By Halloween. Thursday night. Patrick came over at 5 in his BFD Class B and picked up Liam. Liam was in his firefighter costume. They looked, God help me, identical. Nora was a butterfly. I was a nurse.
We trick-or-treated the Quincy neighborhood. Our immediate street is good for it — sidewalks, porches with lights on, a friendly retired couple three doors down who always have the full-size candy bars. Liam and Patrick walked as a pair. Liam ran up each walkway with his plastic jack-o'-lantern bucket. Nora insisted on holding my hand until the third house, then she let go and ran after Liam.
Two hours. A pound of candy each. Back home at 7:30. I rationed. Liam negotiated down to "three tonight, two in lunchbox tomorrow, the rest over the weekend." Nora ate one Reese's cup and was asleep on the couch by 8. Patrick had a beer and left at 8:30 to get back to Colleen and Sean III.
Clinic Wednesday I had a 67-year-old with a stroke warning — TIA, neuro signs cleared in my office. I sent her to BMC. She was admitted, worked up. She will be fine. This is the work. This is why I am here.
Group Tuesday. The brand new widow came back. She cried. She said she did not know how to make her husband's favorite breakfast without him. The rest of us leaned in. Bernadette said, tell us what he made, we will help you remember. The widow said — eggs with ham and scallion. Simple. Bernadette said, make it tomorrow, for you, taste it, and we will talk next week. I wrote it down.
Saturday pancakes. Burned the first one. Halloween candy on the counter. Nora tried to negotiate M&M pancakes. I said no. I compromised with chocolate chips. Sean would have approved.
Sunday dinner at Southie. Ma made chili with cornbread because the week went cold. Two pots of chili, one mild for Liam, one hot for Dad. Cornbread with honey butter.
Food of the week: Ma's chili and cornbread. Ground beef, three beans, tomato, cumin, chili powder, a splash of coffee (her trick). Cornbread in the cast iron.
Sunday dinner at Ma’s reminded me that the best food weeks are the ones where someone else does the cooking — and the food is so good you’re still thinking about it on Monday. I didn’t have two pots of chili in me by the time that week closed, but I did have a loaf of bread and some corned beef, and this Reuben Loaf is exactly the kind of thing that feels festive enough for a holiday week but easy enough for a tired nurse on a Thursday night. It’s warm, it’s melty, and the kids think it’s a party.
Reuben Loaf
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 30 min | Total Time: 45 min | Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 1 loaf Italian or French bread (about 16 oz), unsliced
- 1/2 lb thinly sliced corned beef
- 1 cup sauerkraut, well drained and patted dry
- 6 slices Swiss cheese
- 1/4 cup Thousand Island dressing
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon caraway seeds (optional)
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
Instructions
- Preheat the oven. Heat oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with foil.
- Prepare the bread. Cut the loaf in half lengthwise. Hollow out a shallow trough in each half, pulling out some of the soft interior to make room for the filling.
- Spread the dressing. Spread Thousand Island dressing evenly over the cut sides of both halves.
- Layer the filling. On the bottom half, layer the corned beef evenly, then spread the drained sauerkraut over the top. Lay the Swiss cheese slices over the sauerkraut.
- Close and brush. Press the top half of the loaf firmly onto the filling. Brush the outside of the loaf all over with melted butter. Sprinkle with caraway seeds and dried parsley if using.
- Wrap and bake. Wrap the loaf tightly in foil and place on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes.
- Finish uncovered. Open the foil and fold it back to expose the top of the bread. Bake an additional 8–10 minutes until the crust is golden and the cheese is fully melted.
- Slice and serve. Remove from the oven and let rest 3–4 minutes. Slice into thick portions and serve warm.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 420 | Protein: 22g | Fat: 18g | Carbs: 42g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 980mg