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Location: Northern California

Monday, November 12, 2007

 

Not a first, but maybe a second or a third


Emily and the Maneki Neko
Originally uploaded by marytsao
This past weekend we did something as a family that we rarely do; we ate every meal at home.

OMG!!1!

Of course the weekend doesn't include Friday night, when we had dinner at California Pizza Kitchen, but we usually go out to eat at least once and sometimes twice over Saturday and Sunday. This weekend we didn't do that, opting instead to eat the following "prepared at home" meals:

Saturday
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs with cheese, served with tortillas and salsa
Lunch: Grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup with canned mandarin oranges for dessert
Dinner: Rice with dal makhani and paneer tikka masala (Indian heat-n-serve food); the kids had buttered noodles

Sunday
Breakfast: Whole grain waffles (frozen, from Trader Joe's) with turkey sausages and bananas
Lunch: Samosas (frozen, from Namaste Indian Market in Belmont), Zataran's jambalaya mix with added chicken, turkey, and garlic sausage
Dinner: Japanese-style curry with added carrots and onion over Trader Joe's chicken nuggets and rice (I should post the recipe for this -- it's easy and tastes a lot like chicken katsu), green salad

So there you have it, an accurate picture of what we typically eat. We definitely rely on food that's easy to put together and get to the table in under thirty minutes, usually under fifteen minutes. My favorite dish was the paneer tikka masala and the kids enjoyed the grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato soup the most. I must have had that same meal at east once a week when I was a kid so I understand its attraction!

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To commemorate today's Veterans Day holiday, the kids and I went on a fieldtrip to San Francisco's Japantown. I was particularly interested in seeing the Peace Pagoda and the eternal flame.

The weather was beautiful and the kids had a good time running around the Peace Plaza before scarfing down their Bullet Train bento lunch at Mifune restaurant. They also enjoyed eating my chicken and egg soba noodles.

But here's the best part: As she was leaving, a nice Japanese auntie leaned over to pat me on the shoulder and tell me that my children were very well behaved. High praise! A good day, indeed.