The Little Things Newsletter #386 – Life, laughter, and lots of great food!

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Welcome to the weekend, my friends! Not only am I looking forward to a week of gorgeous chilly fall weather, this is also going to be a week filled with family. My brother will be here, as well as my aunt and uncle. AND my middle baby will be turning 18 in just a few days! The teen years really do fly past, my friends.

ON THE BLOGS this week: Creamy, chewy oats, bananas, and pecans are topped with a generous drizzle of maple syrup to make this warm and filling maple banana nut oatmeal. Less than 10 minutes of effort is required to put this hot breakfast on the table. 

This uncomplicated yet incredibly flavorful meal is created by roasting Brussels sprouts and potatoes and then stirring them together with zesty sausage and a generous helping of cheese. As much as we enjoy each of these ingredients on their own, when combined the result is greater than the sum of its parts.

These BBQ chicken foil packets are easily made with chicken, a sprinkling of spices, a handful of mixed vegetables, and a brushing of barbecue sauce.

Tender, slightly crisp green beans sauteed in butter and tossed with plenty of fresh herbs are a side dish that everyone enjoys.

Cheesy broccoli mashed potatoes were inspired by my family’s fondness for Irish colcannon, the ever-popular loaded mashed potatoes with cabbage. 

Creamy hazelnut spread and melted chocolate are tucked inside flaky, buttery pastry dough before being baked into these irresistible chocolate babka bites.

Creamy chocolate fudge filled with peanuts and marshmallows makes a chewy, crunchy, salty, sweet rocky road fudge that all ages will enjoy.

Have you tasted arroz con leche? This is a Mexican rice pudding made with sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, whole milk, and plenty of cinnamon. You’re going to love it!

My FAVORITE THING this week is this contoured sleeping mask. I’ve used a contoured mask for years now and swear by the difference it makes. This mask is a bit nicer and fancier (more contouring and thicker padding around the edges) than my older ones and I love it. There is zero light sneaking in, not even a teeny tiny edge around my nose. I slept like a rock each time I wore it this week and it was very comfortable throughout the night. I don’t think I adjusted it even once – at least not

Weekly Menu Plan – Oct. 16 to Oct. 22

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Weekly Menu Plan – Oct. 16 to Oct. 22

Weekly Menu Plan – Oct. 16 to Oct. 22

Here is your weekly menu plan for next week!

Monday: Triple Decker Club Sandwich

Tuesday: Teriyaki Chicken (double the rice you make for this and save half of it for Thursday)

Wednesday: Gorgonzola Steak Salad

Thursday: Ham Fried Rice (use the leftover rice from Tuesday)

Friday: Leftover Night!

Saturday: Taco Casserole

Sunday: Baked Maple Mustard Salmon

READ: Weekly Menu Plan – Oct. 16 to Oct. 22

Arroz con Leche

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Arroz con Leche is a Mexican rice pudding made with sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, whole milk, and plenty of cinnamon.

This heartwarming dish offers a taste of tradition and comfort to anyone lucky enough to taste its creamy goodness. Arroz con Leche is a crowd-pleaser every time we make it.

rice pudding in clear glass with cinnamon stick

What is Arroz con Leche?

Arroz con leche, which translates to “rice with milk” in English, is a sweet rice pudding enjoyed across Spanish-speaking regions worldwide.

This is a Mexican rice pudding recipe made with sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, whole milk, and plenty of cinnamon.

While the ingredient list is about as basic as a dessert recipe can get, the result is a rich, creamy, flavorful dessert that we absolutely love.

small gold spoon with a bite of rice pudding

Arroz con Leche

As soon as I opened my friend Krysten’s cookbook and spied her recipe for Arroz con Leche, I knew that recipe needed to be made as soon as possible. Luckily, with a handful of ingredients I already had on hand, I was stirring this together in less than an hour.

There are so many awesome, easy-to-make recipes in this cookbook, it really is named appropriately: So Easy & So Yummy!

so easy, so yummy cookbook with dish of rice pudding on topRead more

Rocky Road Fudge

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Creamy chocolate fudge filled with peanuts and marshmallows makes a chewy, crunchy, salty, sweet Rocky Road Fudge that all ages will enjoy.

