommended this Street Survival course for newly permitted or licensed teenagers:  StreetSurvival.org.   My friend mentioned that her daughter took the course and that it was really great.  I looked on their website and was delightfully surprised to find that they offer a course in my own city (my son will be signing up for sure!)  Check out their calendar to see if they are coming to your city too!  From their website:  At the one-day Tire Rack Street Survival school, you will gain valuable skills to improve your driving techniques. You won’t just sit in a classroom listening to a boring lecture; you will be behind the wheel, driving through real-world exercises.

And finally… here’s my sweet Tessie the labradoodle: just shy of two years old now!

title: “Weekend Link Love Recipe Girl” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-26” author: “Rigoberto Scott”

Lately, over on Parade Magazine’s blog here are a few things I’ve been sharing: 16 SLOW COOKER COMFORT FOOD RECIPES: It’s pretty clear that fall has fallen.  The leaves are turning colors in my backyard, and there’s a chill in the air.  Easy comfort food recipes are perfect to have handy for this time of year and all the way through the winter!

Also, because I love vanilla so much, I rounded up 15 SWEET RECIPES FOR VANILLA LOVERS.  Is there anyone out there who agrees with me on the vanilla thing?  I prefer it over chocolate– which I know might seem kind of weird to most people.

For those of you who might be planning a Halloween party or who might be digging around for a cool recipe to bring to a Halloween party… you must take a peek at these recipes > 10 SPIDER-THEMED HALLOWEEN RECIPES.  None of them are spooky or gross.  They’re just cute Halloween spider recipes.

Take a peek at my latest how-to video for one of RecipeGirl.com’s most popular recipes ever:  WHITE WEDDING CAKE CUPCAKES.  Here’s the recipe, if you have never taken a peek > White Wedding Cupcake Recipe

Over on my favorite book review blog:  NOVELVISITS.com, this is a post worth checking out:  10 GREAT BOOKS RECOMMENDED BY FRIENDS AND FAMILY.  It’s always a good idea to ask different people for book recommendations because everyone has a different opinion on what makes a good book.  That’s what makes this a great post- the suggestions are from 10 different people.

RecipeBoy has been baking!  His latest recipe:  BAKED PUMPKIN DONUTS WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING.  We gobbled these up very quickly in our house!

My recent discovery:  WINE GUMMY BEARS… seriously made out of WINE.  How fun are these?!  You can find the recipe here:  Wine Gummy Bears recipe.  And if you really want to make them, you can find the gummy mold pan here:  Gummy Bear Mold Pan

I hate what’s going on in our political world right now.  And this meme perfectly explains how I feel!

Another fun discovery:  this DIVIDED LASAGNA PAN.  Yes, that’s right… you can make three kinds of lasagna in one pan.  I love this!

My friend Lindsay Conchar from the LifeLoveAndSugar.com blog wrote a cookbook:  Simply Beautiful Homemade Cakes- Extraordinary Recipes and Easy Decorating Techniques.  If your passion is baking cakes, you will want to have Lindsay’s book on your cookbook shelf! I’ll be making a cake from the book and sharing it on RecipeGirl later… but let’s just say there are some pretty fabulous cake recipes in this book with beautiful color photos too.

Since I recently completely my first Whole30, I’m very interested in reading this book just published by the founder of Whole30- Melissa Hartwig:  Food Freedom Forever:  Letting Go of Bad Habits, Guilt, and Anxiety Around Food.  From the book:  offers real solutions for anyone stuck in the exhausting cycle of yo-yo dieting and the resulting stress, weight gain, uncontrollable cravings, and health complaints. In her newest book, best-selling author Melissa Hartwig defines true “food freedom” as being in control of the food you eat, instead of food controlling you.  You’ll learn how to spot your specific triggers before they’re pulled and strategies for dealing with temptation, strengthening your new healthy habits, and boosting your willpower.  Believe it or not, I’ve been able to keep off the 15 pounds that I lost doing Whole30 several weeks ago, but I do need this book in my life right now!

These PUMPKIN GINGERBREAD MUFFINS have been on RecipeGirl for quite a few years… but there was an icky photo accompanying them.  One of my fabulous RecipeGirl photographers~ Miranda (CookieDoughandOvenMitt.com blog) has given this muffin recipe new life with a pretty new photo that shows us how good they are!

Wild Ink Press teamed up with Simply Recipes to create this super cute 2017 pie calendar.  Each month displays a different illustrated pie from the SimplyRecipes.com website, and the recipe for that pie is included on the back.  It’s hand letterpress printed by Wild Ink Press. The illustrations are done by Rebekah Tennis, the entrepreneur artist behind Wild Ink Press. I think it would be a cute calendar for the kitchen!  For a limited time (through the holidays) readers can get a 10% discount if you use the discount code SIMPLYPIE17.  Details on how to purchase this calendar are here:  http://www.wildinkpress.com/products/2017-pie-calendar

This is the view to my backyard from my family room right now.  I thought it would be best to take a photo RIGHT NOW since we are expecting very high winds over the next few days.  There’s no way those fall leaves will survive the wind, and they will all be gone very soon~poof!

And finally, this post is never complete without a peek at our Tessie the Labradoodle.  She’s approaching her 2nd birthday.  I’m thinking tennis balls might be a good gift for our girl! Until next time, my friends… have a wonderful Sunday and a fabulous week ahead 🙂