HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Lunch, lunch, I love lunch. I’ve always loved lunch. For 40-some years as a reporter, I looked forward to it every day, it was a lifesaver and a sanity saver. I do remember, though, the franticness. Once on the way back to file a story, I was so hungry, but SO late, so I ran into a sandwich place and said:
“How long for a tuna sandwich?”
And the guy said: “Two minutes!”
And I said: “Too long!” And raced back to the car and my story.
(And that’s how stressful TV news is. That's what taught me to always carry almonds.)
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But now, working from home, I am still excited about lunch. I will admit, most days I have half of a turkey and swiss sandwich on rye bread with Honeycup mustard, Siete chips and a half-sour pickle. If we have arugula, all the better. SO BORING, I know, but I am in love with it. I don't usually have lunch until 2:30, yes, 2:30. But it's perfect.
How about you, Reds and Readers? Are you a lunch fan? What's on the menu?
HALLIE EPHRON: I’m a big fan of food in general, so what’s not to love about LUNCH?! Especially a fan of last night’s leftovers. Alternatively, I love any excuse to heat a pair of frozen cheese blintzes and eat them with sour cream and canned cherry pie filling. Not healthy but very satisfying.
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DEBORAH CROMBIE: Yes, I love lunch, especially when it gives me a chance to read. Love leftovers, especially soup, or (I know it’s a cliche but it’s so good) I’ll make avocado toast with good bakery sourdough, one of the tiny avocados from Trader Joe’s, olive oil, lemon juice, flakey salt, sriracha, and radish sprouts from the farmer’s market. Totally yum.
JENN McKINLAY: Big fan of lunch but I never eat it unless I’m meeting friends for lunch, which I do a couple of times each month. At home, I’m more of a snacker and a nice plate of cheese and crackers with pickles and olives can get me to dinner no problem.
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RHYS BOWEN: Meeting friends for lunch is what keeps me sane! I have lovely friends both in California and Arizona whom I meet regularly (Jenn. Waving at you!) and escaping from work and concentration for lunch is just perfect. When I’m home alone it’s whatever I can grab. In winter I make big soups with whatever I can throw in. Summer it’s salad, or avocado plus whatever protein is left over.
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LUCY BURDETTE: Gotta have lunch! And usually before noon. I don’t too often go out for lunch, although I love seeing friends, but it takes up a lot of time and I’ll often eat more than I should. The best thing is leftovers such as some of the delicious pea soup I made the other day or lentil soup or anything in that family. If I have a little cottage oat biscuit to eat on the side, that’s even better!
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JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Count me among the lunch fans, both at home (sandwiches! With fancy mustards!) and going out to a restaurant. It’s also become a bit of a trend with my friends to do lunchtime entertaining, and I love it. You go to someone’s house on Sunday afternoon, enjoy good food and conversation, and get home before dark. You don’t have to think about whether to say yes or no to a drink, because what’s on offer is coffee, tea and fruity seltzer. Honestly, it’s an ideal way to entertain.
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How about you, Reds and Readers? Are you a lunch fan? What's on the menu? Your turn to order!
Definitely a lunch fan . . . depending on my mood, it can be soup [homemade chicken noodle is yummy] or a salad . . . sometimes I make grilled cheese [especially when it's cold outside] but egg salad on an English muffin is a particular favorite . . . .
ReplyDeleteOh, egg salad on an English muffin sounds delicious! I never would have thought of that!
DeleteYes to lunch, most often half a ham with organic mayo on Dave's Killer Bread, but if I'm feeling creative, and it's winter, I have a tomato soup recipe that comes together in 15 minutes. Devine with a few stoned wheat thins. Speaking of crackers, depending on the cheeses, cheese and crackers will see me through - with a protein bar at around 3!
ReplyDeleteI so agree, sometimes cheese and crackers can be absolutely ambrosial!
DeleteProtein bars are so processed, not good for you. Cheese and crackers is so much better.
DeleteThank you, Anonymous. I hadn't really thought about that, although I try to not eat processed foods. Hum.......
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ReplyDeleteYes to lunch. Sandwiches or leftovers.The other day I used leftover meatloaf to make a sandwich.
ReplyDeleteThese days my husband and I often go out for a late lunch after our various morning activities and then just have a snack after our evening activities. I don’t know why things are scheduled from 5-8 around here.
