Around the Table with the Burkes: Solo Parenting

The potatoes are a treat for me; my children torment their Irish and German ancestors by hating on potatoes and, as such, I don’t make them often.

I left off last week with big plans to do some freezer meals and set myself up for an organized week of solo parenting. Best laid plans…

On Saturday my oldest son insisted we throw a surprise birthday party for his best friend who a) had already had a party, and b) hates surprises. My son was not to be deterred by these facts, so I made some macaroni & cheese, threw together a veggie tray, and ordered some cupcakes. Friends brought chicken to complete the meal. We all had a great time at the party no one actually wanted to happen.

Sunday I was struck down by whatever illness is floating around my kids’ schools, so my freezer meals were tossed out the window. However, I pulled myself together just enough to put a pork shoulder in the Instant Pot with barbecue sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and cider vinegar; 90 minutes later we had pulled pork, paired with spaetzle and green beans.

My husband’s job took him to Winston Salem for most of the week, and I felt like I had been hit by a truck, so after struggling through Monday I picked up Happy Meals and called it a night. All hail the red-haired clown.

I found myself feeling slightly better on Tuesday, so I made an actual dinner of pulled chicken, green beans, and roasted potatoes. The potatoes are a treat for me; my children torment their Irish and German ancestors by hating on potatoes, and as such, I don’t make them often. Peel potatoes, cut into 1-inch squares. Coat with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic, crushed rosemary, salt, and pepper. Roast at 425 for 20 minutes, increase to 450 for an additional 10. They’re ready when they start to brown.

Wednesday evening was spent in the company of two toddlers, so I busted out the leftovers. An unexpected benefit of being husband free is the abundance of food in my fridge. I might get away with only cooking once or twice a week from now on. Won’t that make for some interesting articles…

Travis made his triumphant return home on Thursday. A better wife would have made a welcome home dinner, this wife (who was still sick) ordered a pizza.

Today I went to the doctor and learned I have bronchitis. Armed with this information and some medicine I have higher hopes for getting my act together next week. As for dinner tonight, we have yet to have the circular “I don’t know, what do you want to eat?” conversation, but I’m already leaning pasta.

Weeks like this one remind me why a plan is a wonderful thing to have.

Norah’s Simple Roasted Potatoes: Peel potatoes, cut into 1-inch squares. Coat with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic, crushed rosemary, salt, and pepper. Roast at 425 for 20 minutes, increase to 450 for an additional 10. They’re ready when they start to brown.

Around the Table with the Burkes: Survival is the Main Ingredient

Meal planning is a really useful tool for making sure we don’t have McDonald’s every day, but sometimes my ambition on Saturday doesn’t match up with my energy level on a Monday evening. Flexibility and a Plan B helps.

Crib rails and baby gates are merely training devices for the youngest’s future Ninja Warrior career.

Greetings Beacon readers! After a short hiatus Around the Table has returned with more tales of survival and food from the Burke household, survival being the key ingredient these days. I have been suffering from an overdose of tired lately. A death in my family, whirlwind travel, and major changes coming to my household have caused my brain to short circuit. Additionally, my youngest child (2) has decided that a.) he’s never going to sleep again, and b.) crib rails and baby gates are merely training devices for his future Ninja Warrior career. Meal planning is a really useful tool for making sure we don’t have McDonald’s every day, but sometimes my ambition on Saturday doesn’t match up with my energy level on a Monday evening. Flexibility and a Plan B helps.

Last Saturday I had a meeting all afternoon and was out later than I planned, so we ended up ordering pizza. Highlight of the evening was my food allergy kid getting his first slice after months of trialing different pizza components. He was so excited! Can I just serve pizza every day and still maintain “Okay Mom” status?

Sunday I planned on Beef Stew for “Hearty Superb Owl Man Food.” I was going to go with my quick and easy McCormick packet cheat, but that only works if you actually have a packet on hand. So I took to googling recipes and made a bit of a FrankenStew using my Instant Pot. Positives: delicious stew beef from the Farmer’s Market made ultra tender by the Instant Pot. Negatives: waaaaaaay too much tomato paste, and not enough beef broth. Not my finest dish, but not entirely inedible.

My good friend got chickens last weekend. The live, future-egg-laying variety. They’re pretty cute, and I am a bit of an animal nut, so hanging out with chicks instead of working was how I spent most of my days this week. Monday evening rolled around and I threw together some baked pork chops, noodles, and corn. Some days the most basic home cooked foods are a win. Tuesday’s dinner was leftovers. Thank goodness we had some.

Wednesday I shocked my husband by making “real” food – chicken chili and biscuits.

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White Chicken Chili:

• A pound and a half of chicken cut into bite size chunks (I use breasts, thighs also work)

• 3 cans of white beans, drained and rinsed

• Seasoning mix (per pound of chicken, I double this for 1.5 pounds):

  • ½ tsp sugar

  • ½ tsp corn starch

  • 1 tsp garlic powder

  • ½ tsp cayenne pepper

  • 1 tsp cumin

  • ½ tsp oregano

  • ½ tsp cilantro

• 1 cup frozen or canned corn

• 2-3 cups water

Brown the chicken on all sides, then add water, seasoning mix, and beans. Bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes. Add the corn and cook another 6-10 minutes. Serve with something you can use to mop sauce!

