I decided there is no better (or at least more fun!) way to achieve #11 on my 12 things I hope to accomplish in 2012, then to launch a new series in 2012 called Friday Favorites. Each week the 3 contributors of Free Range Chick PLUS a guest blogger will share one of their favorite things from this week. With absolutely no rules or restrictions, this could get crazy!

Friday Favorites for January 20, 2012

featuring Faith Benitez from Why We Love Austin

My favorite this week has to be Sweet Corn Nuggets from Gators, a local restaurant in our hometown of Burlington, Iowa. I can’t wait until tonight when I get to eat an entire basket of them! – Joni

On Monday my grandpa (Paw-Paw) turned. 81 Any time I call him, he typically answers the phone in a horrible attempt to mimic my grandma (Meann) with a high pitched voice, claiming to be “Missus Beat-Ie.” It never fails, he cracks me up. When I called him on Monday to wish him a “very merry birthday” and a “here’s to many more” I was expecting “Missus Beat-Ie” to answer. So, I was a little taken aback when he answered on the first ring with a very blunt…”You got the Birthday Boy.” I could hear the huge smile through his voice and all I could do was laugh and wish him a super day. I love you, Paw-Paw! Here’s to many more laps around the sun. - Faith

Making a delicious meal for one often seems like more trouble than it’s worth – especially after a long day at work. Sure, there are things I could easily whip together, and I usually do, but every once in a while, I want something special. Fortunately for me, I live right across from Whole Foods Market and they have an awesome selection of prepared foods. The salmon is one of my favorite selections – from lemon grilled to herb roasted to chipotle lime, they’re all equally scrumptious. Add on some roasted red potatoes and a salad and you have a tasty and fulfilling meal without ever dirtying a pan. The time I save cooking and cleaning allow me an opportunity to squeeze in extra snuggles with my dog, another one of my favorite things! - Kate

The song “We Are Young” has been a favorite for a few months now, but has popped back up to the top of my list this week. The band who created this gem of a song is Fun. With a name like that, the song automatically becomes a bit more awesome. Doing a bit of research I found out that Fun was created by a former member of The Format, which I very irresponsibly dropped everything on a Sunday night in college (including studying for a test which happened on Monday morning) and drove 1.5 hours to see them perform with Yellowcard back in 2005. I honestly couldn’t tell you how I did on that test, but to this day I remember how much fun we had at that concert!

With a chorus that rings

“Tonight.
We are young.
So let’s set the world on fire.
We can burn brighter than the sun”

How can you not dance around your living room, singing at the top of your lungs, thinking how we CAN set the world on fire? – Shanti