Some Thursdays will be soft and simple; the kind where breakfast will be a bagel with cream cheese, and the rest of the day will fall into place without much fuss. But today also carries a little sweetness of its own: it’s my son Mason’s 23rd birthday and my brother Forrest’s 37th birthday. Two people I love dearly, two celebrations happening miles away from here.

I wish I could be celebrating with them — candles, laughter, that warm feeling of everyone gathered around the same table — but life scatters us sometimes. So instead, I’ll cook, and I’ll think of them, and I’ll trust that love finds its way across every mile.

Dinner will be built around leftover chicken spaghetti from Magnolia Table Vol. 1. It will reheat beautifully, the sauce turning creamy again as it warms, the shredded roast chicken settling back into the pasta like it never left. Leftovers will take center stage today, and I’m grateful for the ease.

And dessert? Lime Jello with pears — a cool, nostalgic little treat that feels right for a day that holds both comfort and longing.

Kitchen Tool: My favorite storage containers — because leftovers deserve a good home until their second debut.

Cooking Tip: When reheating creamy pasta, I’ll add a splash of milk or broth to bring the sauce back to life. It keeps everything silky instead of sticky.

Tonight’s meal will be simple, light, and steady — the kind that makes space for both celebration and missing the ones we love.

What’s on your menu?

Gracefully yours,

Thank you so much for reading Meal & Grace. If you’re not ready for our time together to end, visit bio.site/mealandgrace to keep in touch. Some of the links shared within my posts are affiliate links, which may earn me a few pennies at no extra cost to you, just helping keep the butter stocked and the grace flowing. Please know I only share products I truly use or that are on my wish list to bring home someday.