Chickening Out

Happy Thyme In A Sad Time

Sarah Fain — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 15:01:35 GMT

I am a half-assed gardener.

That’s mostly because I’m fairly new to gardening, and I have a lot to learn. Learning takes time, and I don’t have so much of that. But I still want to garden. So for now, a lot of my learning is about observing and accepting the way the plants in my garden grow… or don’t.

I am incapable, for example, of growing a stalk of ce…

Quick Update

Sarah Fain — Sat, 25 Jul 2026 16:53:05 GMT

Popping in to apologize.

I came home from vacation expecting to dive right back into weekly Chickening Out posts— and then my daughter’s dog, the sweetest dog on the planet, was diagnosed with metastatic lung cancer. We’re in the midst of some difficult decisions and spending time pampering him.

So while I have roasted a (really excellent) chicken, I hav…

Dinner Party Disaster Chicken

Sarah Fain — Sat, 11 Jul 2026 16:07:55 GMT

This afternoon I’m taking my daughter to an old iron ore mine that is now a Minnesota state park. We’ll take a rickety elevator half a mile into the depths of the earth, then ride an underground train a mile farther.

Friends, I may bring the carcass of this week’s chicken and leave it there.

To obtain this chicken, I went to grocery stores in two differen…

Don’t Blame Jacques, Blame The Chicken.

Sarah Fain — Wed, 01 Jul 2026 21:45:11 GMT

My daughter, Violet, looks like my mom. Like, a lot like my mom. She has since the moment she was born. It’s the shape of her face, her eyes, her eyebrows, her forehead.

And it’s not just looks they have in common. Violet got my mom’s determination and drive, too.

She also got one of my mom’s strangest traits: the way she eats corn on the cob.

Who knew t…

Yes! To Friends/No! To Stress

Sarah Fain — Mon, 22 Jun 2026 15:29:35 GMT

This week is about friends, old and new.

I was given this week’s recipe by my new friend, Cindy. Cindy listens to Happier In Hollywood, so she’s been hearing about my chicken roasting quest since January. When we met in person at Nome Schoolhouse in North Dakota earlier this month, Cindy didn’t just tell me about the recipe— she was kind enough to print…

Happy Birthday, V! (Also, An Excellent Chicken Recipe)

Sarah Fain — Mon, 15 Jun 2026 15:11:10 GMT

It’s my daughter’s birthday today! (Well, yesterday by the time you get this.)

So I’m typing this post on my phone at Universal Studios while Violet does The Mummy ride over and over with one of her best friends. It’s one of the few rides here that doesn’t give me motion sickness, but today I’m the designated bag holder. And there’s shade! Yay shade!

Fou…

One-Pot Perfection (Well, Almost)

Sarah Fain — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 15:01:15 GMT

I learned to knit when I was a freshman in college. My RA, Kari, taught everyone who wanted to learn over one long, cold Massachusetts winter, and I’ve been knitting ever since. Sweaters, hats, scarves, socks, blankets. You name it, I’ve knit it.

In 2018, I decided to start spinning— the kind with a wheel, not the kind with a bicycle. I love spinning ev…

Martha Knows Perfection

Sarah Fain — Mon, 25 May 2026 15:03:11 GMT

I became a chicken person by accident.

My friend Victoria knew I had been mulling the idea of chickens for years, but I didn’t have a great spot for them in L.A., where my yard was mostly pool, cement, and fake grass. Once I moved to Ojai, however, there was chicken space aplenty.

So when Victoria had to quickly re-home three chickens, she called me earl…

Goddess, Indeed.

Sarah Fain — Tue, 19 May 2026 16:23:19 GMT

This month has been jam-packed, so of course I’ve gotten sick.

I did roast a chicken, though! Sorry for the late post this week.

Chicken of the Week: Melissa Clark’s Green Goddess Roasted Chicken

I’m quickly becoming a Mel…

It’s A Love Match! (Chicken & Grapefruit, That Is)

Sarah Fain — Mon, 11 May 2026 15:02:16 GMT

I’m writing this with a tummy full of Mother’s Day waffles (gluten free! from scratch!), courtesy of my sweet, soon-to-be 14 year old. The sky is blue. The flowers along the back fence are in full, spring bloom. There’s a panoply of birdsongs in the air (and the sound of a wheezing pool vacuum, but let’s ignore that).

It’s a beautiful, perfect day.

