Last night I needed to cook for myself and four of my five children. I had pulled a package of chicken breasts out of the freezer to thaw (we bulk buy these at Costco) but hadn’t been quite sure what to make. Then I remembered: Everyone likes fajitas! Or, if not everyone, people will eat cheese quesadillas, which are easy to make once you’ve pulled out the tortillas (also bulk bought at Costco) and cheese. I cut up the chicken, cut up a pepper, cooked these with some taco seasoning, and then put out the various toppings for people to choose from (store bought guac, cheese, sour cream, salsa). With some cut-up fruit on the side it was dinner, and everyone was happy.
I am a big fan of simple, crowd-pleasing meals. Most nights, everyone who is in the house at approximately 6-6:30 p.m. will sit down to eat together. Each week there is a pasta night (usually Monday), some sort of chicken dish (often Tuesday), breakfast-for-dinner (generally Thursday), and make-your-own pizza on Friday. All these are fairly customizable for people who like different things. Everyone is happy. The other three nights present an opportunity for doing something different (or going out – another way to get interesting flavors).
Yesterday, the Best of Both Worlds Patreon community met up on Zoom to discuss meal planning. There are, of course, lots of services one can use, and lots of cookbooks one can consult. But I was also reminded, hearing people’s go-to meals, that there are a lot of very simple meals in the world that are actually quite good. Before I realized cheese and I didn’t get along, grilled cheese, tomato soup, and a bagged Caesar salad was a common meal. Sticking salmon in the oven with some veggies can work. A number of people had some sort of ready made protein, a favorite sauce, and then you can heat up frozen veggies to make a meal. Easy!
I think we can sometimes over complicate things. Perhaps a Tuesday night is not the right time to be looking at a cookbook, choosing an hour-long project. Everyone will be equally happy — possibly more so — with fajitas.
In other news: On Monday night I had quite the little adventure! Longtime readers know that “sing Bach’s B-Minor Mass” has been on my List of 100 Dreams since as long as I have had such a list. I’m happy to report that an excellent choir that meets in downtown Philadelphia is performing the piece this winter, and they were willing to let me join them. I’m looking forward to the concert itself, but even the Monday night rehearsal was such a treat. We sang through most of the first half of the work and several of the pieces were close to performance-ready already (did I mention it is a very good choir?). I’ve been spending time each day working through the mass on my own and I am so enjoying re-familiarizing myself with the work. Here’s to finally working through some things on the list. Maybe New Zealand will happen soon…
In other other news: My customized Plum Paper 2025 planner arrived yesterday. I posted a photo over at Instagram (@lvanderkam; yes, I’m back on finally…) if you’d like to see it. I also ordered a Hemlock & Oak planner to donate to a silent raffle (bundled with my books + fancy notebooks and pens). That should arrive today, and I’m looking forward to seeing it too!
I made the shift to simpler meals this year and it’s been fantastic. Now is not the time in my life to make a variety of dinners, that time will come. For now it’s simple and easy. One of our go to meals at least twice a week is “fancy grilled cheese.” We always have sourdough bread on hand from a local bakery and have a variety of cheeses and meats as well as tomato, avocado, peppers, onions etc. We pull out the big griddle and everyone assembles their own sandwiches. We usually pair with cut up apples and carrot sticks and call it a meal!
@Jessica – fancy grilled cheese sounds great! And a good way to make it more interesting to adults or adventurous eaters…
I love the agency that each one of us has to decide on when something is ‘a meal’.
@Hayley – exactly. If it fills you up and is reasonably balanced…probably it’s a meal.
I am also a fan of simple meals. A fun, easy treat for my family is nachos with any meat, beans, veggies, topped with lots of cheese and baked in the oven. Cut up apples make it a meal for us!
@Anne – ooh, nachos! Another great simple meal.
Another ridiculously easy way to elevate a meal involving rice: boil coconut water instead of plain water, and you have delicious coconut rice! A simple way to make any meal feel a bit fancier. It’s especially great with orange-glazed chicken or salmon.
@Jessica – ooh, this sounds really tasty…like your own Thai food at home…