This post may contain affiliate links and Corporette® may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Have you guys noticed this trend cropping up? Mask bling! Including pretty “convertible necklaces” like this one from White House | Black Market, which looks pretty on and then keeps your mask close at hand if you take it off.
I feel like I've seen much much more expensive versions of these — the pictured one is $9 (on sale from $15) and that seems about right; WHBM has four different styles for the same price.
This post contains affiliate links and Corporette® may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. For more details see here. Thank you so much for your support!
Sales of note for 9.30.24
- Nordstrom – Beauty deals through September
- Ann Taylor – Extra 30% off sale
- Banana Republic Factory – 50% off everything + extra 20% off
- Boden – 15% off new styles
- Eloquii – Extra 50% off sale
- J.Crew – 50% off select styles
- J.Crew Factory – Up to 60% off everything + 50% off sale with code
- Lo & Sons – Warehouse sale, up to 70% off
- M.M.LaFleur – Save 25% sitewide
- Neiman Marcus – Friends & Family 25% off
- Rag & Bone – Friends & Family 25% off sitewide
- Spanx – Lots of workwear on sale, some up to 70% off
- Talbots – Fall Cyber Monday sale, 40% off sitewide and $5 shipping
- Target – Car-seat trade-in event through 9/28 — bring in an old car seat to get a 20% discount on other baby/toddler stuff.
- White House Black Market – 40% off select styles
And some of our latest threadjacks here at Corporette (reader questions and commentary) — see more here!
Some of our latest threadjacks include:
- What to say to friends and family who threaten to not vote?
- What boots do you expect to wear this fall and winter?
- What beauty treatments do you do on a regular basis to look polished?
- Can I skip the annual family event my workplace holds, even if I'm a manager?
- What small steps can I take today to get myself a little more “together” and not feel so frazzled all of the time?
- The oldest daughter is America's social safety net — change my mind…
- What have you lost your taste for as you've aged?
- Tell me about your favorite adventure travels…
Anon
To me, this item is a solution in search of a problem. Perhaps others will disagree and enlighten me?
Senior Attorney
Ugh, I agree. It’s like reading-glasses-on-a-chain but an order of magnitude worse.
LaurenB
Gimmicky to me. Like an “attached necklace” on a dress — the necklace itself is so low quality, I’ll pass.
Anon
They are useful for situations where you are not going to wear your mask continuously but need to be able to put it back on quickly. For example, when dining out (on a patio – please let us not have that argument again) and you want to put your mask on as the server approaches. Or walking the dog when it is 80 degrees and super humid outside and so you do not want to wear your mask the whole time but want to be able to put it on quickly if a runner is approaching from the opposite direction.
They are not necessary but can be convenient.
Anonymous
Agree — while the buff-style gets flamed for effectiveness, it certainly is handy. Effective masks need to be handy or else people will just keep wearing them under their chins when not in use. Or worse.
Ellen
I hate masks. I do not wear them for any Zoom calls, but the manageing partner wants us to start wearing them on our firm calls, as we will be going back in the office in Mid September. I say FOOEY to that, but I will wear them in the office, but why on ZOOM? Really? Does anyone else have this same dumb issue? Let us know so I can show the manageing partner how dumb it is. DOUBEL FOOEY!
Anon
I’m looking for something like this, but in an outdoorsy fabric/stretchy that can be attached to my kids’ masks for when they have mask breaks at school but don’t want them placing them down on the ground etc.
Anonymous
Our school had lanyards made with a clip on each end for the masks. A suggestion for spirit wear fundraisers?
Anonymous
Ours too, “breakaway” in case the lanyard catches on anything. You can also find a ton of different options on Etsy.
Eh230
Etsy has tons of these available. I purchased several for my kids.
Z
I’m not mad about it. I was at a large park on Sunday and this would have been nice. I held my mask by the earloops and put it on when passing other people and took it off when not near anyone else. Obviously not totally necessary for a lot of people, but not a bad thing for people who want a little extra bling.
Aerin
Yeah, there have been a few times doing outdoor activities where I was far enough away from anyone else that I felt comfortable going maskless, but I needed to be able to mask up quickly if someone did pass by. This seems like it would be faster to get back on than just holding the mask around my wrist or in my pocket. It’s not something I’d necessarily spend more than a few bucks on or use in a scenario where the mask is gonna go on and stay on, but having one or two on hand seems like a good idea.
Anon
Totally agree. Where would I be that I would need a mask but not be wearing it? Maybe this is a solution for suburban dwellers or in cities where mask wearing is more relaxed, but in my city in the northeast, the mask is on when I leave my apartment and doesn’t come off until I am back in it, even for casual walks or park time.
Anon
I guess I’m not the coolest, but I had three appointments today (car repair -> doctor’s office -> imaging) and just wore my mask hanging off one ear while driving between them.
I do think the featured thingy would be better if it were all pearls. But I feel that way about everything.
Anonymous
I could use something like this, but without the bling. We wear masks in the office hallways and shared areas, but not at our work areas. (All of our work areas are either offices, or large cubes meant for two people but now having only one.) It’d be easier sometimes to be able to remove my mask without worrying about where to put it. In meetings, I’ve been holding it in my lap, but I’ve dropped my mask on the floor. I’d prefer something plain black or white with a break away closure, probably similar to a badge lanyard.
Trish
Eshakti masks have black holders.
