Chilled Cucumber Shrimp Salad
Plus, Five Dinners in Real Life and getting into a summer mindset
Hi!
June has come and almost gone in a blur of end-of-school activities, performances and celebrations all happening while a miserable cold virus slowly worked its way through our family. We had to cancel two dinner celebrations (my birthday and 8th grade graduation) plus our annual end-of-school ice cream celebration because at least one of us was a sneezing, coughing mess. But! We have all recovered and the dinners and ice cream have been re-scheduled and it’s starting to feel like summer break is finally starting.
I spent the first week of summer break trying to quiet a nervous flutter in my stomach and a panicky voice in my head screaming, “HAVE FUN! DON’T WASTE SUMMER! IT’S GOING SO FAST IT’S GOING TO BE OVER BEFORE YOU KNOW IT RELAX!!!
That voice is not helpful.
I knew I had to shift my mindset, but that can be tricky during the part of summer when you’re at home and not on a real vacation. It’s summertime, and yet, the dishwasher still needs to be unloaded, errands still need to be run, the kids still need to be reminded 100 times to scoop the cat litter, etc, etc, etc….
One small change I’ve made this week has helped shift my mindset into summer mode. The one change I’ve made is spending as much time as possible outdoors.
This naturally happens for all of us during summer, but it’s still all too easy to sit inside when we could be outside. I’ve been nudging myself outside for my first early cup of coffee, to sit quietly away from my phone & computer and listen to the birds chirp. I’ve been sitting on my patio for short bursts of reading in the afternoon and in the evening to hang out as the sun sets. We’re cooking and eating outside more, going on more family walks and sitting on the front steps to eat ice cream. It’s simple stuff, but it’s making a difference.
Being outside gets me out of my regular routine and makes summer feel different and special. I’m more relaxed, more active and closer to that glorious feeling I had as a kid when the entire summer was stretched out before me and I felt no panic about it whatsoever.
This Week’s Recipe: Cucumber Shrimp Salad
A cool and creamy salad for summer, perfect as a main course or side. Just toss chilled shrimp and sliced cucumbers with a creamy, lemony dressing made from mayo, sour cream, Dijon mustard, lemon juice and fresh dill.
Find the Recipe Here → Cucumber Shrimp Salad
Dinner in Real Life + Recipes 🥣
I’m always curious about what other families are eating, aren’t you? I hope that my real life dinners will provide helpful recipes & cooking ideas for your family.
Summer is here, so our meals are slightly different than during the school year. I have more time to cook, so I’m having fun exploring cookbooks for new recipes, but also, some nights I don’t want to cook at all because, summer! We’ve mostly been eating a mix of new recipes and simple grilled dinners with plenty of “whatever” or “leftover” nights thrown in. Here’s what we’ve been eating lately:
**The 🥣 emoji lets you know a loose recipe is included
MONDAY: Grilled chicken thighs marinated in Trader Joe’s Soyaki + grilled broccoli +rice
Trader Joe’s Soyaki is my go-to marinade this summer for boneless chicken thighs.
🥣 Marinate the chicken for at least a few hours (or overnight) then grill until crispy and well done (about 18 minutes total). At the same time, toss broccoli florets in olive oil & salt and grill the broccoli in a grill basket until the broccoli is nicely charred and just tender. Serve with rice or noodles.
TUESDAY: Homemade sushi
This was a dinner requested by Josie for her last day of school that had to be delayed until her fever and sore throat had passed and she could enjoy food again. This is a very easy summer dinner and it travels well to sports practices, picnics, etc.
🥣 We make homemade sushi with Trader Joe’s microwavable rice (cooled), lox, avocado and cucumber all rolled up in nori. This video from Raddish Kids shows how to roll sushi (I use a serrated bread knife to cut the roll, not a wet knife, which makes the seaweed soggy).
WEDNESDAY: Fish tacos
🥣 I threw this dinner together quickly by searing tilapia in a hot non-stick skillet with a generous drizzle of oil and dab of butter. Season the fish with salt, garlic powder, cumin, paprika, chili powder and smoked paprika and cook about 4 minutes on each side until browned and flakey. For tacos, it’s okay to overcook the fish slightly so it get crispy around the edges. Serve with tortillas, shredded cabbage and cilantro, green onion, lime, avocado, salsa, etc..
THURSDAY: I made a Kismet cookbook inspired dinner (Mediterranean +California flavors)
I’ve been wanting to cook from the Kismet cookbook for months and I finally found the time and energy to make three of the easier recipes in the cookbook (marinated feta, tahini sauce and kale tahini sauce). I also served ground pork with spices (garlic powder, smoked paprika, cinnamon and coriander), roasted chickpeas, roasted cauliflower, sliced tomato and cucumber, salad greens, Kalamata olives, fresh mint and pita bread for a delicious Mediterranean feast.
Out of the three recipes I tried, there was one I’ll definitely be making again - the tahini sauce. It has the perfect ratio of tahini, lemon and water 🥣 (Whisk 1 cup tahini + 1/4 cup lemon juice + 2/3 cup water). However, I ended up being the only family member who liked the kale tahini sauce (no surprise) and the marinated feta wasn’t flavorful enough to be worth the effort. I will definitely be trying more recipes from the cookbook this summer and soon we’ll be dining at Kismet restaurant for my delayed birthday dinner, yay!
FRIDAY: Leftovers. After Thursday night’s feast, there was no way I was cooking again!
Summer Mindset Cookbooks
When you’re taking my summer mindset advice and sitting outdoors, wouldn’t it be lovely to flip through a cookbook that transports you somewhere that truly feels like vacation? Below are a few cookbooks that you should put on your library hold list this summer. Cooking the recipes is beside the point; these cookbooks are meant to take you on a journey with gorgeous photos, tell a story through food and invite you to faraway places you can dream of visiting.
Getaway by Renee Erickson with Sara Dickerman - This book invites you on a culinary journey via chef Renee Erickson’s favorite places in the world--Rome, Paris, Normandy, Baja California, London, and her hometown, Seattle.
Le Sud by Rebekah Pepper & Joann Pai - A collection of recipes, photographs, and stories from Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur that will make you wish you'd been invited to a picnic or long lunch in the shade of silvery olive trees.
Summer Kitchens by Olia Hercules - Through stunning food and travel photography this book explores the diversity of Ukraine’s cuisine and heritage through the alluring window of summer kitchens
Florentine by Emiko Davies - Gorgeous pictures of Florence and Florentine life that let you visit pastry shops bustling with espresso-sippers, hole-in-the-wall wine bars, busy food vans and lunchtime trattorias.
That’s it for this week! Hope you’re also getting into a summer mindset and finding something to enjoy during these long, hot days.
xo
Jenny
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Yum, those are great summer dinner ideas. I can relate to it all and will try to make that morning coffee an outdoor moment. Cheers and thanks for the inspiration!