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Thursday I shocked Travis again with meatloaf, squash, and spaetzle. I also did dishes. Travis thinks I might be very sick.

As for tonight, I’m at a loss. I see turkey burgers on my plan, but that seems like a lot of effort. In all likelihood we’re going to end up having pancakes and French toast for dinner. Plan Brinner.

One of these days I’ll head back to the Farmer’s Market and one of these weeks I’ll have myself back on track with my goals for the year.

Meal Planning around the Farmers' Market

Photo by Norah Burke

The Matthews Community Farmers Market has switched to winter hours, but there’s still plenty of fresh local produce to plan your week around. I stopped by with my two oldest hooligans this past Saturday looking for inspiration for the coming week. I scored an Instant Pot on Black Friday, so I’m eager to experiment with new recipes in my new toy.

Lest you think life in the Burke household is Pinterest perfect, my plans were scratched twice this week for pasta on Tuesday and Happy Meals on Thursday. Meal planning is great, but in a house as hectic as ours, flexibility is key. I also live for simple recipes that take almost no time to prepare, cook with minimal supervision, and are unlikely to be rejected by my picky eaters.

The Farmers Market Fresh Ingredients:

1 Whole Chicken, Mustard Greens, Kale, Mixed lettuce, Carrots, Bell Peppers, Butternut Squash

Photo by Norah Burke

The Plan:

Saturday: Chili & Cornbread

Dare I share my top secret chili recipe? For this one I used fresh bell peppers from the market. I “cheated” on the cornbread by using a mix.

Sunday: Teriyaki Chicken, Rice, Vegetable Medley

My first Instant Pot recipe of the week. If you don’t have a pressure cooker, you can make this recipe by marinating defrosted chicken in the sauce and baking it for ~30 minutes (consult safe cooking temperatures for chicken), or by cutting the chicken into chunks and sautéing in the sauce on the stovetop. I used a recipe from Keeping it Simple Crafts, but my family agreed the sauce was too sweet, so next time I’ll return to my own teriyaki sauce recipe:

• ½ cup soy sauce

• 2-3 Tablespoons honey

• ¼ cup olive oil

• 2 teaspoons ginger

• ½ Tablespoon garlic powder (or 2-3 fresh cloves, minced)

Monday: Ham & Bean Soup with Mustard Greens

Our second night in the IP. I worked from Sweet and Savory Meals’ Ham and Bean Soup recipe.

As it looked to make a LOT of soup, I halved everything. I’m not a huge soup fan, and I didn’t want to end up with a fridge full of leftovers if this was a flop. This recipe used Farmer’s Market peppers and carrots in the soup itself, and I topped it with sautéed mustard greens, also from the market. The soup was good, albeit a little thin (I guess I have a preference for stews), and the mustard greens were spicy and delicious.

Photo by Norah Burke

Tuesday: Tacos – To Pasta Night

One of those days where my husband and I are overworked, overtired, and getting colds. So plans were scrapped in favor of boiling a pot of noodles and sauce.

Wednesday: Meatloaf, Squash

I love squash. It’s my favorite winter vegetable (I’m sure some will argue that it’s not a vegetable. But it’s orange, so I’m making it count). I like to cut a squash in half, remove the seeds, and roast it at 350 degrees in a pan cut side down with 1/2” of water for 45 minutes. Then I flip it over, add a tablespoon of brown sugar and a pat of butter, and roast for another 15 minutes. Incidentally, the timing makes it a perfect companion for my meatloaf, which also takes an hour to cook.

Norah’s Super Kid Friendly No-Gross-Chunks Meatloaf:

• 1 lb ground beef (I use 93/7)

• 1/3 cup bread crumbs (I use Progresso Italian style)

• 1 Egg

• 1 Tablespoon onion powder

• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

• ½ teaspoon garlic powder

• 1 teaspoon salt

• ½ teaspoon black pepper

• If using lean ground beef: 1 – 2 Tablespoons of olive oil

• Combine all ingredients (don’t overmix), form into a loaf shape and bake in a pan (not a loaf pan, I leave it freestanding in a 6x9 glass pan) at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Refer to safe cooking temperatures to make sure it’s done.

Thursday: Leftovers to Fast food

Another one of those days, but now the cold has set in, and all the food has been so good we don’t have enough leftovers for everyone. So I took two of my children out to look at holiday lights around town and pick up Happy Meals.

Friday: Pork Roast, Braised Kale, Sweet potatoes

Using the last of my farmer’s market vegetables, tonight I’ll be braising some kale and serving it with mashed sweet potatoes and roasted pork.

That’s the week! Barring a snowstorm, I’ll be headed to the market tomorrow morning to find more fresh, local inspiration for a week of dinner.