Welcome to the weekend, my friends! We are triumphal this weekend as my oldest son is graduating from upper school. (I’m not plane going to deny that I’m cheering just as nonflexible for us as parents as I am for our graduate.)

When we started this homeschool thing so many years ago, we figured we’d do it for a year or two and see how it goes. Ha – little did we know that we’d be schooling for the next 13 years, and I wouldn’t transpiration that for anything. Increasingly than anything else, it’s been a souvenir having the boys home with us and I’m so very excited for him to start higher in the fall.

ON THE BLOG this week: Fluffy, linty eggs layered with an zillions of bacon, surf cheese, and jalapenos add up to the Jalapeno Popper Casserole of which dreams are made. Served for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, this is a meal my whole family loves.

Fresh untried beans, ginger, and garlic are quickly sauteed with tender strips of whinge surpassing stuff tossed in a light savory sauce to create this easy Beef and Untried Bean Stir Fry.

Stir-fries are one of the easiest and most popular ways that I get dinner on the table. Tender strips of chicken, and hot, well-done vegetables are combined with an Asian-inspired sauce in this Ginger Yellow and Broccoli Stir Fry.

Crisp lettuce, sweet mango slices, and sharp red onions combine to make this a deliciously simple Mango Summer Salad. With a light and slightly spicy dressing, this salad was a hit with my family.

Banana Confection with Cinnamon Surf Cheese Icing is a super moist comic confection filled with pecans and then drizzled with a linty cinnamon surf cheese icing.

What I’m CRAVING: All the spicy foods! I stumbled on the Chili Pepper Madness website yesterday and I’m in awe of how much knowledge is here. I’ve never seen such a well-spoken and well-organized index of all chili peppers and the recipes sound fantastic too. My hot sauce-loving oldest son is once talking well-nigh trying his hand at increasingly homemade hot sauces this summer.

What I’m WATCHING: Old Enough. Oh my goodness, I don’t know when a show last unprotected my sustentation this way. In the weightier unravelment ever, “Adult life is boring. Watch toddlers run errands on Netflix instead.”

This is a long-running (30 years now) Japanese reality show and Netflix recently picked up one season. The episodes are just 12-15 minutes long and we watched the whole season in a couple of nights. It was so much fun to watch. It is wondrous to see these little kids (2-5 years old) running errands all over Japan. I’m in awe of how well they handle the challenges that they encounter.

If you’ve seen the show already, which episode is your favorite?? I could watch episode 8 over and over, followed by episode 11. (and yes, I remember the episodes that well.)

What I’m READING: Wave by Sonali Deraniyagala. My friend Gaby recommended this typesetting and while it isn’t a long book, it took me a while to get through it. This is not an easy read, friends.

On the morning of December 26, 2004, on the southern tailspin of Sri Lanka, Sonali Deraniyagala lost her parents, her husband, and her two young sons in the tsunami she miraculously survived. This typesetting is Sonali’s memoir and the story of her journey to healing. It’s heartbreaking and unrepealable to make you cry, but it’s moreover one that I’m glad I read.

“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” 3 John 1:4 ESV

Wishing you a trappy week full of little things that make you smile!

Mary

The post The Little Things Newsletter #312 – Life, laughter, and lots of unconfined food! appeared first on Barefeet in the Kitchen.