We have been home for two weeks now, happily returned to our home and real life. And yet, re-entry has been somewhat difficult. Four weeks away shouldn't feel like a lifetime, but it does. For whatever reason, my brain has not fully readjusted to being home, so functioning normally - as mom, wife, and baker - is something of a challenge.
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| Would it be so hard to fit this into a carry-on?! |
For example, my grip on both of our primary languages has slipped. I have no idea what we have and what we are missing in the fridge, freezer, and pantry. My grocery lists are woefully incomplete. It's almost like the post-Pesach, need to restock on all the staples and not a few extras syndrome that takes time to complete. Every time I get out of the car, I start stomping my left foot. Why? Because our awesome rental car, a fully loaded Chrysler Town and Country, had a parking brake pedal. My less awesome Mazda MPV, has a handle to pull up. And no automatic doors or seats, no satellite radio, no DVD player, no wireless headphone, and did I mention no automatic doors?!
And I spent a couple of days after I got back to work complaining that something was wrong with the hot water connection from the dud shemesh (solar hot water heater) to the kitchen sink. I was getting scalding hot water in the shower, but just warm water in the kitchen sink. Why? Because I was turning the handle THE WRONG WAY!!! Six years experience in my kitchen was undone by four lousy weeks away. Maybe I should have taken my mom up on it when I asked her to show me where she keeeps the pareve knives and she answered, "You're only here for four weeks - don't worry about it..." Maybe if I had sat on a chair and let others serve me, coming home would be less confusing. But it's not my style (see previous post!) and I will just have to muddle through.
All in all, though, I am happy to be home and back in my life. I made these adorable cookies for a new baby girl, and got to make good use of my new onesie cookie cutter - so much fun! I now have blog posts to compose, recipes to create, cakes and cookies to design and execute, life to live and if I am lucky, a vacation to enjoy.
Shavua tov!
Dvora
So with many thanks to my wonderful husband, I share with you one of our favorite grilled chicken recipes. It is so flavorful – even with a relatively short marinating time – and delicious fresh off the grill, or even room temperature or reheated the next day. You probably have all the ingredients in your fridge and pantry already, a real bonus. It’s also super versatile, as you can use this marinade on boneless, skinless chicken breasts, but also it’s also unbelievable on pargiyot – boneless, skinless chicken thighs, which are so rich and luxurious tasting that you will feel you have died and gone to culinary heaven. You can also cube up your chicken before marinating and put it on skewers along with a variety of vegetables, like onion, zucchini, cherry tomatoes, peppers, and mushrooms that have also taken a bath in the delectable marinade. Don’t forget to soak your wooden skewers in cold water for about 30 minutes to keep them from burning on the grill. And if you are useless with a grill like I am, an indoor grill pan works well, too.