Where do you go for lunch? Are you exploring new places?
DeleteWe go to a variety of places.Wednesday is usually Wing Wednesday for 99 cent wings at Beef O ’Brady’s . Piesano’s and Little Joey’s have good lunch specials for pizza and salad. We can golf cart to The Whistling Duck orThePub orSid’s.
DeleteYes to lunch and it's mostly leftovers from the previous night dinner or if not suitable, a salad and a sandwich.
ReplyDeleteIsn’t it so much fun? It’s just this little oasis in the day…
DeleteIt is a meal, of course I'm a fan.
ReplyDeleteBut it can vary as to what I want to eat or if I've eaten close to what would be considered the regular lunch time of noon or not.
When I was working, I just had some ham and cheese (no bread) with some pretzels and a cookie of some sort. Sometimes I'd have something with taste to drink since I drank water all day long otherwise. Occasionally we'd order out and get a pizza.
These days, it could range from the Papa Gino's lunch special of two slices of pizza and a soda, or it could be the 99's lunch special of chicken tenders at the "happy hour" price. Or it could be the ham and cheese if I'm at home. Or a Dunkin Donuts breakfast sandwich if I got up late and it was closer to lunch than breakfast. Hell some days, if I've gotten up late but I'm not going anywhere, I'll still just have a bowl of Cheerios for lunch instead of breakfast.
None of it is healthy but all of it is "good".
There’s nothing like the swoony smell of pizza! I could have pizza for every meal if I were allowed to …
DeleteLove lunch! Like Roberta, I don't go out for it often. A bit of leftovers, or a hard-cooked egg on a salad, maybe a small sandwich. A favorite is cheese broiled on a tortilla, then I add a dollop of salsa and some lettuce, fold it in half, and eat.
ReplyDeleteBroiled cheese is so delicious! Salsa is a brilliant idea.
DeleteI live in an area where Mexican food is popular and I've never heard of cheese broiled on a tortilla but it sounds DELICIOUS!!! Must try it with the salsa and lettuce.
DeleteI love lunch if I’m going out. If I have to fix it at home, not so much. Before retiring, if I had an home office day and there were no leftovers to heat up I’d just have a bowl of Cheerios and milk. Now that we’re both retired my husband thinks we both have to have a proper lunch.
ReplyDeleteJonathan and I always have lunch together… It’s such a great time to chat!
DeleteI am not very active anymore so I have tried to make lunch less calorific, but it is a moving target.
ReplyDeleteA piece of fruit or cut vegetables or both with cheese. Sometimes a bowl of soup. Sometimes avocado with rice crackers. The problem is that when you eat too lightly, hunger builds up and corn chips are suddenly on the menu in mid-afternoon.
Oh, corn chips yes very bad —got to keep them out of the house ! My afternoon snack used to be almonds, but now I eat those tiny little yellow tomatoes. So so good, and very low cal!
DeleteHank, I snack on tomatoes, too! With a tiny bit of flaky salt. And, lately, raw walnuts and maybe a bite of cottage cheese.
DeleteI eat a big breakfast and a bowl of Greek yoghut and fresh or frozen berries for lunch.
ReplyDeleteOh yes, great idea, that is so healthy!
DeleteI love my Greek yogurt and fruit “parfaits” too! I use blueberries and raspberries, a sprinkle of granola for crunch, and drizzle with honey. It is so satisfying, healthy, and it keeps me pretty full until my late-afternoon snack time.
DeleteFirst breakfast is plain Greek yogurt with berries and chopped apple (winter, in summer it's berries and peaches), drizzled with a teaspoon of local honey and a sprinkle of my divine (if I say so myself) homemade granola. An hour or two later I'm starving again and will have a whole wheat English muffin. Then I don't care so much about lunch.
DeleteLunch – which in my world would be served at 11am when I am hungry enough to eat the cat! Yes, I had breakfast – usually 3 eggs or as this morning - 2 eggs and a glob (doesn’t sound appetizing does it) of beans (and Frank’s hot sauce). Then I starve my way through recipes – all of which sound great – until lunch. Can be anything from leftovers carefully planned for, or fresh soup –with enough stuff in it that you can stand on it, so maybe a piece of toast to go with it, or my favourite - homemade eggs benedict – yes, I know I had eggs for breakfast but my stomach says you cannot have too many eggs. I make a fabulous hollandaise, so I love it – the other person not so much. Should I have an avocado – rarely happens – I will put a slice under the egg, or maybe a glop of homemade guac- again avocado dependent. Then to think of supper.
