Always looking for sunshine, figuratively and lite Always looking for sunshine, figuratively and literally. Sometimes we don’t have to look very far and it finds us. ☀️
It didn’t take much to get me to @mikespastasand It didn’t take much to get me to @mikespastasandwichshoppe when a friend texted me a screenshot of their cheese butter. Up until last week I had never even heard of cheese butter but just two days later, I’m driving an hour round trip to get some. 😂 I was never one to succumb to peer pressure (I didn’t have my first drink until I was 21!), but when it comes to food finds, I am very easily intrigued. After all, that’s how I’ve discovered some of my favorite bites over the years … lardo from @butlerandtheboard, a spicy Italian sausage, and my love of chicharron. If you haven’t visited Mike’s in Nutley, it’s worth a visit. While there, I also got a small tray of meatballs (a bargain at $10!) and a delicious mortadella sandwich that is worth a round trip. ✨
The long, dreary and grey months of the Winter nee The long, dreary and grey months of the Winter need a little bit of color, so here you go. 😍 Love this chest of drawers. Discovered it buried in a local shop and bought it specifically for the green color (one of my favorites). Vintage Coke crate was a $10 score from a garage sale place on Facebook some ten years ago. And the assorted markers in Roy G Biv order (natch) that aren’t used anymore because my kids have sadly left that phase. 🙃
Weekend Photos in Review, old school still photo s Weekend Photos in Review, old school still photo style, hope you had a good one! ✨
A friend was taking a trip to Ireland and asked if A friend was taking a trip to Ireland and asked if I wanted her to bring me back anything. Would you believe me if I told you I asked for salt? I love picking up different varieties, whether we’re traveling or I’m just visiting a new shop. Maddie grabbed me a super cute one from her trip to Paris last year, and the Magic Unicorn Salt I get locally is another favorite. What’s yours?
One of us hops like a bunny down the steps, has a One of us hops like a bunny down the steps, has a serious case of FOMO on the daily, gets hiccups more than anyone we know and has perpetual bed head. She’s quite the unique roommate but may be exactly what our home needed. 💛
I haven’t had a bagel in ages, but when I saw th I haven’t had a bagel in ages, but when I saw that @njdotcom had picked six bagel shops at the “best in the state,” and one was reasonably local, all the sudden I needed one. I was never one to fall prey to peer pressure, but I’m very definitely a marketer’s dream. 😂 Alfa Bagels is on Route 10 in Randolph and has a good assortment of bagels, including all the usual suspects, but with a few others like rainbow, Asiago and French Toast throw in for good measure. Their bagels always seem to have a nice chew, which I appreciate and I love their sesame one. My go-to order lately is a double toasted flagel with lox spread and tomato. Their lox spread is a little ho hum, but the bagel is delish. Check them out next time you’ve got a craving (or get motivated by a local news story 😝). What’s your bagel order?
✌🏻 ✌🏻
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Sweetnicks

Food and Life

Grilled Taco Barbecue Chicken

May 18, 2010 · Narrative

I felt fine yesterday.  Really I did.  Save for a few sniffles, there was nothing else going on.  And then this morning happened.  My throat was crazy sore and my glands were swollen to the point that even I could tell they were swollen (because usually I’m like “really?  they’re swollen?  who knew?”).  I felt terrible, as the body aches were starting to set in along with an old-fashioned headache for good measure.  As soon as I dropped the kids off at school, I didn’t pass Go, I didn’t collect $200, I didn’t even bother calling my doctor.  I headed straight for the CVS Minute Clinic.  They open at 8:30 and I was number two in line at 8:32.  That’s how bad I felt.

I don’t think the greeting card section of their store will ever be quite the same.  It was the only way to keep Madeline occupied for the 30 minute wait it took for me to be seen.  Diagnosis?  Strep.  As the morning progressed, I felt worse and worse.  The nurse practitioner asked me how bad the pain was on a scale of 1-5.  I always think that’s a silly question, because it’s totally subjective and depends on what you’re comparing the pain to.  I mean, really, compared to childbirth, it doesn’t even register.  But as far as sore throat pain, it was totally up there.

I think there should be some sort of unwritten rule about single moms getting sick.  It’s not like we have a pitch hitter or understudy to come and fill in for us as we’re down for the count.  As the headache worsened, and we added some chills and a general overall zap of energy, I honestly wondered how I would get through the day.  No school for Madeline.  Jamie was off (her Masters’ graduation was today), and a l-o-n-g day loomed ahead.  Madeline doesn’t exactly sit still or quietly.  And then was the matter of picking up Nick and the other carpool kids, homework, dinner, bath, bed.  I couldn’t even stand to look at food.  We need some sort of Single Mom Network, where if someone has some time and is feeling 100%, they can help out someone who is sick, get them through the dinner/bath/bed routine, and then they can cash in the favor when they need an extra hand.  Because I really needed it today.

Especially for dinnertime.  The Ex never was a fan of leftovers, unless they were completely reinvented so much that they don’t resemble the original meal.  But honestly, thank goodness for leftovers because it was my saving grace tonight.  I made this Grilled Taco-Barbecue Chicken last night when we got home from the gym, and there was just enough leftover to get the kids through dinner.  Of course, no one cooperated and there was lots of bickering, stalling and general loudness from about 3:30 until bedtime, and I was seriously counting down the minutes.  But at least the leftovers meant I managed to avoid a quick dash through a drive-thru.

