WEEK 05 | SUBSCRIPTION
Like lots of mums, I spend a crazy amount of time in parking lots waiting for my children. Though my kids go to an e-school there is almost zero connectivity for my iPhone or iPad so I have resorted to old fashioned magazine reading! I had forgotten how much I missed it. New discoveries include: ANNA, The Simple Things, More, Seeing the Everyday, Best Health and Fine Cooking: Cooking Fresh. These, along with Vanity Fair, Oprah, MSL, Canadian House & Home, Whole Health and Artful Blogging round out what has become a rather large monthly selection of reading material. We'll see over the course of the year which are renewed and which go by the wayside. So far it's looking like I have more keepers than not :)
WEEK 06 | LIGHT FIXTURE
After hemming and hawing for MONTHS, I finally ordered a fixture for my kitchen. The single pendant wasn't cutting it. I have 114" island - yes, that is nine-and-a-half-feet! It needed a fixture that would shed light on more than just the sink. The fixture was put up right away and it is perfect in the space. I am so happy I got it. One thing that makes me particularly happy was that I chose it, ordered it and paid for it before it won some big-time lighting award and the price doubled!
WEEK 07 | TELEVISION
Quirky. Smart. That's all I ask for in a television show. Oh, and that I don't want to have to think too hard - I far prefer to be entertained by the time 10PM rolls around - but I don't want to suffer silly, rude or just plain gross behaviour. I am often afraid to like a show too much since those I tend to really enjoy are quickly cancelled (I still mourn the demise of GCB and Traveler). My success with television lately - and the reason for the inclusion in my 48 by 49: I've finally learned to use the DVR and OnDemand. It turns out those two things make for a far more enjoyable experience.
WEEK 08 | MEAL
My boys love onions. I do not. Well, I did not. Maybe I was using the wrong onions: only yellow cooking onions around here. I was going through my new magazines and stumbled upon one that called for A LOT of red onion and chicken breasts and a bunch of other ingredients, some favourites and some have never been served in my home. Well, this one was a winner! I'll make a couple of adjustments next time, up the cumin and cut the onion in half (a bit of compromise, boys!) but it's definitely in the meal rotation.
The recipe:
1 medium lemon3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
1 medium clove garlic, smashed and peeled
6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (450g), trimmed and cut into 1.5cm strips
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Finely grate 1 teaspoon zest from the lemon and then juice the lemon*
Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering hot. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until the onion begins to soften, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the chicken, lemon zest, cumin, salt and pepper and cook, stirring , unti lthe chicken is just cooked thorugh, 4 to 6 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the parsley and 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice. Discard the garlic if you want. Seson to taste with salt and pepper.
I served it with steamed broccoli and some left over "dirty mash" potatoes (new potatoes mashed with the skin on). Totally yummy with thumbs up from every picky member of my clan.
* I find it easier to juice a lemon if it is at room temperature, or from fridge, toss in the microwave for a few seconds.
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ABOUT THIS PROJECT | I followed New52 with awe and a bit of envy. My plate was so full I just couldn't join in but it was something that piqued my interest. Not that my plate is any less full, but it is more manageable and I hope to fill the wrong side of my 40s with a positive challenge. Let's see where it leads. Thank you to Peppermint and Christine for your weekly big and small inspiration! I love the idea that "it isn’t about making a life-altering change every week, it’s about keeping an open mind and embracing little changes in your life." Life is good.