ReplyDeleteToday I think I will make a corn chowder with a bit of ham that was stored in the freezer from Christmas and a topping of cheese. Sourdough toast. Jello and a cookie for dessert. Book Club today for mid-afternoon – hope there are egg sandwiches.
You are so organized! Very impressive! Keep us posted on the egg sandwiches… And so agree, eggs are so incredibly versatile .
DeleteI love an egg salad sandwich or chicken salad sandwich especially on a croissant.
DeleteI generally eat 2 breakfasts (before and after I go running) so lunch is pretty simple--salad with smoked salmon or leftover chicken. Occasionally I mix it up, but not often. I do like to go out with friends! If I go out to lunch, I'm not hungry for dinner, so I make do with leftovers or a snack.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you know exactly what your body needs!
DeleteSmoked salmon, yum!
DeleteOh my, I feel quite outside the in-crowd on this one! Weight management has been a constant concern of my 67 years, so when I was still working lunch was much more of a measured fuel-up than a meal I set out to enjoy. I only went out to lunch occasionally, and the rest of the time I carried really sensible things like tuna, cottage cheese, or a boiled egg, with 6 crackers, a vegetable, and a piece of fruit. Or in the winter, sometimes a small bowl of leftover homemade soup. This created a problem when hubby and I retired on the same day in 2022, since he was used to going out to lunch and having a meal as big as my dinner. At first, I ate leftovers with him at lunchtime and found myself putting on weight. So now he eats leftovers from earlier in the week and I sometimes eat a much smaller portion of the same, but more often eat more like what I used to carry to work. With my metabolism, that's what I need to do to allow room to enjoy nice dinners with him nightly and feel free to have the occasional adult beverage or sweet treat.
ReplyDeleteTuna! What a miracle food. I absolutely love tuna , just plain , on celery.
DeleteOh, Susan, to have the metabolism of my younger days! Graduate school on the Ohio State campus: breakfast before 8. Eat the lunch I brought by 10:30. Eat lunch out with friends at noon. Grab a snack around 2-3 pm. Home for an early supper and snack while I made supper. Evening treat before bed. And never a pound gained.
DeleteFlora, when I was in grad school at Ohio State, there was one day each week that my schedule was so tight the only way I could lunch was to grab a hot dog from a vendor's cart as I crossed campus from one class to the next. I would get his dog with everything, which as I recall included of course catsup, mustard, relish, and onion but also kraut and chili. I know that sounds revolting, but it was surprisingly delicious! (But then, I was young and had a cast-iron digestive system.)
DeleteSusan, some of my campus lunches were from the hotdog vendor, too! Always delicious and often stationed behind my building.
DeleteIf I had my way lunch would be the main meal of the day, and dinner would be a salad with protein. I prefer to eat like the old adage: breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, dinner like a pauper. Which is how I ate before we got married, but my husband wanted his meat, starch, salad and two veg for dinner. Back then, he ate all the time, thousands of calories a day, with a massively efficient metabolism thanks to his level of outdoor activity. I had to adjust!
ReplyDeleteSince I have worked from home for most of the last 40+ years, and Steve came home for lunch, we always have stuff on hand for the midday meal. I plan dinners with lunch leftovers in mind, but we might also have omelets, or sandwiches, or soup. Frozen burritos--mine with added cheese and chunks of avocado, his with salsa--are a big treat. I also keep tortillas on hand for lower carb sammies.
We very rarely go out for lunch, but this week we are going to the Cincinnati Art Museum to see the Mad Magazine exhibit, which will include dining in their wonderful cafe. His idea, I nearly fell over.
The mad magazine exhibit? That sounds hilarious! Cannot wait to hear all about it… And lunch at the museum, that’s always fabulous.
DeleteWhen hubby and I first retired we tried to gravitate to lunch being the main meal of the day. But we're both still pretty active in church and volunteer organizations, and we kept finding ourselves needing to participate in dinner outings so often that we just couldn't seem to make it stick. Interestingly, it is what we regularly do any time we travel.
