Once again I gave Chris Kimball’s quick chicken breasts a try. (They’re the ones coated in parmesan and breadcrumbs.) I am still struggling with chicken-pounding technique; I think my 8-inch frying pan isn’t an ideal tool. Ben, who usually flees the kitchen while the chicken is being attacked, volunteered to give it a try this time, and though the tips of the chicken breasts were a little shredded he was certainly efficient. They were much thinner than before, but still not perfect.

I baked potatoes, dressed some halved cherry tomatoes in sherry vinegar and olive oil, and wilted a little spinach in the pan I’d used to cook the chicken. I’d planned on a spinach salad, so the quantity was off and once wilted the spinach was more of an accent than a side dish! Tasty, though. I’ve also been throwing leftover washed spinach or arugula into a bowl of ramen noodles for lunch lately.

While we were eating (which we always do at the table, with candles lit, in the grand tradition of my family!), Ben looked at me and asked why we never eat like this anymore. He’s right; we’ve only sat down to a real dinner a couple times in the last few weeks. I blame his finals period and increased social activity—we’ve been eating out a lot. I hope once we’re back from spring break we settle back into the routine of cooking and eating at home at least three times a week, and giving a dinner party or two every two weeks. A lot of our friends will be coming back from a term of foreign exchange, which means lots of excuses for dinner parties.