Sunny Orzo Pasta Salad
Plus, 5 Dinners in Real Life
Hi!
Last week I was sitting in the car with my computer while one of my kids was at karate and it dawned on me that instead of sitting in my car I could be outside taking a walk. The weather was warm and at 7pm it was still bright and sunny. Summer had arrived but mentally I was still in winter mode when I hunkered down in the car during evening sports practices to get work done. There’s still part of me that feels like I should use the time when my kids are at sports practice to “get something done” but my wiser self knows that going for a walk is always a better idea - physically, mentally and emotionally.
This newsletter is slightly shorter than usual because, gosh, I’m tired. Am I the only one who’s been feeling especially exhausted lately? Or have you been feeling it too? Luckily, working in a school means that relief is coming. The countdown to summer break has begun and every day the teachers are regularly reminding each other how many days are left (only 8 more!) We love your children, but being surrounded by about 400 of them every day is uniquely tiring!
This Week’s Recipe: Sunny Orzo Pasta Salad
The minute Memorial Day hits, I start craving pasta salad. The first one I’m making for Summer 2025 is this lemony orzo salad with feta, olives and lots of parsley. I often add a can of chickpeas, you can also add chicken breast or smoked salmon and more veggies, like roasted zucchini or raw cherry tomatoes.
I love having a big bowl of this orzo salad in the refrigerator so I can scoop out a quick lunch several days in a row. It’s also the perfect easy salad to bring to potlucks over the summer.
Find the Recipe Here → Sunny Orzo Pasta Salad
This recipe is from the collection of bonus recipes that I previously only sent to paid subscribers. Going forward, bonus recipes are available to everyone for 7 days after this newsletter is published, then the recipe goes back behind a paywall for paid subscribers.
Dinner in Real Life
I’m always curious about what other families are eating, aren’t you? I hope that my week of real life dinners will provide helpful recipes & cooking ideas for your family. Here’s what we’ve been eating lately:
MONDAY: Vietnamese Take-Out
We splurged on take-out from a neighborhood Vietnamese restaurant we’ve been going to for close to 20 years and the cold rice noodle bowls are still so, so good. I used the extra Nuoc Cham dressing over a green salad I made for work the next day and the salty, tangy flavor was such a welcome change from the regular oil & vinegar dressing I usually have. I’m still craving that dressing, so I put Andrea Nguyen’s cookbook Vietnamese Food Any Day on my library hold list. Ordering take-out for our family of 4 usually costs around $75, so it’s not something we do regularly. I’m hoping to find a few simple recipes in the cookbook that will help me turn the Vietnamese flavors we love into more affordable home cooked meals.
TUESDAY: Chicken Schnitzel + Steamed Instant Pot Potatoes + Roasted Zucchini
My mother-in-law was visiting from the East Coast and she always makes her famous chicken schnitzel for dinner when she’s here. What a treat to come home from work and have dinner ready! We had steamed potatoes and roasted zucchini on the side.
WEDNESDAY: Leftovers! Who doesn’t love a chicken schnitzel sandwich?
THURSDAY: Ravioli and Red Sauce + Baguette
A quick dinner for a busy night when one kid has karate exactly during the dinner hour. On Thursdays we usually all end up eating at different times, warming our plates up in the microwave when we each get home.
FRIDAY: Grilled Pork Loin + Grilled Mushrooms and Zucchini
This was our first grilled meal of the season, eaten in our backyard even though it was a bit chilly outside. May Gray is a real weather pattern in LA! If you don’t already have a grilling basket, it makes grilling vegetables a lot easier. I like this one.
Cookbooks
What I love about America’s Test Kitchen cookbooks is the same thing that I hate about them…there are so many recipes! Almost too many, which makes it hard to decide which are the best and what you might want to try. Luckily, ATK is usually a reliable source for recipes and this cookbook is filled with more summer meals than you’ll have time to make. I plan to focus on the “Dinner off the Grill” chapter, follow the recipe for perfectly brewed iced tea and maybe try the Frozen Lemonade Cake (I’m a sucker for summer desserts that involve Cool Whip).
That’s it for this week! Enjoy the last few days of May before we officially cross over into the summer months. I don’t know about you, but I’m more than ready!
xo
Jenny