Things I Love Thursday // 5.28.20

Things I Love Thursday is a weekly roundup of the simple delights that bring me joy that I want to share with YOU.

A Weekend Away with Friends - 

Like everyone else, I've seen way too much of the inside of my home for over 2 months now. It was an incredible gift to be invited to spend the holiday weekend with our dear friends at their house in the mountains. Like us, they have been predominantly sequestered during this time so we all felt comfortable sharing the house with one another. Despite the forecast, we had great weather, got out on the boat several times, relaxed and read books, ate incredible food, and truly enjoyed the time with one another. 

Children's Theatre of Charlotte/City Stems - 

My year-long term as president of ENCORE!, the Children's Theatre of Charlotte's volunteer auxiliary, has come to a close. It was an incredible honor to serve the Theatre and the community in this role. The season definitely did not wrap up the way anyone was expecting it might. Theatre leadership and the board of directors are busting their behinds to forecast, plan, and execute on an engaging (virtual) summer and (hopefully) eventful and joyous 2020-21 season. The creative energy and passion that lifts up The Arts in Charlotte can always use extra financial support and volunteer efforts. My amazing ENCORE! Council tapped my favorite Charlotte creative to make me a parting gift that I am in love with. Laura Hughes of City Stems knocked it out of the park (again). Look at this stunner! The polkadot pot has ears! Doesn't get any cooler than a raven zz and the size of the airplant is unreal. #swoon

Clairol Root Touch-Up home hair coloring - 

Not allowed/ready to head back into the salon? Me neither. A longtime favorite of mine is here to help out all the graying brunettes who are reading along! I just treated myself to a freshening-up this week. 15 minutes. $7. Grays are covered for about 4 more weeks. Voilà. Please, do enjoy my partial Elvis impression below.

Trying New Recipes - 

I continue to entertain and busy myself by trying to bring culinary happiness to the dinner table during our extended social distancing. Half Baked Harvest remains a popular feature in my Foodie Night text chain and in my Instagram feed. This week, my family loved HBH's Thai Black Pepper Chicken + Garlic Noodles. The original recipe called for broccoli florets but welcomed substitutions. I had red bell pepper and sliced mushrooms on-hand (and decided to save my broccoli for the next dinner). It was fantastic! Everyone loved the way the sticky heat complimented the buttery noodles and we will surely have this again very soon. HBH's One-Pot Lemon Basil, [Broccoli], + Sausage Pasta originally called for asparagus. Not only did I not have any --but one of my teens refers to asparagus as "asparaGROSS" --so broccoli to the rescue. We found the pasta to be very satisfying but it didn't win any prizes at the dinner table (maybe it really needed the asparagus?). If I make this again, I will reserve about 1/2 cup of pasta water and use it to make the sauce more velvety and a better consistency to coat the noodles. Over the holiday weekend at the lake, we very much enjoyed Half Baked Harvest's Burrata with Pepperonata + Tomatoes over toasted homemade sourdough. The flavors and colors were beautiful! I loved how the zip of the balsamic was balanced by the creamy burrata and the sweetness of the peppers and tomatoes. Next time I make this one, I'll include extra cheese. Looking for a delicious way to enjoy the recent "harvest" from the backyard garden, I found a simple recipe by Gail Simmons in her beautiful cookbook, Bringing it Home. Shaved Zucchini Salad with Harissa Citrus Dressing + Mint, will continue to please as long as the zucchini and yellow squash keep producing. I plan to double or triple this dressing next time and keep it on-hand for a quick assembly. It rained all day yesterday and we cozied up with another indulgent and comforting recipe from HBH. Skillet Cheesy Pepperoni Pizza Chicken was as good as it sounds. Pictured below, in order, and with the recipes linked are the highlights of the week: Thai Black Pepper Chicken + Garlic Noodles, One-Pot Lemon Basil, Asparagus, + Sausage Pasta, Burrata with Pepperonata + Tomatoes (from my Super Simple cookbook which has gone up from $18 to $22.50), Shaved Zucchini Salad with Harissa Citrus Dressing + Mint (also from my cookbook but maybe this link will work?), and Skillet Cheesy Pepperoni Pizza Chicken.

Having someone else cook for me - 

I definitely love to cook and I certainly enjoy a break from cooking too --especially when I have the pleasure of consuming anything prepared by our friend Adam. His culinary exhibitions have been featured in the blog before. A self-taught home chef, I've never seen him work from a recipe. What he delivers to the plate has never fallen short of amazing. This weekend's delights included an incredible salmon filet over bottarga noodles with crisp-charred cherry tomatoes, [magic] herb sauce, and crispy salmon skin. Holy moly. I wish I could share the recipe with you (and have a copy for myself) but as I said, Adam never seems to be working from a recipe. *crazy-impressed*

  

My New Fabric Face Mask - 

Lemons! Perfection. This sweet little mask is from a local shop called Roses + Azalea --a wife/husband team that makes organic personal care and beauty products that "heal + nourish the body holistically." This is my first purchase from the shop; however, I am interested in sampling the Beauty Cream and Face Serum.