Dinner at home... without the chaos? Yes, please. I help busy moms skip the drive-thru and get real food on the table fast — even when it’s 5:15, nobody’s started dinner, and everyone’s hangry. 👇 Grab my 5 No-Cook Rush Hour Recipes — your secret weapon for stress-free weeknights.
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Hey Reader,
If you've been around here for a hot minute then you know I tried really hard not to become a crazy chicken lady.
....and failed miserably at it.
I bought Covid chickens a few years ago for my kids. You know, the ones everyone panic-bought when the world shut down and we all briefly convinced ourselves we were going to grow our own food and learn sourdough. Mine survived. They're still here. They will apparently outlive us all.
So obviously, this week I went to the garden center for lavender plants....
I came home with four more chickens.
Two Sapphire Gems (the grey and lavender feathery ones) and two California Whites (they'll be spotted like dalmations). Uggghhhh.
Omg...I must be nuts lol
I don't know if it's the state of the world making me lean into this whole homesteady thing again, or if this is just who I am now, but I'm going with it. (Yes, I got the lavender plants, too :))
ALDI for the WIN
I made a pasta salad this week that I'm genuinely obsessed with. But, I don't have pics of it because chickens (see above lol).
That's right friend, Pasta Salad Season is upon us & I'm 100% here for it (as always LOL!)
Plus, the whole thing came from ALDI. WIN!
Just a few ingredients. Works hot, cold, or room temp. Which means it survived a baseball game night at the stands AND lunch the next day, which is basically the gold standard around here right now.
Everything here was at ALDI!
How to make this version:
Cook about 2/3 of a bag of pasta. While that's going, dice a small onion and cook it in a little olive oil, then slice up 2 packages of sun dried tomato basil sausages and add them in. Chop up about 2 TBL of sundried tomatoes & throw that in for a minute.
Turn off the heat and toss in 4 cups of fresh spinach and a halved pint of cherry tomatoes. The residual heat does the work. Toss everything together with the pasta in a big dish and finish it with a few generous spoonfulls of pesto over the top. Toss again in a giant dish.
Serve it however you want. That's the whole thing.
It travels well, reheats well, and tastes even better the next day. Save this one for the chaos weeks. And April is nothing if not absolute chaos.
Recipe Redo
Recipe "redo" is inherent in every single recipe I'll ever give you. It's the idea that you can take that idea & remake it a million different ways to suit your family, time & budget.
Don't have time to run to ALDI? Don't. See if you've got a handful of the original ingredients (or good substitutes!) in your pantry, fridge & freezer. Use those!
Seriously, use up what you have or get creative with a totally fresh take on my version!
Pizza Version - Pepperoni, bell pepper slices, sauteed mushrooms & pesto. Toss with pasta & go!
Korean Bulgogi version - Left over chicken diced & tossed in your fav Bulgogi sauce (yes, Aldi makes one!). Toss with linguini noodles, matchstick carrots, shredded cabbage & fresh cilantro and lime squeeze. DONE.
The options are ENDLESS!
On that note, I have something coming your way Monday. Something I've been putting together when I'm not impulse purchasing chicks... specifically for these next few weeks before summer turns everything sideways. More on that then!
Enjoy your weekend. Go buy some lavender plants.🪻 Try not to come home with livestock--or do & share!
Talk soon,🐥
Brett
P.S. Email me back & let me know if you're gonna try this pasta salad -- or how you're making it your own!
😍I put a lot of heart into these emails. I hope they make your week a little easier.
If you're into the whole slow living thing & want to get something in your mailbox...check out my friend Kathie's Seasonal Whisper. Yes, snail mail girl!
Dinner at home... without the chaos? Yes, please. I help busy moms skip the drive-thru and get real food on the table fast — even when it’s 5:15, nobody’s started dinner, and everyone’s hangry. 👇 Grab my 5 No-Cook Rush Hour Recipes — your secret weapon for stress-free weeknights.