Good morning, and happy Sunday! This week included a trip to the BIG city! You’ll find all of the highlights from the past few days, along with each of our dinners, in today’s roundup of Our Week in Meals.
For those of you who are new to the blog, Our Week in Meals is where I share a little bit about what we’ve been up to over the past week — as it relates to our dinners each night. This series gives you a glimpse “behind the scenes” at some highlights from our life, shows you how I balance a busy schedule with feeding my family, and offers a few new ideas for your own weekly meal plan.
Now, let’s back up to last weekend…
Sunday started with an early walk and church,
as well as a few hours of work on the final edits for my cookbook!
I cleaned out the pantry and came across a few cans of tuna that needed to be used…so I made the best tuna salad recipe for lunch!
For supper, Keith grilled New York strip steaks and Italian sausages.
I was in charge of the sides, including my summer obsession: peach salad,
my mom’s marinated cucumbers, buttered white rice, and a loaf of Ashley’s sourdough bread.
Book time! This week I read The Summer We Ran by Audrey Ingram, a June Book of the Month selection. It’s an entertaining, quick read that’s a cross between a young romance and a political thriller. I loved that it’s set in Charlottesville, too!
I managed to sneak out for an early walk on Monday morning…
…and then we were off and running with the kids: Spencer had an orientation at the middle school, Gibbs played golf, and Casey had basketball that evening.
For a meal that makes everyone at the table happy, I served this easy chicken Parmesan recipe alongside pasta with marinara, a side salad, and garlic breadsticks from the freezer.
Tuesday was a day of errands and packing as we prepared to leave town for a few days. Keith took the boys to get haircuts, while I took the dog to the groomer, met Ashley for a walk, and drove Gibbs to Charlottesville for an appointment.
Another jar of flowers — this time for my parents, who were kind enough to spoil Teddy while we were away.
For dinner, it was Chipotle-style burritos: beef, rice, beans, corn, cheese, salsa, tortillas, chips, and guacamole.
These country boys have been excited to visit New York City, so before Gibbs starts high school golf season tomorrow and the summer gets away from us, we made it happen!
We left Central Virginia very early on Wednesday morning and made it to Manhattan by lunchtime.
One of my childhood best friends works in the city, so we were fortunate enough to have a built-in tour guide for the afternoon. Seeing her for the first time in ages was definitely the highlight of my trip!
Caryn introduced us to some amazing gelato at Anita Gelato…
We covered a huge portion of the city on foot, from our hotel on the Upper West Side, through Central Park, Times Square, Penn Plaza, down to The High Line near Chelsea Market, and The Vessel at Hudson Yards.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a trip to NYC without pizza! We ate about a zillion slices of New York-style pizza,
followed by warm Insomnia cookies,
and another walk in Central Park.
New York bagels to start our Thursday!
We spent most of that day downtown.
First, a visit to the Statue of Liberty,
and then to the 9/11 memorial and museum.
Loved this Reuben that I got for lunch at a deli on Wall Street!
After a short break, we popped into the American Museum of Natural History, which was right near our hotel. This turned out to be one of the highlights of the trip for the kids!
And for dinner, American food (smash burgers, wings, club sandwiches, etc.) from George Keeley. The bar was rockin’! I had the chicken Caesar salad and the soft pretzels, plus soft-serve at 16 Handles for dessert.
On Friday morning we grabbed breakfast from a little bakery in our Upper West Side neighborhood, Orwashers. This donut ranks right up there with one of the Top 5 Best Donuts of My Life (and that’s coming from a girl who has had a lot of donuts over the years)! I’ll be thinking about it for a long time…
After one last visit to Central Park (per the boys’ request), we headed back home to Virginia. New York was so good to us — we lucked out with beautiful weather, a lovely hotel, and some amazing food. We will be back!
We were home in time for supper, so I thawed some pulled pork from the freezer and made bbq sandwiches. Plus this easy, semi-homemade coleslaw, canned baked beans, and potato chips on the side. And then I proceeded to do endless loads of laundry, while Spencer and Casey went to play pick-up soccer at the high school.
Back to walks on quiet country roads on Saturday morning!
Keith and the older boys ran errands in Charlottesville, while Spencer and I picked up Teddy and visited our neighbor for eggs and tomatoes.
We had marinated grilled shrimp for supper,
plus crispy seasoned roasted potatoes, rice,
and roasted yellow squash and zucchini.
