3LFPOD 82: Fake Trees, Real Stress, and a Wine Lover’s Guide to Parenting with Author Danielle Frank

If your house feels louder, messier, moodier, and slightly more unhinged this week—you’re not alone. Finals week has officially landed, the holidays are in full swing, and everyone’s nerves are hanging by a thread. In this week’s episode, we talk about all of it.

Nancy is navigating finals week with a teenager who does not want to make eye contact with another human. Kathy’s kitchen is filled with Christmas music, burnt peanut brittle, and the next generation learning the fine art of candy-making. And Lynne? She’s here to once again make the case for a fake Christmas tree and an evergreen-scented candle—because easy, clean, and perfect is the dream.

We also dive into:

• The real stress parents feel during finals week

• (and how to survive it)

• The great real vs. fake Christmas tree debate

• (strong opinions were shared)

• Nancy’s black thumb vs. Kathy’s green thumb

• Elf on the Shelf wins, fails, and why some of us are just tired

• What’s for dinner: Nancy’s MacGyvered Chicken Taco Burritos

• A birthday jingle for Lynne’s last year in her 50s

• (yes, that happened)

A Wine Lover's Guide to Parenting.

And we’re thrilled to welcome Danielle Frank, author of A Wine Lover’s Guide to Parenting, for a smart, funny, and very real conversation about parenting, wine, and managing expectations—especially during the holidays. Danielle brings humor, perspective, and permission to loosen your grip just a little as she talks about her children's style book for adults all about wine, (whine) and parenting. It's filled with humor, wine terminology and parenting advice. She reads a chapter from the book with us and her book can be found at Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

What’s for Dinner? Nancy's Macguyvered Chicken Taco Burritos

Nancy was done with take out and needed something, easy & delicious. She raided the pantry and came up with this recipe that fooled the teen, the tween and the husband. This is one of those “use what you’ve got, make it work, everyone eats” dinners. Minimal prep. Big payoff. Forgiving if you eyeball everything (which you should).

Ingredients

• 2–3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

• 1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce

• 1 small onion, finely chopped

• 2–3 cloves garlic, minced

• 1½ tsp chili powder (more if you like heat)

• 1 tsp ground cumin

• ½ tsp smoked paprika (optional but recommended)

• Salt & pepper, to taste

• Splash of water or chicken broth if needed

Crock Pot Directions

1. Place chicken breasts in the crock pot.

2. Add tomato sauce, onion, garlic, chili powder, cumin, paprika, salt, and pepper.

3. Give it a quick stir so everything’s coated.

4. Cook on HIGH for 2 hours.

5. Shred the chicken directly in the crock pot with two forks and stir to soak up the sauce.

That’s it. No drama.

To Assemble (Diner’s Choice)

Serve the chicken in:

• Burrito-size tortillas or taco-size tortillas

Top with:

• Fire Roasted Corn (Trader Joe’s)

• Shredded cheese

• Chopped lettuce

• Diced tomato

• Sour cream (optional, but let’s be honest… encouraged)

Pro Tips

• Great for picky eaters—everyone builds their own.

• Leftovers reheat beautifully.

• Add hot sauce if your house likes heat, keep it mild if not.

The Famous Three Little Fishes Peanut Brittle recipe. Here it is!

Peanut Brittle

INGREDIENTS

½ cup water

2 cups of sugar

1 cup of corn syrup

2 cups of raw peanuts

1 tsp of vanilla

2 tbsp of butter

2 tsp baking soda

KEY EQUIPMENT

Candy thermometer

Cookie sheets or shallow tray

DIRECTIONS

Mix sugar, water and Karo syrup in a pot on stove on high and cook until 230 degrees on the candy thermometer and the mixture starts to thread (i.e., gets stringy). Add peanuts and cook for approximately 10 minutes until golden brown, stirring constantly until 285 degrees or so (300 degrees – hard crack). Add baking soda, vanilla and butter. Continue stirring until everything is mixed uniformly. Quickly pour onto a greased cookie sheet, spreading evenly as needed. Let cool and break into pieces with a spoon.

SPECIAL DIET INFORMATION

Contains peanuts – it’s PEANUT Brittle. Also, always make twice as much as it doesn’t last long! Here's a downloadable, printable version.

3LF 82_PeanutBrittle.pdf

Download PDF • 200KB

Fishes Out...

This episode is festive, chaotic, honest, and exactly what this week feels like. Pour a glass, take a breath, and hit play.