Friday 🖐️: An Incredible Italian Beef Sandwich & More!

Inside: Italian beef, a must-listen podcast, the gadget I swear by, and how we’re keeping Easter simple this year.

Apr 18, 2025

Hi hi!

It’s been a fun and busy week here — I’m channeling The Bear in my kitchen, prepping for Easter brunch with the fam, and revisiting a 90s comedy classic with the girls.

Spring is in full bloom (literally), and I’m soaking up all the good vibes. 🌷 Here’s your Friday 5 for this week!

What’s Inside:

🥪 Making: Italian Beef from The Bear (the BEST slow-cooker sandwich recipe)
✅ Listening: The therapist who helped me through my divorce—and her new podcast episode I think everyone should hear
🍿 Recommending: Eliminating PFAS with this $29 Air Popper (healthier, cheaper popcorn at home)
🎬 Watching: 90s classic comedies with the kids - see the hilarious comment after the show
💐 Loving: Hydrangeas (gorgeous spring blooms brightening my porch)

1. Making: Italian Beef from The Bear

I finally tried making the Italian Beef sandwiches from The Bear at home. I used my slow cooker and created a recipe on the blog that turned out unbelievably tender, juicy, and flavorful (a jar of pepperocinnis is the secret ingredient!).

The best part: it was super easy, and my kitchen smelled like a fancy sandwich shop all day. If you’ve been craving that iconic sandwich, trust me, this one hits the spot.

Budget-friendly tip: This recipe calls for both pepperoncini peppers and giardiniera (Italian-style pickled veggies). To keep costs down, you can skip the giardiniera and just use extra pepperoncini and a splash more of the brine—it still adds great flavor. That said, if you can swing both, the combo really takes it to the next level.

2. Listening: To Terri Cole on the We Can Do Hard Things podcast

You guys! Our girl, Terri Cole, is on We Can Do Hard Things this week, which happens to be one of the most-listened-to podcasts in the world. And it is SO. WELL. DESERVED. 👏👏👏

If you’ve ever felt like nothing will get done unless you do it (or know someone like that—which is all of us, right?), then this episode is for you. They discuss how being overly invested in others' outcomes and doing too much can take a toll on your peace and relationships, and so much more.

I met Terri circa 2009 at a retreat and have loved her ever since. She’s a brilliant, no B.S. therapist—someone who’s not only incredibly helpful, but also funny, witty, and full of heart. She was instrumental in helping me through my divorce in 2015, and I can wholeheartedly say her advice changed my life for the better.

Her voice reminds me of Stevie Nicks—I could listen to her talk all day. Over the years, I’ve had the pleasure of spending quality time with Terri and her husband, Vic, and I can tell you she’s absolutely someone I want to keep learning from.

Her book Boundary Boss is excellent, and her episode on We Can Do Hard Things was so good, they asked her back for Part 2. I can’t recommend listening enough. You can find it wherever you listen to podcasts.

3. Swapping: Bags for an Air Popper

According to UCLA Health, eating microwave popcorn from bags increases the level of PFAS (aka forever chemicals) in body up to 63%!

An air popper is an easy fix for this.

I’ve had a popcorn air popper (on sale right now) for years, and IMHO air-popped popcorn tastes better than the stuff in bags.

It’s so much healthier and cheaper than the microwave popcorn bags — no weird chemicals or microplastics, just plain kernels turning into delicious fluffy popcorn.

I mentioned this air popper in last week’s blog post about practical ways to save money at the grocery store, and a number of you have already grabbed one.

Just pour in some kernels, and a few minutes later we have a huge bowl of fresh popcorn ready to go—no oil needed. We drizzle a little melted butter or olive oil and sprinkle sea salt on top for the kids, and M and I like it au naturel. It’s movie-night perfection. If you and your family snack on popcorn as much as we do, an air popper is a game-changer.

4. Watching: Two 90’s Classics

For family movie night last week, we went with 2 throwbacks: Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and Tommy Boy.

These old classics are so much fun to watch with our teen girls. One of them looked at her dad after Tommy Boy and said, “Is that why you always say ‘Housekeeping’ in a high voice when you knock on the door?” We were rolling on the floor laughing.

If you need a lighthearted movie to watch, these two still hold up for some good laughs and wholesome family movie nights.

5. Loving: Hydrangeas on the Porch

Spring flowers make me giddy, and I’m fully leaning into it. I treated myself to two large pots of these gorgeous blooms and placed them in our front porch pots (can’t beat those Costco prices!). The color and fluff bring such a happy spring vibe to our space.

They honestly lift my mood every time I walk by. It’s a little reminder that fresh flowers (or even a pretty plant) can brighten everything.

And finally, this year I’m keeping Easter brunch simple and stress-free.

I ordered a ham from my local community market, so the star of the meal is already taken care of (yay!). I’ll just warm it up in the oven and serve with soft rolls, pickles, and a spread of mustards so everyone can build their own little sandwiches.

My sister is bringing her famous gluten-free breakfast casserole (similar to this one) and pastries, and my cousin is on duty for the fruit salad. I love that we’re doing a bit of a potluck — it spreads the work around and makes the morning more fun for everyone (especially the hosts!).

If you’re celebrating Easter, enjoy every moment (and every bite). And even if you’re not, I hope you get some time to relax, laugh, and do something you love.

Have a fantastic weekend!

xo, Elizabeth