Leaving On A Jet Plane

We're packing our bags and heading out.


Getting ready to soar cross country, leaving California in the dark of early morning to land in Connecticut in the quiet of early night.


This means we're eating leftovers like it's our job. And lamenting the fact that I had to buy milk this morning.


It also means that in 36 hours I'll be eating in my ma's kitchen, sitting around that table I spent the better part of two decades at, now with my husband and my kid.


It's the kind of stuff that's good. Crazy good. Toddler-with-a-cupcake good.

What could be better?

Pulled Pork (or, Edna Redux)

Hey Ma,

Last night I got home from school at 8:30 after having been up and about since 6:30 or so in the morning. M slept awfully the night before and decided to protest her nana and pamp's absence yesterday by having--no joke--maybe her fussiest day to date yesterday. G was supposed to watch her all day--and he was really helpful--while I read 100+ pages of Derrida (Anybody out there read Derrida? If you have, you know I was attempting the impossible). With M at fever pitch, though, I just couldn't quite disappear into my dining room to study all day as I'd planned.

Anyway, by the time I got home from class last night I was completely exhausted and rather depressed by the fact that I had Derrida to finish up, an assignment to write on his task in his exploration of Plato's pharmakon, and 60 pages of Hannah Arendt to read (Did you know she had an affair with Heidegger when she was 18 and he was her professor? Juicy, though it didn't make my homework any easier). John and G had already fed themselves. Most of the time I really like coming together for dinner with my family at the end of the day, but sometimes--and this was one of those times--eating in complete silence by myself feels like such a gift. I opened the fridge, pulled out leftover burritos that you'd made, popped them in the microwave and paused to--effortlessly (thanks to you)!--tend to my most basic self for the first time that day. It felt soooo good.

I never make burritos since we live in the land of burritos so having them in the fridge was an extra-special treat (since I completely adore them). You make really simple and yummy ones. Will you share your method?

Of course, I didn't take a picture to share with our lovely readers. Sorry guys, a photo will have to come along another day.

Love,
Rachel

The Best Leftovers Problem Ever: Fried Chicken and Waffles

Rachel here: Our super amazing friends just threw us a baby shower the other night. There were many amazing things about the evening, but one of the unexpected ones was our fridge being stocked with a bounty of leftover fried chicken once the guests had cleared out. I honestly never would've thought it was possible for people not to consume all the fried chicken. Anyway, these leftovers posed an awesome problem.

One of John's and my all-time favorite things to eat is fried chicken and waffles. It's a staple where we live and can be found everywhere from chicken and waffle houses to upscale eateries. Somehow, though, we'd never made this meal at home. I guess that's probably due to the fact that we've never made fried chicken at home. Anyway, the morning after the baby shower when John was leaving for work in the wee hours of the morning, he kissed my sleeping head goodbye and whispered "Let's have chicken and waffles for dinner." I woke up grinning.

The magic of chicken and waffles is that you get a little bit of everything on one plate. You get something savory (fried chicken) and something sweet (maple syrup), a bit of kick (because fried chicken necessitates hot sauce) and a good neutral background (the waffle). Seriously, it's perfection on a plate. To get our waffle recipe click here. I neglected to take a photo of our chicken and waffle extravaganza, unable to restrain myself from diving in immediately. I include a photograph from my previous waffle post below, though, to whet your appetite.



I'm pretty sure that if I was asked what I wanted for my final meal I would choose fried chicken and waffles. What would you pick?