DeleteThanks to you all for being there yesterday to hold my hand. I will still be thinking of Kathy all week, and wishing her comfort, and hope Jay gets a good job interview on Thursday.
ReplyDeleteNow as for the good things from yesterday – someone said they are feeding pumpkin to their squirrels and both the squirrels and the voyeurs are enjoying it. In that vein and because we have a huge amount of squash, I am about to put some out beside the bird feeder – it should make for an entertaining day!
Lunch for the squirrels, that’s hilarious! And we love you so much…
DeleteI also have pretty spoiled birds, squirrels, and deer here. They get breakfast and evening “meals”!
DeleteMargo, we put a small pumpkin out for the squirrels, first time we ever done that, and they loved it. And so entertaining to watch.
DeleteDefinitely a fan of lunch, but since it is my writing hour, whatever I eat has to be easy to consume. Hank, I am also a fan of the half of a turkey sandwich (sourdough, with baby greens, cheese, and spicy brown mustard) and a bag of chips. But last night's leftovers are a good choice too, especially when it's a cold day and said leftovers require reheating.
ReplyDeleteGood turkey combo!
DeleteI may not have the metabolism of my younger days, but I'm still on the same eating schedule! Must have breakfast, lunch, supper, and usually snacks in between--just not as much per portion. Lunch is often leftovers, which is usually fine because I mostly cook stuff I enjoy. Sometimes, though, trying a new recipe for supper results in meh leftovers. In that case, I'll go with toasted sourdough with peanut butter and honey. Favorite lunches are with my sister--we'll run errands together and she'll ask if I'm hungry. Rhetorical question!
ReplyDeletePeanut butter! Heavenly. And one of my favorite breakfast things.
DeleteI feel your pain, Hank - while working, I would often eat Chunky soup cold from the can because I didn’t have time to walk to the lunchroom and use the microwave. Then about once per month I would splurge and have lunch with a colleague working elsewhere in the City of LA. Favorite spot was The Curry House near City Hall - chicken katsu curry, mild, thank you.
ReplyDeleteIn Nice we frequently make lunch the big meal of the day. Yesterday we met friends at our favorite restaurant, La Merenda, for lunch. Started with stuffed sardines, then stockfish, poached plums for dessert and an espresso. My husband like espresso after a meal, but I can’t drink it at night, so lunchtime is good.
Oh, the idea that you didn’t even have enough time to go to the microwave is such a telling detail! Wow. That will haunt me forever. I totally understand.
DeleteHI Lisa - I am so intrigued by your life in Nice. A place I visited years ago and love the whole area. Beautiful.
DeleteAnon - we have loved discovering it during the past 9 months. I am sad to be going back to SoCal next week and looking forward to returning in March.
DeleteI generally go to our local cafe for espresso (iced latte) and a croissant or small muffin. At home I make oatmeal for my hub and myself about once or twice a week.
ReplyDeleteFor lunch I just snack - and have maybe a cheese quesadilla, or cottage cheese, or nuts. On occasion I'll have a small bowl of Ben & Jerry's ice cream.
I absolutely love cottage cheese, with little tomatoes on it. Thank you for reminding me!
DeleteI went through such a cottage cheese phase last year!
DeletePaula here ~ this is the best thing ever. I’m taking notes! I struggle with lunch as I seem to always be hungry for something elusive. My lunch menu is so boring as to be ignored. Don’t care for leftovers since the original wasn’t spectacular. Just boring. And I love food! But not mine so much. I would love to have a cook who stops by 3x’s a day with something outstandingly wonderful. Now to create the notes.
ReplyDeleteOh yes yes, a personal delivery service for every meal! That would be incredibly luxurious…
DeleteMy two closest friends are my lunch buddies from 1986, when we all had our first "real" jobs. We worked in Trenton NJ with about 20 Italian restaurants in a six block radius. Those are mostly gone, but the pizzerias are in their third generation of ownership and bitter rivalries. Our 94 year old former secretary will only let us take her to one of them, but the rest of us will eat at any of them! Friendships started over lunch are the best!
ReplyDeleteLunch can be such a little cone of freedom in the work life!
DeleteI love the pizza rivalries!
DeleteA very happy birthday to Roberta/Lucy today!!!
