Weekend Highs & Lows

HIGH–Jessica came home for the long weekend. How much fun to have her here for a few days. She came with a sizable to-do list. She and her daddy took care of part of them on Friday afternoon right after she arrived.

LOW—There are no lows about having Jessica here.

Entwined hat #2

HIGH—I was happy to cast on another hat like I made last week. Jessica's friend admired it and I had yarn and time, so we thought it would make a fun surprise for her.

LOW—About 5-inches in, I discovered I had knitted it wrong. From the beginning. After I just made the SAME hat last week. Had to pull it all out and start over. Thankfully, this wasn't the lowest of the lows because it's a quick knit and I still finished the hat in time to send it back with Jessica.

Upcountry Provisions

HIGH—I had Jessica to myself on Saturday morning. We found a cute new restaurant and visited her alma mater's lovely campus.

It was a white-out afternoon.

LOW—Saturday morning driving was all done in fog and rain. It was a mess.

HIGH—We spent Saturday afternoon at home, knitting by the fire and watching movies on Netflix. Dumplin' was a cute movie. And The Guernsey Literary And Potato Peel Pie Society had been on my to-watch list for a long time. So glad we finally saw it.

LOW—There wasn't one. It was a really nice afternoon. Jessica finished her first sock! And got a good start on the second one of that pair.

Balsamic Chicken

HIGH—On Sunday we had sunshine for the first time in ages. I had planned a favorite easy supper for Sunday night and bought groceries so no extra trips to the store were needed.

LOW—My chicken thighs were skinless but were BONE-IN. I didn't read the package close enough. I had to remove the bone (and a substantial part of the chicken) to make my recipe. There must be a better way to do it, because it store butchers did it like me, a package of chicken thighs would cost $100! Most of that cost in labor charges.

SLOW COOKER BALSAMIC CHICKEN 

2 teaspoons dried minced onion

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

4 cloves garlic, minced (I used jarred minced garlic)

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (BONELESS!)

fresh chopped parsley

Combine the first five dry spices in a small bowl and spread over chicken on both sides. Set aside. Pour olive oil and garlic on the bottom of the crockpot. Place chicken pieces on top. Pour balsamic vinegar over the chicken. Cover and cook on HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 6 hours. (Don't overcook.) Sprinkle with fresh parsley before serving.

HIGH: Having Jessica for an entire weekend. She helped us with a few chores that needed her expertise. And she made appetizers last night. From random things she found in the fridge.

LOW:  She had to head back to the city this morning. We will miss her.