Homemaker

I am sure this will come as a surprise, but life with a newborn is unpredictable!  Thus, I am not quite finished with the cloth diaper posting.  Hoping to get to it this weekend.
Today, our one-day-a-week nanny started.  She is going to sit with Malley so that I can start grad school again in June and allow me designated blogging study time.  Today she asked me if she could fold laundry while the baby napped.  You mean that giant pile of clean clothes on our guest bed?  Ummm......sure!  A little secret (not really a secret at all) about me....I love the washing part.  But I am terrible at the folding and putting away.  Like my mom still folds laundry when she comes to town because it embarrasses her.  Terrible.  I am getting a little better, but it is very much a chore!  And forget ironing.  My husband has been known to kiss his shirts goodbye before putting them in the stack of "to be ironed" clothing.  Which, after 2 weeks, he usually just carts them off to the cleaners.  They love to iron.  Me?  Not so much.  Which is why I am trying to slowly ease into my new role as stay-at-home mom.  I am decent at the mom stuff, but the keeping up with the house stuff is not my best work!  Although I used to hire people all of the time for my job, hiring someone to watch your 2.5 month old baby is completely different!  She came very highly recommended, but it's still your baby, you know? Anyway, I snuck away to wash my hair and then to get a pedicure.  It was delightful! I worried the whole time, but I came home to a happy smiling baby and pretty toes.  Success!


And so that my entire post isn't about laundry, I bring you a delicious recipe! This is one of my "go-to" easy and fast meals.  Serve it with salad and potatoes, or anything really!  It is so easy and so delicious!  Pardon the web photo- I didn't take a picture as I made it this week, but rest assured mine always looks EXACTLY like this.  You know, when I photograph my food on beautiful slate countertops that I do not own.  As my newborn screams from the other room because I had the nerve to let her swing for 20 minutes as I quickly made dinner. Picture perfect!

                                            
                                              Photo: Randy Mayor; Styling: Cindy Barr


                                               Meyer Lemon Chicken Picatta

Recipe from Cooking Light Magazine

Ingredients

·         2 (8-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

Click to see savings1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1/3 cup sauvignon blanc or other crisp, tart white wine
Click to see savi1/2 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
1/3 cup fresh Meyer lemon juice (about 3 lemons)
2 tablespoon capers, rinsed and drained

·        1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (I skip this part)

Preparation

1.      1. Split chicken breast halves in half horizontally to form 4 cutlets. Place each cutlet between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound each cutlet to 1/4-inch thickness using a meat mallet or small heavy skillet. Sprinkle cutlets evenly with salt and pepper. Place flour in a shallow dish; dredge cutlets in flour.

2.      2. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 cutlets to pan, and sauté 2 minutes. Turn cutlets over; sauté for 1 minute. Remove the cutlets from pan. Repeat the procedure with remaining 1 tablespoon butter and 2 cutlets.

3.      3. Add wine to pan, and bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Cook for 1 minute or until liquid almost evaporates. Stir in chicken broth; bring to a boil. Cook until broth mixture is reduced to 2 tablespoons (about 4 minutes). Stir in juice and capers. Serve over chicken. Sprinkle with parsley.

Julianna Grimes, Cooking Light
MARCH 2011