Only a few more graveyard shifts before my vacation starts. The vintage Aiwa boom box in my brain has been pounding out the anthemic 80s power ballad, “The Final Countdown” as I stare impatiently at the calendar. Having been a goth girl in my youth (yes, really), I hated that headbanger song, but it’s got a nice beat and you can dance to it.
Actually, no. It doesn’t.
While working at the hospital, I ate some leftover sous vide salmon, kimchee, and broiled eggplant.
On the topic of leftovers, I get lots of questions about how I make my recycled meals taste good. It’s nice of you to assume that I use some secret technique to ensure that my leftovers retain their original flavor profile, but you know what? With rare exceptions, they’re never as yummy the second time around – especially once all the components get jostled around in my bag. Just lower your expectations and make sure your other meals are freshly-made. It’ll all balance out in the end.
When I came home from work in the morning, I got the Double-Os ready for day camp. I washed a bunch of Bing cherries for their lunches…
…and pitted the remainder for a quick cherry balsamic marinade.
I poured the bright pink purée over a dish of chicken drumsticks…
…massaged it in, and stuck the container in the fridge with a note asking my mother-in-law to take the chicken out before I woke up.
After I chauffeured the kiddos to camp, I came home and face-planted into my pillow.
In the evening, I crawled out from under the covers to get dinner on the table. I stuck the chicken in the oven…
…stir-fried three bags of Trader Joe’s Power to the Greens…
…and prepped some zucchini.
When the chicken finished roasting…
…I cranked on the broiler and charred the zucchini. I dressed up the slices with some fresh basil, heirloom tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil.
Here’s my dinner plate:
I only have two more nights of work before I’m on vacation again.
BA DA DUM DUM! BA DA DUM DUM DUM!
(Forgive me for infecting you with this earworm, but sharing is caring, right? )
