Parmesan chicken with Caesar roasted romaine

When I cook, I leave billions of dirty dishes in my wake. The problem is that I hate doing dishes. So, in looking for weeknight meals, I try to find one-dish-dirting recipes. Slightly adapted from this Bon Appetit recipe, this recipe actually dirties only the plates you eat it on if you play your cards right, thanks to a prepackaged breadcrumb mix and nonstick foil.

What you'll need:
Skinless, boneless chicken breasts (the Kraft mix covers up to four pieces, but I only use two since it's just the two of us eating)
Kraft Fresh Take breadcrumbs and cheese bag in Italian Parmesan
Large hearts of romaine, halved lengthwise (1 heart = 2 people fed. You do the math.)
Salt and pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
Fresh chopped garlic or garlic powder
Caesar dressing
Lemon, cut into wedges

Take a sheet pan and line it with nonstick foil. Instead of moistening the chicken with water like the Kraft mix suggests, spread a thin layer of Caesar dressing on either side of the chicken then coat as directed on the pouch. Bake at 375 for 25 minutes. Remove and place the halved romaine hearts around the chicken, seasoning with salt, pepper and garlic with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Bake for an additional 5 minutes, or until the lettuce is wilted and charred. Serve with additional Caesar dressing and lemon.

Now, with all that time you saved, you can prop your feet up and watch DVR-ed episodes of "Gilmore Girls" in peace.

Wishful thinking

Some days, I just want to read ...

... hang out with these guys ...

... and take a nap in a hammock ...

... on the beach.

And on those days, I content myself by eating Nutella straight from the jar.

What would your dream day look like?

Photo credits: Books//Family//Hammock//Beach//Nutella

If you need me ...

... I'll be trying to learn this dance.

Am I the only one who can't get this song out of her head? I don't even know what the words mean, but I love it just the same.

Newborn essentials

Registering was a daunting task. What do I really need for this baby? Well, four months in, these are the items that have been indispensable.

1. Aden + Anais muslin swaddles: I originally registered for these because they were cute, but I quickly found out they are the best swaddling blankets. Since they're thin, they're easy to wrap up your little baby burrito nice and tight without making them too hot or unwrapping as they wriggle around.

2. Nuk pacis: Preston is a paci man, and these are the ones my dental hygienist mom recommended. They're essential because, without them, crying chaos ensues, and nobody likes crying chaos.

3. Cloth diapers: These make thick, absorbent burp cloths. I got a ton of these, cutely embroidered by my mother-in-law and others — so many, in fact, that I joked that Preston would be taking burp cloths to college. But these are no joke, and you need a ton of them. Seriously.

4. Dreft stain spray: This removes baby poop from anything. I'm sold by that fact alone. We use it on all of our stains, even the non-baby related ones.

5. First Years infant-to-toddler tub: The best thing about this tub is the little mesh hammock it comes with — perfect for keeping a can't-be-submerged-yet-because-of-the-belly-button-stump baby in the water but not in the water. Once he could be fully in the tub, we still used it until he got steadier with his head control.

6. Fisher-Price Infant-Toddler rocker: Without this seat, I would have never showered, eaten or used the bathroom while on maternity leave. It's light weight enough to drag all over the house (which we do) and keeps Preston happy and within eye-sight. I wanted to start off simple, too, avoiding a swing or a bouncy seat until I knew who he was and what he liked, so I didn't buy something he hated. When he was smaller, it's vibrating feature would put him to sleep just like the car's motion does when we're traveling. Now, he's interested in the little creatures dangling above him.

Things I didn't need after all:

The Boppy pillow: I thought this would be a great dual use piece — a nursing pillow and pillow to prop up Preston. I never used it as a nursing pillow because I'm too short torsoed to make it work, and Preston hated sitting in it. I'm going to revisit it, though, now that he's a little bigger and can sit up a little better.

SwaddleMe adjustable swaddling blanket: I'd read that a tight swaddle would help a baby sleep because their movements wake them up. Well, to Preston, this was more of a straitjacket. He likes his hands out, so he would fight this until he was so angry and frustrated that it made going to sleep even harder. Even when I kept his hands out of it, he hated it. So, stick with the Aden + Anais blankets.

Monthly Preston: Month four

Weight: 14 pounds, 5 ounces
Length: 24.5 inches
Likes: He's addicted to his paci. He also has a teething toy my mom bought him that he loves. His favorite song is "Roll the Gospel Chariot." It's an instant crying stopper. I've lost my voice a couple of times now singing it over and over and over again in the car to keep him happy. (When you sing it that many times, you'll make the mistake of rolling right over the sinner or stopping to pick up the devil. Neither are good options.) He's continuing the drooling and bringing everything to his mouth. And this month, "Peek-a-boo" became a fun game and not mom and dad being weird and lifting a blanket up and down.
Dislikes: He's started fighting going to sleep, mostly when he's really tired. And when he's really tired and fighting sleep, he becomes an attention hog and whimpers if you're not looking at him. He won't be ignored.
Accomplishments: He's getting grabby with his little hands, holding his paci, teething toy, and anything else he can get his mitts around. He's batting at the toys on his play gym and sitting up in his Bumbo.

Oh, this boy. He gets more and more personality every day. It's so fun to see who he's turning into. This month, Scott traveled for the first time, so Preston was the man of the house for the week. We made it pretty well on our own, FaceTiming with Scott when we could, but there was nothing better than when Scott came home. Preston's little face lit up like a Christmas tree. We were both happy to have daddy back.

From top left: Baby's first game day; little pig tail; eyeing the camera; making a face; those fingers must taste good; post-nap daze; hanging out with Caroline; watching the Olympics; Daddy's home!; smiley; getting away.

Game day

Saturday kicked off the start of Arkansas football in our house. It was like Christmas with the excitement buzzing in the air. It was a little bittersweet, though, as this was the first time in two years Scott and I were watching a Fayetteville game on TV and not from our seats in the stadium, but it was just as nice being at home with our little guy watching from the comfort of our couch. Preston got in on the action wearing his Razorback onesie — the very first thing we ever bought him, back when he was just the size of a blueberry and was simply called "the baby."

I attempted some Razorback sugar cookies for the festivities, and, while the cookies turned out great, my first foray into royal icing did not. Not only did I make entirely to much in my efforts to make it thick enough to pipe, but, thanks to the large quantity, it was impossible to turn it red. One whole bottle of red food coloring later, and the icing still looked like Pepto Bismol.

Aside from the giant pink mess, our first game day as a family of three was great. Preston enjoyed watching us call the Hogs and singing the fight song. Although, by the end of the day, I think he'd had enough.

Happy football season! Hopefully I'll have the icing figured out by the time Alabama rolls into town.