Five Favorites

Photo Credit: Keith McDuffee, Northborough, MA, USA (Oven roasted french fries) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Come on...you know you love my occasionally recurring five favorites posts!  Five favorite what?  Anything!

Anything slight or substantial in life that causes joy, soothes my spirit, makes me smile, fills my belly...you get the idea.  Here's hoping you try something new or find a favorite for yourself!
 
1.  Cold Bananas
This is for real. I don't know about you, but I've always stored my bananas in a fruit bowl on the counter.  Until the one time I didn't.  It was actually on our monster road trip when we moved from Key West to Alaska.  I had a banana in the cooler, which got all nice and chilled while it sat in the ice.  Once I pulled it out to snack on, it was so refreshingly cold and so much better than a room temperature banana that I had a banana epiphany.  That's right.  A banana.  Epiphany.  Cold is the way to go.

2.  Harney & Sons Tea
I have to thank one of my oldest friends for this one.  From their fancy sachet tea bags to their excellent flavors, I can't get enough of their tea.  A hot cup of Harney & Sons peppermint tea after a cold, rainy dog walk?  Perfection.

3.  Steak-cut French Fries
It's hands down the best cut for french fries.  No contest.  Beats out waffle cut by a mile, that's for sure.  And shoe string?  Don't even bother with that nonsense.  With steak cut, you know you're eating a potato.  And isn't that what the fry is all about??

4.  Guinness
That is all.

5. Stitch Fix
I might need an intervention here.  This personal stylist service is a blast.  Fill out a short style assessment online and you're on your way.  If you don't like some or any of the pieces they pick, send them back - free shipping.  It's a super fun way to branch out and get out of your style comfort zone.  It's worth trying at least once...but like me, I bet you'll keep going back for more.

First five favorites of 2017...done! 

Ta-ta for now.

Five Favorites

 
It's that time again.  Time for me to wax poetic about 5 of my favorite things.  Compelling.  I know.  But I stand by the idea that maybe you'll discover something in my silly little list that becomes one of your favorites too!

Or maybe you'll just laugh at my ridiculous pictures.  I'll take either.

1.  Canva  
I have to start with a new favorite online toy I just discovered.  Canva.com.  I love it!  My nifty "Five Favorites" graphic at the top of this post is courtesy of Canva.  Consider it super easy graphics for the non-graphic artist types out there.  So, design for the rest of us.  Lots of free templates & it's so fun to play with all the options.


 
2.  Cheddar 
You know this list wouldn't be complete without something food related.  I'm having a long-term, semi-monogamous relationship with a certain brand of cheddar cheese: Tillamook extra sharp cheddar.  It's from Oregon.  And as I was writing this post, I learned that you can visit the cheese factory!  Holy hell, yes!  I'm head over heels in love with their sharp and extra sharp cheddar.  When you first open a fresh package?  Ohhhhhh, Lordy.
 
4.  Green Beans

Okay, this is another food favorite.  It's an excellent, complexly flavored green bean recipe that's become a back pocket side dish for me.  It's terrific.  It's a recipe for green beans with caramelized onion vinaigrette from Real Simple.  Such a depth of flavor.  I use balsamic vinegar instead of sherry vinegar because I always have balsamic in my pantry.  And the magic is in that little zip of orange zest.  Don't skip that part!  Recipe can be found here.   

3.  Olive Brine
 And of course there must be something booze-related on my list too.  Naturally.  One of my recently discovered favorites has become a necessity in my at home dirty martini experimentation: Dirty Sue.  It's basically olive brine.  It's billed as a "premium olive juice," and I won't dispute them.  Makes for a tasty dirty martini in my book.  But I have overdone it with the brine on a few occasions.  Less than tasty mishaps, but lesson learned!  Easy on the brine. 

5.  Cloud Star's Buddy Wash
This one's a long time favorite. Specifically the lavender and mint scent.  What a great company.  Made in the U.S.A., shampoo plus conditioner, natural ingredients.  They also have quality dog treats.  Love 'em. Nothing gets a Pugbull freshened up and smelling purdy better than a bath with lavender & mint Buddy Wash.

So sad.

So there ya have it. My second iteration of five favorites.  Good stuff! Go try one of them!

Ta-ta for now.

Five Favorites

You know those little snippets in life that you come across every once in a while that are just the best ever and you fall unrepentantly head over heels in love with?

It could be a certain product, or a new recipe you've tried, or even a silly little habit that you just want to make your BFF.  You really can't beat it when you find something that makes life better, easier, or more fun.

So in that spirit, I decided to start a semi-recurring post of five of my favorites.  We're talking every once in a while...maybe a few times a year if I'm feeling it.

Yes, I'm aware that I'm not Oprah and most people won't give a flying !@#$ about what I like, but at the very least, maybe you'll happen upon a new to you discovery or be inspired to experiment with something you've never tried before.  You know, spread the joy and all that crap.  That's the goal, anyway.  Without any of the clout the Big O has!

Some of the favorites I'll share are looong time favorites of mine, and some might be new discoveries that I just can't live without.  I'll warn you now, I went full on nerd with the pictures for this post.  Forgive me.  So, here goes with my inaugural Five Favorites:

1.  L.L. Bean
This one is a long time favorite.  Granted, they can be on the uber preppy side, sometimes even sliding into the nerdy category...but the fact is they make excellent products.  I think I've been disappointed only once or twice in all the years I've been buying from them.  And I buy from them A LOT.  Not just clothes, either.  Furniture, accessories, bedding, you name it. Those Mainers know what they're doing!  High quality, primarily made in the US, and my favorite as an Alaska resident - free shipping!

2.  Aveeno Lotion
I have to thank my sister for this one.  When we found out we were moving to Alaska after living in high humidity Florida for years, I was scouting around for body lotion recommendations because I knew it would rapidly become a daily necessity.  This brand was suggested, and I use it every single day.  It's so light, and my favorite part is that it has no over powering scent to it, which isn't always the case with a lot of body lotions.  Love, love, love my Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion!


3.  Room Temperature Butter
Seriously.  It's a game changer.  No more fighting with the butter to spread it on toast or a muffin!  It's nothing but cooperative.  Come on - we've all had that moment of ripping through a slice of bread with a cold, hard ass chunk of butter!  Room temperature butter changes all of that.  It lives on the counter, happily waiting to comply with your every butter spreading need.  I can't go back.


4.  The Last Lecture
This is one of those books that stays with you.  It's written by Randy Pausch.  He was a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon University when he was diagnosed with terminal cancer and given only a few months to live.  This man left a beautiful legacy and compelling reminders to all of us saps still slogging away at life.  The messages in his last words are unforgettable, poignant and lessons you'll take to heart if you're smart.  If you haven't read this one, go get it.  Trust me.   And get some tissues.


5.  Magic Hat #9 on Tap
Sadly, I haven't had one of these in quite some time.  It's just not a beer you can get on tap up here.  Not too surprising, considering it hails from Burlington, Vermont.  I like it in the bottle too, but there's nothing quite like a #9 on tap.  It just has a different quality than the bottled variety and was one of my go-to requests around town when I had easy access to it.  Tasty, tasty beer.  A favorites list of mine wouldn't quite be complete without at least one beer included!

So, there ya have it.  My first attempt at sharing "Five Favorites" with all 6 of you readers out there.  I know - the anticipation for another list of favorites is palpable, right?  Not to worry.  I'll bust out with a new list every so often.  Until then you'll just have to wait on the edge of your seat and wonder.

Ta-ta for now.