Jules
I like to keep my mask on a lanyard, when I know I will be taking it on and off, but I do think the pearl thing is a bit too cute. I got a three pack of plain metal ones (gold, silver and gunmetal tones) from Amazon and some made with ribbons from Etsy and gave them to some friends and family members. They are really handy. My 25-year-old sent me a selfie the other day and I was pleased to see the lanyard around their neck.
Jules
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B08D9KF7MX/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.etsy.com/listing/827213634/face-mask-keeperlanyard?ref=yr_purchases
LawDawg
I bought masks from Nordstrom that use a tie to 1) make them adjustable and 2) let them hang on my neck when not in use. They came in tri-fold or with a center seam. Both versions have a pocket for a filter.
Mel
Exactly! I don’t understand the need for a lanyard or necklace when you can just get a mask with ties. I actually prefer the ties for this reason. Just undo the top tie and let the mask hang around your neck.
Anonyz
I use a tiny hair claw to secure one ear loop of a mask just above the ear, so I can dangle the unworn mask in my hair and have it ready to grab and re-secure. I don’t see a need to buy a whole separate product.
Opal
Don’t disagree here. If we say masks are important they shouldn’t be trivialized as an accessory. I have multiple masks and will sometimes color coordinate them. When I had my original Fitbit I owned about 30 bands to coordinate with my clothes. This just seems too showy. There are many masks that come with a built in lanyard option.
Anonymous
I have just tied a string on my/kids’ masks. It’s not high fashion but it works.
Melinda Bosquez
I love having something like this, although the one shown isn’t necessarily my favorite. At the office, I only have to wear it in the common areas, which is especially the hallways or when someone walks into my office. It’s hard to always remember and keep up with my mask – it’s still not second nature throughout the day. I bought some plain black cording ones and also a cuter beaded one on Amazon and really like having them. I leave a black one in my office all the time, it’s just too convenient to not have. yes, maybe it’s a little old-lady look, but I don’t look that great in my mask either! I’ve seen a couple of folks in my office just tie cute ribbon on their mask and just keep it more at a choker length and that looks ok. Most of the time I’m not around anyone other than at home so it’s not second nature to me to wear the mask and having it around my neck works well.
life insurance
Any suggestions on life insurance? I was thinking about quitting my job a few months ago because I hated it and to be honest I wasn’t even sure I wanted to be a lawyer anymore. Our household income is such that I don’t have to work (my husband earns about 8-10x what I was making.) Well, COVID hit my company and I was laid off, so I got severance when I was ready to quit anyway, but I had hoped to quit to do something part-time that I enjoyed as we anticipated starting a family. I have my own separate trust as well and we are finally! expecting our first baby early next year. I think it’s time for life insurance for my husband right? Given my career timing (being laid off during COVID, not sure what to do next and not being able to find much, and now expecting a baby) if I needed to go back to work, I expect it would be some time before I would be able to earn substantially again. If something were to happen to my husband while our kids are young, I would absolutely be able to pay our mortgage and normal bills for some time off of my trust and our combined savings, but would probably want to sell the house for something smaller eventually and to be able to save and give our kids the lives we hoped for them. Where can I learn the difference between the different offerings of life insurance in an unbiased way (i.e. not from a provider trying to sell)? We are healthy with no pre-existing conditions or risky behavior, aged 34 and 35. We have no debt other than our our mortgage, which we have paid nearly half off.
Senior Attorney
You want term life insurance. Do a little googling and there are lots of resources to explain what it is.
anon
Get term life insurance, as much as you can reasonable afford. For numbers, I got enough to pay mortgage plus $200k/kid for college for DH and twice that for me (I make more), and the term expires when my youngest turns 23. I used some website for quotes, but that was several years ago. You should also have life insurance, because your husband will need to cover childcare costs. Don’t bother with any fancy product; it’s not worth it. You can look into it later if you want but term is so inexpensive that it’s worth just signing up for it.
Anon
Let’s back up several steps, because you’re really getting ahead of yourself here. If you’re a lawyer and your husband makes 10x what you make, life insurance isn’t even the start of it. Talk to a financial planner who can advise on life insurance and disability insurance, as well as mortgages, saving for college, how to best handle your trust, and estate planning. Do not make plans in your head for downsizing the house you have upon the hypothetical imminent death of your husband in order to provide for your not-yet-born baby with the life you want for him/her; just find a good financial professional.
Honestly, I’m a bit shocked that your husband doesn’t yet have life insurance and you two are expecting a baby.
You didn’t ask about your job; that’s not going to stop me from giving you advice. Even if you do not remain employed, you need to remain employable. Your husband could become disabled, get laid off and never find a position that pays exactly that well again, have an affair, or have a heart attack. Take this time to figure out what your next steps are and how to get there from here.
life insurance OP
Hi, thanks for your concern. My husband is a wealth advisor, so mortgage, trusts, college savings, estate and financial planning, etc. have been worked out for years. We also have a separate wealth advisor (i.e., not just my husband) to independently advise on these things, but they do not sell life insurance.
In a perfect world, I was going to find what I wanted to do next and then quit but it didn’t work out that way. I interviewed for some positions in things I enjoyed (which for me are working in education, working in/supporting hospitals, and interior design) and they never quite panned out. Now with COVID, either a lot of those are not hiring or not safe for me given that I am now pregnant. Also, in a perfect world, we would have had this kid two years ago but that wasn’t how it happened. Instead it didn’t happen, I continued to look for something part-time to transition to, but I didn’t get those positions, and got laid off instead. I am trying to see the bright side of it, which is that I got severance and get to enjoy time at home with my husband instead of our usual go-go-go lives. I am looking for the what’s next for me and my career, but I’m still not sure what that is or certainly how to get there, especially with Covid. I am well aware of the bad what-ifs (losing loved ones is the reason I had my own trust to begin with) and have a lot of that planned for but is also why I am here asking about life insurance. (He has disability insurance but it’s a good reminder that it may need upping. And helpful of others to point out that even if I am not working that life insurance for me is a good idea.)
