The Little Things Newsletter #485 – Life, laughter, and lots of great food!

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Welcome to the weekend, my friends! I’m in fall-inspired cleaning and donating mode and have been clearing out closets, posting things in our local buy-nothing group, and enjoying the roomy new spaces in our home very much. 

Question – where do you donate or give things away? While it takes a little more effort, I’ve been enjoying the buy-nothing process so much more than dumping things at donation centers. We still donate that way as well, but when the items are nicer and we just don’t need them any longer, I try to remember the local groups for giving things away.

ON THE BLOGS THIS WEEK: Tender broccoli florets and chunks of spicy sausage are scattered through every bite of this hearty, satisfying pasta. When you’re craving pasta comfort food, but still want to enjoy a generous serving of vegetables (without messing around with a salad), this broccoli sausage pasta is the answer.

This garlicky, orange shrimp packs a whole lot of awesome flavor with little more than some orange juice, fresh garlic, and a dash of spices.

Fresh green beans are tossed with Sriracha, honey, soy sauce, and sesame oil and then roasted to hot, crisp perfection to create these immensely snackable spicy green beans.

You’ve never had sweet potatoes like these glazed sweet potatoes. They roast up with the most irresistible caramelized brown sugar crust. Tender, sweet, and savory all at once, they’re the kind of side dish that makes any meal feel special.

Pumpkin + coffee cake = fall dessert magic. Layers of soft sour cream coffee cake, creamy pumpkin filling, and a crunchy cinnamon-sugar pecan topping make this pumpkin coffee cake downright irresistible. One slice and you’ll be hooked! 

Buckeyes, also known as Peanut Butter Balls, have a smooth peanut butter center and chocolate shell. I’ll warn you now that once you’ve tried them, you’ll be making this simple buckeye recipe for all of your Christmas treat trays and holiday food gifts.

Creamy homemade chocolate ice cream is loaded to the absolute limit with bite-sized chunks of Oreo cookies to create this chocolate lover’s cookies and cream ice cream.

What I’m CRAVING: My friend Rebecca (yes, last week’s brownies were hers too. She’s really been making me hungry lately!) introduced me to the idea of swapping co

The Little Things Newsletter #484 – Life, laughter, and lots of great food!

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Welcome to the weekend, my friends! I’m spending this morning meal prepping in the kitchen, and then I’ll be headed out for a walk this afternoon to soak up more of the awesome pre-fall weather.

ON THE BLOGS THIS WEEK: Pizza and salad might sound like total opposites, one’s cheesy, gooey, and indulgent, while the other is light, crisp, and refreshing. But put them together? You’ve got the best of both worlds in this pizza salad.

Smoked salmon pasta feels like spring or summer in a bowl. It’s light and lemony with a great balance of flavors. The lemon cuts through the creaminess, the salmon brings that slightly smoky depth, and the pine nuts add just the right crunch.

Let’s just get this out of the way now, I am obsessed with this vegetable confetti. For about 15 years now, I’ve kept a ready-to-eat vegetable box in our fridge, and we pull it out several times a day for snacking.

This confetti, on the other hand? It’s perfect for tossing with crunchy greens for a lightning-fast salad, or simply sauteing a bit of the mix to add to some scrambled eggs or add some to a bit of ground beef for quick tacos.

If you’re looking for a dinner that’s full of flavor, super simple to prep, and practically effortless to cook, air fryer Italian chicken is going to be your new go-to.

Crustless coconut pie is a simple custard pie filled to the brim with sweet bites of coconut. Best of all, it’s so easy to make, the kids can stir it together in about 5 minutes.

This is the cookies and cream ice cream of my childhood dreams. Frosted circus animal cookies dance through every bite of this animal cookie ice cream.

What I’m CRAVING: Rebecca shared these Greek yogurt brownies last week, and oh my word, they look incredible! No eggs AND no butter required, the Greek yogurt does all the heavy lifting to create these ultra-rich brownies. They are surely calling my name today. So, you can bet I’ll be trying them asap.

My FAVORITE THING this week is the new Guilty Pleas

The Little Things Newsletter #483 – Life, laughter, and lots of great food!

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Welcome to the weekend, my friends! Guess what?? I’m giddy over the weather forecast for the next few days. We’re going to be in the 70s, my friends. The 70s. How amazing is that? I know it won’t last and the weather will warm up again, but for right now? Let’s get outside and bask in this peek into the awesomeness of future fall weather.

ON THE BLOGS THIS WEEK: Catalina salad dressing is fresh, bold, tangy, and sweet, (though a lot less sweet than commercial versions!) with plenty of zesty flavors to keep things interesting. At this point in my life, I could write an ode to homemade salad dressings. That said, the homemade Catalina dressing I love today is a far cry from the grocery store versions I recall.

Light, crispy, and flaky air fryer Brussels sprouts chips are delightfully snackable and surprisingly satisfying. These chips are the snack you never knew you were missing!

German potato salad is warm and tangy with the vinegar bacon dressing that soaks right into the potatoes. It’s hearty, savory, and just the right amount of sweet. And lest I forget to mention it, this salad is fully loaded with bacon. It’s unforgettable.

Tender strips of chicken, bell peppers, and onions are seasoned with taco spices, then cooked to crispy, juicy perfection in the air fryer. Serve these air fryer fajitas in warm tortillas or over rice with your favorite toppings for a fresh and easy meal.

