The Little Things Newsletter #493 – Life, laughter, and lots of great food!

Welcome to the weekend, my friends! Can you even believe that today is the first of November? I’ve had a bit of a bug all week, so I’m enjoying a lazy weekend at home with hot tea and honey to soothe my throat.

I have a stack of books (metaphorical, of course, since they’re all on my Kindle) and several games waiting to be played with the kids. They’re all home today and I’m loving it. Now that they’re mostly grown, it’s kind of rare to have most of us at home at the same time, so we try to make the most of it. 

ON THE BLOGS THIS WEEK: Soup season is officially here, and I don’t know about you, but I could happily live on cozy bowls of soup all fall and winter long. To make things easy (and extra delicious), I’ve gathered the top 10 fall soup recipes people are cooking right now.

This recipe for Dutch Oven Pot Roast is a timeless classic. Carrots and onions simmer in the rich broth for hours, while the beef gets so tender that it practically falls apart on its own. How could we say no?

These Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes take a classic and make it even better. We’re talking about velvety smooth potatoes, bursting with rich cheesy flavor. This is the kind of side dish that everyone is still talking about, long after the potluck is over. (And you’re going to want a scoop of these potatoes alongside that amazing pot roast!)

Before we move on, yes, I KNOW how weird this one sounds, but once you’ve tried this Cheesy Broccoli Cornbread, you’ll understand. It’s the kind of side that starts with “I guess I’ll take just a small piece,” but always ends with me going back for more. 

The first time I tossed broccoli florets into the air fryer basket, I honestly didn’t expect much. But when the timer dinged and I opened the basket, I was thrilled with how gorgeous the Air Fried Broccoli looked. The florets had golden brown to slightly charred edges, and vibrant green stems that weren’t mushy at all. This has become one of my go-to snacks and easy sides when there are just a few of us at home.

Classic pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting are super soft and moist, the kind of dessert that melts in your mouth and makes you wonder why you ever waited until fall to start baking with pumpkin.

You’ll savor every spoonful of this M&M Ice Cream, where the unmistakable crunch of M&Ms collides with the smoothness of luscious vanilla. 

What I’m CRAVING: My brother made this Chicken Pot Pie Casserole this week and raved about it so much that now I’m craving it! I’m putting it back on the menu for later this week, and my youngest son is thrilled about that. 

My FAVORITE THING this week is this new board game, Wingspan. We played it for the first time just a week or so ago, and we’ve played it several more times already. I love it! If a strategy-based game can actually be relaxing, this one is. It’s laid back, not aggressively competitive, and engaging without being overly complicated. It’s almost ridiculously fun. Have you tried it?

What I’m LISTENING to: Night Diving and Willfully Blind by Max McNown. He’s a new-to-me country-folk artist that my son introduced me to, and I’m really enjoying his music.

“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39 ESV

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

Mary