Melinda Bosquez
HRforCPAs – TOTALLY agree with the above poster, especially re insurance on you. If something were to happen to you, childcare expenses would be higher most likely and he’d likely be interested in/want the stability for your child/children of being able to remain in the home they are comfortable in – with the same schools, etc. The peace of mind is more than worth the cost. And get it now – while things are relatively calm for you before the baby arrives. I would also seriously consider disability insurance for you….the cost of caring for a disabled family member is unbelievable and can totally eat up any savings, trusts, etc. Seen both of these situations be devastating financially – the devastation of the loss of life as it was is more than enough to have to handle. Best wishes on the birth of your child!
Anon
Get term life on both you and your husband. Get 5x your annual earnings and get at least a 20 year term.
Don’t skip on getting it for yourself. You may not be out of work forever, you will never be more healthy than you are today, and you would want your husband to be able to step back from work for a bit to care for your children if something were to happen to you.
$40-$50 a month is worth it for peace of mind.
My 20 year term I took out when my daughter was born is about to expire and I don’t mind at all. This is the preferred outcome!
JTM
Get term life insurance and do it now. You can shop around on sites like Policy Genius.
Also definitely get it before you give birth – I have a few friends who were denied coverage because they had PPD diagnoses, and it made finding coverage harder.
Anonymous
+100. Do it now. Do not wait. I did not think I would get breast cancer before 40 but yet here I am. I am uninsurable except for what I already have in place. If you’re having children, you both need it.
Anon
Yes, this. Even conditions that arise during birth can make it harder to get life insurance: prenatal depression, weight gain, gestational diabetes, preeclampsia…. It’s a lot easier to get life insurance when you’ve gained five pounds and your blood work is perfect than when you’re on bed rest.
In House Lobbyist
I’m the main breadwinner (my husband started a business in March dependent on tourist so there’s that) and we have $1.5 million term on me through my employer plus another $500,000 in case I lose my job. We also have $500,000 on my husband but are about to buy polices for him and his business partners of $1 million for each. We also have $20,000 per kid through my job. Those are not huge amounts but pay off our two houses; pay for kids college and give them a head start on life; and allows the spouse time to figure things out (and hire extra help!). Get some term ASAP! It’s easy and quick.
Anon
Just another excuse for suckers to spend money IMHO. If some people need sparkles and glam to be convinced to wear a mask though, whatever. Hope it helps.
Anon
I thought you were taking about the life insurance thread above and I was hands-on-hips MAD at you until I figured out what you were talking about.
Anon
Hahaha I enjoyed that
LaurenB
Unfortunately the offerings on this board do tend towards some gimmicky things at times — this is gimmicky, the beauty cube fridge from a few days ago was gimmicky …
Anon
Tell me about ways you have been successful managing competing requests for your time at work. Big company, political environment, everyone has their own agenda and priorities- how do you push back, set boundaries? The internal customers that are more difficult/demanding tend to be those with less profitable projects/initiatives so they are given lower priority. What has worked for you?
Anonymous
I’m in an internal consulting role in a similar environment. What works for us is aligning our department goals to the major operational goals and prioritizing the work we take on accordingly. We can then work with the folks with the lower priority issues and have them escalate to their own leadership if they want that work prioritized over other operational priorities. It’s been a multi year project but we are in a totally different place now!!
Beds
Borrowing from this morning’s best and worst purchases, does anyone have a mattress they love or hate that you’d care to share? Our basic Casper foam mattress has been okay, but 4 years in and we are having trouble getting comfortable and waking up unrested. We’d like to upgrade, but the options are overwhelming and we need to complete this purchase online due to COVID. No special requirements other than I would love something that is less hot than the Casper and bonus points if it feels a little less like I’m sleeping on the hard ground.
Vicky Austin
We like our Tuft & Needle!
Anonymous
I love my hybrid latex mattress from Plushbeds. I bought well before the pandemic, but at that time I found their customer service and delivery process to be terrific, as well.
Elegant Giraffe
Love our Helix. Three years in, I think? It sleeps cool, IMO – especially with bamboo sheets on it!! Only downside is not great edge support but I guess that only matters when you are sitting up first thing in the morning?
Carmen Sandiego
+1 – we got a Helix earlier this year and I sleep so much more soundly! My husband moves a lot at night and I hadn’t had an uninterrupted sleep in years until we got the Helix. My husband also reports that he feels like he moves less, but I wouldn’t know as I’m blissfully (finally) asleep!
Elegant Giraffe
Oh yeah – I’m the one that moves around a lot but my husband says I don’t disturb him nearly as much anymore.
Carmen Sandiego
Yes, it’s a noticeable difference! I’m also a very sound sleeper, and hardly move at all at night so I end up spending hours laying on one side without moving, and I noticed that was leading to a lot of sore shoulders and hips in the morning from that. That issue has also resolved since then, so we’re really happy with it!
