The Pack Place — life in the wolf pack

So the picture doesn’t do it justice… you’ll have to trust me on this… Delish! Backstory: I try to meet my hubby downtown once a week to eat lunch. We usually go to a little Greek restaurant called Athena. It’s buffet style (I know! All you can eat Greek food!?!), and they serve the yummiest, creamiest, most delicious chicken dish on Mondays… only Mondays! Imagine my dismay when I went back on a Tuesday, only to discover I was a day late! I couldn’t disguise my disappointment (brat) and the owner (who might be my favorite person on the planet) heard sensed my sob story sorrow. No sooner had I filled my plate with hummus and salad, did he arrive at my table with a steaming bowl of jasmine rice covered in cream sauce, tender chicken, fresh dill, sweet peas & tender carrots. Heaven! And now he insists on it every time I come in! This recipe pays homage to my favorite dish at my favorite Greek restaurant. The original is made with heavy cream and I’ve made it that way plenty of times, but most recently I substituted evaporated milk for the heavy cream and you really don’t notice a difference (but your waistline will! It saves you a ton of fat & calories!)… Light(er) Creamy Greek Chicken Ingredients 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (partially frozen then sliced super thin) 1 can evaporated milk (I actually used 1/2 can full fat and 1/2 can reduced fat) 1 tbsp fresh dill plus more to taste 3 – 4 garlic cloves (minced) Salt, pepper and red pepper flakes 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup frozen peas 1 tbsp butter (I used Light I Can’t Believe it’s not Butter) 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil optional- splash of lemon juice optional- carrots, sliced Directions Heat butter and oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat until butter is melted and covers the entire pan. Add dill and garlic, stirring to spread. Add thinly sliced chicken. Cook until chicken is no longer pink, stirring to avoid burning. Add evaporated milk. Stir. Heat until milk bubbles, then reduce to simmer. Add salt, pepper and red pepper flakes to taste. Add frozen peas and allow to cook through. Add a splash of lemon juice and more dill to taste. Serve over jasmine rice, seasoned with a little butter, salt, pepper and dill. *TIP: It’s much easier to cut chicken when it is partially frozen, so if you buy fresh, stick it in the freezer 15 minutes before you cook. It will firm up and make thin-slicing so much simpler!

In keeping with my vintage "hope chest" finds, here is an example of how too much of a good thing is no longer a good thing... I love lace. I love gingham. I love rosettes. I love gathering. I love a little poof in the sleeve. Even a mock turtleneck has it's moment... All together though? A hot mess. Sorry to whatever dear relative surely made this (there are no tags), but it's pretty clear that even Alice finds it a little offensive (see her picture below). The saddest part of this story (aside from the dress) is that I actually took a picture of Lily (my seven year old) wearing it when she was one. I spent the day searching for that photo and I cannot find it anywhere!! I promise if (when?!?) I do, I'll re-post. Until then, isn't it funny seeing my baby picture (top) next to my baby's pictures in the same dress? Do you have anything like this? If not, start thinking about saving some of your child's favorite outfits- but be sure to snap and save a photo of her (or him) in it first. It will be a treasure one day... even if it looks something like this. XOXO, Sarah

Looking through some old photos, I came across this lovely picture, forcing me to amend something I said earlier... not necessarily everything old is charming. While my mother is the picture of youth and beauty, her baby and the interesting frock she's wearing are much less attractive (I can say that because the scary looking kid is yours truly). Note to self: never dress a child like a clown when she's already a little goofy looking.    

I'll always love my mother (a notorious non-saver) for storing a few of my favorite childhood things in a "hope chest" designated just for me. She did the same for each of my siblings (correct me if I'm wrong , mom!)... It's funny how old things are innately so charming. Certain classic styles will always be in fashion.       And yes, those are two different shoes on her feet... should not come as a shock to those who know us well... XOXO, Sarah

Summer Water: Fill a pitcher with ice cold water. Add juice from 1 lemon, sliced lemon rings, quartered strawberries and any other fresh fruit you have on hand. Chill, serve over ice... pool optional.