Late Sunday night, the Nombomb clan returned home from a quickie trip to Disney World in Orlando.
Although we all had a blast – the boys flitted from park to park while I soaked up lots of great information and advice from the inspiring folks in attendance at Food Blog Forum – we were ready to crash in our own beds again.
Or on the floor near the baggage return carousel at the airport, snuggled up against a much-loved, well-traveled stuffed cat.
This morning, everyone was finally ready to get back up and at ‘em. After I made the kiddos breakfast (seared sausages, sliced apple, and pastured raw milk)…
…I assembled a quick frittata with spinach and seasoned ground beef for Big-O’s school lunch.
I finished cooking the frittata in the toaster oven, divided it up, and stuck a slice in Big-O’s lunchbox and one in my piehole.
The rest of the morning was spent entertaining Lil-O and preparing a few PowerPoint slides about our iPad® app. Henry and I will speaking on a panel at BlogHer Food about Mobile Development For Food Bloggers next month in Austin. Hopefully, we’ll have something intelligent to say. The other two panel members, Jennie and John, are the real experts – we’re just the dumb bloggers who bumbled our way into creating an app.
As luck would have it, when I took a screenshot of the Top Charts in Food & Drink this morning for our slides, our 13-month-old app was in the #1 spot(!). Unfortunately, it only lasted for a few minutes; when I refreshed the rankings, the Food Network app (which had mysteriously disappeared from the App Store for a few moments) was back in its usual spot at the top of the list. *Shakes fist at sky.* We’re back to our regular spot at number 2, but it was fun while it lasted.
By the time lunchtime rolled around, I wasn’t in the mood for anything fancy, so I just dressed a pile of arugula with extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper…
…tossed it with my paws…
…and ate it with canned tuna sprinkled with furikake.
(FYI: Furikake is a traditional Japanese seasoning made of toasted sesame seeds, chopped seaweed, and dried bonito. Not only is furikake a good source of iodine, but its deep umami profile lends a crunchy brininess to any dish. It’s available at Asian markets, but read the labels carefully, as many brands add MSG and sugar.)
The rest of the afternoon was spent shuttling the kids around town for their various activities. When we finally came home, everyone I was tired and hungry. A quick survey of my trusty defrost bowl yielded no quick-cooking meats, so I quickly grabbed my pressure cooker, five pounds of thawed short ribs, marinara sauce, a satchel of dried porcini mushrooms…
…and some veggies to make a pot of Pressure Cooker Porcini and Tomato Beef Short Ribs.
As I waited for the short ribs to tenderize, I hacked up a few bunches of broccoli, tossed the florets with coconut oil, salt, and pepper and popped the tray in the toaster oven.
As an additional vegetable side dish, I reheated leftover Garlic Mashed Cauliflower in a saucepan. When Henry walked in the door, dinner was ready.
Once again, my trusty pressure cooker comes through in the clutch on a day when I’m ready to toss in my apron.
Which go-to appliance or gadget makes weeknight meals a breeze for you?
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