Split Ends
I desperately need a haircut. I keep waiting for things to get better, but the percent positive rate is still around 10% in my area. I’m at high risk, so that’s too high for me to feel good about going to an indoor salon. Do you think having my stylist come to my house and cut my hair on my outdoor patio with both of us masked is a safe option? My husband and I have been quarantining at home alone, so there should be very little if not zero risk to her.
anon
I have cut my husband’s hair three times during lockdown and finally got so fed up I cut mine, too.(It was always long and is still long, but I chopped off the bottom 2.5 inches.) I am pregnant and while our area’s rates are no longer as high as yours, we are still not going anywhere but the grocery store. And yet — we have decided that for his next haircut in about a month, we are doing what you are planning — his stylist will come cut our hair on our patio, with all of us masked. We will wash and dry our own hair; he just needs a professional one in given the amount of client video calls he does and I’d really like some decent layers (which I did not really attempt when I cut mine).
Anonymous
It probably is a safer option for both of you (though I felt quite safe in my salon), but consider whether you are putting your stylist in an awkward position by making this request. In particular, is this permitted in your state? Does her salon agreement allow her to do this? Or are you asking her to act surreptitiously, which she may be uncomfortable with but feel pressure to do for a long-time client. My colorist was being asked repeatedly to do this and she had to send an email blast announcing her policy.
OP
This is something I hadn’t considered so thank you. My stylist is currently solo after having recently left her last salon so hopefully that’s a non issue. Also I feel like I was pretty up front about there being no pressure when I proposed it, but I’ll make sure I make that clear again before she comes since I don’t want her to be uncomfortable. I also offered to pay her travel time and will tip very generously. I really need this- I look like rapunzel.
af d
If your stylist is solo it seems fine, but a salon near me was doing haircuts on their back porch / parking lot, so that could be an option
Anon
My stylist is offering this service. I think it’s relatively safe and she is desperate for some income.
That said, before she started offering this I found I am quite good at cutting hair. All these years spent sitting in the chair has apparently taught me something. If you’re going to do it, get a rat-tail comb and at least medium good hair shears. Mine are tweezerman brand. Don’t skimp and use the kitchen scissors.
I’ve cut my own hair and my two teenagers’, one curly and one straight, since March. For my straight haired son, I used a combination of clippers (sides and back) and scissors (crown). For my curly haired daughter I cut it dry, one curl at a time, then cleaned it up wet, then cleaned it up again dry. She is really happy with it.
For straight hair, layers are easiest. They hide a million sins.
Anon
ps to cut layers, pull the hair out from the head and hold the scissors vertically. This refers to the sides. On top, it would be hold the hair straight up and hold the scissors horizontally.
Anon
Just cut your own hair. It’s easier than you think. I like the ponytail method – put your hair in a ponytail with two separate hairbands, move one down towards the end of the ponytail, cut off everything below that point, touch up after. I wouldn’t take the risk of COVID (being high-risk myself) just to get rid of split ends when I can do that at home easily and for pennies.
OP
If my husband’s at home haircut is any indication of my abilities, this would not end well for me.
Anonymous
I have been doing this as well p, after watching a YouTube video and buying some decent scissors.
Anonymous
I’ve been cutting my own for years and it’s honestly SO fun!! You can watch YouTube videos for the cut you want, hair type you have, etc. it’s super satisfying and you can easily do it in 15-30 min at 10:00 pm, which is also a benefit over a salon.
Anonymous
i think it’s very safe. im very conservative re: covid but would feel safe going to my stylist – she’s cutting hair on her open-air porch masked + with gloves + shield (her protection) and asking clients to be masked too. I think transmission when both parties are masked, plus being outside, is very very low risk.
SSJD
I eventually cut my own hair (curly, chin-length), because I was desperate to get it off my shoulders. I could not get comfortable having a stylist come cut my hair, even outside, even in masks. To cut my hair the person must be within arm’s length of me, and this is someone whose behaviors I cannot really know. So I decided I did not want to take the risk of having them that close to me for 20+ minutes. I am comfortable going into stores for a short time and comfortable carpooling with other people’s kids, but the stylist risk was not one I wanted to take right now. Ultimately I felt that staying 6′ away is more important than the masks.
Jane
So for health reasons (long story, cholesterol issues plus vit B, HDL, LDL etc) my Doctor advised me to eat more chicken instead of red meat and boy I didn’t expect to struggle so much! The interwebs is full of zillions of chicken recipes, and I tried 4 of them and was disappointed utterly by how tasteless the chicken seemed in all of them (chicken burgers ARE not a good replacement). So please tell me your favorite way to have chicken. Bonus points for easy, healthy, weekday lunch and dinner types.
Anon
Why not switch away from meat entirely? Lentils, beans, tofu, tempeh, seitan etc are all delicious options. I’d recommend anything Isa Chandra writes, she’s a cook book goddess.
Jane
Thanks, believe me I am trying that too as much as I can, but as I said in my question, I need some easy, chicken and eggs (slightly easier) meal recipes that don’t make me feel like I am on a “diet” or eating bland cardboard while being healthy would be greatly appreciated!
Anon
There are lots of meatless meals which are not diet foods! That is basically the whole premise of Isa Chandra’s writing.
Katie
Try boneless skinless thighs instead of breasts. Thighs are still going to be far healthier than red meat, but have worlds more flavor than white chicken meat does. Bonus, they’re cheaper too!
Anonymous
Roasted, skin-on so it doesn’t dry out. You don’t have to eat the skin if you are worried re cholesterol.
