Friday, February 18, 2022

Live It Up to Live It Down: Fly on the Wall

 

Skillet Chicken Florentine, a healthy, flavorful dinner in just ½ hour. | recipe developed by www.BakingInATornado.com | #recipe #dinner



 Welcome to a monthly Fly on the Wall group post. Today 3 bloggers are inviting you to catch a glimpse of what you’d see if you were a fly on the wall in our homes. Come on in and buzz around my house. At the end of my post you’ll find links to this month’s other participants’ posts.





When PurDude moved into his first apartment, he took (among other things) my dishes, silverware, drinking glasses. I went back to using the dishes and silverware Hubs and I had gotten when we got married, but I had very few drinking glasses.
 
At the time, I'd been in and out of many stores getting his apartment set up, and when I was in HomeGoods, found some drinking glasses for myself.
 
It's now been a few years and we'd broken some of them, were down to our last 4. I wanted more of the same glasses but didn't know who made them or who carried them. After much research I found some on Amazon that looked very similar and bought them. They arrived a week later and I unpacked them when Hubs and College Boy were in the kitchen.
 
Me (while putting the glasses into the dishwasher): These glasses are very similar to the ones we're using, they seem to be a little wider and thicker, but they'll work out fine.
College Boy (looking over): Yes, they do look very similar. 
 
A few minutes later we sat down to dinner.
 
Hubs: You did a great job of matching these glasses, I can't tell them apart from the ones we've been using.
Me (answering while College Boy is laughing and I'm rolling my eyes): That's because the new ones are in the dishwasher, these ARE the ones we've been using.
 

Fly on the Wall, a multi-blogger writing challenge | developed and run by www.BakingInATornado.com | #MyGraphics
 
 
We have a very large trash can for recycle. The recycle service comes every few weeks and usually the bin is very full. There seems to be just enough room in it for our family's recyclables for two weeks.
 
Last month, though, it was pretty full after just one week. When we used to just have a small recycle bin, I'd flatten things and fit boxes into other boxes when it got too full, but this is a full sized trash can. 
 
Me: That recycle bin is really full and we have another whole week before collection.
Hubs: I'll flatten some of those boxes and smash some of those soda bottles.
Me: Are you sure you want to reach in there to do that?
Hubs: Yeah, I may as well.
 
A little while later the phone rang and I answered it. It was a telemarketer, of course.
 
Telemarketer: I'd like to speak to . . .
Me: He can't come to the phone right now, he's playing in the trash.


Fly on the Wall, a multi-blogger writing challenge | developed and run by www.BakingInATornado.com | #MyGraphics


 

Me (angrily): You made quite a mess. I just had to clean out that whole drawer in the bathroom.

Hubs: What do you mean?
Me: You put the toothpaste into the drawer without the cover on it.
Hubs: You know you used the toothpaste last, right?
Me (less angry): Oh. Never mind.
 


Fly on the Wall, a multi-blogger writing challenge | developed and run by www.BakingInATornado.com | #MyGraphics

 
I'd tried a new recipe, Peppermint Stuffed Cookies, and I was excited for College Boy to try them.

Me (handing him a cookie): Here, try these.
College Boy: They're good. What's the pink part?
Me: Candy melts. And the cookie part is vanilla wafers.
College Boy: I can tell.
Me: And the inside is . . .
College Boy: Toothpaste?

Great, just great.


Fly on the Wall, a multi-blogger writing challenge | developed and run by www.BakingInATornado.com | #MyGraphics

 
College Boy let me know he was going to be here, but late, and that he was tired, hadn't eaten. He asked me to put together a salad for him and stick it in the fridge, which I did. I was trying to make it as healthy a salad as possible so I added spinach, snap peas, and an assortment of other vegetables. I also made some of my homemade Italian dressing, which he likes.

The next day:

Me: How was your salad?
College Boy: It was good.
Me: You liked how I made it?
College Boy: Yeah. You know, you really know how to put lettuce on a plate.

Jeez, I can actually cook a meal too, btw.



Skillet Chicken Florentine, a healthy, flavorful dinner in just ½ hour. | recipe developed by www.BakingInATornado.com | #recipe #dinner
Skillet Chicken Florentine
 
 
Hubs (reaching for the Skillet Chicken Florentine): I think I'm going to have seconds.
Me (feeling kinda proud, thinking he loved dinner): Wow, and you had a huge first portion.
Hubs: Yeah, I'm really hungry.
Me: Ummm . . . you mean you loved it?
Hubs (looking a bit sheepish): I meant I loved it.
Me: Thanks.
Hubs: In fact, I'm not even hungry, it's just so good I can't resist it.
Me: What?
Hubs: It may even be my new favorite dinner.
Me: Enough.
Hubs: Over selling it?
Me: Just a bit.
 

Fly on the Wall, a multi-blogger writing challenge | developed and run by www.BakingInATornado.com | #MyGraphics

 
We'd been having trouble with our cable boxes forever. They worked intermittently, and often freeze. We can't stream (long story), so we'd been calling and calling and arguing with our cable company constantly.

They finally agreed to send a tech out without charging us for it at a price they wouldn't name (something they hadn't been willing to do before). The tech came out, felt that he'd figured out what was going on and, after 2 1/2 hours, left telling us to call if we still had issues.

The boxes were working all that night and the next day. Well, except for one strange occurrence.

Hubs: How was the cable today? Was it working?
Me: Yes, except for one odd change.
Hubs: What?
Me: When I was using the guide, I had to click right for the guide to move left, and up for the guide to move down.
Hubs: After all we've been through, if that's all that's wrong, we'll take it.
Me: It's not like that any more, I was able to remedy the situation.
Hubs: How?
Me: Well, I just had to turn the remote from upside down to right side up.

