Lunch Magnets

Do you pack school lunches the night before?

I am not a morning person, so most of the time I get the kids' lunches ready right after cleaning up dinner. And because their nutrition is important to me, I do cater to their preferences. No assembly line for us. A lunch that gets eaten is better than a lunch that gets brought home after school!

One likes spicy mustard. Hold the mayo for another. Another wants bologna and American cheese. One prefers steamed broccoli to grapes and dislikes Gala apples. Two like shredded-carrot salad, or pineapple. One likes Greek yogurt, another only eats yogurt without fruity bits. One takes leftover pepperoni pizza, the others get plain cheese. But how in the world to keep them all straight?

This was my solution at the beginning of the school year, and it has worked beautifully!

Each child has their own magnet. When I make their lunch, I pull their magnet off the fridge and set it with the food. When they pack their lunch coolers, they know which stack of containers is theirs, and they stick their magnet back on the fridge.

What are your organization secrets?

Parmesan-Herb Breading Mix

One of my mom's homeschooling friends shared this recipe with my family many years ago, and it was our company chicken dinner for a while.

Today, the breading is a staple in my kitchen. I keep a container of the mix in my freezer and use it for everything from zucchini planks and eggplant rounds to chicken breasts or fish fillets. For lunch last week, I dredged chopped veal steaks in the breading, panfried them, and served them atop roasted spaghetti squash with marinara sauce. It was heavenly!

For the bread crumbs, I take whatever odds and ends are left on my counter from making sandwiches--anything that's not too seedy or nutty--and pulse them to bits in my blender. When my sister visits next month, I'll try a version with gluten-free bread crumbs.


Parmesan-Herb Breading

1/2 cup soft fine bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. salt

Store mix in air-tight container in the freezer.


Chicken:
Spread some breading mix on a shallow plate. Dip boneless, skinless chicken breasts in a little melted butter, then immediately roll them in the crumbs. Bake, uncovered, @ 375 F for about an hour.

Zucchini Planks or Eggplant Rounds:
Brush veggies with olive oil and arrange on lightly oiled baking or broiler pan. Spread breading in a thin layer over each vegetable slice. Bake @ 350 for 40 minutes or till tender. Sprinkle hot veggies with shredded mozzarella cheese and/or serve with marinara sauce.

Fish:
Drizzle melted butter over thawed or frozen fish (tilapia) fillets. Sprinkle evenly with breading mix. Bake @ 425 for 10 (fresh) or 15 (frozen) minutes or till fish flakes easily.

Veal:
On a plate, dredge veal chopped steaks in breading. Heat 1-2 Tablespoons olive oil in a skillet. Add veal and cook about 4 minutes on each side, or till done. Sprinkle with mozzarella, if desired, and top with your favorite tomato sauce.

Stuffed-Tomato Tuna Salad

My tomato plants have nearly given up for the year. But one fresh ripe fruit got this luncheon treatment: stuffed with celery-studded tuna salad on a bed of lettuce and garnished with toast points.

Tuna Salad

• 1 can tuna
• your favorite mayonnaise or salad dressing
• 1 rib celery, finely chopped (use the leaves, too)
• Old Bay seasoning, to taste

Orange-Pineapple "Painkillers"

This tropical cocktail is one of our favorites for sipping on the front porch after the kids are in bed.

Recipes for this drink vary. I mix according to taste, but mine goes something likes this: 

• 4 parts pineapple juice
• 2 parts orange juice
• 1 part cream of coconut 
• 2 parts rum (I usually use Bacardi Gold)
• generous sprinkle of nutmeg

This coconut "cream" is the easiest to use.

I like to make a big batch and keep the extra in a jar in the fridge. Just shake it up before serving because the coconut settles. You can also mix up the base and keep that in the freezer for the when the mood hits. Sometimes I mix the rum in the glasses so I can adjust the strength of "his and hers".

However you make them, these summery island drinks, accompanied by a bowl of pretzel nuggets, are the perfect catalyst for lazy conversation on the patio!

Summer Tomato Sandwich

Don't you just love a red tomato fresh from the garden? This is what I did with one of my first tomatoes this season. Matched with a good cheddar and, in this case, slices of rich avocado, it was pure deliciousness.

Birthday Cakes!

We had two birthdays this month.

RJ requested chocolate cake with white icing, which turned out thus:

And her sister chose cheesecake:

Five packages of cream cheese in this baby!

I baked it slowly at a low temperature, 

and let it cool in the oven for TWO hours. 

That is the no-crack secret!

Cherries on top...

And zebra candles, why not?

Spinach-Rice Salad

This summery dish is bright and fresh and pairs well with wine and/or fresh fruit. Tonight we followed it with sweet-tart, pink, and fluffy Bavarian Raspberry Cream. 

Spinach-Rice Salad

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 2 tsp. fresh oregano, finely minced
• 1/2 to 1 cup chopped ham
• 6-8 cups torn spinach (about 6 oz.)
• 1/3 cup feta cheese
• cracked black pepper

Cook in a small saucepan:

• 1 cup rice*
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup chicken broth
• (OR 2 cups of water + 1 tsp. chicken bouillon)

While the rice simmers, heat olive oil in a large skillet and saute onion till tender. Add garlic, oregano, ham, and lemon juice and heat through.

When the rice is done, stir it into the onion mixture and stir till the seasonings are evenly distributed.

Toss the spinach with the hot rice, a handful at a time. I find that it helps to "fold" the spinach in, as if it were egg whites. It doesn't look like the pan will hold it all, but the spinach will wilt and make room for more. When all the spinach is mixed in, sprinkle liberally with cracked black pepper and top it off with the crumbled feta cheese.

Yield: about 6 adult main-dish servings.


*As wonderful as brown rice is, I prefer a light white or jasmine rice for this dish because it allows all the flavors to shine through. If you try brown rice, you may want to bump up the seasonings.

Variations:
The original recipe called for mushrooms, but I've never used them here.
Friends have told me they satisfactorily substituted cooked chicken for the ham.
How would you adapt this recipe? Leave a comment and let me know!