Anon
Budget bytes’ cilantro chicken recipe: https://www.budgetbytes.com/easy-cilantro-lime-chicken/
Marinate in the morning and ready for lunch / dinner! Pre-covid, I used to do a large batch on Sundays and use it as meal prep for the week. She actually has a ton of great chicken recipes, many of which work well for meal prepping: https://www.budgetbytes.com/category/recipes/meat/chicken/
The Woks of Life blog has lots of great chicken recipes if you like Asian food; I recommend the “mall chicken teriyaki” (maybe an hour or two of marinating, and then just stir fry); and the instant pot soy sauce chicken. They have a ton of different bone-in/boneless thigh and breast recipes. https://thewoksoflife.com/category/recipes/chicken/
For a Japanese curry in the instant pot, check out Just One Cookbook’s instant pot recipe: https://www.justonecookbook.com/pressure-cooker-japanese-curry/
Senior Attorney
Somebody here recommended this one and it was delish: https://www.budgetbytes.com/maple-dijon-chicken/ (also the orzo salad they show with it is a winner, too).
Generally bone-in, skin-on thighs are the best.
Vicky Austin
Thighs are so much better. Breasts dry out if you look at them wrong.
anon
Can you eat turkey? We use ground turkey rather than ground chicken in everything. Serious eats asian turkey burgers and New York Times turkey meatballs are two of our go-tos.
Anonymous
+1 – especially if you use the kind that is not so lean (15% fat, but I drain it when possible). Much tastier.
anne-on
We do a lot of skinless breasts for ease and I think that for it to be not tasteless you need to out some thought and effort in beyond just slapping it on a grill or in an oven. My favorite suggestions:
Buttermilk brined oven roasted chicken – from smitten kitchen (google it, links are putting me into mod)
Brining it for at least 15 minutes (or longer if you have time) before rubbing it with spices (my go to brine is 1 C water with 1 Tbsp salt/1 tsp sugar, increase as necessary to cover your chicken)
Or thrown in a slow cooker with a jar of salsa or a cup of BBQ sauce (and maybe 1/2 cup water to thin it out) on low for 6 hours. Shred and use for the rest of the week.
Anonymous
Brining chicken before cooking goes a long way. I like chicken cooked in a skillet (dip in egg, dip in flour, dip in your favorite sauce, 3-4 minutes per side).
I tend to eat chicken (and all meat) as an accent to a dish – so in a stir fry, curry, or pasta, rather than as the “main event”.
It’s not clear why you need to eat chicken specifically, but there are lots of kinds – breast, thigh, roasting it while. Chicken thighs tend to have more flavor and make good sheet pan meals.
Finally, while there are lots of free recipes out there, I tend to find you get what you pay for with recipes. I would think about borrowing some cookbooks (America’s Test Kitchen has a good basic ones) from the library or paying for a NYT recipe subscription for a month and finding some recipes you like.
Anon
Boneless skinless chicken breasts are tasteless. I prefer skin on, bone in thighs, or a whole roast chicken. You can cook with the skin on and then take it off to eat the meat.
I like a few different spice mixes from Penzey’s for chicken. My current favorite is Northwoods. I apply liberally to both sides before grilling or sheet pan roasting/baking.
Since you have the oven heated up, when the chicken has about 15-20 minutes left, add some asparagus or broccoli to that roasting pan with a little oil and salt. Maybe finish with a squeeze of lemon juice. This will not be a flavorless meal!
Elegant Giraffe
Use thighs, never breasts.
Anonie
I like chicken in just about any form, but I agree that thighs are probably the best option for someone looking for a more flavorful alternative to breast meat. If you find the bones a pain to deal with, just buy boneless thighs!
NYCer
+10000. Thighs and drumsticks for life!
pugsnbourbon
I spatchcock (cut the spine out and flatten) a whole chicken and roast that on Sunday or Monday. I don’t have the fridge space to brine it so I’ll do a store-bought dry rub. I leave the skin on when cooking but pull it off when it’s done, and ta-da – I’ve got roasted chicken for salads, tacos, sandwiches, etc.
Anonymous
A lot of this also comes from the type of chicken you are buying. Just say no to large-scale bland AF factory farmed chicken and look to see if there is a local farm in your area that has pick-ups or delivery (not sure how local places are managing it now in the time of COVID). I don’t eat meat/poultry anymore, but I did this for some time for meat for my dogs. Look for farms that truly raise pastured birds and, if you really want tasty chicken, heritage birds. The birds that Purdue and the like ship to farmers to fatten up have had all of the flavor bred out of them. I do echo those who have said thighs over breasts, as well.
Anonymous
Commercially farmed chickens also tend to have “woody” breast meat. Ick.
Marie
Hummus chicken.
Take chicken breasts, slather them all over with your favorite hummus (I like roasted red pepper or spicy), roll them in panko breadcrumbs, and bake them like you would any chicken breasts in the oven at 350. Very easy, hummus seals in the moisture, so your chicken won’t get dry and very flavorful.
Elegant Giraffe
Oooh trying this later this week!!
Marie
Hope you enjoy! Very easy to make variations of this with all different kinds of hummus.
AIMS
My current favorite is Melissa Clark’s garlicky chicken with lemon anchovy sauce from the NYT. Over rice. Don’t overthink the anchovies. It’s amazing.
I also love Gwyneth Paltrow’s turkey meatballs recipe – I don’t always have all the herbs on hand so substitute freely, but they always turn out delicious and reheat well. Her Zuni chicken recipe is also fantastic.
