Hello and good morning from our infirmary. Last week was Hap’s first week of “school.” He went for 2.5 days before coming home with a fever and his first virus, bless his heart. Sleep is lacking, snuggles are abundant. His fever broke, thank goodness, but we’re still surviving on Tylenol and decongestant (him), caffeine (us), and more Bluey than usual (for all of us). Bella also had her first “issue” visit to the vet this week (she’s fine!), but it’s just been a rough one all around.
I’ve been looking forward to this week for a lonnnnnng time. I was definitely a little sad and nervous about it over the last couple weeks, but for the most part all I could think was, “The beginning of a new chapter with whole weeks of consistent child care where I don’t have to cobble it together!” Buuuuut it was still very much cobble-y. We got the cute first day pictures, but we also got the crud.
Solidarity if you’ve had a cobble-y week, too, friend. I have an easy meal (like, straight from the microwave so *the* easiest), a fun, mindless read, and a good sale to share:
eating
This was the first week in many that our meal plan felt somewhat normal. I mentioned on Instagram earlier this week that I made this beef stroganoff recipe for the first time and we all really enjoyed it (and the leftovers it made). Then Friday night we grilled flank steaks to have with arugula salad1 and roasted potatoes on the side.
I have a random Walmart frozen food find to share (especially for those of us that don’t have the Trader Joe’s insane frozen section at our fingertips!):
Deep Indian Kitchen Chicken Curry — I’m not much of a frozen lunch girlie, but I’ve now had this twice and have zero complaints. 26 grams of protein, actual flavor (it’s a little spicy), and a quick but comforting lunch.
Smitten Kitchen Strawberry Cake — I was nearly finished with this newsletter when I realized I almost forgot my FAVORITE thing of this whole edition! This was a recipe on my “to make” list for literal years and it left me wondering why I didn’t make it sooner. Don’t miss the sugar on top — the crispiness on top was one of my favorite parts. So simple but absolutely delicious.
reading
Thank You for Listening by Julia Whelan — I’m mostly in a good reading groove again, and extra time in the car has me listening to even more audiobooks than usual, and not just non-fiction (although my nighttime audiobook is pretty much always non-fiction). I finished Thank You for Listening a couple weeks ago. Julia Whelan is an audiobook narrator-turned-author, so it’s no surprise that the audio version of this was so great. While not my favorite book of the year, it definitely is one of my favorite audiobooks of the year… but it’s a close call between TYfL and Remarkably Bright Creatures (narrated by Marin Ireland, in case you’ve already read RBC but want to listen to other books narrated by her!).
loving
random tech buys — Since we talked last, I bought this little clip-on ring light for Zoom calls because my office lighting is pretty terrible. I really love the lighting it provides, but the battery doesn’t last long and I always forget to charge it. So I suppose I only recommend it if you’re responsible enough to remember to charge it, unlike me!
I also bought these little cord holders recently and stuck one on my nightstand and one on the back of our dresser where the kindle charger lives and inevitably falls.
1canoe2’s annual card sale — I really hope this is still going on when this publishes tomorrow morning, but I took advantage of 1canoe2’s annual greeting card sale to stock up on all sorts of cards… birthday, thank you, just because, sympathy… you name it. I purchased 34 cards for $68 including shipping. My receipt said I saved $155 (!!!). I LOVE greeting cards but they can be so pricey (most of them were regularly priced at $6) and I find I end up sending so many more when I have them on hand. Hope you can take advantage of the sale, too!
See y’all next time!
Wishing you well,
Mollie
A Defined Dish recipe I’ve shared here before and we come back to again and again. Don’t skip the shallots in the dressing!