Posts by Rachel Schultz

DOING A BACK TO SCHOOL DINNER FOR YOUR FAMILY

August 25, 2022

There are all kinds of back to school events, but it is very cozy and special to have a big meal together at home for the start of the school. The seasonal elements I most like to use for early fall are apples, school supplies, and some light sunflower presence (for the appropriate late summer essence.) A really classic menu is great for this back to school occasion.

You could do perhaps lasagna (with homemade noodles), a green salad, garlic bread, milk, apple crisp, and vanilla ice cream.

Below I have a few more ideas to add to the table to make this meal even more distinctive.

PATTERNED APPLE PAPER TABLECLOTH

Roll out a big roll of white paper (available at hobby lobby, and lots of places) across your tablescape. Mark an “x” in pencil where each apple goes. Children paint red circles. Add a small green leaf with paint. Draw on stem with brown colored pencil. This tablecloth turns out so charming. I love small scale patterns.

CRAYON NAME PLACECARDS

You’re seven crayons and a hot glue gun away from these. Glue crayons together in a two by three by two structure. Keep these for next year! Use trimmed notecards to write names.

GRAPH PAPER MENU CARD

(1) Name cards and (2) a printed menu are two, I think, highly underutilized features to include on your home table for slightly special days. They are very simple to put together but add so much. For a back to school menu card, just slice some grid paper, draw on a bright yellow border and write out your dishes. Cute children’s handwritten cursive is as appropriate for this meal’s menu card as ever! (But I love it all the time.)

CENTERPIECES

A perfect low cost centerpiece is a few stacks of some children’s literature – The Hobbit, The Boxcar Children, Anne of Green Gables, Stuart Little, The Magician’s Nephew – and late summer sunflowers in simple vessels.

PLACE SETTINGS

Everyone likes a fresh notebook and I love the pattern of the iconic composition notebook. Place one under each table setting for a little back to school dinner favor, and a layered pattern for the tablescape. I add a folded light blue napkin underneath the menu card because light blue looks good with everything and feels like a part of the back to school color palette the spread needed.

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A lot of building family culture (so important) is simply marking things out to be a little special, more than just going through the motions of life. And then doing the same things again next year! Now it’s a tradition.

There are more posts on motherhood here.

BREAKFAST FRIED RICE

April 27, 2022

Rachel Schultz

Fried rice is a dinner we love making, so it is only right we should morph it into breakfast form. With just a few tweaks it makes for a fun first meal of the day. You have got to do the mashed avo and fried eggs too which are a perfect additional, along with the flavorful rice. The pitfall of some breakfasts is that they are hard to make for a big squad all at once (namely pancakes). This feeds a group all at once something unique and un-boring.

Also even better, some people prefer day old rice for fried rices, so you can prep the rice (and bacon!) the night before and assemble it quickly the morning of.

Bonus, my husband gave this “could be a restaurant menu item” status!

BREAKFAST FRIED RICE
Serves six souls

1 cup rice
2 cups water
2 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons soy sauce
6 tablespoons butter
6 cups kale, chopped
3 carrots, grated (or chopped)
6 green onions, sliced diagonally
1 and 1/2 cups edamame, de-shelled
1 bulb garlic, minced
1 pound bacon
6 fried eggs
3 avocados, mashed
2 jalapeños, sliced
1 cucumber, sliced
Red pepper flake
Black pepper

Bring rice and water to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Or, prepare in a rice cooker.

Whisk together honey and soy sauce. Toss rice in soy sauce mixture.

Heat butter in a skillet over medium heat. Saute kale and carrot for 2-3 minutes. Add green onion, edamame, and garlic. Cook for 2 more minutes. Add rice to vegetables.

Serve with bacon, fried eggs, mashed avocado, jalapeño, cucumbers, red pepper flake, and black pepper.

BREAKFAST FRIED RICE

Author: Rachel Schultz

Ingredients

1 cup rice
2 cups water
2 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons soy sauce
6 tablespoons butter
6 cups kale, chopped
3 carrots, grated (or chopped)
6 green onions, sliced diagonally
1 and ½ cups edamame, de-shelled
1 bulb garlic, minced
1 pound bacon
6 fried eggs
3 avocados, mashed
2 jalapeños, sliced
1 cucumber, sliced
Red pepper flake
Black pepper

Instructions

Bring rice and water to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Or, prepare in a rice cooker.
Whisk together honey and soy sauce. Toss rice in soy sauce mixture.
Heat butter in a skillet over medium heat. Saute kale and carrot for 2-3 minutes. Add green onion, edamame, and garlic. Cook for 2 more minutes. Add rice to vegetables.
Serve with bacon, fried eggs, mashed avocado, jalapeño, cucumbers, red pepper flake, and black pepper.

BLUEBERRY & AVOCADO CHOPPED SALAD

April 26, 2022

Rachel Schultz

In general salads are one of my favorite meals. Sometimes the trouble is having enough elements on hand for them to have variety. Salads can get sad and uninspiring fast when we have had the same three to four toppings on them for the last five times we’ve eaten them. This recipe has become one I do for something that has a lot of variety within. I love chopped salads in that way! Lots of bite size delicious pieces! Also there is is a very pleasant and fast homemade dressing.

AND IT IS A VERY SUMMERTIME SALAD!

It is one I have chosen for my mother’s day meal because it feels like a launch of summer.

BLUEBERRY & AVOCADO CHOPPED SALAD
Serves six

6 limes, juiced
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3 heads of romaine, chopped
3 corn on the cob, grilled or cooked, sliced
1 and 1/2 cups blueberries
4 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled
24 cherry tomatoes, halved
Sliced jalapeños (optional)
1 and 1/2 cup goat cheese crumbles
3 avocados, cubed

Whisk together lime juice, honey, white wine vinegar, olive oil, salt, and black pepper to make dressing.

Toss romaine, corn, blueberries, chicken, bacon, tomatoes, and jalapeños (optional) in dressing. Top with goat cheese and avocado.

BLUEBERRY & AVOCADO CHOPPED SALAD

Author: Rachel Schultz

Ingredients

6 limes, juiced
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
3 heads of romaine, chopped
3 corn on the cob, grilled or cooked, sliced
1 and ½ cups blueberries
4 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled
24 cherry tomatoes, halved
Sliced jalapeños (optional)
1 and ½ cup goat cheese crumbles
3 avocados, cubed

Instructions

Whisk together lime juice, honey, white wine vinegar, olive oil, salt, and black pepper to make dressing.
Toss romaine, corn, blueberries, chicken, bacon, tomatoes, and jalapeños (optional) in dressing. Top with goat cheese and avocado.