ReplyDeleteYes yes, singing in Boston!
DeleteHappy birthday, Roberta!!
ReplyDeleteAnd Lucy, what did you put in your pea soup? I've been craving that.
ReplyDeleteSomeday we should talk about pea soup. I really do not like it. And thinking about it, I do not think I have ever tasted it. It just sounds weird to me.
DeleteGive a try, Hank. Mom used to make it during winter days, with a ham hock. Great dinner with warm corn bread, butter and honey. These days, I'll buy a can of Anderson's Pea Soup (without bacon), warm it up, add crushed saltine crackers and black pepper for a fast meal now. Yum!
DeleteThis anonymous is me, Deana. :-)
DeleteI love lunch. This time of year, it's mostly soup, and in the summer, it's salad with whatever's in the garden. I love lunch with friends and don't do it nearly enough.
ReplyDeleteAnd happy birthday, Roberta!
So funny, I never think of soup for lunch. Of course it makes sense! I wish grilled cheese was not so fattening…
DeleteI'm a grab it and go kind of girl which is strange because as I write, my husband is sitting at the kitchen table with his placemat, napkin and bowl of soup, which he eats every day all year round. I never sit for lunch, preferring to grab a piece of cheese or fruit and/or a piece of chocolate, unless I'm out with friends. I like to look forward to sitting down to a meal in the evening.
ReplyDeleteAw, that is such a cute thing to imagine..we all have our preferences! xxx
DeleteWhen I was working, I would escape from work daily for lunch. It was necessary for my survival. I would try to avoid the fast food places across from the high school and junior college, they were just too crowded. I like a nice sandwich if I can get it.
ReplyDeleteYes, it's a wonderful escape, I so agree!
DeleteYes, I so look forward to lunch and reading. I've had the same thing every day for years now: a corn tortilla with a thin line of shredded cheese down the center, covered by Trader Joe's jalapeno sauce or Green Dragon sauce, zapped in the microwave, rolled up and yum! This accompanied by whatever fruit is available, usually half a banana and some grapes, both enhanced with Tajin. Reading? Right now it's Blue Heaven by C. J. Box, for the third time. Come on, Reds--write faster--though I don't begrudge you that satisfying lunch. Lenita
ReplyDeleteSO perfect! and love hearing from you! xx
DeleteI love making big pots of soup or chili just so I can have leftovers for lunch. Other times I'll have a sliced apple with some white cheddar cheese slices and a handful of pecans.
ReplyDeleteApple and cheddar and nuts--SO GOOD!
DeleteApples, cheese and nuts a match made in yum ville!!
DeleteIn my working years, lunch was courtesy of the school cafeteria, with less than 20 minutes to eat it. Now I tend to have a nutritious breakfast, snack through the day, and have a healthy supper, with fruit and cheese before bed. I will sometimes meet a friend for a real lunch, or stop mid-afternoon at a favorite place for "lupper" -- a food anarchist I am. ;-). -- storyteller Mary
ReplyDeleteIf I didn’t have time to pack a lunch, I ate the school cafeteria meals too. I would cut the line of students so I would have time to both eat and use the restroom in my allotted 30 minutes.
Deleteoh school cafeterias--another whole blog! We'll do it soon!
DeleteI am a fan of lunch. One of the benefits of the private school where I work is free lunch. It is a great benefit! They typically have a variety of great food choices. So, I eat my big meal of the day at lunch and then have a very simple dinner.
ReplyDeleteNice! xxx
DeleteI worked in public school and paid substantially more for the same cafeteria meals the students were served.
ReplyDeletePeanut butter and jelly for lunch is often my go to…on bread, on toast, on a toasted bagel, on a toasted English muffin, rolled up in a tortilla, on crackers..pretty much anything you can think of to spread it on.
ReplyDeleteSO very yummy! xxx
DeleteBig fan of lunch here. It is a wonderful treat to meet friends for lunch. This comment is so late since I had lots to do today! I am currently eating a turkey sandwich with everything and drinking a cup of decaf Green tea. Soup in the winter sounds great to me. Salads in the summer is perfect.
ReplyDeleteYum yum yum!
DeleteAll those pictures are making me HUNGRY!!! LOL, thanks, Hank.
ReplyDeleteI had exactly the same reaction! I want avocado toast! :-)
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