That's what you're having?
A short, sad, and poorly illustrated account of empty-nest eating
Yesterday I made this for lunch for Michael and me, with roasted broccolini on the side dressed with a little lemon juice and chaat masala. I’d bookmarked the chicken recipe earlier in the week, and it was as good as I thought it would be: spiced and spicy and herby and rich.
It’s a good thing I was well nourished from lunch, because for dinner I had only a small glass of the “smoothie” I made for the residents of the hospice where I volunteer. And that “smoothie” was made of strawberry ice cream and milk, and it goes by another name out in the world, and that name is milkshake.
The night before we appetizered on popcorn with butter and salt (I put Frank’s Red Hot and nutritional yeast on mine) in front of the TV and then at midnight we had a second course, which was Corn Chex with milk, in bed. (We call this meal Corn Two Ways.)
The night before that, we were camping on the Cape and it was raining, so we went to Mac’s in Provincetown for dinner and we sat at the bar and ate Rhode Island style fried calamari with pickled peppers.
I also got an excellent mocktail that had jalapenos in it. It was called something like Daddy Likes It Spicy. I don’t have a picture of that either, but I do have this instead.
One day last week I made this, from an Instagram video.
I was supposed to comment “fall salad” to get the recipe, but I was too embarrassed to. And the description was pretty much all I needed: “sweet potato and halloumi chopped salad with crispy chickpeas, brussels sprouts, apples, red onion, and a hot honey mustard dressing!” I used roasted sweet potatoes and chickpeas, chopped kale and cabbage, diced apples, butter-fried halloumi (which was actually Trader Joe’s Garlic Bread Cheese, though feta would have been easier and possibly better), and toasted almonds(!) I mixed a scant tablespoon each of hot honey (Birdy’s friend Illia brought us this, and I am obsessed) and spicy brown mustard into this vinaigrette: 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar, 4 tablespoons olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1 minced/pressed clove of garlic. So spicy and sweet and crunchy and tangy and good.
I could eat this kind of meal every day. The thing you would call a bowl. (Because of the bowl.)
One night last week Birdy stayed for dinner after our Zumba class, and I’d made this easy, assemble-ahead casserole favorite with corn tortillas instead of wheat. It is a major crowd-pleaser, even though there happened to be only three of us. I made a simple green salad too, which was just lightly dressed arugula from our farm share. By the way, I dropped that link all casual-like? But that egg bake is one of the very best recipes I have to offer.
Finally, for lunch today I fried up some bacon and we ate it atop really good tomato slices we’d lightly salted and slathered in mayo. Like a BLT, minus the L. And the bread. Perfection.
Tell me, empty nesters. What’s it like where you are? What’s your favorite two-person meal? And, while we’re at it, your favorite two-person game? I can’t tell if I care or not that it’s getting so weird around here. I guess I’m leaning not.
Sending you love, as always, especially if you’ve got the fall melancholies, the election jitters, big grief, or the nonspecified blues.
xo
A coworker told me that when her son went to college she realized she and her husband had been performative adulting for years.
“the fall melancholies, the election jitters, big grief, or the nonspecified blues” -- thank you for articulating what, exactly, the hell my problem is lately!
Love the meal ideas too. (Bacon as a main: had never dared to dream...)