If y…

Starting To Feel Like Home

Sarah Fain — Mon, 04 May 2026 15:01:33 GMT

My daughter and I moved to Ojai from L.A. in 2022. (If you’re not familiar with Ojai and want to take a shallow dive, here’s a link to a recent NY Times piece.) Basically, it’s a small, charming town about 80 miles north of L.A. We moved because I thought we would love being surrounded by nature and being part of a smaller, tightly-knit community. We we…

I’m Not Mad, I’m Disappointed

Sarah Fain — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 15:03:14 GMT

My daughter was born in June of 2012. When I say I didn’t get a solid night of sleep for the next ten years, it’s not an exaggeration.

My sweet, wonderful child… did… not… sleep. For a decade.

Consequently, neither did I.

And then, suddenly, she did. And I did! And with sleep came all of these other wonderful things— like the desire to garden! And cook! …

Running Late!

Sarah Fain — Mon, 27 Apr 2026 15:02:55 GMT

Today’s Chickening Out post is delayed after a very long, non-stop weekend. The chicken has been roasted, but it’s 11 p.m. and my brain turned off about an hour ago.

I will report back on the (spoiler alert) very peppery, not-so citrusy chicken later today or tomorrow morning.

In the meantime, please enjoy this photo of my little chicken thief from the Re…

Puffy Skin Level Unlocked! (& What’s Growing In My Garden)

Sarah Fain — Mon, 20 Apr 2026 15:02:54 GMT

When I grow up, I want to have a potager— a kitchen garden that I can browse as I decide what to make for dinner. Grown up me will stroll through my potager and think, “Should I pull some carrots? Clip some chard for a soup? Maybe harvest some beans?”

Friends, I’m almost grown up. Here’s some of what’s currently growing in my potager-in-progress:

Beets, V…

Tool Time! Everything You Need To Make A Perfect Roast Chicken

Sarah Fain — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 15:02:25 GMT

With 15 whole chickens under our belt, it’s time to talk tools!

Because I’m not the most confident cook, having good tools is my comfort blanket. These are the ones I rely on:

All Clad Stainless Steel Roaster and Non-stick Rack: This is a big roaster, so I only use it for recipes with veggies scattered around the chicken.

Lodge Enameled Cast Iron Braiser:…

Just Singin’ In The Kitchen

Sarah Fain — Mon, 06 Apr 2026 15:02:46 GMT

When my daughter was born, I stopped listening to music— at least, to my music.

For close to fourteen years, I’ve listened almost exclusively to whatever Violet was listening to. Baby music, kid music, tween music, and lately a lot of K-pop— which is great, because it turns out I really like K-pop. (I’m a STAY. Hyunjin is my bias. Chan is my bias-wrecke…

The Chicken Is Good. The Shallots Are To Die For.

Sarah Fain — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 15:02:58 GMT

My mom was not a food person. Give her a wedge of iceberg lettuce, a few carrot sticks, and a Lean Cuisine, and she was happy.

I’m exaggerating, but not by much.

She just didn’t care about food. One example (but I could give 100): when I was nine-ish, we somehow ended up with hundreds of hot dogs after a big bbq where the guests only ate hamburgers. The …

Henopause, You Say?

Sarah Fain — Mon, 23 Mar 2026 15:02:59 GMT

It happened again. I got more chickens. (Oops.)

I blame infrastructure.

If the infrastructure hadn’t already been in place, I would have walked right past the cute little four-week-old chicks in the window.

But I knew the infrastructure was there: a clean brooder in the garage, a feeder, a water dispenser, chick grit, bedding, a warming pad. Waiting.

If …

This Chicken Is Violet Approved

Sarah Fain — Mon, 16 Mar 2026 15:02:55 GMT

Two weeks after my daughter was born, I went to my midwife’s office in Beverly Hills for my first post-natal checkup. As I positioned my daughter’s unwieldy stroller in the tiny elevator, a tall, trim woman got in. She was wearing leopard print pants and a thick, black belt.

She was Diane Keaton.

Diane Keaton looked down at the muslin blanket draped over…

Butter + Bacon = Chicken Bliss.

Sarah Fain — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 15:03:10 GMT

One hundred thousand years ago, I ran my high school newspaper The Voice with my friends Liz Craft and Todd Schulkin.

Weren’t we adorable?

Liz is still my writing partner (our day job is writing for TV and the occasional…