When life gives you 🍋...or chicken….here’s to the weekend
ER visits, woodpeckers, and really good chicken salad.
Hi Friends,
You know the saying, “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade”? Well, in our house, it’s more like, “when you’ve got a rotisserie chicken… make chicken salad.”
Nick’s obsessed with chicken salad (this or this one made with cottage cheese)—it's hands-down his favorite lunch. So every time I grab a rotisserie chicken from Costco (aka my version of winning the grocery lottery), I make a batch for him. That’s my kind of lemonade.*
Meanwhile, life lately has been... a lot. The garage door broke, Nick’s car needed a new battery, our dryer only works if you run it three times and whisper sweet nothings to it, the woodpeckers are back poking (big) holes in our siding (rude), and our wildlife permit lapsed even though I submitted it in January. Apparently, the Dept. of Wildlife gets hundreds of applications a day and the trap company removed everything when it expired at the end of March. Cool cool cool.
Oh, and last week? I spent the night in the ER with Sam. His pediatrician was worried he might have aspirated some vomit after he randomly puked and started wheezing. Cue x-rays, breathing treatments, steroids, more x-rays, and one very brave little dude. He’s made a full recovery (thank goodness), and we had the absolute kindest nurse—so of course I sent him a thank-you card. (It’s my thing - this time I sent it after we got home.)
BUT! There’s light at the end of the tunnel: we’re getting new countertops by the end of April! No full kitchen remodel (because: budget), but I really think they’ll make a huge difference.
*my kind of lemonade
**Also: yes, you can absolutely roast your own chicken (lemons involved, obviously).
Chicken salad recipes:
On the blog this week
This Hot Honey Apricot Chicken with Pan-Toasted Broccoli is weeknight gold—sweet, sticky, a little spicy, and totally craveable. It’s from Jessica Merchant’s new cookbook Easy Everyday (which I’m loving), and it’s one of those meals that feels fancy but is secretly super simple. Bonus: it’s packed with protein (36g per serving!) and even got a toddler broccoli stamp of approval.
The weekly love list includes my everyday clog find (!!!) and a wonderful new news show I’ve been loving (also, do you like the new Love List image design? I decided to change it up a bit and clean it up!
Personal stories
Breathing issues are so scary. I’m forever grateful to the amazing staff at our Children’s Hospital. Sam made a full recovery. It was so nice to see him smile again at the hospital, he’s a chatterbox and when we went into the hospital he was silent!!
We went to an Easter event, the kids got special nice Easter clothes!
Ben volunteered to help Sam at mini kickers soccer. It warmed my heart!
I’ve been making snack plates for the kids when they come home from school and they love them.
We went to see the new Minecraft movie, it was surprisingly good, I know absolutely nothing about Minecraft but laughed a few times.
Giveaway
For the April giveaway! Simply comment on this sheet pan chicken sweet potatoes and broccoli dish and tell me what your favorite baked chicken is!
One winner gets a $25 gift certificate to Starbucks or Amazon, winners choice.
How are you doing? I always love hearing from you. Just hit reply and let me know.
~Phi
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