Rocky Road ice cream has been one of my favorite ice cream flavors ever since I was a child and this Rocky Road Fudge has everything I love about the classic ice cream flavor mixed into a rich chocolate fudge.

Rocky Road Fudge - get the recipe at barefeetinthekitchen.com

Rocky Road brownies, Rocky Road chocolate bark, Rocky Road pretty much anything is sure to be a hit with my family. What’s not to love about a handful of chocolate filled with peanuts and marshmallows?

Rocky Road Fudge

When I was playing with ideas for new fudge recipes this holiday season, I knew I needed to make a rocky road fudge. I’ve put peanuts in fudge before, and I’ve put marshmallows in fudge, but I had yet to try both together.

I’m happy to report that the finished Rocky Road Fudge was just as good as I imagined it would be, if not better. It was a hit with my kids and given the opportunity we could have polished off the whole batch in no time at all.

5 Minute Fudge

I am so completely hooked on five-minute fudge recipes. Unlike traditional old-fashioned fudge recipes, no candy thermometers or other special equipment is required.

You don’t even need a stove to make this fudge. Everything melts in the microwave and then sets up in the fridge in just a few hours.

My 5 minute fudge obsession started with this simple Chocolate Pecan Fudge, a recipe I’ve used as the base for tons of chocolate fudge recipes since, including this one.

Rocky Road Fudge is the latest incarnation of 5 minute fudge I’m sharing this year. Don’t miss the others like White Chocolate Pretzel Fudge, bite size pieces of salty-sweet heaven. Creamy Peanut Butter Fudge, Chocolate Covered Oreo Fudge, and Peppermint Marshmallow Fudge are even more recipes you’re sure to enjoy.

I also plan to give this Eggnog Fudge and this Read more

Foil Baked Mustard Maple Bacon Salmon

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Foil Baked Mustard Maple Bacon Salmon

Tender flaky salmon wrapped in bacon and glazed with a garlic maple mustard sauce, this baked salmon recipe is sensational! You have to try it!

My friend Megan swears by her dad’s salmon and bacon. I only like salmon when it’s got enough flavor to mask the fact that it’s actually fish. Bacon to the rescue! Everything is better with bacon!

My friend Janet makes a good one, and I love a few of our own recipes like our Salmon Bowls and Asian Sticky Salmon, but when Megan said there was bacon in her dad’s recipe, I was so intrigued!

If you have been an OSB follower for long, you will know that I am not a seafood person. It’s just not my thing. Even salmon…I have been trying to love salmon for years, and I have to say that this baked maple mustard salmon has won me over!

Recommended Equipment

Before You Begin…

Grab four sheets of foil that are big enough to wrap each of your fillets in and lay 2 slices of bacon vertically on each piece of foil.

How to Pick Good Fresh Salmon

Buying salmon at the grocery store can be intimidating, but it doesn’t need to be! There are a few things to look for…

  • Smell – good fresh salmon should not have a fishy smell
  • Color – vibrant, deep shades of red/coral/pink is what you are after and there shouldn’t be any brown spots anywhere on the fillet
  • Appearance – it should look moist and not dried out
  • Touch – when you gently press the salmon, it should bounce back and not leave an indentation

What Do I Need to Make This Baked Salmon Recipe?

All the ingredients are easy to find and create the most amazing flavor. Here is what you will need:

  • Salmon Fillets
  • Lemon
  • Kosher Salt
  • Pepper
  • Olive Oil Mayonnaise
  • Maple Syrup: Grade A
  • Garlic
  • Dijon Mustard
  • Yellow Onion
  • Bacon
  • Thyme: or parsley

The measurements for each ingredient can be found in the recipe card. You can also print and save the recipe there.

How to Make Baked Maple Salmon

  1. Prep: Preheat the oven, get foil pieces ready and place the bacon on each piece of foil. Season the salmon fillets.
  2. Sauce: Whisk all the ingredients of the sauce together and pour the sauce on each fillet.
  3. Assemble: Top the fillets with the onions and wrap the bacon around the fillets. Fold the foil around each piece of salmon.
  4. Bake: Place the sheet pan in the oven and bake, then open the foil and change the oven to broil to crisp up the top for about a minute.
  5. Season: Sprinkle each fillet with fresh herbs and serve!

The complete instructions for making this recipe can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post. Keep scrolling for all the details.

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