By Heatwave. Four days over 95. The clinic AC held. My house AC is a window unit in the living room and a fan everywhere else, which means the kids slept in the living room on the pullout three nights in a row and loved it.
A patient at clinic Tuesday, 72 years old, lives alone, came in for dizziness. Dehydration. BP 92 over 58. I sent her to BMC for IV fluids. She was home by evening. I called her Friday to check — she has a neighbor who is checking in on her twice a day through the heatwave. Good.
Group Tuesday. New cycle starting in two weeks. I will sign up again. I do not know how long I will keep going but I will keep going as long as I need to.
Nora turned a corner this week with pre-K — no more tantrums at drop-off for two weeks running. Erin reports she is happy. She is playing well with two girls in particular. She asked me Wednesday night if one of them (Maya) could come over. I said yes. We will arrange a playdate for next week.
Liam is reading the first Harry Potter. Out loud, to Nora, at bedtime. He does voices. Nora takes it very seriously. I stood in the hallway Tuesday and listened and cried a little, quietly, not for sadness, for the shape of them together.
I wrote in the notebook Wednesday that the first year of widowhood I thought the weight would stay the same forever. It has not. It has shifted. I carry it differently. It is still there. But I am not buckled under it every second. This feels like a betrayal to say. It is not.
Saturday pancakes. Burned the first one. I put the blue plate in the sun on the deck because the kitchen was already 88 degrees at 7 AM. We ate the other pancakes on the deck too.
Sunday dinner at Southie. Ma made a cold dinner — sliced roast beef, potato salad, coleslaw, iced tea. A hot-weather dinner. Dad was in his retirement mode — shorts, white tee, beer on the porch. It was nice.
Food of the week: Ma's potato salad. Mayonnaise, a lot of it. Hard boiled egg. Celery. Red onion. Dill pickle chopped fine. Yellow mustard. Paprika on top. Not fancy. Beautiful.
Ma’s potato salad gets all the credit — and it deserves it — but the Broccoli Tomato Salad she sets out alongside it is the one I keep coming back to when the heat is bad and the oven is not an option. It’s crunchy and cold and it gets better the longer it sits in the fridge, which is exactly what you need when you’re feeding kids in a house that’s 88 degrees by 7 AM. I started making it myself the Monday after that Sunday dinner at Southie, and it’s been in the rotation ever since.
Broccoli Tomato Salad
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 0 min | Total Time: 15 min (plus 30 min chill) | Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 4 cups fresh broccoli florets, cut small
- 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/3 cup red onion, finely diced
- 1/4 cup sunflower seeds or bacon bits (optional)
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Prep the vegetables. Cut broccoli into small, bite-sized florets. Halve the cherry tomatoes and finely dice the red onion. Place everything in a large mixing bowl.
- Add the cheese and seeds. Scatter the shredded cheddar and sunflower seeds (or bacon bits, if using) over the vegetables and toss lightly to distribute.
- Make the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper until smooth and well combined.
- Dress and toss. Pour the dressing over the salad and fold everything together until the broccoli and tomatoes are evenly coated.
- Chill before serving. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving — the broccoli softens just slightly and the flavors come together. Serve cold.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 195 | Protein: 5g | Fat: 16g | Carbs: 9g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 280mg