Dinner Made *Even* Easier

7 weeks of meal plans, grocery lists, and a sneak peek recipe!

We’re just two days away from my book launch (pinch me!). I hope to see some of you on my book tour in the coming days. Before the big day, I wanted to take a minute to tell you about the why behind this book.

I wanted Every Day With Babs to be more than just a collection of recipes—more than a cookbook even: I wanted to give you a foolproof plan for getting dinner on the table. Because I know it’s hard: Life is busier than ever. It’s so easy to just order takeout or reheat a premade meal. But I truly believe home-cooked dinners are meaningful and worth making

The book is full of easy meals that require minimal clean-up, but it’s also designed to help you out. The days of the week themes mean less to think about when meal planning, but they’re also strategically paced. For example, the Eat Twice Twosday chapter is like a safety net: It ensures there’s always something in the freezer or fridge, in case your best laid dinner plans go awry later in the week. (I’m sharing one of my favorite Eat Twice Twosday recipes below!) Likewise, the Thrifty Thursday chapter is another layer of insurance for days when the fridge is bare–these are pantry meals made out of almost nothing. And the Sunday Suppers chapter? It isn’t just a bunch of recipes to share as a family—it is layered with all my best tips for how to make sit-down meals actually happen. It’s Babs’ get-dinner-on-the-table philosophy all wrapped up into a book. I really hope this book will take the stress out of making dinner.

So, I’ve got another pre-order bonus for you:

A custom meal plan and grocery lists for Every Day With Babs

To make it even easier to get dinner on the table, I’ve created a seven-week meal plan with recipes from Every Day With Babs (that’s almost half a year of dinners!). I’ve also made weekly grocery lists of everything you’ll need to cook those meals. You don’t have to think about anything: Just take my list and shop, crack open the cookbook and cook. Dinner will be on the table before you know it.

To get the meal plan, pre-order Every Day With Babs and then enter your order number here.

An apron surprise!

Last week I told you how hard it is to find a good apron and shared the story of how we ended up sewing custom aprons made out of my favorite tablecloths for the Every Day With Babs photoshoots. So many of you commented and wrote to me to say you’d had the same experience shopping for aprons: There was nothing you liked! A line of Babs aprons is not in the immediate future, but I wanted to find a way to bring beautiful aprons to my readers. I just love imagining you all out there cooking my recipes dressed as my twin!

So, I called up a local seamstress and asked if she could make me custom aprons to give away to my readers who had pre-ordered the book. She said yes! I’ll be giving away five (5) custom aprons like the one you see on the cover of Every Day With Babs. It’s a linen fabric in a pretty blue and white botanical print. All you need to do to enter to win is order Every Day With Babs and fill out the contest form here.

Grammie’s Chicken Cutlets

This Eat Twice Twosday recipe, serves four—twice! So, you can stash the extras for another day. My freezer is filled with stacks of these chicken cutlets ready to go. You can use them so many ways: Slice them and serve with fries and dipping sauce; make a chicken club sandwich; top with marinara and mozzarella cheese for chicken parm. Or simply serve with a simply dressed salad with arugula, tomatoes, and shaved Parmesan.

Serves 4 twice

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (8 ounces each)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
2 large eggs
1¼ cups panko bread crumbs
½ cup (2 ounces) grated Parmesan cheese
Neutral oil, such as avocado, for shallow-frying
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1. Set one hand on top of a chicken breast to hold it in place, then cut horizontally through the middle so you have 2 thinner cutlets. Repeat for all the chicken breasts for a total of 8 cutlets. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Season the chicken all over with 2 teaspoons salt.

2. Prepare 3 shallow dishes or large plates for coating the chicken. In the first dish, combine the flour, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning. Season with ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper. In the second dish, beat the eggs. In the third dish, combine the panko and Parmesan, then season with ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper.

3. One at a time, dip the chicken cutlets in the flour and coat all sides, tapping off the excess. Next, dip in the egg, allowing any excess to drip back into the dish. Finally, coat with the panko mixture, pressing to adhere. Place on a plate as you coat all the cutlets.

ENJOY NOW: In a large cast-iron skillet or heavy-bottomed pot, heat ¼ inch of oil over medium heat. Once shimmering, add the butter, swirling until melted. Carefully add 2 chicken cutlets to the skillet. Fry until golden brown and fully cooked, 2 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a clean plate, then immediately sprinkle with a little salt. Repeat with 2 more chicken cutlets. Serve.

ENJOY LATER: Arrange half the cutlets on a plate or sheet pan, cover with plastic wrap, and freeze until solid. Transfer the cutlets to a zipper-top plastic bag and freeze for up to 1 month. While still frozen, bake at 450°F until cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes.

An update from the Basket House: Plumbing is in! I am so excited for all of these beautiful brass faucets that we’ve chosen. We also got a whole house filtration system installed last week—more on that later! It feels good to be one step closer!

Q: When will the Basket House be finished?

A: I have been getting lots of questions about this. All I can say is, wow, we really underestimated how long it takes to renovate a home! It is especially slow-going when you are trying to preserve and honor a home’s history. It’s not a time capsule, but we wanted to be true to this special house. We’ve tried to save as much of the past as possible, and every decision we’ve made about new things has been with the house’s original era in mind.

Q: I love your style. Can you share more outfits?

A: Thank you, that is such a nice thing to say. You’ve given me an idea: I’ll take notes of what I wear on my book tour in April and share them afterwards. How does that sound? I’ve bought a few new things for these special events, and I’d be delighted to tell you about what I love—and why.

XO, Babs