Friday Things #399
1. A belated Happy Thanksgiving from our little turkeys! I hope you had a joyful day, even though things are different this year.
2. Now that Joseph is in school full-time, I have a whole new appreciation for no school days. The days off over Thanksgiving were so blissful and relaxing! While weโre doing school online and donโt need to rush out the door in the morning, the days are obviously full and busy, so it was a nice break :)
3. We got a (very unexpected) foot of snow this week! The forecast called for 2-4 inches but it just kept snowing and snowing all day. By the next morning, we had a solid foot! I love a good snowfall!
4. Unfortunately, we found out this week that since itโs now possible for kids to do school online, snow days are basically a thing of the past, which is so sad! I remember being young, waking up to the sound of a snow plow scraping the road, and being pretty certain that meant at least a delay, if not a cancellation. A whole new world now, apparently.
5. However, Dominic and Isabelle took full advantage of the snow and could not have been happier to play out there, throwing snow and building a snowman. We came in and had hot chocolate, and it was a really, really fun day โค๏ธ๏ธ
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6. I have bananas on my counter that might be destined for banana bread. What do you like in your banana bread? Nuts, chocolate chips, etc.?
7. This is so crazy!
8. Did you score any good Black Friday or Cyber Monday deals? I picked up a few things but nothing spectacular. Gap did have 50% off, which I used to stock up on leggings for Isabelle!
9. Someone in a FB group Iโm in asked for peopleโs must-buys at Costco. Even though I shop there nearly exclusively, I discovered tons of new-to-me things in the comments. I thought I would do the same here โ share your favorites from Costco in the comments below! Since so many of us are shopping via Instacart and not roaming the aisles, I thought this would be a fun way to discover some new products!
10. TGIF! I hope you have a cozy weekend!
I enjoy the weekly blogs showing pictures of your adorable children and dog. Your home is nice to see also.ย
Thank you for sharing your joy.ย
Beautiful family, just love seeing them grow up before our eyes.ย
Banana bread add ins: Toasted walnuts or pecans, chocolate chips (dark, semi-sweet or bittersweet) streusel topping, or a citrus glaze. All are delicious and welcomed.
My favorite is their hummus. Itโs such a good price and really good. I also love to get my spices there.
So enjoyed the Costco and banana bread comments. Banana bread-I am kind of a purist. Like it with a small amount of roasted nuts, or plain is great tooโฆ..but I like the suggestion of peanut butter chips addedโฆor peanut butter.
COSTCO-Kirkland balsamic vinegar, Kirkland olive oil, vanilla, bakery items, pre packed saladsโฆeven clothes..they have it all and great quality and variety.
Funny comment about buying the cheap dog beds below. Made me smile๐
P.s. how fun your kids get to play in snow.
I donโt like anything extra in my banana bread but make it with my sourdough starter discard and it is spool good.
My family love the fresh section Mexican rice and beans. They make perfect taco tuesday side dishes.
Every winter I stalk up on their running gloves (I some how lose a pair every year on a run, lol they are affordable and work great for`running),
Itโs not what I like in my banana bread but instead on it. I make a crumb topped banana bread and we love it! ย No Costco close by, only Samโs club. Best rotisserie chicken.ย
Hi,
I love your daughters dress! Can you tell me where you got it from? I would love to get one for my daughters as well! Thanks
Hi Shaina, Itโs from Mud Pie! https://www.mud-pie.com/Corduroy-Baby-Dress-15000081MUD/
Thank you! Iโm always looking for new places to shop for my kids! ๐
I love chocolate chips in my banana bread. ย I canโt get over how big your kids are getting, especially Joseph. ย Do you have hot chocolate recipes/ Mexican or Italian hot chocolate, & Bisciotti recipes. ย I know there are so many variations. ย Have a great weekend. ย ย
By the way, your monte cristo sandwich is on my bucket list to make. ย
Julia. ย
Hi Julia, I do!
This is my favorite Italian hot chocolate: https://apex-male.info/italian-hot-chocolate-cioccolata-calda/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
And this is my grandmaโs biscotti recipe: https://apex-male.info/my-grandmas-biscotti-recipe/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Enjoy! :)
Oh my goodness your boys have grown. They both look so handsomeโฆand Miss Isabelle always lovely and so neat sheโs another sweet to pups baby๐Canโt wait to check back later on Costco stuff from your readers!
First offโฆyour children are so adorableโฆ.What a blessing!!
Secondlyโฆbanana bread โฆnuts! nuts! nuts! Big pieces not chopped too small!ย
Lastly, where I am in Western New York, the closest Costco is 90 miles away in Rochester or up in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. :-(โฆ.my friends & relatives living elsewhere, tell of wonderful purchases they make at Costcoโฆ.hamburgers to furnaces!! OMG!!
Love the Costco must-buys. ย I miss going through the aisles to see what is new. ย
I love the Kerrygold Irish butter (of course) and I also love the frozen chicken and cilantro wontons and their steamed dumplings.. Their organic EVOO is really good and very reasonably priced. Their frozen pizzas are pretty good also.
