Easy Weeknight Recipes

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I'm currently on a train to Boston to visit Kaitlin, who I haven't seen in ages! I'm so looking forward to catching up with her. Tomorrow night, I check into a hotel for work, and head back to New York late Wednesday morning.

Thursday night, we head to Toronto for the weekend. It's going to be a whirlwind!

My parents are staying at my apartment to help out both tonight and tomorrow night. I wanted to be sure they had good ingredients and easy recipes to follow, so here's the menu:

• Crock Pot Turkey a Chili (Lemon Stripes) note: this is an enormous recipe. I threw it together last night, and threw half in our slow-cooker and half in a ziplock bag in the freezer. I hope it's good!
• Pan-Roasted Chicken with Lemon Garlic Green Beans (Real Simple)
• Boursin Pasta with Spring Peas (Cup of Jo) note: we made this last night. It was easy and yummy, but much too watery. I wish I'd been much more conservative with the reserved pasta water than the recipe suggested.

Any great, quick recipes out there? I'd love to hear them!

Weeknight Meals

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Another week is upon us already!

Last week's meals were a success, particularly the steak and couscous salad. I'd highly recommend both recipes. Easy, healthy, and tasty.

This week we are trying a few more new recipes. Here's what we're eating:

• Slow-Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala (Real Simple)
• Pasta with Sausage, Mushrooms and Lemon (Cup of Jo)
• Rice, Beans, and Broccoli (How to Cook Everything Fast by Mark Bittman)
• Spiced Lamb Meatball and Swiss Chard Soup (Real Simple) - My parents tried this last week and said it was delicious. 

I may also try a soup if we have time. I was thinking this recipe for Lentil Soup, with or without ham (in one of its variations) would be tasty. Here's another article by Mark Bittman with 7 variations on Lentim Soup that looks like it could have some good options. 

More dinner ideas over here on my Pinterest Boards.

Weekend Links

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I was in a spelling bee at work a week or so ago, and did terribly! I used to consider myself a good speller, so I'll be practicing on this non-stop for next year. So addictive! #nerdalert

Have you seen this house?

I always love style on a dime.

Sexy lingerie, anyone?

These photos are awesome. Here's another article about the photographer.

Ways to stretch at your desk.

Personally, I'm a fan of the Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter. Now I want to try the rest...and buy the book.

Fascinating read about Cedar Mesa in Utah. I've always wanted to go see this part of the country. Seems like time could be limited.

Great article on destination / travel suggestions with kiddos.

J. Crew Factory Find

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So, I admired this dress last year on J.Crew.com. Now, there's a Factory version and it's on sale for an additional % off. For less than $30, I finally ordered it after googling it and seeing it on Sally at A Piece of Toast.

My hesitation last year was the bagginess of the dress, so I ordered a size down and am hoping for the best (final sale!). But how cute does it look here? Now I just need to find a cool (inexpensive) pair of slip-ons to pair with it--and to hope it fits.

New Movie + Amy Schumer Makes Me Laugh

This clip from Ellen made me laugh. How funny is Amy Schumer? I love her popcorn comments--so true.

I'm also intrigued by her movie "Trainwreck" that's coming out in July. The trailer is below:

My Life in France: House Tour

Spring always makes me nostalgic for the year I spent in France. Spring in France seems to come just a bit ahead of the NY Spring. It's  hard to believe that we lived there 4 years ago now. Looking through pictures last night I discovered some old photos of the house we lived in, so thought I'd post some. Doesn't it look like the narrowest house in the world? It's only that narrow on one side.

On the other side of the wall are the grounds of the Chateau de Fontainebleau. We think this house must have once been the gatekeeper's house, as there's an entry just past where this picture was taken. Here are a few more pictures of the inside, if you'd like to see.

Entrance

We rented this house fully furnished (rugs and all!) but bought a few of our own possessions. We'd just gotten married, so I shipped a box full of dish towels, pot holders, and a few other light-weight odds and ends, along with the books I'd need to write my thesis (plus a few extras).

