Welcome to the weekend, my friends! I’m curled up on the couch at my sister’s cabin this morning as I send this email. The snowy view out the window is making me very grateful for indoor heating, fuzzy warm socks, and cozy blankets.
ON THE BLOGS THIS WEEK: With a velvety broth loaded with the goodness of corn, potatoes, and bell peppers, this cheesy, Creamy Vegetable Soup is one heck of a hearty meal.
Hearty noodles serve as the perfect backdrop for slightly sweet cabbage and savory bacon in this simple Cabbage Spaghetti. This is SO good, I ate it three days in a row. And then, I made it again.
The sweetness of caramelized onions gives traditional hummus an extraordinary upgrade with this Caramelized Onion Hummus.
There’s plenty of spicy kick in this easy-to-make Canned Tomato Salsa. It just might have you saying goodbye to store-bought varieties forever. (And no one is more surprised that I’m writing that than I am!)
Loaded with pecan pieces and plenty of coconut flavor, these Coconut Pecan Cookies are perfectly chewy with just the right amount of crunch.
These Cranberry Orange Oatmeal Cookies are soft, chewy cookies filled with tart cranberries and infused with sweet oranges and fragrant cardamom.
Fresh Lemon Sorbet is a light and refreshing treat that is a terrific addition to any meal. At first glance, a scoop of sorbet is unlikely to grab your attention and impress. However, at first taste, you’re certain to be won over immediately.
What I’m CRAVING: There aren’t many cookies that I crave the way I crave my friend Christi’s Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies. If you love chocolate and peanut butter, these cookies are truly as good as that combination gets. I need to make another batch soon. They are FANTASTIC.
My FAVORITE THING this week is this travel toiletry bag. The interior is waterproof, so it wipes clean easily. The compartments are so well thought out that after using it for almost 3 years now, I have no complaints at all. I like it even more now than I did when I first started using it. And it gets bonus points for the hook that allows you to hang it on a towel rack or hook for super easy access to everything.
What I’m READING: The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. This was a different kind of read for me and it took me quite a while to get into it. Several people recommended this book, so I wanted to get through it. But if I’m being honest, I was well over halfway through this book before it stopped annoying me.
Normally, that would be enough to prevent me from recommending it here. HOWEVER, the ending of this book is so much better than the beginning. I found that I didn’t want to set the book down by the time the end was in sight. It’s an interesting story and the ending is heartwarming. I’m glad I read it.
What I’m LISTENING to: Hymns That Are Important To Us by Joey & Rory. If you enjoy traditional Christian hymns, you’re likely to love this album. This duo is a newer one for me and I’ve really been enjoying their music. While their story is sad, their love for each other and for the Lord comes through clearly in their music.
“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and Love your neighbor as yourself.” Luke 10:27 NIV
Wishing you a beautiful week full of little things that make you smile!
Mary
Christi says
That creamy vegetable soup is outstanding!!! A huge hit in our house. 🙂