Chances are I won't live this one down any time soon.



Fly on the Wall, a multi-blogger writing challenge | developed and run by www.BakingInATornado.com | #MyGraphics

  

Here's another one I won't live down: 
 
We have a back hall off of the kitchen. The laundry room and lockers are back there, and there are 3 doors. On one side is a door to the main floor bathroom. On the opposite wall is a door to the family coat closet, and straight ahead is the door to the garage. If you open the door to the garage, to the right is the recycle bin. I put it there for easy, I open the door, throw anything recyclable to the right and it goes into the bin, I don't even have to step into the garage.

I was tired. That's not just an excuse, it's true. And often when tired we do things we wouldn't normally do.

I didn't even realize what I'd done until the next day when Hubs opened the coat closet to get out his boots.

Apparently, I'd opened the wrong door, because on the floor of the coat closet were my recycle cans from the day before.


Fly on the Wall, a multi-blogger writing challenge | developed and run by www.BakingInATornado.com | #MyGraphics


And {{sigh}}, yet another one (looks like I'm on a roll): 
 
Me: We have to sell the house.
Hubs: Did you see a spider in here somewhere?
Me: No.
Hubs: Then why?
Me: Don't ask. Just call a realtor.
Hubs: I'd like to know why.
Me: I flashed the neighbor.
Hubs: You what?
Me: I told you not to ask.
Hubs: How did you manage to do that?
Me: It's a gift.

The back story: I was in my den wearing a shirt and sweatshirt (no bra, I was at home, after all). I decided to take the sweatshirt off, stood up, pulled it over my head, then noticed that my shirt had come with it. Looked out the big triple window in the den and to the far left I see my neighbor in his back yard. I don't think he saw, but would you take the chance?

 

Fly on the Wall, a multi-blogger writing challenge | developed and run by www.BakingInATornado.com | #MyGraphics

 

Hubs comes home in the late afternoon and I'm in the den, with the CD player on (fairly loud), a bunch of bottles from our bar on the kitchen counter, and a drink in my hand.
 
Hubs: You OK?
Me: Yeah, fine.
Hubs: What are you doing?
Me: Counterbalance.
Hubs: Counterbalance?
Me: Yes. I just wrote my Fly on the Wall post and realized how much many things over the past month that I have to live down.
Hubs: And the answer is . . . day drinking?
Me: No. My counterbalance of living it down is living it up. This is the covid version.
Hubs: OK. I think I better get us take out for dinner.
Me (raising my glass): L'chaim.

 

 

Fly on the Wall, a multi-blogger writing challenge | developed and run by www.BakingInATornado.com | #MyGraphics 

Now click on the links below for a peek into some other homes:







Baking In A Tornado signature | www.BakingInATornado.com | #MyGraphics





 
Skillet Chicken Florentine
                                                                       ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients: 
2 TBSP olive oil
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
salt, pepper, garlic powder
1/2 large onion, chopped
2 cloves minced garlic
4 oz mushrooms, quartered
3/4 cup half and half
1/4 cup white wine (can substitute chicken broth)
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
3 cups fresh spinach, cleaned

Directions:
*Cut each chicken breast into 4 pieces each. Sprinkle both sides with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
*Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook until the bottom is browned, turn over, and continue cooking until the chicken is cooked through. Remove from the pan and keep warm.
*To the same skillet, add the onion, garlic, and mushrooms. Cook and stir until the onion softens.
*Stir the half and half, wine, and crushed red pepper flakes into the pan. Add the spinach and cook for 1 minute, stirring. Return the chicken to the pan. Boil, stirring now and then, for 3 - 4 minutes.

24 comments:

  1. The cans in the closet is hysterical! The chicken recipe looks delish---you had me at wine!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hope you try this chicken. And since you have to open the wine for the recipe anyway . . .

      Delete
  2. Karen, this skillet chicken looks amazingly delicious! I can't wait to try it!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Yum, chicken and spinach! At Thanksgiving, I discovered my son absolutely loves creamed spinach. Who knew? Alana ramblinwitham.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  4. Toothpaste? Your son is a comedian.

    Loved the story of the glasses, your hubs has something to live down, too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I guess we all had a few things to live down this past month.

      Delete
  5. Tell College Boy that I’m gonna come take his place as taste tester!

    ReplyDelete
  6. The Hubs tried (on the glasses). Probably knows he doesn't notice so many of the things...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Actually, Hubs is fairly oblivious, doesn't notice much at all.

      Delete
  7. Never a dull moment in your house.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sometimes I feel like I could use a dull moment . . . or two.

      Delete
  8. Wow, you're kid took the dishes! HA ha, my parents kept tracked of every dish, but when they rolled into retirement they were handing out everything like it was a rummage sale. I got the cup racks and magnets and a few other things (I had to hold back).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. He took quite a lot of things, with my permission, of course. And what he didn't take, I bought him.

      Delete
  9. Living things down is okay when they're HILARIOUS!!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Those are really funny. I've been telling my daughter that we should set up video cameras around the house to catch the funny things we say and do. Ok, the funny things I say and do. She would probably put them all on TikTok though so maybe putting up cameras isn't such a good idea.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Now I know why we're such good friends. We're both a hot damn mess. Fix me a drink!

    ReplyDelete

Warning: Comment at your own risk. I have Comment Moderation, meaning I approve all comments before they show up here. So go ahead, I'm not scared!