Kitchen

The estate agent called the kitchen an "American Style Kitchen". Our interpretation of that is that it's open plan with a full-size fridge.

Living / Dining Room

Living / Dining Room Shot 2

Study at the Narrow End

Bedroom

One of the funny things about the house was that it really only had one bedroom. It was the first time in my adult life that I'd had a full house (even to rent), but it was so tiny!

Top Floor / Attic

There was a top floor / attic that came in very handy for visitors. 

That's it! There were a few other nooks along the way, but this shows most of the house. Though I think we've already outgrown the space, I miss living there. 

This Week's Meals

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We are entertaining (twice!) this week, which I'm looking forward to, but am also finding a bit daunting as time on weeknights is super limited.

Here's what we are thinking:

• Warm French Lentils (Ina Garten, How Easy is That?) with a green salad, a baguette and cheese 
• Mustard-Marinated Flank Steak (Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa Foolproof: Recipes You Can Trust) with this recipe for Couscous Salad (Hither & Thither)
• Pasta with Yoghurt and Caramelized Onion (Food52 via Cup of Jo)

Wish us luck!

Long Weekend in DC

Gravelly Point Park. Image via

Last week is still a bit of a blur. The week before that we left early Wednesday morning to go visit my sister who lives in Arlington, VA and works in D.C.

We were supposed to leave first thing on the morning of April 1. I had a sinister plan to text her and say we weren't coming: April Fools! BUT when we went to leave, our car wouldn't start! We had to call for help, so I guess the joke was on us. Fortunately, we just needed a jump start, and were still able to hit the road by 11ish, and got in around 4:30 (which included a rest stop). We had dinner at my sister's (she made this old favorite) and hit the hay.

Thursday, we woke up early to go to see her office, which was so much fun. She's manages an Athletic Center and several of her clients showed up to meet us, which was such a treat. Two of them even brought Jack a birthday present: a copy of The Very Hungry Caterpillar and a copy of Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. We didn't have either, but both are long-time favorites.

Then, we met up with Peter's cousin for lunch at the Old Ebbitt Grill, which is right across the street from the White House. Such a  fun morning and it was 70 degrees out. A nice change from chilly NYC! Jack fell asleep in the buggy on the way home and we parked it in front of my sister's apartment building and laid out a blanket and just relaxed until he woke up.

That evening, my sister suggested we pack a picnic and head to Gravelly Point Park and watch the airplanes land. We were a bit concerned that the noise would scare a 2-year old, but he loved it. Huge hit.

Friday was Jack's 2nd birthday, so we woke up and headed right to the zoo(which was FREE). We saw pandas, elephants and gorillas. We made it home by nap time and were able to put together dinner and bake a cake for the evening celebration.

Saturday morning, we stopped by Arlington Cemetery to run around for a bit before making the long drive back to Brooklyn.

Such a fun trip. Thanks Emma!

Weekend Reads

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Happy Friday! This week has gone by so quickly for me. Last week we took a trip to DC to visit my sister and celebrate a 2nd birthday (more on that later), so I fell behind on writing. We basically subsisted on leftovers this week. This weekend we are hoping to see a friend we haven't seen in a while and hopefully spending some time outside. It's finally supposed to be nice weather! 

Here are some links I loved this week: 

11 Recipes from Yotam Ottolenghi. I loved his restaurant near my old flat in London.

How well can you see? Take the simple eyesight test. 

Do you rent your home? If so, here are some versatile home products for you.

I've been interested in trying to start collecting art for a while. Here are 12 artists to know. 

In a workout slump? Here are free 10-minute workouts you can do. Please note: i have not tried any of these yet. 

Domaine tells you how to clean practically everything. 

I found this list of plants super helpful. I once killed a cactus!

This made me happy. Long live the brontosaurus!

Round up of the best toddler shoes. 

I want to visit all of the places on this list.