The Little Things Newsletter #496 – Life, laughter, and lots of great food!

Welcome to the weekend, my friends! The countdown is on and I am soooo excited for Thanksgiving. My brother’s family will be arriving in a few hours and I can hardly wait. They’ll be here all week and we’ll be playing as many of our favorite games as possible while they’re here. Wingspan, DC Deckbuilding, Skyjo, Hitster, Poetry for Neanderthals, Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza, Harry Potter Deck Building, Quirkle, and more will be on repeat. 

ON THE BLOGS THIS WEEK: Ready in just minutes, these Chicken Bites are generously seasoned pieces of tender chicken with crispy edges, perfect for a game day, a family night in, or just when you’re in the mood for something satisfying. Blink and they’re gone!

Tender carrots are tossed with a light and buttery glaze in these Honey Glazed Carrots. They are the perfect combination of earthy sweetness and buttery richness.

Absolutely loaded with buttery sweet corn, this Corn Spoon Bread is pure southern comfort. This is the kind of side that greets you before you even open the oven door. And, you just know you’re going to find a second spoonful on your plate without quite knowing how it got there.

I’m not claiming to be the first human to ever put pancake batter on top of perfectly crispy bacon. But, these are absolutely the best Bacon Pancakes you’ll ever have the pleasure of eating. Don’t take my word for it. Try them for yourself.

Moist chocolate cake, filled with juicy cherries and topped with fluffy whipped cream? Say less. This Easy Black Forest Cake is a busy baker’s dream come true with just five simple ingredients. Using boxed cake mix is a shortcut that feels too good to be true. But it works beautifully for this showstopping dessert.

Maple Syrup Cookies are generously studded with pecans and drizzled with a homemade maple frosting. They’ve got the soft texture of a scone, but all the sweet satisfaction of a cookie. I am telling you, these cookies are a MOOD.

Waves of salty and sweet churn together in a luscious creamy base in this Sea Salt Ice Cream. Yeah, I’ll admit I could wax poetic on this one. The salt and sugar enhance one another instead of competing for your attention.

What I’m CRAVING: These Apple Cheddar Skillet Biscuits caught my eye yesterday and they sound so good! I clearly need to try an apple cheddar biscuit soon. I can’t get these out of my mind.

My FAVORITE THINGS this week are these incredibly inexpensive flat hair clips. I initially bought them thinking they’d work fine just to pin my hair up in the shower for extended conditioning. It turns out that I LOVE them. I’ve been wearing them constantly and I’ve already ordered more. Who knew that a $1.50 clip could make me this happy?

What I’m READING: The Girl in His Shadow by Audrey Blake. This book was so much better than I expected it to be. It sounded interesting, but wow. I was completely engrossed halfway through and when I learned there was a sequel? I simply inhaled it. (Spoiler alert to next week’s book.) Dr. Croft saves Nora after she’s orphaned in a cholera outbreak and she grows up learning surgery at his side at a time when it is forbidden to teach women in medicine.

What I’m WATCHING: The Christmas Contract Sometimes, you just need a cheesy Christmas movie and this one is perfect. When you can start a movie knowing that it all is going to work out in the end, that’s my kind of holiday fun. Please send me all of your favorite cheesy Christmas movie recommendations!

What I’m LISTENING to: Heaven Has Come by Sovereign Grace Music. This is absolutely beautiful music and I’m so glad a friend introduced me to it last year “Oh Come All You Unfaithful” remains my favorite, but everything on the album  is worth a listen. The album has already been on repeat for a while now.

“Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind, for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.” Psalm 107:8-9 NIV

Wishing you a beautiful week filled with little things that make you smile!

Mary