The Little Things Newsletter #471 – Life, laughter, and lots of great food!

Welcome to the weekend, my friends! As I write this, I’m listening to the birds outside singing their hearts out and there is a brilliantly red cardinal dancing for us on the back patio. I think the birds are as excited as we are for a lovely sunshine-filled day. 

ON THE BLOGS THIS WEEK: Did you know you can cook perfect shrimp (from frozen!) in the air fryer without thawing first and it turns out perfectly? The air fryer comes in clutch once again by making shrimp an even easier dinner option.

Tender jasmine rice with bite sized broccoli florets in a cheesy sauce makes this cheesy broccoli rice picky eater approved.

Cabbage crunch salad is a super fresh, crunchy cabbage slaw in a beautifully balanced tart and slightly sweet dressing with a hint of nutty sesame and almond.

Tangy, creamy, and packing a little mysterious kick, Russian dressing is a classic salad topper and dip that deserves a little more attention. Coming together in five minutes or fewer, you’ll want to have a bottle of this salad dressing in the fridge at all times!

Blueberry lemonade is as refreshing as it is beautiful. This vibrant magenta spin on classic lemonade is destined to be your go-to for summer sipping.

This coffee cake with fluffy coffee frosting is truly for coffee lovers. The coffee flavors both the cake and the frosting, cutting the sweetness without detracting from the flavor. But you gotta like coffee. A lot. Luckily, we do, so this is a very popular cake in our house.

Bright and colorful and decidedly retro in the best way, bubble gum ice cream is a unique ice cream with a whole lot of whimsy and hints of banana, cherry, and strawberry.

What I’m CRAVING: Have you heard of banana fritters?? These banana fritters with vanilla caramel sauce caught my eye yesterday and I dreamed about them last night. I think that’s a sign we need to make them soon. They sound pretty amazing!

My FAVORITE THING this week is this jewelry cleaner. If you’ve known me for long, you know that I sure do love sparkling rings, and it doesn’t especially matter whether they’re super fancy, not so fancy, or costume pieces – I like them all. Over the years, I’ve tried just about every jewelry cleaner on the market. This is my current favorite, just a few drops in some warm water and everything is sparkling.

What I’m LISTENING to: The first Hunger Games audiobook has been a fun listen this week. I enjoyed the book years ago, and we’ve watched the movie too, so the audiobook turned out to be a fun choice when I was looking for a new book to listen to this week.  

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10 ESV

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

Mary