Welcome to the weekend, my friends! It was a rollercoaster week of sunshine followed by rain followed by more rain and then more sunshine in Ohio. And now I’m in AZ with family and friends celebrating their birthdays for the next few days. So, it will be nothing but heat, more heat, and more sunshine over here for the next little while. 

It’s been what feels like a near nonstop month of travel, but it’s coming to a close and I’m ready to settle back into my normal work and home life routine again soon.

ON THE BLOGS THIS WEEK:  With a buttery, crispy flour tortilla wrapped around melty Pepper Jack cheese and incredible pork carnitas along with a sprinkling of fresh cilantro, this Carnitas Quesadilla is the best lunch I’ve had all week.

Tender chicken, salsa, green chile, and black beans are simmered through the day in the crock-pot and then this Salsa Chicken is scooped into warm tortillas to create the easiest, tastiest, salsa chicken tacos and burritos. Over the past 25+ years, I’ve made this simple chicken dish with just salsa, just green chile, and with combinations of both.

This Broccoli Cranberry Salad is filled with chewy dried cranberries, crunchy sunflower seeds, crumbled bacon, and a little red onion. The dressing is light and creamy and this salad checks all of the boxes for texture and flavor with crunchy, creamy, sweet, and tangy, all in the same bowl. 

Tangy, creamy, and packing a little kick, Russian Dressing is a classic salad topper and dip that deserves your attention, now. Have you tried Russian dressing? It’s similar to thousand island dressing, but with a zestier, spicy kick.

Asparagus is the official welcome to spring for me. Grilling gives the Asparagus tips a little char and a LOT of flavor. So, let the grates take care of your asparagus this time around.

I am so beyond thrilled with how this ultra fluffy, creamy Peanut Butter Frosting turned out! With just six ingredients and about ten minutes of work you will find yourself piping this onto cakes, swiping it over brownies, and (let’s be honest) eating it straight off the spoon.

Every photo you see here, I piled it on my Hershey’s chocolate cake. Is there any better match for this frosting? I think not! As long as I can remember, I’ve seen the well-known Hershey’s Chocolate Cake recipe on the side of the Hershey’s cocoa box and I’ve made it countless times. It’s a beloved classic for a reason.

What I’m CRAVING: This Parm Crusted Chicken with a cheesy sauce caught my eye yesterday and now I’m dreaming about it!

My FAVORITE THING this week is my Kindle Scribe. (FYI – this is not an e-reader, though you can read books on it.) You all know that I very rarely recommend something pricey here, so it’s taken me a while to mention this particular favorite. I’ve been using mine for almost two years and I absolutely love it – so it has truly earned this mention. I use mine to journal and take sermon notes (and I LOVE that I have them all organized by date and series now). Clearly this is not a must-have item. 

Mine was a gift and I truly do enjoy it. I have tried a few different devices like this over the years and returned them because I just prefer the feel of paper, but the scribe feels like paper! It’s the smoothest, loveliest feeling to write on it. If you have a special occasion coming up or a dream wish list? This is a gift that I am thrilled I splurged on. And if you are someone who loves keeping your notes handwritten in notebooks? You just might fall in love with the scribe for that too. 

What I’m READING: Outliers by Malcom Gladwell. In this book, Gladwell asks the question, “What makes high-achievers different?” And his answer goes a bit against the normal answers. He suggests that we tend to pay too much attention to what those people are like and not enough attention to where they are from: their culture, their family, their generation, the uniqueness of their upbringing. 

I found it to be an engrossing read, mostly for the individual stories. And while I didn’t necessarily agree with all of his theories, it is a fascinating conversation starter.

What I’m LISTENING to: Builder and Architect by Sandra McCracken. I am so glad to have found Sandra’s music a few years ago and each new (older) album I download has been a gift. There’s a strong folk influence to all of this album, and they’re mostly taken from old hymns. I simply love it. Usually I have to listen to an album several times and the songs kind of grow on me, but every time I start one of hers, it’s just peace and joy and love at first listen. She’s a gift. 

“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.” Philippians 2:3 ESV

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

Mary