Welcome to the weekend my friends! Finally we are back home. We had a lot of fun exploring Tennessee with our youngest son. (And before I forget, thanks to Mary for emailing me and recommending that I try Hillbilly Golf while we were in Gatlinburg. What a fun afternoon!) Now, let me just admit that I it am enthused didn’t leave home until mid-July for our annual family camping trip.
Bring summer company, barbecues with friends, and lazy afternoons in the hammock and rocking chairs. I’m ready for anything (Also, lest you think my life is picturesque at all times, there are 14,793 washing dishes, mountains of laundry anyone can do, and many more mundane chores.)
But amidst all that, there will be blue skies, sunshine, warm rain that brings sickening humidity (reality check there), and as many outdoor moments as possible.
ON THE BLOGS this week: Crisp, warm tortillas filled with chicken, peppers, and plenty of melty cheese make a great dinner or a great way to use up some leftovers. Who would turn down a piping hot chicken fajita quesadilla for lunch? (Not me!)
Red potatoes seasoned with Mexican spices are roasted then tossed with sautéed onions, peppers and beans, topped off with a handful of barely wilted, warm spinach in this Black Bean Breakfast Skillet. Topped with a soft-boiled or scrambled egg, this is a hearty and filling, slightly flavorful weekend breakfast that can easily be doubled to fill a crowd.
Thanks to the magic of slow cooking, you can make these deliciously buttery, caramelized slow cooker onions with almost no effort.
With crisp greens, juicy tomatoes, tender peas, cheddar cheese, plenty of bacon and eggs, and a light, smoky dressing, this old-fashioned 7-layer salad delivers more than you might expect.
Sweetcorn, ripe peppers, red onions, and jalapenos are seasoned with a blend of aromatic spices and a hint of fresh cilantro to make every spoonful of this fiesta corn a fabulous blend of flavors.
Rhubarb bars with a shortcrust pastry crust and savory rhubarb pudding filling are a fun, easy springtime dessert. And this Rhubarb Sauce with Strawberry Jelly is a favorite old-fashioned rhubarb treat. Serve over ice or eat in a bowl, just like applesauce.
Moist, sweet, and lightly spiced, this carrot cake with cream cheese frosting is the food sweet tooth dreams are made of.
Chocolate and toasted coconut stuffed in chewy blondies, could any dessert make me happier? No chance at the moment. These coconut cookie bars just make me happy.
Warm and fragrant cinnamon spice pairs perfectly with cool, velvety ice cream and makes an irresistible treat with caramelized granola chunks in this Cinnamon Toast Crunch Ice Cream.
What I long for: My friend Rebecca has come up with some really great pizza topping combinations. Your Chick Fil A Pizza sounds absolutely amazing!
my favorite thing This week we have this simple cheese grater. I’ve had the same grater (originally from IKEA) for over 15 years now and it’s the handiest grater I’ve ever used with its storage case and rubber grip on the bottom to keep it in place.
I’m thrilled to finally find one on Amazon that I like just as much and have already given it to a few people as gifts. It’s such an inexpensive tool and I like it a lot more than the fancier (and more expensive) graters I’ve used in the past.
What I’m looking at: Jesus Revolution. So many people have recommended this film and yet I have mentally filed it under “Oh man another Christian film that will have a good message but will probably have horrible acting and…I really don’t want to see it”.
I am happy to tell you that I was wrong on this point. This film is absolutely worth seeing. He succeeds in conveying the true message of Christ without being preachy or annoying. (And the acting is solid, too.)
This is the true story of a young hippie’s search for belonging and meaning in the 1970s. His journey sparks a new counterculture movement that has changed not only the course of his own life, but the lives of so many others as well.
What I hear: I still love Nathaniel Rateliff so much. If you haven’t heard it yet, do yourself a favor and give it a listen today!
“A happy heart is like good medicine, but a broken spirit saps strength.” Proverbs 17:22 NCV
Have a great week full of little things that make you smile!
Maria