Whoever decided that Halloween should be on a weekday was clearly not a parent. From now on, I think Halloween should always be on the last Saturday of October. Are you with me?
School + work + trick-or-treating is just too much to squeeze into one day. My kids actually handled it fine, I was the one who had the emotional meltdown at the end of the night.
Just between us, my kids and I decided to play hooky the next day and spent several hours at our neighborhood pool. Given that we were exhausted and it was 85 degrees out, it seemed like to only sane thing to do.
If you’re wondering what it’s like to celebrate Halloween during a heat wave, our pumpkins will give you a good idea.
It’s hard to know what to make for dinner when it feels like summer but the calendar is telling you that it’s November.
Tonight I’m falling back on a go-to simple meal that my kids love (because it’s one of their favorite foods) and I love (because it’s easy). It’s also perfect warm weather food, but I think even those of you in frigid climates can enjoy it this time of year.
I know I’ve shared salmon sushi rice bowls before, but it’s worth sharing again. If you have sushi lovers in your house this might become a favorite meal at your house too.
Sushi Rice Bowl Ingredients
Rice: You need about 1 cup of cooked rice per person, white or brown. Frozen microwavable rice is very convenient and has the perfect sticky texture for sushi. It gets expensive though, so you can also make either Jasmine or Sushi rice in your Instant Pot or rice cooker.
Salmon: We use lox from Costco. You can also use fresh cooked salmon or smoked salmon.
Cucumber: Sliced thinly
Avocado: Sliced thinly or into small chunks
Seaweed: Buy toasted sheets of nori if you want to roll sushi. If you’re serving rice bowls, then seaweed snacks are great.
If you’re making bowls, everyone can combine the ingredients in any way that they like. You can top the bowls with soy sauce, coconut aminos and furikake (a flavored salt with sesame seeds and nori). If you want detailed instructions, check out the recipe for sushi bowls on Kitchen Skip.
When my kids were little, we mostly ate this meal as rice bowls. Now that they’re older, they like to use the ingredients to make sushi rolls. Raddish Kids has a helpful video that shows you how to easily roll sushi. My two cents: you don’t need the rolling mat that they use and I prefer using a dry serrated bread knife to slice the sushi.
Dinner Last Week
I’m always curious about what other families are eating. Aren’t you? Here’s what my crew ate last week.
Monday: Pork and ricotta meatballs with sautéed mushrooms and sliced polenta (from a store bought tube). We also had baked spaghetti squash with olive oil and grated parmesan.
If you’d like to make spaghetti squash, here are two easy methods (First, slice the squash open lengthwise and scoop out the seeds)
Instant Pot Spaghetti Squash
Pour 1 cup water into the Instant Pot. Set the spaghetti squash halves cut side down on the steamer rack trivet that comes with the Instant Pot. To fit both halves, you’ll probably have to tilt or stack one of the halves so it isn’t lying flat. Cook on high pressure for 12 minutes, with a quick release of pressure immediately when the cooking time is complete.
Oven Roasted Spaghetti Squash
Brush the cut halves of the spaghetti squash with oil and lay cut side down on the sheet pan. Roast 45 to 60 minutes (depending on the size of the squash) at 450 degrees until tender and nicely browned.
Tuesday: Taco Tuesday! I tried frozen fish sticks from Costco because I though they might make decent fish tacos. Meh. I’m think I’m pretty much giving up on store bought frozen, battered fish unless someone has a favorite brand?
Wednesday: I was low on groceries and made an impromptu Instant Pot bean soup. I sautéed onion, celery and carrot then added 2 cups dried beans, 4 cups chicken stock and 4 cups water. I cooked it for 30 minutes on high pressure. When you make soup like this, be very generous with the amount of salt that you add. Soup always needs more salt than I think it will. To round out the meal, I also picked up a baguette to serve on the side.
Thursday: Still low on groceries, with no time to get to the store. We ate leftover bean soup and the kids had grilled cheese sandwiches.
Friday: I sautéed chicken thighs with a homemade teriyaki sauce and everyone liked it. After I try the recipe a few more times I’ll share it with you. We wrapped the chicken in rice paper wrappers stuffed wtih with cellophane/glass noodles, grated carrot, sliced cucumber and fresh mint and cilantro.
A few weeks ago I shared Leah Koenig’s newest cookbook, Portico. This week I’m sharing Modern Jewish Cooking, which she wrote in 2015.
This cookbook has a wide range of recipes, everything from the classics (latkes, matzoh balls, challah) to modern family meals, like black bean & sweet potato chili, apple cider braised chicken and spinach-matzo lasagna.
Many of the recipes, which aren’t traditionally Jewish, are included with the intention of helping you cook meals that can be shared with family and friends.
I’ve especially enjoyed that last chapter “The Holidays” which includes a brief description of each holiday during the year and several sample menus. I’m already planning on making carrot salad with mint and dates for Hanukkah.
Have a lovely and restful weekend,
Jenny
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