I burned my elbow, cookies, new neighbors, and various musings

I made an exceptionally tasty Chicken Parmigiana this evening. Thanks Tyler. I saw this yesterday morning and had been craving it ever since. I used all organic ingredients, including organic chicken, and it was very much restaurant quality. I also make my own marinara sauce:

1/3 cup olive oil

garlic cloves, thinly sliced

salt and freshly ground pepper

(28-ounce) cans crushed plum tomatoes

10 basil leaves, chopped

1 tablespoon chopped parsley leaves

In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, heat the oil. Saute the garlic, salt, and pepper for 5 minutes or until the garlic is softened. Add the remaining ingredients, then raise the heat to medium-high, and bring to a simmer, stirring often. Simmer for 30 minutes. The sauce can be stored for up to 5 days in the refrigerator and several months in the freezer.

Thank God for the nice all-clad cookware set we got as a wedding gift. Unfortunately I burned my elbow on the hot handle while I was reaching for something else after taking it out of the oven. It feels like it had the white-hot intensity of 10,000 burning suns. Note to self: never burn your elbow again, and try your damnedest not to bend your arm at all! Who the hell burns their elbow?

Because I am the best wife and mother I also made chocolate chip cookies this evening. I know, I know, I should be sainted (I also made a nice brunch this morning)! Hey Vatican, I am still waiting...

I was looking through the oven door to see if they were done and Quinn walks over and peeps in as well, as he likes to mimic everything he sees. He added his own special flair by screaming very excitedly, "cookies, cookies!". He rarely gets to eat cookies and yet this was one of the first words he mastered. Guess he has inherited mom's and dad's sweet tooth.

So we had new neighbors start moving into the house next door that had been sale for quite some time. They must think I am partially insane as they noticed me digging up and replanting some sod in our yard at 10:30 pm Saturday night. Hope they didn't think I was getting rid of a body or anything (our neighborhood is very much like the set of Desperate Housewives); it was just a convenient time to get it done. As a side note, the yard looks great. Like I would even bury a body in my own yard.