I’d also urge you to branch out from just chicken. Lentils, fish, etc. all satisfy and may be more to your liking. Take a look at cuisines the naturally don’t use a lot of meat (e.g., Indian) and see if anything calls out to you. I recently got a cookbook called Indian-ish and every recipe has been so good!
anon
I was just coming here to recommend that Melissa Clark recipe – it is one of our favorites. Her cookbook “Dinner” has a ton of great chicken recipes in it – there’s a version of that one there as well as many others that we love. I also love this one: https://www.gourmetliving.org/chicken-with-shallots-recipe-from-rishia-zimmern/
Anon
Do you have to eat meat? If you don’t like chicken just don’t eat it. Unless you are a body builder, you can get plenty of protein in your diet without meat.
Anon
Even body builders don’t need chicken. I know plenty of very high competing athletes including special forces guys who are vegan.
Anonymous
But surely it’s easier for people with very high caloric needs and energy expenditure to get enough nutrition on a vegan diet (assuming they supplement cobalamin) than for someone like me who is going to finish lunch and then go sit at a desk for the rest of the afternoon?
Anon
No, every National dietetics association (dieticians are a regulated body as opposed to nutritionists) states that veganism is appropriate for all life stages.
Anon
I don’t really eat meat. When I did, I regularly made the following:
– Chicken thighs, rub with salt and pepper. Place in casserole dish. Pint of cherry tomatoes, halved, and a few whole cloves of garlic — mix with balsamic vinegar and a tiny bit of olive oil, toss on top of the chicken (it’ll settle around and on top of it). Stick in oven and cook until done. For bonus points, add rosemary to the tomatoes.
– Chicken thighs (skin on!), rub with salt and pepper. Brown on skin side until they unstick (5-8 minutes), then brown on other side. Chop up 2-4 leeks (depending on size). Toss leeks in with the chicken, add a bit of white whine and some chicken stock (1/2 cup, use water in a pinch)), bring to a simmer and braise until chicken is done.
– Turkey meatballs with pesto. You’ll have to google for recipe. I bought a package of store pesto, used a couple of tablespoons for recipe, then froze the rest in tablespoon sized portions and used to the same recipe in the future.
Anon
Your second recipe with the leeks. If you take the chicken out when you add the leeks, sauté them, then sauté a cup of uncooked rice with them, then add 2 c liquid (chicken broth or salted water) bring it to a simmer then put the chicken thighs back on top, add a lid and simmer 20 min. That’s chicken and rice and my favorite weeknight meal.
Options to add along with the rice if you like:
Saffron
Capers
Sundried tomatoes
Lemon juice and zest
If you want to add some frozen peas, sprinkle them on top for the last 5 minutes.
Marie
Summer sheet pan favorite if you are willing to turn on the oven. I serve over rice:
https://gimmedelicious.com/meal-prep-healthy-roasted-chicken-and-veggies/
For fall (how is it already right around the corner?!!), I also LOVE this recipe for sheet pan maple mustard chicken with roasted Brussels sprouts and butternut squash or sweet potatoes:
https://www.thechunkychef.com/sheet-pan-maple-mustard-roasted-chicken/
Gail the Goldfish
If you want a chicken burger, Trader Joe’s frozen chili-lime chicken burgers actually are pretty good (top with trader joe’s peach salsa and mmm).
But the general key to chicken is cook it with some sort of liquid so it doesn’t get too dry (like, say, a white wine+chicken broth combo). Chicken + jar of salsa or bbq sauce in slow cooker is super easy and delicious. Also, these Publix Apron meals are also good and easy (just recommending the chicken, I usually don’t make whatever the recommended side is):
https://ww4.publix.com/recipes-planning/aprons-simple-meals/zesty-chicken-orzo-with-spinach-raspberry-salad
https://ww4.publix.com/recipes-planning/aprons-simple-meals/swiss-chicken-with-vegetable-wild-rice
https://ww4.publix.com/recipes-planning/aprons-simple-meals/chicken-calypso-with-island-peas-and-rice
https://ww4.publix.com/recipes-planning/aprons-simple-meals/tuscan-style-chicken-with-italian-saut-ed-beans
Anon
This seems like outdated dietary advice to me. That said, simple marinades can help. I prefer chicken breasts pounded flat and pan fried. I like chicken thighs with plenty of garlic, cilantro, dried red peppers, and Sichuan pepper. Coq au vin is easy and good. Chicken “dijon” is easy and good (dijon mustard, lemon, capers or chives). Imitation Peruvian rotisserie can come out pretty good as a roast.
cat socks
Here are recipes I’ve made from various blogs. I’m assuming chicken thighs and ground chicken is okay.
Once Upon a Chef:
Thai Chicken Curry
The Best Grilled Chicken
Budget Bytes:
Honey Dijon Chicken Thighs – I use boneless skinless and double the sauce
Nam Sod (Thai Pork Salad) – I use ground turkey instead of pork, but ground chicken could also work
Iowa Girl Eats
Chicken Satay Lettuce Wraps
Mels Kitchen Cafe
Korean Beef and Rice – I’ve made this with ground turkey and ground chicken
cat socks
And some more ideas here:
https://www.onceuponachef.com/inspiration/8-not-boring-chicken-dinners.html
Anonymous
i’ve actually been loving chicken recipes recently. i like the bittman garlic ginger leek chicken recipe posted here last week, priya krishna’s garlic-ginger chicken recipe (great for chicken breasts), and the nyt posted a coconut milk chicken adobo recipe that i made and liked over the weekend
JHC
Chicken thighs for the win
eertmeert
Might be too late for this, but I’ve been cooking more chicken breasts lately and have been pleased with how juicy they turn out.
