>A Hodgepodge

>Another week is done. And by the way, I had a ball writing the Bad Doctor column this morning. I can’t wait for you all to read some of the stories. Some of them will make you laugh and some will make you want to cry.

So this Saturday post is going to contain a hodgepodge of stuff- basically what I’ve been into this week, besides stomach flu and consigning and house organizing, I mean.

First off, this essay is old, but well worth reading. Ayelet Waldman got eviscerated by other mothers after she wrote about loving her husband more than her children, but I enjoyed reading what she had to say, and think I know what she meant. I believe that putting your spouse before your children is a great idea- simply because your children’s needs will always be met, no matter how you’re trying to prioritize things in your mind. Putting your husband first means that you’re making an effort to treat him with the same kind of fierce love and devotion that your kids get automatically in most cases. Does that make sense? Anyway, read it if you get a chance and tell me what you think.

Secondly, much to my chagrin, I forgot to link you to my latest beauty column, a handy guide on the hottest looks this fall season. Be sure and check it out.

As many of you know, I love to cook and I plan my meals for the week each weekend, ahead of time. So I thought it would be fun to share recipes that worked for us from the previous week, to make your meal planning a little easier if you’re in a rut.

One of our staples around here is Garlic-Herb Roasted Chicken. I typically use dried herbs instead of fresh ones because I make this recipe so often- use half of what it calls for if you’re using dried herbs. I get the biggest chicken I can find at the grocery so that I have enough leftover chicken to use it in a recipe the next night. And that makes this dish INCREDIBLY economical.

To go with the chicken, I made Brown Butter Cauliflower Mash, which I think I’ve shared with you before. It’s actually better than mashed potatoes! I’m not even kidding! Your kids won’t even know it’s cauliflower!

I also made Spinach Parmesan Balls. They are absolutely wonderful, very simple and inexpensive, and reheat really well.

The next night, I used the leftover chicken and made my friend Brandi’s Chicken Pot Pie, which is seriously the best Chicken Pot Pie you’ll ever put in your mouth, and like Brandi, I don’t even like Chicken Pot Pie!

To go with that, I made Tomato, Cucumber and Avocado Salad from this recipe. Forget the Flank Steak, it’s the salad that’s to-die-for.

So there are a few good ideas for you. This week, Punky’s class is visiting the apple orchard, so I think I’ll try this award-winning Apple Crumble recipe from Betty Crocker. I also can’t wait to try Amy Allen Clark’s slow cooker recipe for Pot Roast Italiano after reading what she had to say about it. It looks like we’re going to have one slow cooker night a week around here on ballet days. I have just enough time to get Punky home from school and off to ballet class and we don’t get home until 5:30.

And so it begins.

Hopefully, I didn’t bore you to tears with this one. Have a great weekend!