My Costco musts:
Kirkland Italian Sparkling Water (for my husband)
Sunmaid Organic Raisins (seriously as good as candy)
Kirkland Lactase Pills (both kiddo and husband are lactose intolerant, and these are much cheaper than Lactaid!)
Rx Bars (so much cheaper here and husband takes them to work)
Kirkland Egg Whites
I too thought Black Friday and Cyber Monday were a bit of a bust this year although it secretly made me happy since I was basically done shopping. No temptation! I did buy some dog treats from PetSmart โ stocked up since I have 3 dogs and they had a great sale (buy 3, get 2 free). Also bought 2 dog beds for $9.99 each for the littlest dog. Despite our best efforts, he insists on chewing on his beds so he gets cheap ones so I donโt freak out when I have to put them in the textile recycling bin!
We donโt add anything extra to banana bread, my kids love it.ย
The Closest Costco to me is about 75 minutes away, so we only go once a month. The meat restrictions were a killer for me. Luckily, they arenโt doing them now. Our must buys are steak, roast, tri-tip, hamburger, frozen chicken, vinegar (I use it so often), Caesar salad, hickory smoked bacon, cheese, butter, garbage bags, and rotisserie chicken (love to use the leftover chicken in other recipes).
I was in Costco just two days ago. Took a chance on a rotisserie chicken which everyone raves about but I thought it was undercooked, a little pink inside. Kirkland albacore tuna is great to keep in the pantry. Love Kirkland shearling slippers.
I always buy the one that looks nearly burntโฆthen they are perfect.๐
One of my favorite things at Costco is their Phillips refrigerated crab meat. I have never found even one bit of cartilage, itโs all crab! Other favs: their Tiramisu, Kirkland frozen salmon , Panko breaded tilapia & their stuffed peppers.
I live in WI but visit relatives in MI. A favorite restaurant there serves a salad with an awesome salad topper mix of pepitas, craisons, and sugared pecans. It stinks that I can only get it once or twice a year when we travel there. Lo and behold! I found it in bulk at Costco. Itโs Orchard Valley Salad Toppers and it is awesome!
Your children are beautiful! ย What a sweet familyโค๏ธ
Michelle I truly enjoy seeing the pictures of the family!!! They loved the snow ! It was sooooo beautiful โบ๏ธ. I like to put some pineapple in my banana bread ! Now that weโre talking about it I have to make it ! Love it with butter on it โค๏ธโค๏ธโค๏ธ
I love your addition of pineapple; Iโm going to try that next time! I also love mine slathered with butter :)
Iโm totally with you about days off from school! Just wait until theyโre physically there in person full time-youโll appreciate the days off even more! Always nice to not wake them up early & rush out the door!
Re Costco-if anyone loves salmon, the Kirkland brand frozen salmon is the best Iโve had. Theyโre individually wrapped too. I used to buy the large fresh salmon, then cut in to smaller slices, & freeze, but this is easier & tastes better.
Other great Costco items:
Kirkland Balsamic Vinegarย
Kirkland Daily Vitamins
Kirkland Olive Oil
I also love Costco/Kirkland frozen tilapia ย loins. They are great individual serving and the loins are not at all like filets. They are thickerโฆmore like a piece of cod.
I will have to try the salmon. I have been curious about it.
Add crasins to banana bread. Especially during the holidays!
Can you please share the new items you discovered? Would LOVE a Costco find post! ย I also miss your monthly favorites that you used to share. :). ย I love their Kirkland hams. They are usually $10 โ $1:3 and slice up nicely for a sandwich or a meal! ย I also buy Kodiak mix, ย vitamins, peanut butter, their brand of laundry detergent, Kirkland batteries and love browsing their clothes! ย Canโt ever leave without a rotisserie chicken!ย
Oooh I love this idea, Iโm going to add a Costco favorites post to my January calendar. Stay tuned! :)
I put peanut butter chips in my banana bread. People seem to really like it!
Love peanut butter chips in it. Sometimes I swirl a bit of peanut butter on the top (like a tablespoon or so โ not a lot) if I am making more than one kind. It makes it easy to see that is the peanut butter one.
Would you share what items were new to you that were discovered in the FB comments?
I love nuts, either pecans or walnuts, in my banana bread.ย
I recently read an article about vanilla and it suggested Costcoโs Pure Vanilla Extract as a good โeverydayโ vanilla. Save the โgood vanillaโ for baked goods that are vanilla forward (basic pound cake or Danish butter cookies) and using the โeverydayโ vanilla for recipes like CCC where it plays a supporting roll.ย
I picked up a bottle but have not yet tried it.ย
The 16 oz bottle was, I believe, $22. ย
Happy baking!
I saw โCCCโ and immediately was brought back to when Michelle and her husband were dating, and she referred to him as โCCCโ (Chief Culinary Consultant). Haha
I DO agree, however, that the Costco vanilla is very good, although difficult to find at my location Costco for the last two years.
Thatโs too funny! ย
One of my โmust-buysโ at Costco are the big bags of Epsom salt, available in the pharmacy/personal care section. Thereโs nothing better than an Epsom salt bath for achy muscles after a tough workout, and theirs are super cheap. I add in a few drops of lavender essential oil for a spa-like experience in my own tub