By Fourteen accounts. The new year started busier than I expected, which is welcome. Three new therapeutic referrals since the certification, plus the regular rotation of shoeing accounts that have been building since I started this seven years ago. I can see a path now where the therapeutic work becomes the majority of the business in three or four years — higher margin, more interesting, and the kind of work that requires ongoing learning, which suits me.
I've been keeping a more detailed log of each account — the horse's name and condition, what I did on each visit, what changed, what I'd do differently. Some farriers do this and some don't. The ones who do tend to be better farriers over time. Colleen used to say that the difference between a craftsman and a tradesman is whether they pay attention to their own work after it's done. I think about that when I'm filling in the log at the end of the day.
Dad came to two calls with me this week — the Henderson place and the Brennan place, both close, both familiar horses. He doesn't shoe anymore, just watches and talks to the horses while I work. The horses like having him there. I think he needs the accounts too — needs to be in places where he's known and valued, where his history with the horses is visible in how they come to him. He's spent his whole life building trust with specific animals in a specific place. That doesn't go anywhere just because the hands are slower.
Roast chicken Sunday. I don't post every chicken I make because I make roast chicken almost every Sunday and the recipe doesn't change. High heat, butter under the skin, lemon in the cavity, fresh thyme if we have it. Rotate halfway through. Rest. The bones go into a stockpot the same evening. It's the most basic cooking loop I know — Sunday chicken becomes Monday stock becomes Tuesday soup. Nothing wasted. Everything in its sequence.
I don’t always follow the exact same Sunday chicken — sometimes the week calls for a small variation, something that keeps the ritual intact but shifts the flavor just enough to feel intentional. This chicken in lime butter is one I come back to when I want the same simplicity I described above but with a little brightness added in. The lime does what the lemon does in spirit, just differently. Same loop: roast it, rest it, stock the bones. Nothing wasted.
Chicken in Lime Butter
Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 45 min | Total Time: 55 min | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 6 oz each)
- 1/4 cup butter
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 teaspoon lime zest
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- Fresh parsley or cilantro, chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven. Heat your oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a baking dish large enough to hold the chicken in a single layer.
- Make the lime butter. In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Stir in the lime juice, lime zest, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and paprika. Remove from heat.
- Arrange and coat. Place the chicken breasts in the prepared baking dish. Pour about half the lime butter mixture evenly over the top of each piece.
- Roast. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes. Spoon the remaining lime butter over the chicken, then return to the oven for another 20–25 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 165°F and the tops are lightly golden.
- Rest and garnish. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Spoon any pan juices over the chicken before serving. Garnish with fresh parsley or cilantro.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 310 | Protein: 38g | Fat: 16g | Carbs: 1g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 420mg