I bake at 375 until they reach 165 internal temp (maybe 20 – 25 minutes). Which I measure using a digital thermometer. The digital thermometer is essential – helps me not dry them out. I coat with olive oil and season with onion and garlic powder, then some dried herbs.
Will also cook thighs and drumsticks – same heat, although will go up to 400 for the darker meat because they aren’t so sensitive to drying out.
A super simple recipe is to mix some olive oil with bbq sauce, cover the chicken with the mix, then bake. Every 1 minutes take out and add another coat of sauce until internal temp reaches 165. So good.
eertmeert
whoops, every 10 minutes take out and add another sauce coat.
Anon
I would go with spicy dishes. Chicken is quite bland, but can be very nice in dishes like Indian Saag chicken, Thai green or red chili, Chinese coriander chicken, West African chicken and peanut stew, chili and ginger chicken and mushroom noodle soup or Korean bbq chicken.
Spice, heat, and the meat cut in smaller pieces before cooking, not a big slab of dry chicken breast. :)
Mal
This is a fantastic, easy recipe that everyone I know has loved. If you don’t like/have fennel seed or the other spices recommended, you can swap out what you like.
https://barefootcontessa.com/recipes/skillet-roasted-lemon-chicken
Mal
Also, using thighs instead of breasts will get you more flavor in general. :)
Anon
A general rule of thumb of mine for any recipe is to quadruple the spice level to taste. You’re right that chicken burgers are not great, but they do make a decent pulled pork substitute if you use dark meat chicken instead.
Anonymous
I’m letting August go. Doing the bare minimum. Resetting my billable hour target starting Sept. 1 (impossible to hit this year’s target due to Covid, finally stopped beating myself up about it). A huge thank you to whichever reader recommended the book burnout / completing the stress cycle!!!
Anon
Same here – glad to know I’m not alone.
Anon
That looks like something to get painfully tangled up in long hair. Pass.
Vicky Austin
Oof, I can feel it now.
Anonymous
Is anyone aware of any proposal to make changes to the ethical rules to address firms/partners who overwork lawyers? When I was an associate, biglaw felt almost like an abusive relationship – when I bill 300 hours a month, I get praised like that’s awesome when really it’s far from awesome, I felt like I was drowning every day. Now I’m a partner with a decent sized book and I’m absolutely furious with the culture that lawyers can’t say no to new work when they’re overwhelmed. If you are billing 15+ hours a day multiple days in a row then I don’t want you working on my matters. Those hours mean you aren’t sleeping; no one can do good work when they’re that sleep deprived. It’s asking for mistakes to happen. Don’t we have an ethical obligation to our clients to protect our mental health? To protect our time so we can devote an appropriate amount of time and attention to the matter? As partners, don’t we have a duty to staff our matters appropriately to ensure our client is getting the best that our attorneys have to offer? I’m constantly flabbergasted that a profession that is so highly regulated by ethical rules can be so blind to the obvious ethical problems created by this culture of working everyone to the bone.
Smol Law
The good thing now is that you’re a partner. Can you effect some change from the top-down? Talk to your peers about how they work their associates? FWIW you sound like an awesome caring partner who wants the team to thrive.
I can’t relate because I work in small law with partners who value lives and hobbies and family and while I don’t make filthy money or work on *cases of the century*, I feel like my time and life is respected by bosses and clients. Hearing big law people talk about money//hours is like an ouroboros where you’re all victims of the most willing kind. When you throw casg at K-JD baby lawyers to work nonstop, then praise when they do, it’s going to self-perpetuate. Take a break, Hamilton.
Anonymous
From my perspective, the biggest problem with this profession is that lawyers are rewarded for, more than anything else, working more. I am only aware of one large firm in my city that takes into account the opinions of a lawyer’s peers and reports in deciding whether to offer a lawyer partnership. So the only thing that matters is whether the people to whom that lawyer has been reporting (partners) are happy. You know what makes those people happy? A lawyer who doesn’t turn down their work, ever, for any reason. This leads to the promotion into management of people who have no business managing people or organizations. And often these are people who have been dishonest, underhanded, cruel, etc. to their peers in order to promote themselves. (My classmate who stole another kid’s notebooks in law school was the first of us to make managing partner and now sits on the law school’s board, as well.) The people at your firm making internal policies are people who got to that position this way. The people at the bar making ethical rules probably are, too. Big law is rotten at its core, for very easily identifiable reasons, and also, nevertheless, often produces excellent legal work for clients.
Anon for this
Exactly this. Biglaw is a pie eating contest where the prize is more pie. I also think a huge component that perpetuates the cycle is complete lack of management training in law school. Most law school grads have had little to no management training, so they learn how to “manage” by watching partners who have no clue how to manage other than to reward and promote the people who never say no to work for any reason, because that’s what the person they learned from did. My practice group has a lot of miserable partners/associates and most of the misery can be traced directly to an equity partner who is the very worst manager and has zero interest in the well being of the team. We had this fantastic management training session for senior associates at my firm and the whole time all I could think was that it was really the partners who ALL should have been required to attend!
anon
+1. A client once told me that she doesn’t want to pay for an associate’s 14th and 15th hours, and so she avoids using firms that push their associates to work those hours.
df
That’s such a good way to put it, when I was working hours like that I wouldn’t have wanted my 14th or 15th hour of work either really
Anon
The real problem is the pay, which is partly driven by the insanely skyrocketing cost of law school. A 25 year old with almost no work experience is not worth $190,000. The only way to make up the difference is insane hours and constant availability.
