Friday Things
1. The boys and I made banana muffins while Isabelle napped this week. Joseph has actually gotten to the point where he can do a lot of the little tasks – he lined the pans with paper liners, mashed the bananas, whisked together the dry ingredients, stirred the banana into the wet ingredients, and he counted how many muffins we had :) Dominic was mostly interested in playing drums with the measuring spoons and banging the baking powder and baking soda cans together, but he loved being included :)
2. Isabelle, my little chub muffin, continues to be a dream baby, and is already busting out of her 3-month clothing! Most of it still fits well enough to wear, but she is getting longggggg for the tops. So, online shopping I go!
3. Do you like thin or thick bath towels? When we were kids and would stay at my grandma’s, she always had crazy thin towels and we asked her how she could use them they were so thin, and she said that the thick ones didn’t dry her off well enough. Well, fast forward 30 years and apparently I have turned into a 75-year-old woman because our towels are sort of middle of the road in terms of thickness, but I used an ultra thick one from our guest stash recently and… I was not a fan. It, in fact, DID NOT dry me off well enough. You win, grandma.
4. So, are Instant Pots still all the rage? Confession: I have only used mine once. I’ve been absurdly lazy about trying to find recipes to use for it, and right now it has fallen into the category of ONE MORE THING TO DO.
5. Did you shop Amazon’s Prime Day? I did not, but I heard there were a ton of amazing deals (as well as a major glitch)… what did you buy?
6. Have you seen these amazing plates of food a mom makes for her kids? I mean, they’re so cute, but it would take me approximately four days to make one meal. And then my kids probably wouldn’t eat any of it.
7. This week I finally got back to the dermatologist for a checkup after neglecting them for far too long due to approximately four years of pregnancies and newborns. Two small things removed, and something else to check off my never-ending to-do list. Brownie points for being a grown-up.
8. My husband found some old Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood episodes online and we played a couple for the boys this week. Such a wonderful breath of fresh air compared to what’s on TV now! Joseph was enthralled and had a massive smile while Mr. Rogers was talking directly to the camera.
9. I’ve seen this article on the dangers of distracted parenting in so many places within the last few weeks. It’s a long but fantastic read.
10. TGIF! I hope you have a fantastic weekend!
I have the BEST TOWEL EVER!!!
Get yourself a waffle weave linen towel, I believe my sister got mine on Etsy. By far the best towel ever. So thin and absorbent, dries fast and slightly exfoliating. I can never use anything else!!!
If you only do 2 things in the Instant Pot: hard boil eggs and STEAM ARTICHOKES!! OMG it is a game changer!! When chokes go on sale I buy them up and can cook them EVERY NIGHT if I want. It takes like, 20 minutes and you have perfectly steamed chokes. Due to their size I can usually only fit 2 in the pot so I do a couple of batches, cut them in half and scoop out the fuzz when done and keep them in the fridge for lunches and quick dinners. I eat them cold or throw them on the grill to heat them up and get some char on them. Dipped in lemon sriracha ailoli….HEAVEN!
I probably use my IP for eggs, chokes and steamed rice the most.
I 100% agree with you on the bath towels. We are moving to our retirement home in a few months and I want to get new bath towels, but I don’t want those thick plush towels. Have you purchased any thinner towels? Where did you find them? Looking for your recommendations please!!
Hi Jan, Our towels aren’t super thin, but they are from Target. I think it’s the Fieldcrest brand?
I took my daughter (a future teacher) to see the Mister Rogers movie. It was wonderful, I don’t think there was a dry eye in the theatre by the end of it. I have so many wonderful memories of watching his show. I tried to order on the Prime sale but gave up when I couldn’t logon. Your children are adorable.
I am firmly in the thick towel camp. It’s such a treat. I also only use towels once which people seem to think is weird.
I only bought some food from Amazon. I did get glitched. Their private label food is crazy good. I also snagged a prime pantry membership for one dollar for 4 months. I will then be cancelling it.
I used to only use a towel once too, and yes, everyone thought I was weird! Would love to know what kind of Amazon food you love! That’s pretty much the only thing I don’t order from them!
Babe chubb , cutest thing ever!!! And so fun to squeeze!! Would you please do a kitchen tour? Every time a little section is in the background, I drool. It looks beautiful. But I’d love to see how you’ve set it up and tips to make spending so much time working in it easy and functional. A kitchen remodel in our future soon.
Hi Jennifer, I will definitely add it to my list!
Just wanted to say I love your blog & recipes! I discovered your blog when I was searching for a home-made meat sauce recipe. (Which by the way I’ve made a few times & it really is the best! My kids can’t get enough of it!)
Thanks for brightening my week with your posts & recipes! Cheers from Maryland.
Aw thank you Renee!
ok, is that Judith or Duke lol–I can’t tell them apart sometimes. Baby is so beautiful–love that you have a girl to adore too.
It’s Judith! And thank you :)
I love my Instant Pot! I hardly use my stovetop nowadays😍Lot of easy and good recipes out there.
#1 – I LOVE your kitchen. We are doing a mini-reno in the next month so I am currently fascinated by kitchens! LOL
#2 – I’ve had my Instant Pot for over a year and still haven’t used it. It scares me a little. Yes, it definitely has fallen into the category of 1 more thing to do!
#3 – I shopped Prime Day. Got a new garbage disposal. WOMP WOMP… Ours died. Something I hate to spend money on but at least I got a good deal. $199 regular price (compared to other major retailers online prices); $158 on sale + 15% off for Prime Day! I’m calling that a win.
