What’s for Dinner? – Week Starting 21 July 2018

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People are forever asking how I manage everything with such a busy schedule. I love to cook, but I don’t always have time to do so in the manner I would like. This weekly journal is a way to keep it real and show that while my intentions are good, sometimes life and all of its activities get in the way of serving a delicious, home-cooked meal and that it is perfectly okay.

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Saturday: A day full of chores meant no one was in the mood to cook. After last week’s Chipotle debacle, we tried again. This time, Holly received the right order and no meat crossed her lips. Whew.
Sunday: It was a lazy Sunday (yay!) which called for a good meal. These slow-cooked short ribs with mushroom risotto definitely fit the bill. Not only did it allow all of us to eat the same meal, the combination of tender beef with the savory and flavorful risotto was absolutely delicious. I would make this again in a heartbeat.
Monday: Poor Connor was charged with making dinner tonight and ended up having some problems with it. Holly and I came home to what was supposed to have been Parmesan-Crusted Lemon Chicken served with rice. Instead, we came home to a smoky kitchen with tough chicken that had almost no breading and no sauce whatsoever. He learned a few things about cooking that night, especially if you have questions about a recipe, call to ask questions or look it up on the Internet.
Tuesday: It was not a good day. After discovering that my personal Facebook account, which I have ONLY for dance team communications, was hacked, I was ready to hide in a padded room. Unfortunately, I still had to go grocery shopping, but that did not mean I had to cook. Frozen pizzas FTW.
Wednesday: My grocery store has one of the best butchers and delis in the area. Not in the mood to shop or cook yesterday, I filled up my cart with some items from the deli and butcher to make this week a little easier in the meal department. Tonight’s meal of chicken fajitas was one of those choices. The marinade they use on the vegetables and chicken is delicious, and I didn’t have to do any prep work. Plus, it is a meal so easy to put together that even the boys could do it! Except they didn’t. I need to have a serious talk with them.
Thursday: Tonight, after the boys messing up their respective meals, I decided that leftovers was on the menu. Who says I have to be the one to cook something new every night?
Friday: The family is parting ways this weekend. Jim is off to a former high school twenty-fifth reunion with his twin brother. This is not the high school from which they graduated but the one they went to up to their senior year. They both always felt more connected to that high school than the one from which they graduated, and they are both looking forward to seeing old friends. I am starting my personal staycation in Milwaukee this afternoon to coincide with the readathon. I have not decided whether I will be bringing dinner with me or ordering room service. To be determined. That leaves the kids to fend for themselves. I am sure there will be a lot of boxes of macaroni and cheese consumed this weekend.