This recipe comes from the same Betty Crocker magazine that yesterday’s Greek-Style Tuna Salad comes from.  The kids did all but inhale it, and given how crazysimple it is to make, that was welcome news.  One word of caution, the accompanying Barbecue Sauce is insanely spicy.  Luckily I left it on the side, so I didn’t ruin the kids’ pieces of chicken.  This is a perfect recipe to cook up a batch of and freeze.  You know, for those days when you are down for the count and just need to get through dinner.  Or just because.

It’s now exactly 8:45 pm and as soon I hit publish, I’m hitting the hay.  This is the earliest I’ve gone to bed in forever since last Friday.  But after everything that happened last week, it’s no wonder.

P.S.  Excuse the lack of pictures on the chicken, but the ones I took last night were terrible.  Just terrible.  Nobody should be subjected to that.

Project 365
May 18, 2010, Photo #97

So Close Yet So Far

Why is it so hard for dogs to actually aim for the dog bed? Don’t you think it would be more comfortable? Clearly they know something we don’t. He is walking a bit better, but still has trouble getting up from the floor, and making it up the stairs.  It is definitely 1000% better than when he was down for the count last week, but he still has a long way to go.

…

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Always looking for sunshine, figuratively and lite Always looking for sunshine, figuratively and literally. Sometimes we don’t have to look very far and it finds us. ☀️
It didn’t take much to get me to @mikespastasand It didn’t take much to get me to @mikespastasandwichshoppe when a friend texted me a screenshot of their cheese butter. Up until last week I had never even heard of cheese butter but just two days later, I’m driving an hour round trip to get some. 😂 I was never one to succumb to peer pressure (I didn’t have my first drink until I was 21!), but when it comes to food finds, I am very easily intrigued. After all, that’s how I’ve discovered some of my favorite bites over the years … lardo from @butlerandtheboard, a spicy Italian sausage, and my love of chicharron. If you haven’t visited Mike’s in Nutley, it’s worth a visit. While there, I also got a small tray of meatballs (a bargain at $10!) and a delicious mortadella sandwich that is worth a round trip. ✨
The long, dreary and grey months of the Winter nee The long, dreary and grey months of the Winter need a little bit of color, so here you go. 😍 Love this chest of drawers. Discovered it buried in a local shop and bought it specifically for the green color (one of my favorites). Vintage Coke crate was a $10 score from a garage sale place on Facebook some ten years ago. And the assorted markers in Roy G Biv order (natch) that aren’t used anymore because my kids have sadly left that phase. 🙃
Weekend Photos in Review, old school still photo s Weekend Photos in Review, old school still photo style, hope you had a good one! ✨

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Always looking for sunshine, figuratively and lite Always looking for sunshine, figuratively and literally. Sometimes we don’t have to look very far and it finds us. ☀️
It didn’t take much to get me to @mikespastasand It didn’t take much to get me to @mikespastasandwichshoppe when a friend texted me a screenshot of their cheese butter. Up until last week I had never even heard of cheese butter but just two days later, I’m driving an hour round trip to get some. 😂 I was never one to succumb to peer pressure (I didn’t have my first drink until I was 21!), but when it comes to food finds, I am very easily intrigued. After all, that’s how I’ve discovered some of my favorite bites over the years … lardo from @butlerandtheboard, a spicy Italian sausage, and my love of chicharron. If you haven’t visited Mike’s in Nutley, it’s worth a visit. While there, I also got a small tray of meatballs (a bargain at $10!) and a delicious mortadella sandwich that is worth a round trip. ✨
The long, dreary and grey months of the Winter nee The long, dreary and grey months of the Winter need a little bit of color, so here you go. 😍 Love this chest of drawers. Discovered it buried in a local shop and bought it specifically for the green color (one of my favorites). Vintage Coke crate was a $10 score from a garage sale place on Facebook some ten years ago. And the assorted markers in Roy G Biv order (natch) that aren’t used anymore because my kids have sadly left that phase. 🙃
Weekend Photos in Review, old school still photo s Weekend Photos in Review, old school still photo style, hope you had a good one! ✨
A friend was taking a trip to Ireland and asked if A friend was taking a trip to Ireland and asked if I wanted her to bring me back anything. Would you believe me if I told you I asked for salt? I love picking up different varieties, whether we’re traveling or I’m just visiting a new shop. Maddie grabbed me a super cute one from her trip to Paris last year, and the Magic Unicorn Salt I get locally is another favorite. What’s yours?
One of us hops like a bunny down the steps, has a One of us hops like a bunny down the steps, has a serious case of FOMO on the daily, gets hiccups more than anyone we know and has perpetual bed head. She’s quite the unique roommate but may be exactly what our home needed. 💛
I haven’t had a bagel in ages, but when I saw th I haven’t had a bagel in ages, but when I saw that @njdotcom had picked six bagel shops at the “best in the state,” and one was reasonably local, all the sudden I needed one. I was never one to fall prey to peer pressure, but I’m very definitely a marketer’s dream. 😂 Alfa Bagels is on Route 10 in Randolph and has a good assortment of bagels, including all the usual suspects, but with a few others like rainbow, Asiago and French Toast throw in for good measure. Their bagels always seem to have a nice chew, which I appreciate and I love their sesame one. My go-to order lately is a double toasted flagel with lox spread and tomato. Their lox spread is a little ho hum, but the bagel is delish. Check them out next time you’ve got a craving (or get motivated by a local news story 😝). What’s your bagel order?
✌🏻 ✌🏻

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