friday favorites

I kinda like this type of post. Won't do it every Friday, probably just when there's new stuff to add or as a weekly recap. Anyways, here are some of my favorite things from the week:

1. A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin- This series was in last week's favorites post, so sorry to repeat myself, but I haven't been able to put these books down!
2. CoverGirl NatureLuxe collection- I have the foundation in the color Maple (mentioned here) and the gloss balm in the color Marble. I use the foundation with my fingers as a light coverage/tinted moisturizer-like product, perfect for summer. The gloss balm is an affordable alternative to high-end "shine" lipsticks that gives the tiniest hint of color and lots of moisture.
3. MAC Double Feature 4- Available July 29th from the MAC Colorizations collection or now from the Nordstrom Cinematic collection (yeah, confusing), I love the colors in this duo. I haven't been brave enough to use them together yet, but separately this teal-green and ochre brown are unique to my collection and fun to use :)
4. Homemade Whipped Cream + Strawberries- My last post inspired me to be a bit more "culinary," which to me means whipping cream myself instead of buying a tub of Cool Whip. Hey, everyone has to start somewhere, right? Several pinches of sugar and one sore arm later, I (literally) whipped up a batch of delicious, lightly sweet cream to drizzle over my favorite summer fruit, and I'm never going back!
5. Apartment Hunting (sorta)- Fingers crossed, I found a place! Apartment hunting isn't a favorite per say- actually, it's kind of a pain in the ass- but I'm loving it for the part that will come after: deciding how I'm to decorate my new home, and a big trip to Ikea. Also, Pottery Barn sent my father a coupon for 10% off his next entire purchase, in a brochure that said "welcome to the neighborhood!" even though we've lived in the same house for 8 or 9 years now. Totally a sign.

website love: gojee

Gojee (www.gojee.com) is a great resource for anyone who stares into the fridge wondering "what the heck can I make out of this stuff?" While some people seem to have a gift for throwing ingredients into bowls and pots seemingly at random and coming up with delicious concoctions, my attempts at being spontaneous in the kitchen usually yield not-so-palatable results.

 

Sweet Potato Gnocchi recipe from Gojee

Enter Gojee. Have some random ingredients on hand and don't know what they can be used for? Just click the "I have" button at the top and enter the contents of your fridge and pantry, and Gojee will bring up recipes that use up what you have. Similarly, enter a food you've been daydreaming about (or you  know, that expires in 2 days)  into "I crave" and Gojee will bring up a bunch of recipes featuring it. I also like the "I dislike" option where you can enter foods you can't stand (*cough* green peppers) or foods you're allergic to, and they'll never be suggested to you. As you start cooking, save your favorite recipes right on the site, or use the "share" button to tweet, facebook, or email your finds.

Meyer Lemon Clouds recipe from Gojee

The interface is simple, the site itself is visually appealing, and the recipes don't fill this amateur with despair. This is definitely a website I'll be turning to often in my new kitchen!