Mastercard Commercial

Number of meals and/or snacks made during the day: 6

Loads of laundry: at least one

Number of times I've had to put the same shoe back on the same foot that it has been kicked off from: 6

Times any given poopy bum has needed wiping: 6

Times noses have needed wiping: 4

Number of dishwasher loads: 2

Hours spent driving back and forth from errands and preschool with two rambunctious kids strapped in back: at least 1

Number of times saying "No!" or "Stop" or some instructional directive of the like: 98 (I could be exaggerating or just erring on the generous side, but it seems about right)

Number of hours awake in comparison to the number of hours slept: 18/6

Number of changes of clothing due to dirt and/or grass stains, throw up, pee, etc.: 4

Number of manicures/ pedicures/ hair cuts in the past three months (for me): 0

Number of child programming theme songs that I can sing backwards and forwards: 16

I could go on, but...

Knowing my children are taken care of and will (hopefully) retain memories of a happy childhood where Mommy was always there and loved them unconditionally: priceless

Ode to Chicken and Rice

Cooking is therapeutic. Not only therapeutic, but creative and exciting. There is nothing more fun than to search through seemingly empty cabinets and bare, cold refrigerators and somehow, out of nowhere, magically concoct some delicious masterpiece of a meal. My go-to magical fare that seems to have come from nothing seems to almost always consist of what? Yes, you guessed it! Chicken and rice. There is no other meal so basic than that, but so versatile, that using the same basic ingredients, one can procure fantastically different results each and every attempt.
Have a frozen whole chicken? Defrost it, make an herb rub with some softened butter, massage it under the skin and roast away to perfection all the while using stock and herbs and maybe even some frozen veggies with the rice and you have a delightfully delicious comfort food! Voila!

Chicken and rice tortilla soup
Stuffed chicken breast with basil rice
Chicken picatta with risotto balls
Chicken enchiladas with spanish rice

Should I go on?

Chicken divan
Cheesy chicken and rice casserole (a la Campbell's Soup- Hey, don't knock it 'til you've tried it!)
Chicken cacciatore and rice with peppers and onions
Classic arroz con pollo
Chicken curry with jasmine rice

Chicken and rice are the easiest ingredients to manipulate into a delicious anything, in my opinion. With the weather getting cooler and with the onset of the fall season, it's easy to get busy and frazzled with the demands of the coming holidays and then the demand for comfort foods increase. Chicken and rice is mine and when there is nothing else left, or so it seems, and the next trip to the store is days away, I know I can pull out the ten pound bag of Uncle Ben's and the frozen bag of Tyson skinless boneless chicken breasts and whip up something new, and creative and comforting for my family. Give it a try. I dare you!

If you need any rice cooking tips or new ideas for chicken, just let me know. My mother can attest to the fact that after her third trip to the supermarket in as many days and still saying there was nothing in her kitchen to cook, I have gone in there and made two or three meals out of her "nothing." It saves money on food and gas and keeps you creative! Don't be afraid to pull out the dusty old cookbooks or check out epicurious.com or foodnetwork.com. And most importantly, don't be afraid to fudge (haha) with ingredients. If you are eating it, then cook what you want!

Ground chicken browned with sesame oil and chinese vegetables with sticky white rice
Spicy chicken with wild rice
Chicken jambalaya with rice
Teriyaki chicken with ginger cilantro and lime rice

I could go on, but I will leave you with that. Enjoy!

Welcome Fall

There is a road between towns here in northern Massachusetts, I think it's route 125. It passes from WIlmington, North Reading, Andover, into North Andover. If you have never had an opportunity to drive along this road, you are missing one of the most beautiful roads in New England. You actually feel the season when you pass along that road. I know this sounds ridiculous, but it is just beautiful. It's just a two lane winding road that cuts through the small town New England Americana. The whole way is lined with trees that in many areas have curved and almost have grown together high above the road and when the seasons change, it overtakes you. The season flashes by around your car.

I have the absolute pleasure of driving this road frequently and almost every time I am on that road, I truly cannot but help to enjoy my journey. Today was such the case as a drive to drop my husband off at the hangar and a play date brought us once again through there. The trees are starting to become patchy with color. Mostly a light pale yellow, but it's just a promise of the changes to come when the world will become awash with a chill that brings the bright yellows and deep reds and every shade of orange that you couldn't possibly imagine any other colors could ever be that vibrant. It has started. The changing of the seasons. Welcome Fall!

Welcome chilly air and knit sweaters, the earthy smell of fallen leaves and the crackle that lingers in the air as you shuffle through them. Welcome school and yellow pencils and buses. Welcome apple picking and spiced treats simmering on the stove and baking in the over, permeating the homes with the sweet scents of the season that seems to have been birthed in this very place. Welcome holidays and the thrill and excitement that it brings and the hopes of the new year to come. Yes, it is that time again, where we welcome change. Welcome Fall!