Scattered Sundays

Praise be, Bennett headed back to school on Wednesday! He was always mostly symptom-free during his covid quarantine but was still testing positive. The line definitely got lighter, and I know that many people can test positive even after they are no longer symptomatic.

He was thrilled to get back to school, and we were happy to send him (in a mask!). He missed his friends and teacher, and genuinely really enjoys school. He often tells us that he wishes school days were longer and that weekends weren’t a thing. You and me both, buster.

Even after finishing up my antibiotics from my very toddler-like ear infection, my hearing had not come back by Wednesday morning. Given that I am someone who will impatiently tell a microwave to hurry up, I was not content to keep waiting to see if everything just resolved itself.

I headed back in for another check-up, and I’m glad that I did. The doctor said that the infection had cleared (huzzah!) but that 1) there was still a lot of fluid in my ear and 2) scabbing on my ear drum leads him to believe that my ear drum had burst recently.

Welp, that would explain the intense ear pain I was experiencing on January 8th. I knew I hadn’t been imagining things! The doctor prescribed five days of prednisone to start eliminating the inflammation that was keeping all the fluid in my ear.

I’m not one to jump on the medication bandwagon, but at this point, I was like “gimme all the meds”. I just want to hear again. Please and thank you. And with the steroids, I can maybe break a 5-minute mile. Or not.

Last week was my first time photographing recipes since before my mid-October surgery. I definitely felt a little bit rusty, but it had been a treat to not bust out all the photography equipment for a bit.

This week, I ended up photographing three recipes in one day. And I also did two recipe tests in two days. Nothing like getting back into the swing of things, right? Just jump on in!

I come from a long line of “dump cooks” as in we add things without measuring (just dumping it in, ya know?), so it never fails to surprise me that my actual job is writing precise recipes for people. I will often make a new recipe and go with my gut, but then retest it 2-10 times with exact measurements to make sure I’m getting it right.

I’ve had some recipes that have confounded me for a year, and I usually have to walk away from them for a month at a time because I’m livid that I can’t get them just right. Groceries and time are valuable resources and I never want to waste those of others.

So, yeah, I made these Air Fryer Cheese Curds like seven times and made A LOT of Asparagus Risotto before I felt confident enough to share it with the masses. I also made so many Stuffing Biscuits and French Onion Pork Chops that my family nearly staged a revolt.

In great news, we haven’t seen that chicken-eating trash panda since mid-December after we believe we um, took care of him. I have started letting the chickens out occasionally and whenever I hold the coop door open wide, they run out, so happy.

We lost a total of four chickens to the trash panda. That, plus an aging hen population, and the short fall and winter days mean we didn’t get any eggs for almost three months. We had eggs all throughout the previous winter, but my girls are getting older and henopause is setting in.

I know egg prices are fluctuating wildly around the world right now. Thanks so much, avian flu. It’s been a really bad year for that and soooooooo many egg-laying hens had to be culled.

A chicken friend (a friend who raises chickens, not a chicken that is my friend) said the current strain of avian flu is impacting egg-laying hens more than meat chickens. As a result, eggs cost a lot right now, yo.

Due to Troy’s allergies, we don’t get the pleasure of raising cute and fuzzy little baby chicks. We’ve always been at the whim of asking (and paying) others to raise chicks for us until they are old and large enough to be introduced to our flock.

Our last big addition to the ladies was in 2020 or maybe 2021, and it is time for some new girls to join the Cook Coop. We’re super lucky that someone Troy works with is a pro at chick-raising and was more than willing to raise some ladies for us when we asked.

She even sent us the link to the chick mail-order service she uses and told us to pick whatever we wanted. My friends, that’s like (for all the 80s kids) when the JCPenny’s holiday toy catalog was delivered. I was like a kid in a candy store! Assuming I was choosing candy that would poop breakfast.

We have plenty of room in the coop for even more girls, but I think 8 is a nice number. Not to mention that sadly, 1-3 of the chicks might pass away in transit, and a few might not make it during the first few weeks. Baby chicks are cute but so very very dumb.

READER SPOTLIGHT OF THE WEEK

Longtime reader, Jackie left this five-star review on our Healthy Banana Muffins {Pin this recipe}:

I forgot how good these are but was reminded when I made them again yesterday. I made them as mini muffins and did a mix of cinnamon and chocolate chips. Delicious. I had to stop the kiddo after he had 6. 

And I only had enough bananas to make a half batch but can testify that wasn’t a problem. Now I have to make sure to add some extra bananas to my shopping list so I can make them again soon. Thanks for the awesome recipe, Sarah!

ON SUSTAINABLE COOKS THIS WEEK

Air Fryer Green Beans – These Air Fryer Green Beans are delicious and simple to make. Perfectly cooked in the air fryer, these roasted green beans are ready in under 10 minutes. {Pin this recipe}

Air Fryer Cornbread – This incredible Air Fryer Cornbread recipe comes together in just a few minutes with basic pantry staples. Perfect for fast dinners, breakfast, or snacks, this from-scratch cornbread is a delicious treat the whole family will love. {Pin this recipe}

MEAL PLAN

Monday:: We’re eating a recipe that I’m photographing early in the day. I’m updating an old post that definitely needs new photos.

Tuesday:: Troy is making dinner and we’ll be excited to eat it!

Wednesday:: Testing a new recipe.

Thursday:: Takeout from a local small business.

Friday:: Popcorn, leftovers, and movie night.

Saturday:: Bennett’s birthday, so I assume he will request sushi because that child is truly a cat and loves fish.

Sunday:: Bennett’s family birthday party. We’re serving pizza.

What are you having this week?

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