Thought you would like this for your day
https://www.yahoo.com/gma/stop-whatever-doing-watch-toddler-dog-play-fetch-195704578–abc-news-parenting.html
Awwww :)
On towels, I’ve always preferred soft over scratchy – and most of the thin ones I’ve come across are so thin they are scratchy. I also like bath towels that are huge – usually sold as a “bath sheet”. I had postage stamp sized ones for awhile growing up (I kid you not, it was as if the towel company thought that two hand towels sewn together was the perfect bath towel size) and such a tiny towel made it hard to feel as if I actually got all dried off.
Fabric absorbs liquid better when it is already damp – think of the kitchen sponge wiping up a countertop spill. So it would make sense that a thinner towel would be better at absorbing all that shower water on you than a think one. I’ve recently been intrigued with Turkish cotton bath towels – they are super tin but so incredibly soft and I’ve heard they get softer with use. The only drawback I see is that they are so colorful – my husband likes white towels (because you can bleach them).
Mr. Rogers! I’ve been seeing videos of him in my Facebook feed and I have fond memories of watching him as a little kid. I’m glad your boys enjoyed watching the episodes you found – Mr. Rogers had a very unique way of reaching his audience.
I’m totally looking up the Turkish cotton bath towels!
Your two baking “helpers” are too cute. Isabelle is a little chunky but so adorable! We have “in-between” thickness towels…they are ok …I do think that how much fabric softener you use determines how well your towels absorb moisture – I’ve cut back on the amount I use for towels and I think it’s helped. I think most people need to cut back on “distracting” media (phones, social media) – I believe it’s become pandemic and detrimental to our actual relationships and national health
I actually don’t use any fabric softener, so I know it’s not that! Totally agree about the distracting media!
I love the quick-drying bath towels from JCPenney.
https://www.jcpenney.com/p/jcpenney-home-quick-dri-textured-solid-bath-towels/ppr5007212643pTmplType=regular&catId=SearchResults&searchTerm=quick+dry+towels&productGridView=medium&badge=onlyatjcp%7Ccollection
Joseph looks like is checking his work very intentionally…so cute.
I also went to the dermotologist last week for a long overdo check and a couple of questions. She offered the option of lasering to remove a few annoying spots but I am nervous…and clearly a big baby, ha.
On a totally different topic, PBS has been airing an amazing program called “The Secret Life of Dogs”. Episodes #1 aired on the last two Thursdays at 9pm. Oh my gosh, I love this series and have learned so much. Dogs are truly amazing creatures in so many ways. I know you and your husband would really enjoy the show so perhaps you can search for the missed episodes.
Have a great weekend!
Thank you for the tip on the show, I am going to check it out!
Love those chunky arms: :)
They’re so delicious! lol
Ahhh, Mr. Rogers…our kids, now 14 and 17, certainly enjoyed him growing up. And you know what…when an episode happens to be on now, they will always say, “Oh, I remember that…they’re learning how crayons are made!” You’re right…a refreshing change from what’s on today. Enjoy those little ones!
YES! One of the episodes that we played for the boys was the crayon factory one and my husband and I both remembered it!
In response to #4 and 5- instant pots were the biggest seller on Prime Day. More than 300,000 were sold. So yes, still a thing.
I use mine for beans (dry black beans last night were done in 30 min, no soaking), yogurt, hard boiled eggs, fruit compote, chicken stock/bone broth, shredded chicken for tacos/enchiladas, and chili (I have made your chili recipe in it twice for my oldest because I always wait until the last minute and he ALWAYS wants chili, even in the summer).
Oh and cheesecake is a big thing in the instant pot. 🤷♀️
I tried to buy on Prime Day, but the glitches saves me a minor fortune. I gave up. I have an instantpot, that like you, I have used exactly one time.
Hi Michelle! So glad the boys are getting in the kitchen with you. Thanks for sharing . Enjoy Isabelle snuggles, for she’ll be ready to join all of you in the kitchen before you know it.
I’ve made a few recipes in my IP but mostly have enjoyed it as a convenient pressure cooker. Perfect boiled eggs with 4 minutes on manual . Not much faster than usual method but every one peels perfectly. I’ve also enjoyed cooking regular and sweet potatoes in it. They do cook faster than oven and it doesn’t heat up the kitchen. Chicken breasts do very well also! I want to cook more in it because I like that you can cook things faster with very little water so less nutrients are lost.
Yes to thin towels!! Your grandma was totally right; the big fluffy ones seem to only move the water around on your skin.
Like you I prefer thinner towels and washcloths for the same reason. I feel like the thick ones do not work as well.
You have a future baker, maybe two on your hands! I had to laugh about your towels! My MIL has the oldest, holiest and thinnest bath towels ever! My husbands says he wouldn’t even use her towels for rags in the garage!!! Since he grew up using old towels and hates them, he will request me to buy new “thick and thirsty” (his words) towels whenever he feels ours are too thin!!
I’m a thin towel person! My husband liked them thicker so we had two piles of towels. When he passed away my kids didn’t need towels and I wasn’t keeping all the thick ones so I donated them. You’re so right about the thicker ones not drying you off very well!
I just want to mention how much I love your blog and your recipes! I have followed you for years!
Aww thank you Patty, you are so sweet!
I make beans in my instant pot. No soaking and they have come out perfect every time.
good post.thank you
If you haven’t done hard boiled eggs in your instant pot, that was a game-changer for me. They peel so easily! I also like cooking potatoes for mashing in my IP.
I’m going to try both of those, thank you!