New Chapters and Kitchen Creations

Well, after leaving my job at the Orange Beauty Store, I am preparing for a new job as a store manager.  I will miss the associates that I worked with, but I will keep in touch with a few.  I am looking forward to the new challenge and feeling useful again.  I am hoping, cross my fingers, that this is the last stop before retirement.  It is closer than I think and finding new jobs at my age is more difficult than one would think despite my qualifications.  I am blessed with great skin, so i don't look as old as I really am.  I thank my grandmother and mother for that, they both had great skin.  Taking care of it and eating healthier is a part of the transition. 

As part of the transition for this new position ,I am taking the week off and then I go on vacation. I am working on laundry, cleaning, packing and clearing the mental clutter.  It will be a fresh start with a fresh mind, ready to go.  So as we move on from reflection in the blog we move to new ways, in work and in personal life.  

I laugh at the way my life has been for the 10 months, less money meant being creative sometimes to figure out income.  I have learned that you can actually earn money playing games on your phone, although not a lot but enough "mad money" for a treat or two every once in a while.  I have had to become more creative with cooking and food choices.  I have been cleaning out the cupboards and being creative with the food we have in the house, before it used to be so easy to say, "let's eat out" or "I'll pick up something at the store." Lucklily I was not born into a family with money and I learned from my parents to be creative whether it was with finances or food.  

Here is a recipe for chicken thighs which is great when you are on a tight budget.  I really enjoyed this recipe and I had most of the items on hand and didn't have to buy anything!

🍋 Mediterranean Chicken Thighs 🍋

Ingredients   

For the chicken:   

6-8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs    

3 tbsp olive oil 

4 garlic cloves, minced   

Juice & zest of 1 lemon  

1 tsp dried oregano 

1 tsp dried thyme   

1 tsp smoked paprika   

½ tsp cumin 

 Salt & pepper to taste

Optional add-ins:  

Kalamata olives  

Cherry tomatoes   

Sliced red onion   

Artichoke hearts   

 

Instructions   

Marinate — Mix olive oil, garlic, lemon, and all spices. Coat chicken and marinate 30 mins (or overnight for best flavor!)  

Sear — In an oven-safe skillet, sear thighs skin-side down 3-4 mins until golden brown 
Bake — Flip skin-side up, add any optional veggies around chicken, bake at 425°F for 35-40 mins until internal temp reaches 165°F
Broil — Optional but WORTH IT — broil 2-3 mins for extra crispy skin! ✨   

  

Serve With  

     🥗 Greek salad   🫓 Warm pita bread   🧀 Crumbled feta & fresh parsley on top