Okay campers, rise and shine! And don't forget your booties cuz it's cooooold out there today!

On Groundhog Day it seems only appropriate to share with you again a recipe I've shared before. Though I've not shared it here (I don't think!); this originated at FoodLush. I've been going back to it a lot lately, and man. It's just so good. Fresh and bright and light and goes with everything. Everything I like, anyway.

Photo from FoodLush, taken by me 3 years ago.

I've been using this orange poppyseed vinaigrette a lot for lunches, mixing it into quinoa, greens, and often quinoa and greens. To that base I add some type of protein (salmon burger or salmon burger or leftover chicken or sausage and/or roasted chickpeas), veggies (cucumber is my go-to fro its fresh crunch, along with that kale salad from Costco that I love, whose base is the same as the Cruciferous Crunch from Trader Joe's), feta, maybe some nuts or avocado, maybe some craisins. Maybe other fruit and veggies. The possibilities are endless, and the textures seem so, too.

Photo from traderjoes.com.

Big bowls of food with a little bit of everything are so satisfying to me, and food ruts can be so easy to fall into. This dressing is a good reminder that changing it up can be as simple as making something old new again. It's also a good reminder that nothing beats a homemade dressing and a cheap bag of produce from Trader Joe's. Sorry, Costco.

What are you eating lately that you can't get enough of?

Friday Find: Top Gear

I neglected to mention in yesterday's post that I am also newly acquainted with - and a fast fan of - the British classic show Top Gear. It's smart and fun and funny and I previously turned my nose up at the idea of a Show About Cars, but I'm here to say I was wrong. It's so fun. And funny.

You may or may not know that physical humor is my kryptonite. If there is a particularly good moment of physical comedy in something, after the better part of a decade together my husband just automatically rewinds so I can watch it again (I'd do it myself but I'm usually laughing too hard to focus on fine motor skills). Parks & Rec is quite reliable for this. Last night this bit came up on Top Gear and I laughed so hard I cried, couldn't breathe, and had a coughing fit. Keep in mind my penchant for physical humor likely threw my reaction over the top, but I still think it's worth a watch for a Friday laugh.

Jeremy attempts to build a car smaller than the Peel P50, naming his creation the P45. Subscribe to see all the reviews, races and challenges: http://bit.ly/zx9OQI Top Gear YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/topgear TopGear.com website: http://www.topgear.com Top Gear Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/topgear Top Gear Twitter: http://twitter.com/BBC_topgear Latest Top Gear videos: http://bit.ly/wo6B2S This is a channel from BBC Worldwide who help fund new BBC programmes.

Things I'm Liking Lately

Haven't done one of these in a while!

(I'm not paid for any of this, it's just stuff I'm diggin'.)

1. Nextdoor. Are you familiar with Nextdoor? It's sort of the modern day version of knowing which of your neighbors will let you borrow a cup of sugar.

A month or two ago I went out to get the mail, and long story short, came across what appeared to be someone's pet bunny rabbit running around. A few other neighbors and I tried to catch it in order to keep it safe until we could get it home, to no avail. I'd heard of Nextdoor but never used it, and trying to reconnect Peter McFloofy Hops (I assume it was a boy and that was his name) with his parents proved to be the perfect reason to start. I unfortunately didn't find the bunny's owner (and haven't seen him since), but I have since come to rely on Nextdoor to find out what's going on around me, from events to recent crime to missing items to new and closing restaurants and businesses. Did I mention it's free? A good way to connect in our sometimes isolating modern world. Recommend.

2. Writing GoodReads reviews. I have proclaimed 2016 the year of the book, and apparently it's also the year of the review. You can find some direct links on my books page.

3. Ghirardelli brownie mix. The best. Better than homemade (yeah, that's right). Why reinvent the wheel? We had some folks over to watch a sportsball game recently, and I whipped up some of these. In doing so I was reminded of why I always have a box in the cupboard in the event of impromptu gatherings, sportsball or otherwise.

Photo from amazon.com.

4. The FugGirls' Downton Abbey Recaps. The only thing that's not to like is that I didn't start watching (and thus reading) sooner. Favorite line so far this season (spoiler-ish alert): "...The Blackmailer takes a bite of Mary's toast, and then tosses it aside with disdain, and the look on Mary's face is like, "HOW DARE YOU TREAT MY TOAST SO DISRESPECTFULLY.""

5. Thayer's rose petal witch hazel. Not a new love, and I can't remember if I've mentioned it before, but I recently was raving about it to a friend, and after trying it she agrees: it's a magical potion.

Photo from amazon.com.

6. A 30 day plank challenge. After a few months off from rowing while recovering from jaw surgeries, my core has gone all noodly. I'm working at building it back up. There are a million of these challenges out there so head to the google machine and find the one that works for you. (They do all seem to be basically the same.)

7. This pastina recipe for some cozy winter comfort. And/or an upset stomach. (In which case maybe leave out the parm.)

8. HabitBull. Shoot. This app. I am kind of obsessed with it. It allows you to set goals with varying metrics and then satisfyingly tick them off when completed. So whether it's something you want to do daily, weekly, multiple times a week, by amount/numbers (miles run, pages read), or simply Complete or Incomplete (did you call your Mom?), this has it all. I love it. I even paid the $3.99 for the upgrade. That never happens.

What's got your attention lately?