We’ve just wrapped up what you might call an “unstructured” week — other than a late-afternoon soccer clinic for the kids and other than one full day of meetings in the city for me, we had nothing on the schedule for the first few days of summer vacation. And now I’m wondering why we registered them for their upcoming organized activities at all. I could get used to a schedule where we get to sleep in and not once have to hear ourselves say tie your shoes immediately or you will miss the bus and please please please don’t make me ask you again! (Happiness is the laceless summer shoe [1].)
This is not to say that we were sitting around watching Nick Jr and bumming at the beach. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that.) Without even realizing it, we began checking things off the List of Things We’ve Been Meaning to Do All Year. Monday: We finally saw that documentary First Position [2] about the Grand Prix ballet competition and the girls loved it. Tuesday: We hit Shake Shack [3]. (It’s hard to even admit this to myself as a parent, but my poor, deprived daughters had to live eight and ten years respectively before ever sinking their teeth into a Shack Burger.) We roadtripped to Ikea in search of a “swivel stool” for Abby’s new desk and wound up stuffed to the gills with Swedish meatballs and mashed potatoes. (You know, one of those nice light summer meals.) We visited a new Asian Supermarket across town which everyone keeps talking about and where we found all sorts of cool and crazy little things to try like quail eggs, mochi, and Korean melon. It was there, in the glisteningly clean seafood aisle where I spied a five-dollar cooked lobster ($5!) and remembered one other thing on the List: Make Lobster Roll! I came home from that trip, tossed the lobster meat with mayo, scallions, and the slightest sprinkling of paprika, and with one bite, officially initiated summer.
Lobster Roll
Makes one lobster roll. Recipe can be multiplied accordingly.
meat from a cooked 1-pound lobster (about 1/4 pound of cooked lobster meat), roughly chopped
1 scallion (light green and white parts only), chopped
1 teaspoon mayonnaise
squeeze fresh lemon juice
sprinkling of paprika
salt to taste
hot dog bun
butter
Add all ingredients (except bun and butter) in a mixing bowl. Fold together gently. Toast hot dog bun then spread with a thin layer of butter. Top with lobster salad.
Don’t forget about the Mega Giveaway: Tell me your favorite part of the book [4] (not on the comment field of this post, but through the official contest survey [5]) and be eligible to win some pretty awesome prizes. You have until July 9 to enter so get reading!
PS: A GIVEAWAY! When the kids were on the 3- and 4- and 5-year-old birthday circuit, I used to pick up these Ikea Duktig [6] play baking kits by the half dozen to give as gifts. They only cost $9.99 and stack up beautifully in the proverbial gift closet. I got all nostalgic remembering this strategy so picked one up even though we are, for the most part, past the play kitchen stage. So who to give it to, that is the question! What do you think of this: How about I send it to the person who sends out the best tweet that tags dinnerlovestory [7]? It can be related to anything — the blog, a recipe, July 4th, summer, my book [8] (which by the way, was named #1 cookbook on Amazon’s Best Books of the Year So Far [9]?) Literally anything!
I’ll pick a winner before July 4th. Good luck!
Thanks for playing everyone. Kerry G. is the winner.