Besides the shooting down of a “weather” balloon somewhere over the coast of Myrtle Beach, a freak train accident that derailed carts with chemical content, tensions in Eastern Europe (again), and the Super Bowl between two teams that only two states care about, then it was a relatively uneventful week.
I had a crazy week at work, with back-to-back meetings almost every day, which can be challenging, and you might not get through your daily duties. Thankfully most meetings were productive, and we made good decisions for all projects to keep them going and on target.
The downside to long days with a packed calendar is that you also end up exhausted. After dinner, I can’t help but turn into my dad and nod off any time after 8.30 pm while sitting in my lovely La-Z-Boy chair. It is unclear if I drool as my beard catches it all.
Damn! It sucks getting older, but I do love the few minutes (max an hour) of snoozing in the armchair.
Foodwise, we had a great week with some delicious seafood dishes. I particularly enjoyed the pan-fried cod. It was simple yet delicious. There was not much to overload the plate, making it a light and filling dinner. Unfortunately, we often add many sides to meals, making you stuffed even if there’s not much protein.
I was very impressed with my attempt at making egg rolls. A lot of labor was involved, but the result was terrific. The crispiness, the flavors, and the dipping sauce made it a perfect and straightforward dinner.
However, a piece of advice, you have to eat the egg rolls when they are made to retain their crispiness. Once you store them in the fridge, they lose their crispiness. Alternatively, you can freeze the leftovers or heat them in the pan to restore their greatness.
A Visit to Munchkin Land
It is hard to find fantastic presents for Xmas or birthdays for our son since he is non-verbal. He is very content with everything he has and gets, but we wish he would express or share some wants so we can see his face glow with a huge smile when he rips the wrapping.
Unlike other teenagers, he does not request or demand the latest iPhone, a drone, cool sneakers, sunglasses, or Xbox games, and endless battles on Fortnite do not occupy him.
We want to buy him stuff we know he likes, but not much fun unwrapping a movie we downloaded for him. Unfortunately, we no longer have a DVD player, which is all on iTunes.
But he LOVES shows on Broadway. It is his favorite activity. He beams with joy when we visit Times Square and drive down Broadway and sees the big posters for the various shows. He’s in heaven and points at every single show he sees.
So, we get tickets for a show and make it a family outing for Christmas and birthdays. We have found a fantastic organization that provides tickets for special shows for kids, young adults with special needs, and their families.
The shows are the same, with the same actors, music, and venue – nothing changes except that the light might not be entirely off, the music is less loud, and no flashing lights. And they have volunteers to hand out unique sensory toys and help people if needed.
It is beautiful and magical, and he really enjoys our special outings to see shows. All TDF shows are matinees, so we get an early dinner after the show.
Last Sunday, we had the incredible opportunity to see Wicked, his favorite show. Excellent performance, stage setup, and great seats. Thank you, Wicked!
Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!
Let’s focus on the food for the week, and you guessed right. We will have chicken this week – again. Chicken is on the menu every week, but I try to create different chicken dinners.
Winner, winner, chicken dinner!
Some say the phrase originated during the Great Depression, when peole were cabling in the sidestreets, hopeing to win enough for a chicken dinner.
Legend also has it that a person could buy a three-piece chicken dinner for $1.79, if they placed a $2 bet and won.
Trip Advisor
Cooking meals for this week started Friday evening. I knew I would have a busy weekend, helping a friend Saturday afternoon and then the Wicked show most of the day Sunday.
My wife and daughter were at an event Friday evening, so my son and I prepared the food plan and went grocery shopping. I needed a head start on cooking meals, so I invited my son to hang out in the kitchen with me while he saw a movie on the iPad.
Selflessly I played music on the Sonos, streaming Spotify playlists while having adult drinks.
Viking Heart Warrior
For the week, I whipped up a few simple dishes from different countries using my Lodge cast iron skillet, Le Creuset wok, and Le Creuset Dutch oven. Enough with the ads!
We will sample cowboy dinner, a cajun shrimp dish, superb fried beef and noodles, and a warm chicken stew.
One of my goals for my kids is to make their school lunches awesome. Kids often have strange microwave-ready meals, sloppy pizza, PBJ sandwiches, or snacks. However, providing delicious school lunches for our kids and various lunches is crucial. Not just the same silly options week in and week out.
I bake bread for the kids, grill chicken, create finger food, and attempt to feed them enough to stay active. Some kids ask our daughter to share her food, as her food looks much more relaxed. That is lovely feedback, as long as she doesn’t give it all away.
Lunch & Dinner
| Lunch | Dinner | |
| Monday | Homemade Subway bread with lettuce, tomato, and sliced chicken | Cowboy casserole |
| Tuesday | Chicken nuggets deluxe – cordon bleu, swiss check, and ono the rocks | Cajun shrimp and chorizo rice skillet |
| Wednesday | Penne vodka with grilled chicken | Beef pan-fried noodles |
| Thursday | Homemade Subway bread with in-house-made tuna salad with melted cheese | Chicken sweet potato & peanut stew |
| Friday | Stuffed croissants with cheese, chocolate, and natural. | Nacho Fever … try again! |
One day, I might get so organized that I will link the meals below to my recipes. We can only live in hope!
Have a fantastic week, my friends. I hope you enjoy these meal plans. It is much easier to make food in advance, although you must invest several hours preparing meals during the weekend.
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