Thursdays in the kitchen with Joe (the Trader): chili-lime chicken burgers
19 July 2012
When I look at my phone periodically throughout the day, the screen is undoubtedly on Instagram. Bun Bun and Miss T don’t have phones but want desperately to know the latest and greatest about their friends, so they use mine. This morning, the message I saw was from a soccer friend telling her followers that she was off to camp for a month and would be out of touch. Damn those Jews! I thought. I am so envious of them – friends who themselves spent their summers at camp making lifelong friends and memorable experiences, and who now ship their kids off for a minimum of three weeks. The Christians? We spend those same three weeks feeling guilty for all the television our kids are watching, even if they’ve been at pottery-making classes all day. You know why I check my phone for emails throughout the afternoon? To see if anyone suddenly decided they wanted to take my kids for a few days. Hasn’t happened yet. And yet they’re nice kids. Cute. Not much trouble at all, especially if you let them watch “Dance Moms”. How awkward would it be for me to send my little Gentiles to Camp Mountain Chai? I wonder.
This is obliquely related to dinner. Thing is, when kids are around they need to be fed and 
since mine are around all the time…well, you get the picture. And yet this summer I don’t want to cook. Don’t know why. I’m simply not interested in spending time in the kitchen doing much more than pouring a bowl of cereal. I’ve completely misplaced my culinary mojo. Dinner lately is one of four different things, maybe five, and two of them are from Trader Joe’s. When in doubt, let TJ feed the family.
These chili-lime chicken burgers come in the frozen section and I’m telling you about them in case you don’t know. I melt a slice of pepper jack on top and serve them with lettuce, tomato, and my famous guacamole. Sure, you can buy the guacamole but I can’t. I’m a guac snob. Gotta make my own.
Anyhow, this is a meal in ten minutes, five if you buy the guac – and my family loves it. Yours will, too. So if you’re in the summer cooking doldrums like I am, or don’t cook to begin with, try these. You’ll be glad you did.
Now, about my kids, do you want them?
When I look at my phone periodically throughout the day, the screen is undoubtedly on Instagram. Bun Bun and Miss T don’t have phones but want desperately to know the latest and greatest about their friends, so they use mine. This morning, the message I saw was from a soccer friend telling her followers that she was off to camp for a month and would be out of touch. Damn those Jews! I thought. I am so envious of them – friends who themselves spent their summers at camp making lifelong friends and memorable experiences, and who now ship their kids off for a minimum of three weeks. The Christians? We spend those same three weeks feeling guilty for all the television our kids are watching, even if they’ve been at pottery-making classes all day. You know why I check my phone for emails throughout the afternoon? To see if anyone suddenly decided they wanted to take my kids for a few days. Hasn’t happened yet. And yet they’re nice kids. Cute. Not much trouble at all, especially if you let them watch “Dance Moms”. How awkward would it be for me to send my little Gentiles to Camp Mountain Chai? I wonder.
This is obliquely related to dinner. Thing is, when kids are around they need to be fed and since mine are around all the time…well, you get the picture. And yet this summer I don’t want to cook. Don’t know why. I’m simply not interested in spending time in the kitchen doing much more than pouring a bowl of cereal. I’ve completely misplaced my culinary mojo. Dinner lately is one of four different things, maybe five, and two of them are from Trader Joe’s. When in doubt, let TJ feed the family.
These chili-lime chicken burgers come in the frozen section and I’m telling you about them in case you don’t know. I melt a slice of pepper jack on top and serve them with lettuce, tomato, and my famous guacamole. Sure, you can buy the guacamole but I can’t. I’m a guac snob. Gotta make my own.
Anyhow, this is a meal in ten minutes, five if you buy the guac – and my family loves it. Yours will, too. So if you’re in the summer cooking doldrums like I am, or don’t cook to begin with, try these. You’ll be glad you did.
Now, about my kids, do you want them?
You can send them to me but I’m afraid they will balk at the 26 hour journey. Also it’s freezing here in Johannesburg! Good luck with the rest of summer