Welcome to the weekend, my friends! The sun is shining and that is making me so very happy today. The trees have little buds on them and the promise of spring is peeking around the corner. My youngest son turned 16 this week and we’re celebrating tomorrow with a family day and a menu full of all his favorite foods.
ON THE BLOGS THIS WEEK: Crisp vegetables, creamy pasta, and a delightfully spicy chipotle dressing collide in this Southwest Pasta Salad. Between the ease of prep and how well it keeps in the fridge, this recipe has been on repeat in my kitchen lately.
Spicy and tangy, this creamy Chipotle Ranch is a delicious, absolutely irresistible topping for salads, burgers, fries, and more. I throw this one together quite frequently, as it is one of my newest favorites. I like to have it on hand for last minute pizza and salad nights.
With a rich tomato sauce, savory sausage, and loads of gooey cheese, this Cheesy Sausage Pasta is utterly irresistible. I just add a loaf of garlic bread, a crisp salad, and this is a meal worth repeating!
If there is a dish I could eat all year long, it’s a vegetable-packed pasta salad. I used to think of pasta salads as summer side dishes, but they’re terrific in the winter, spring, and fall too! I just make them with whichever vegetables are at their best at the time.
With the perfect mix of chewy and crisp textures, these White Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies are loaded with white chocolate chips and cranberries. I fell in love with this combination at the first bite. And, I think you will, too!
Tart blackberries are paired with sweet apples in this brown sugar and oat Blackberry Apple Crisp. As popular as traditional apple crisps are, this is even better.
What I’m CRAVING: I have been dreaming about this salad (and YES, I just said I’m craving a flipping kale salad!) ever since I watched my friend Vinny make it the other day. If you love great food videos, he’s one to watch. Everything he shares makes me want to hit the kitchen immediately!
My FAVORITE THING this week is this tiny little standing desk I bought on impulse and have grown to absolutely love! (I already loved my full-size standing desk in my office.) I bought this one to use while watching movies with my boys, so that I could do some work on my laptop while we’re watching shows on the weekend. I like to alternate standing and sitting and this has been the perfect option for that!
What I’m WATCHING: Firefly – for the umpteenth time, I’m introducing a friend to it this weekend. I am ecstatic over this week’s announcement on the potential animated series that is in the works!!! #bringbackfirefly How is it even possible it’s been twenty-five years already? Did we hit a time warp or something?
What I’m LISTENING to: Welcome to the New by Mercy Me. If you’re having a rough day, this is the album to play. I can not stay grumpy while listening to this one. God is so good.
“Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!” Psalm 34:8 ESV
Wishing you a beautiful week filled with little things that make you smile!
Mary
The post The Little Things Newsletter #513 – Life, laughter, and lots of great food! appeared first on Barefeet in the Kitchen.
