The Little Things Newsletter #440 – Life, laughter, and lots of great food!

Welcome to the weekend, my friends! Where has October gone?? I can’t believe next week is the start of November! In my very exciting life this week, I cleaned out my closet and it made me grin to see all the sweaters and jeans I can finally wear again. Bring on the cooler weather, Ohio. I’m ready for it all.

ON THE BLOGS THIS WEEK: Crisp baby spinach, spring mix lettuces, tart apples, sweet raisins, crunchy almonds, and the ultimate honey cider salad dressing create a fantastic winter salad. I made this salad three times within a month the first time I made it. And in the years since then, this salad has made frequent appearances in my home. I make it almost every year now for Thanksgiving too.

I’ve been making the easiest possible dinners lately and this simple 6-ingredient BBQ meatloaf adds variety with very little effort required. And lucky for all of us, the result is every bit as delicious as the much more complicated traditional meatloaf recipes.

The magic of pairing fresh rosemary with roasted potatoes is something that really can’t be overstated. Fluffy potatoes with crisp, roasted edges are seasoned to perfection with just fresh herbs, salt, and pepper in these rosemary roasted potatoes. Despite the fact that I make potatoes in dozens of different ways throughout the year, these remain a favorite with family and friends.

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! I buy Brussels just so I can toss make these for lunch at least once a month.

Crepes are a breakfast that I would happily eat every single day. And these blueberry crepes are a berry lover’s breakfast dream come true. Topped with just the berries and a dusting of powdered sugar, they are a fun change from our usual pancake breakfasts.

The ultimate bakery-style salted chocolate chip cookies are giant cookies with crisp edges and a perfectly chewy center, filled with chocolate chips and sprinkled with flaked sea salt. This is a cookie you absolutely must taste to believe.

Creamy, sweet homemade cinnamon ice cream that you can make with about 3 minutes effort? Yes, PLEASE! To make this easy cinnamon ice cream, I kicked up the cinnamon enough that you get the hint of spice with the first taste and the lingering cinnamon flavor afterward. Try it on a warm apple crisp or a dish of peach cobbler for an unforgettable dessert.

What I’m CRAVING: These Cajun Shrimp Burgers caught my eye this week and I can not stop thinking about them! I’ve never tried a shrimp burger, but since I love shrimp and never turn down a great burger, they pretty much have my name on them. 

My FAVORITE THING this week is this dust mop. Yes, I just put a house-cleaning tool on my favorite things list. For the past 20+ years, I’ve used a vacuum to clean my hardwood floors. Why didn’t someone ever tell me about the awesomeness of a great dust mop? It takes a fraction of the time and gathers everything! There is no pet hair or dust left behind and I can do several rooms before there’s a need to take it outside to shake it. I really do love this thing. 

What I’m READING: Build the Life You Want: The Art and Science of Getting Happier by Arthur C. Brooks. (Oprah Winfrey is listed as co-author here, and I’ll be honest, I could’ve done without her portions of the book. Fortunately, the majority of the book was written by Brooks.) I’m of mixed feelings recommending this one. I enjoyed parts of it. I even scribbled down notes on one of the sections. (I liked the journaling prompts a lot.) So, in that sense, I’m glad I read this book.

That said, I can sum it up in a few sentences. Be disciplined in your daily life, do the hard things, find meaning in your work or your hobbies, and maintain your social connections. I never used to read self-help type books and this one was a reminder of why that was. At times annoying, at other times simply boring, this felt like a lot of reading just to remind myself that we’re happiest when we’re less focused on ourselves and more focused on helping others. Good advice, yes. But I’m glad it was a quick read and I didn’t spend much time on it.

What I’m LISTENING to: My Savior by Carrie Underwood. This album remains part of my morning playlist on an almost daily basis. I love hymns so much and these are some of my favorite songs.

“Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.” Romans 5:3‭-‬4 ESV

Wishing you a beautiful week full of little things that make you smile!

Mary