I quit my job!

No, this isn't a belated April Fools joke

Big update in my life: I quit my job! Perhaps I’ll touch more on this topic at a later time, but for now all I’ll say is that I’ve chosen to do something that’s a little closer to home (literally — goodbye, hour-long commute) and more in line with my long term goals.

March was jam packed with trips up north and down south, barely giving me a moment to breathe. The last you heard from me, I was recapping my wonderful spring break to snowy Vermont. Since then, I’ve been back to work but also found time to be with my friends and sister. I picked Maura up in the middle of the month for her spring break, and we spent a wonderful weekend touring Baltimore, something she doesn’t get the chance to do often while she’s in school. On St. Patrick’s Day we ate fried food and drank crushes in Fells Point before meeting up with her friend for dinner in Little Italy at La Scala. The spaghetti alla puttanesca was deeeelicious, made even better by Maura’s inability to keep a straight face while the waiter walked us through the novel-length list of specials that night. In the morning, we got brunch at Wicked Sisters in Hampden, and then drove home.

After work one night, Matt and I went to Kpod’s happy hour. We loaded up on honey butter fries and ramen, and then we walked back to his car to find a parking ticket. In order to end the night on a high note, we went to 1-900-ICE-CREAM. And oh my god I had one of the best scoops I’ve ever had. 1-900 is known for their incredible soft serve specials, so I’ve never even thought to look at what they have in their case. But boy am I glad I picked Dunkaroos that night. Think perfectly tender vanilla ice cream swirled with rainbow chip Dunkaroos icing and vanilla cookies. I pretty much went to heaven after receiving that parking ticket. 

By far the best thing I made this month was from Molly Baz’s Cook This Book — Golden Brown & Delicious Chicken Breasts with Crispy Bread Salad (pictured above). You start by browning two skin-on chicken breasts in a skillet and end up with the most buttery garlicky sauce to coat brown croutons in. When the chicken has just cooled, you place it over a bed of radicchio and Castelvetrano olives. A perfect feel good meal for Sunday supp. “It’s very rustic,” Dad said as we went in for third helpings of the croutons.

My hope for this newsletter is for it to not be a place where I regurgitate all of the things I’ve posted on Instagram and TikTok, but for the sake of catching you up, I am going to do just that. Maura and I made fried chili chicken together when she was home, and I’ve been whipping up a lot of pantry pastas. My favorite one so far has been this one. I’ve also started posting on my story in real time whenever I’m cooking, even if it’s as simple as egg tacos. I also salvaged all the wilty herbs in the fridge by throwing them into a blender with Greek yogurt and lime juice; I drizzled the sauce over roasted sweet potatoes and chickpeas, which I documented on TikTok! 

April already feels like it’s off to a good start, and I hope I get a chance to spend more time in the kitchen. It’s truly the only thing I think about when I’m at work, which makes me feel confident in my decision to leave the more traditional job I’ve been at for about eight months. I’m going to miss my coworkers and the free lunch, but I’m very excited about this next chapter. And that’s all I can say for now lest I jinx myself.