The Little Things Newsletter #438 – Life, laughter, and lots of great food!

Welcome to the weekend, my friends! The sun is shining, it’s chilly outside this morning, and I’m starting some soup in the crockpot. I’m hoping to get out for a hike this afternoon and soup with grilled cheese sandwiches sounds just about perfect for dinner tonight.

ON THE BLOGS THIS WEEK: Crunchy toasted Brioche topped with jam and almonds creates an irresistible pastry called Bostock. As simple as it sounds (and is to make) once you’ve tasted it, I’m willing to bet that you’ll be telling everyone about it.

With spicy sausage, tender noodles, and a melty cheese topping, this Lasagna Soup recipe has all your favorite Italian ingredients simmered together in one pot.

This Steak Stir Fry with mushrooms and onions delivers all the flavors I crave in a great restaurant steak. Lucky for all of us, that steak has been transformed into a quick stir fry that can be made even on the busiest of nights.

Have you tried a Hashbrown Bowl? Crispy browned hash browns and crisp-tender asparagus are paired with plenty of bacon and topped with a fried egg. This is my idea of breakfast heaven.

The sweet, juicy burst of blueberries complements the subtle tang of buttermilk in this delightfully moist and tender Blueberry Buttermilk Cake.

Creamy, rich, dark chocolate mint ice cream is generously filled with Andes Mints to create this scrumptious Andes Mint Ice Cream.

I made this No-Bake Nutella Pie several times over the summer and I find myself craving it again now. This pie is what happens when you have a half-eaten package of Oreos and a large jar of Nutella and you’re craving something sweet. This dessert is a Nutella lover’s dream come true.

What I’m CRAVING: My friend Ashley’s Asian Beef and Vegetable Stir Fry caught my eye yesterday and now I can’t stop thinking about it. I love a great stir fry, so this one needs to happen soon.

My FAVORITE THING this week is my foam roller. Learning how to use a foam roller a few years ago was a game-changer for releasing tight muscles and improving range of motion. This is the best roller I’ve found – and lucky for me, also the least expensive! If you aren’t familiar with foam rolling, here’s a quick read on the subject.

What I’m READING: Mind Games by Nora Roberts. While this may technically be a psychological suspense novel, it’s also a fairly light read and I was engrossed from the first few pages. I don’t read much in the psychological suspense or thriller genre, but this book was a win. (For the record, I didn’t find it frightening or anything at all that might keep me up at night. If you happen to be a fan of real thrillers, this won’t qualify for you.) There were plenty of light-hearted moments in the book and I found myself rooting for all the characters – except for one. 

What I’m LISTENING to: Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum bounty hunter series on audiobooks. The narration is amusing and the audio versions are a fresh take on books that I’ve already read more than a time or two. Each audiobook is only 5-7 hours long, so it hasn’t taken long at all to work my way back through the series.

I started reading Evanovich about 25 years ago and there are now 30 books in the series. They are true laugh-out-loud-while-you’re-reading amusement and I still enjoy them. (Admittedly, I often roll my eyes at the ridiculous lack of character development at times, but regardless, they’re amusing very light reads.)

“When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.” Psalm 56:3 ESV

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

Mary