With crispy potatoes, spicy (or not-so-spicy) sausage, tender crisp cabbage, bell peppers, and onions, tossed with just the right amount of seasoning, this sausage and potato hash breakfast skillet is the kind of meal that’s welcome any time of day.

Two-ingredient pineapple angel food cake is a fun treat that takes nearly no effort to make! That’s right; it’s made with just two simple-to-find ingredients that you may already have in your pantry.

Yes, I did make an ice cream with green tea. And I have no regrets. If you know me well, you might recall that I’m not a fan of green tea. It’s just not my thing. But matcha ice cream? It has been a jaw-dropping delicious surprise for me.

What I’m CRAVING: My friend Heidi’s BLT salad with peaches, tomatoes, bacon, homemade croutons, and a creamy lemon herb dressing sounds absolutely incredible. I need this in my life soon, so I’ll be on the hunt for some perfectly ripe peaches and tomatoes this weekend.

My FAV

The Little Things Newsletter #482 – Life, laughter, and lots of great food!

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Welcome to the weekend, my friends! I’m looking forward to lunch with friends, and then a very relaxed movie night with my family. We’re finally going to watch the live-action How to Train Your Dragon, and I couldn’t be more excited about it. That TV show is nostalgic for our kids, and I’ll admit that I can’t wait to see Gerard Butler tackle the role of Stoick the Vast. It’s going to be a fun night.

ON THE BLOGS THIS WEEK: Sweet peaches, tart and tangy blackberries, fresh mint, basil, and parsley are tossed together with a tangy-sweet vinaigrette over creamy burrata to create the summer salad that I can’t stop eating.

Just in case you haven’t noticed, I’ve become a wee bit obsessed with my air fryer over the past couple of years, and as it turns out, the air fryer creates cheesy French bread pizzas with a chewy, crispy crust. It’s homemade pizza that’s fast enough for a lunch or dinner.

This creamy corn with jalapeno has become one of my favorite corn side dishes. The sweet pop of fresh corn is tucked in a rich, creamy cheese sauce with jalapenos and pairs beautifully with just about anything, from these grilled steak kabobs to roasted chicken to juicy, crisp kielbasa bites and so much more.

After I finished making the 6th or 8th or maybe it was the 10th batch of peach jam, I decided to use the last of my peaches to make a simple peach syrup. I had visions of a peach whiskey smash or maybe a fresh peach martini in mind. And once you have a batch of peach syrup on hand, you’re going to want to drizzle it into all kinds of deliciousness.

You’ll want to save enough of the syrup to mix up a pitcher of this peach iced tea too. There’s something extra special about a glass of iced tea when it’s warm outside. I’ll happily drink tea year-round, but in the summertime, a cold glass in my hand encourages me to head for the front porch and enjoy the moment.

To wrap up this year’s peach fun, I made this peach sorbet. It’s bright, flavorful, and bursting with juicy sweetness. Made with just peaches, lemon juice, sugar, and a pinch of salt, peach sorbet is proof that the simplest

The Little Things Newsletter #481 – Life, laughter, and lots of great food!

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Welcome to the weekend, my friends! I’ve spent more time outdoors this past week than I have in a while. The mornings have been gloriously cool and perfect for walking or just rocking on the porch. While I’m not quite ready to say goodbye to summer, I’m very much looking forward to fall with a grin on my face.

ON THE BLOGS THIS WEEK: Filled with savory, sweet, and just a little bit spicy ground beef tucked into melting cheese, you’re going to love Korean beef quesadillas. A bit of leftover Korean beef inspired this delicious fusion twist on our late-night quesadilla cravings.

Chicken and vegetables simmer in a creamy filling underneath a flaky biscuit topping to make these irresistible mini chicken pot pies. (I think my youngest would be happy to eat chicken pot pie every single day if I made it that often.) This is also a great way to use up bits of meat or vegetables lingering in the fridge too.

Creamy cottage cheese topped with juicy, sweet peaches, plenty of fresh mint, and a drizzle of honey is about to become your new favorite thing. Please, please, please, can peach season last just a little longer? (Not a fan of cottage cheese? Just use Greek yogurt!)

If there is a dish I could eat all year long, it’s a vegetable-packed pasta salad. I’ve mentioned before, and it holds true with this garden pasta salad, that I like a LOT of vegetables in my pasta dishes. If I can manage a 50/50 ratio of vegetables to pasta, that’s happiness for me.

Love fajitas, but hate standing over sizzling skillets in the summertime? Then these sheet pan chicken fajitas are about to change your fajita-making game.

No-bake cookies have met their match with these no bake chocolate peanut butter bars. They’re the perfect way to end the summer and celebrate everyone heading back to school. It doesn’t get much easier than just stirring everything together and pouring it into a pan.

Creamy, rich, chocolatey Nutella ice cream with a melt-in-your-mouth swirl of Nutella mixed throughout is a dreamy way to satisfy your sweet tooth this summer – or this fall, or winter, or pretty much any time of year, if you’re me.

What I’m CRAVING: A long winter nap. Can I admit that in the midst of summer? There’s something irresistible about a rainy or snowy weekend day when you can curl up on the couch with a cafe con leche, a Read more

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