The entire system is corrupt to the core. I don’t expect the ABA to start cracking down on any of the underlying issues; their own stakeholders (law partners who benefit from overwork and law professors) make far too much money on the current system.
OP
This is one of the excuses I’ve heard my entire career and I can tell you it’s total BS. Associates are paid that much because law firms are paid even more. Maaaayyyybe first years aren’t that profitable because a lot of their time gets written off. But in general, the firm breaks even on an associate around the 500 hour mark (in collections) – certainly less than 1k hours. So no, you do not need to bill 2200+ hours a year, or even 2k hours a year, to justify the salary. In fact I would say most law firm associates are underpaid compared to what the firm is making on their time.
Anonymous
You are not including the rest of the overhead, liability insurance, medical insurance, etc.
Anon
This. High cost of legal education which gives you no practical skills and firms competing for the same small pool of law school graduates with what they see as appropriate pedigree means that these firms have to squeeze everything they can out of associates to make a profit. It’s often said that your value as a junior associate is your time and it’s true.
anon
Yeah, I think the profession does have that obligation. I’m at a midsized firm now after a few years of biglaw and this issue isn’t limited to biglaw. I don’t pull 15 hour days that often (except before trials) but the expectation that everyone’s plate is always somewhere between full and a little bit too full. When “full” is defined as 8 billed hours per day, it is a recipe for miserable associates and cases that aren’t worked up to their fullest potential. 8 billed hours/day means that your work day is automatically at least 9 hours long and if you’re going to meet your unwritten expectations of billing more than 8 hours/day, do non-billable stuff, or you just have that much work to do, you slowly watch your few personal hours remaining slip away. Meanwhile there’s work that could be done that’s left on the table, or not done in a timely fashion, or not done as well as it could be. Wow what a great outcome for everone. It’s not only partners’ expectations, it’s client expectations as well, and partners would rather push back the sh*t downhill towards the associates than push back against clients. For example, if I’m overwhelmed but could easily delegate some simple things to a more junior associate, I get “no, the client only allows 1 associate on the file, they don’t want to pay for another to catch up.” So then the burden falls on me to get it done, somehow. Goodbye sleep, gym, relationships, whatever. But who cares, right? Partners always know that there’s some other associate out there who will be a warm body to fill the seat vacated by another who can’t hack it. So here we are. I’ll probably leave law all together because of it.
Anonymous
The big 4 are the same by and large. If you talk to the partners, they will all say they would give up comp for a more balanced life. But the senior partners in leadership, who are getting close to retirement want to max their retirement allowances before mandatory retirement. With an unfunded retirement allowance plan, the only way the allowances get paid is for the firm to grow. Vicious cycle. I left after 15 yrs as a partner. No regrets.
Elegant Giraffe
The Amy Kuschel masks are designed such that they can hang down around your neck in between usage…and it looks less silly than what’s pictured here. Her masks are perfect, IMO.
Senior Attorney
Oh, man. I said I was done buying masks, but… DENIM!!
Elegant Giraffe
Denim goes with everything!!!
LaurenB
Denim sounds so hot and stiff. Honestly, I just use the surgical disposable masks (but I wear them for a week or two before disposing, since I’m not in an operating room or anything, I’m wearing them to go to the grocery store for 15 minutes).
Anonymous
oh these look really good – i like the chambray. thanks for the suggestion!
anon
I have three and love them! I thought I lost my first denim one and had to wait for them to come back but jumped on it as soon as they were back in stock. Also have a pretty printed one. Having it around my neck is super handy.
PolyD
Can anyone tell me if Niemann Marcus has sales with any regularity? Also, how are they for mail-back returns? Seems like they are free, but I was wondering if they are reliable and how long they might take. I’m fine with it taking a while given current COVID and Post Office conditions, but was curious.
Anon
I think they have ShopRunner, or at least they used to! They do regularly have sales. I also once out of the blue got a 50% off coupon I could use on anything but that was a few years ago.
Anon
What does shop runner do for you?
Senior Attorney
Two day delivery and free returns.
Anonymous
I don’t find that Neiman Marcus has “regular” sales across the store. But they certainly mark down merchandise and there is a lot marked down right now. They also send promo codes to regular customers and track how much you spend there to send better promos to excellent customers. I always take items into the store to return, so I can’t speak to the current mail-back situation. But I recently made an in-store return in Atlanta and was pleased to find they have a “service bar” specifically for returns that meant I could go straight there and be away from any shoppers during the process. There was just one person at the desk, she observed excellent distancing protocols, and I had my money back same or next day. The store overall was enforcing mask wearing at the door and limiting the number of customers in any one section. Lots of employees with walkie-talkies enforcing rules. But I was very, very disturbed by the masses who were shopping at the mall. Foolishly, I was expecting a ghost town.
Senior Attorney
Yes, they have sales and they have Shoprunner. I’ve only had one return but it was processed in a reasonable time, I think.
PolyD
Thanks!
Anonymous
Argh! Just saw an ad for a position that looks very interesting and for which I think I’m qualified. But…LinkedIn says there are already over 300 applicants! Is it worth spending an hour to customize my resume and cover letter to apply for this position? (This is a semi-vent. I know you can’t answer this question when you don’t know the employer but I’d appreciate insight or tips from anyone who is involved in hiring right now.)