Welcome to the weekend, my friends! It’s mid-June and the weather is as perfect as it gets. (I don’t remember ever saying that in the summer before we moved to Ohio.) We still have cool mornings and glorious afternoons and evenings.
Even after four years here, I still live moments: “How amazing is it that I wake up every morning in my favorite place on earth?!” It’s a gift I don’t take for granted.
ON THE BLOGS this week: These Italian Egg Rolls are stuffed with Italian sausage and shredded veggies, and deep fried until crispy and golden. They’re a fun and unexpected twist on pasta night.
Fluffy Italian rice, simmered in chicken broth and then tossed with warm butter and generous herbs, makes a great side dish for any meal.
This Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Pepperoni Pizza is a fantastic treat loaded with savory pepperoni slices, gooey mozzarella and fresh basil.
Garden-fresh tomatoes, fragrant basil, and a creamy, cheesy topping make every slice of this old-fashioned tomato pie a delight!
Tender veggies are breaded to perfection in this crispy buttered zucchini and summer squash, and grilled with lots of buttered garlic and lemon.
Tender, crisp green beans are seared along with tomatoes, onions, jalapenos and plenty of spices in these flavorful Mexican Green Beans.
Warm berry sauce poured over cold ice is one of my favorite desserts. I make this sauce year-round and every time I serve it, it garners delighted guests. This fruit sauce might just be the easiest recipe I have in my dessert recipe notebook. I scrawled it on a piece of paper almost 25 years ago while visiting a friend.
Creamy-sweet vanilla ice cream filled with crunchy, nutty grape seeds? Yes, please! This grape nut ice cream was a hit with family and friends.
Juicy sweet blueberries are topped with the warm, cinnamon crunch of a buttery oat topping in this blueberry crisp. This is one dessert you won’t regret!
Watermelon dog treats are the ultimate dog popsicles—and best of all, they only take a minute to make. They’re also a great way to use up leftover watermelons!
What I long for: This three-layer coffee-flavored cake with layers of latte, mocha, and americano drink flavors sounds incredible! Topped with a coffee-flavored meringue buttercream, it’s basically a coffee lover’s dessert dream come true.
my favorite thing This week there is this drying rack for dishes. I’ve been using this rack for a few weeks now and I’m officially hooked. I do have a dishwasher, but I find there are always dishes that I wash by hand because it’s easier.
This shelf is a great size, not too big to take up a lot of space yet sturdy enough to support whatever I put on it. It expands to fit over the sink or can be placed on a spout tray to allow water to drip into the sink while the stand is on the countertop.
What I read: To Live: A North Korean Girl’s Journey to Freedom from Yeonmi Park. Yeonmi tells the true story of her escape from North Korea, when human traffickers tricked her and her mother into following them to China, where they were then sold into slavery. She was finally rescued a few years later and made her way to Seoul, South Korea. For most of us living in freedom today, it is a terrifying and unimaginable story.
“Throughout my journey I have seen the horrors people can inflict on one another, but I have also witnessed tenderness, kindness and sacrifice in the worst of circumstances imaginable. I know it’s possible to lose some of your humanity in order to survive. But I also know that the spark of human dignity is never completely extinguished and that it can grow again with the oxygen of freedom and the power of love.” – Yeonmi Park
“Come to me, all who work and are heavily laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 ESV
Have a great week full of little things that make you smile!
Maria