You know I like to keep these posts upbeat and cheerful, but I’m going to be real here. This has been a tough week. The world-famous pain-in-the-neck Roxy has been sick. She went from wanting to be outside every second to vomiting, diarrhea and listlessness.
I have been cleaning up after her at 4 in the morning, waking up to giving her baths, coaxing her to take her medicine. You name it. And the day we took her to the vet? Oh, please.
This house was a mess. Kinsey knows something is wrong and Mandy won’t come out from under the bed. She probably thinks I’ll give her a bath next.
I missed her presence so much I had to take a walk, a long soak in the hot tub and a glass of wine. Oh, and did I mention – she’s not dead? I hope she gets well and back to normal soon. For all of our sakes.
So many of you are animal lovers (and shared pics of your beautiful loves), but animal ownership requires so much more than food and water. It’s a big responsibility. And loving is always such a risky pursuit, isn’t it?
What I’m Reading
With all this drama around the house, I really haven’t had a chance to finish a book. The book I started over a week ago is still ongoing. It’s pretty long, but I will finish it before next week and give you my thoughts.
I’m listening to a new (to me) author on audio – Haven Kimmel. She is an Indiana writer and this book takes place in a small Indiana town. I spent three years living in Smalltown, Indiana, and the book is bringing back delightful memories. Except the parts about driving in the snow. That, I do not miss. Not that Indiana has a corner on snow. I have had my share of that and now love the Arizona winters.
I hope to be done with this story by next week’s post as well and give you a good review.
What I’m Eating
Something new in the rotation this week: Hoisin Chicken. This recipe called for a bottled sauce, but in keeping with my using what we have, I made my own sauce with ingredients I already have, and it couldn’t have turned out better. I’m going to call this a recipe for two with a tiny bit of leftovers. No way this serves four. The chicken thigh I had was teeny tiny, but since I’m not big on chicken, so that was fine with me.
While prepping for this simple recipe I got to use some of my cool gadgets: Polder Digital Thermometer, Silicon Basting Brush, and silicon whisk. I don’t have this one, but I feel a deep need for a rainbow colored whisk!
And, I wore my freshly laundered and iron apron from my pantry reorg project. Win.
First, I whipped up the sauce and used my silicon whisk.
Next I trimmed all the skin and fat from the chicken thighs, seasoned and placed on a foil-lined pan. I made these in our Cuisanart Air Fry Oven, so the pan is not a large baking sheet, but that would have worked out nicely for making more green beans.
Because I have frozen green beans on hand, I used those. I just tossed them still frozen with sesame oil and seasoned with a bit of salt. You could season with garlic for extra zing, but that is one of my SIBO restrictions I’m pretty good at keeping.
Roasted Hoisin Chicken with Green Beans
- 4 medium bone-in chicken thighs, skin and fat removed
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- Garlic powder to taste
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 12 oz green beans
- 1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds
- 1 Tbsp chopped green onion – optional
- Homemade hoisin sauce (below)
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place chicken on a baking sheet (I covered with nonstick foil). Sprinkle with garlic powder and salt. Roast for 15 minutes.
Toss green beans with sesame oil and salt in a large bowl.
After the chicken has roasted for 15 minutes, add the green beans to the baking sheet in an even layer around the chicken.
Brush hoisin sauce over the chicken.
Roast until thermometer in the thickest part of the chicken without touching the bone registers at least 165 degrees. About 10-15 minutes.
Sprinkle with sesame seeds and top with chopped green onion if desired.
Hoisin Sauce
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce, or to taste
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
Whisk soy sauce, peanut butter, brown sugar, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, hot sauce, garlic, and black pepper together in a large bowl.
I’m looking forward to a restful weekend and hope things start looking up in our household. In the meantime, sending love and blessings to you and yours.