So there you have it, friends — another week of easy summer meals! I hope that you’ve found something new to add to your own table in the days ahead. Thank you for being here, and have a wonderful Sunday!
What food did you bring back home? Maybe a dozen bagels,or some loaves of bread. Our last trip up there we loaded up.
Haha! We definitely thought about it, but we came home empty-handed, Leia!
Good morning, Blair! So glad you had a great trip! Have added the marinated cucumbers to my potluck list.
Have an awesome week!
Thank you, Ann! Hope you enjoy them. They’re on our dinner menu again tonight!
So glad you got to catch up. Life seems to get away from us ..love your pictures of food and family..connecting with old buddies and picking where u left off is so wonderful. Anytime you are in my neck of the woods..feel free to reach out! Fred!
So true, Fred! It was wonderful to see her…like no time had passed! xoxo
Oh wow, such amazing photos of NYC! So glad you all had fun! I haven’t been there since I was 19, & I’m 59 now. Your boys are so tall. It’s amazing how fast they grow up. The recipes look great as always. Have a great Sunday!
Thanks, Leslie! We hadn’t been since the kids were young (and couldn’t really appreciate it). It was fun to see the city through their eyes. Let me tell you — they were in awe!
NYC is such a great weekend trip. Glad you had a good time. Our kids loved visiting the Statue of Liberty. Ellis Island is pretty cool too. Have a great week!
It really is, Renee. We can’t wait to return!
I really enjoyed this post! You have a lovely family!
Thank you, Carol!
Hi Blair – I loved all of your NYC photos! Isn’t it an amazing city? I got to visit prior to 9/11 and will never forget the dinner at the Windows on the World restaurant at the top of the North Tower. It was a view that I’ll always remember. Have a wonderful week!
That’s such a special memory, Tylene. We did have a wonderful time!
Hi Blair! I so enjoy your weekly blog and look forward to reading it every Sunday.,Thanks for many inspirational recipes. I was wondering if you use an air fryer. I’ve been thinking about buying one, but I’m not really sure if it will be used often.
Hi, Mary Ann! I do own an “extra large” air fryer and use it regularly — but not really for cooking meals for the family. It’s just not big enough to cook enough chicken or other meat to feed my family of 5 (especially with multiple teenage boys!). As a result, I would have to cook our meals in batches so that I don’t overcrowd the air fryer. At that point, it’s just easier to use the oven and cook everything at once. That said, the air fryer comes in VERY handy with the kids’ lunches and snacks. It’s easy enough for them to use themselves, so they often cook mini frozen pizzas in there, heat up chicken nuggets or chicken patty sandwiches, etc. I have also used it occasionally to cook veggies as a side dish (like broccoli or potatoes) when I don’t want to turn on the oven or the oven is being used for something else. So while it’s not a replacement for the oven in our house, it’s a useful tool that I would compare to a toaster oven. This is the model that I have: https://www.amazon.com/Technology-Superheated-Guilt-Free-Dishwasher-Space-Saving/dp/B0DRPRMH8Z?gQT=1 Hope that helps!
Such a fun recap. Next time pass on Insomnia Cookies and head to the famous Levain Bakery. You won’t regret it. Then you can give us a copycat recipe for one of their amazing cookies! It is such a great city – like no other. Our younger son attended Fordham University in the Bronx and never left the city. He now works in Manhattan and resides in the financial district (FiDi), so we love training in to visit him and doing all the things. Sooo glad you had great weather and such a memorable visit. You did a lot! 🙂
Yes! Those Levain cookies were on my list, but we never made it. There was even one right near our hotel, but the Insomnia cookies was closer and the kids wanted to pop in when we were walking by. Next time!! 🙂
Hi Blair! It sounds like you and your family enjoyed NYC! My family and I are in Costa Rica, and we have had some of the best food ever!!! We had a private that came and prepared our meal. It was delicious!! I can’t wait until your cookbook comes out!!! Have a great week!!!
Wow! It sounds like you’re having a wonderful trip, Candice. Thank you for sharing! Have a great week as well.
Hi Blair,
I always enjoy reading your column and catching up on your happenings with your family. Being a Virginia girl myself, I like the interesting photos and scenery. While I don’t cook as much in the Summer, I’m looking forward to cooler weather to try some of your weekly recipes. Looking forward to hearing more about your new cookbook!
Kind Regards,
Vicki
Thank you for such kind words, Vicki! We’re so happy to have you here.