The Little Things Newsletter #476 – Life, laughter, and lots of great food!

Welcome to the weekend, my friends! The first week of July is always fun here in Ohio. Our main street has been closed for the past few days with the full carnival set up there—rides, food trucks, and games are in abundance. Today is the last day of it, and as fun as it is to see the lights and hear the laughter, it will be good to have a bit of our usual calm summer life return tomorrow.

ON THE BLOGS THIS WEEK: For the days or nights when you are craving a delicious meal and have no energy or motivation to cook it, these air fryer steak bites are the recipe you need to have in your pocket. They’re quick, flavorful, and just fancy enough to make dinner feel special—even if you’re eating them in your pajamas at the end of a very long day.

Crispy, pan-fried pork schnitzel is my kind of comfort food. I very rarely break out the oil in my kitchen for any kind of frying, so you know that when I do, it’s going to be worth it.

There’s something undeniably irresistible about this broccoli salad with bacon and cranberries. It disappears every time it’s served at a potluck or barbecue, and there are almost always requests for the recipe.

Tender rice with onion, bell pepper, and celery mixed with a great blend of spices adds up to bowl of Cajun rice—a simple, easy-to-make side dish that tastes like something a whole lot fancier than it is.

Hearty noodles serve as the perfect backdrop for slightly sweet cabbage and savory bacon in this simple cabbage pasta. I’ve been making it on repeat at least once a month for the past year.

Fresh pineapple and homemade ice cream are two of my summer favorites. So, naturally, combining the two into a batch of sweet and creamy pineapple ice cream was going to happen.

What I’m CRAVING: Sue’s burrata tomato salad is so lovely. I wish I had it in front of me now alongside a pile of torn croutons. That sounds so good right now.

My FAVORITE THING this week is the new Dawn dish soap. Yep, I’m such a weirdo that the new fragrance of Dawn dishwashing soap makes me grin every time I wash a dish. Initially, I was thrown off by the fact it wasn’t the same Dawn scent I’ve used for most of my adult life, but now? I like it. (And I don’t even know what to think about that, since I am typically highly averse to anything remotely fragrant!)

What I’m READING: Blind Spots: When Medicine Gets It Wrong, and What It Means for Our Health by Marty Makary, M.D. When Peter Attia (author of Outlive) calls a book a “wake-up call”, I immediately put it on my must-read list. And I read this one fast. It was engrossing and I’ve already recommended it to several people. 

The book is exceptionally well-researched, and the amount of information that challenges the medical status quo is almost unreal. I now have a list of things to investigate further, both for my future health and for the health of my family. 

What I’m LISTENING to: Psalms by Sandra McCracken. The album has a unique sound, reminiscent of Americana and folk. I’ve shared this one with you before, but it bears repeating. I love her variations on the traditional songs she’s included. Her song, My Help, My God, remains my favorite.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1-2 ESV

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

Mary