Sunday: Fireworks Recap, Leftovers, and Looking Ahead
Before I jump into today, I have to finish telling you about last night.
After our flank steak dinner, I knew we were going to be out really late for fireworks, and I also knew hungry kids plus a late night equals disaster if I wasn’t prepared.
So I did what made the most sense.
Not homemade pizza.
A Costco frozen cheese pizza.
I cooked it in my T-fal XXL air fryer so I didn’t have to heat up the oven on an already hot day. (FYI, the T-fal XXL air fryer is on sale at Costco right now..the sale ends tonight!) Once it was nice and crispy, I cut it into 16 small slices instead of the usual eight.
That was intentional.
Little pieces are so much easier to hand out to kids, and if someone only wants a few bites, you aren’t wasting half a slice of pizza.
I layered the slices in a metal pan:
- 8 slices
- Parchment paper
- Another 8 slices
- Covered everything tightly with foil
When we got to the fireworks, I actually set the covered pan on top of the car in the sun, and it stayed surprisingly warm.
About thirty minutes after we arrived, kids started asking for food, and those little pizza slices were perfect.
I also brought:
- Popped popcorn portioned into bags
- Cups for serving popcorn
- Cold grapes
- Apple slices
- Chips
- Plenty of water
Once everyone was finished with the warm pizza, I transferred the leftovers into a gallon-sized zip-top bag and tucked it into the cooler.
By the end of the night, the leftover pizza had become cold pizza, and a couple of the kids happily ate that on the drive home.
Definitely the right call.
Our First Fourth of July Fireworks
Believe it or not, this was actually the first time we’ve ever taken our kids to Fourth of July fireworks.
They’ve seen fireworks before, but never on the Fourth itself.
I’m really glad we went.
That said…
Around 9:30 or 9:45, before it was quite dark enough for the show to start, several of the kids were definitely reaching the end of their patience.
And my almost-four-year-old?
She was completely done.
She kept asking for her pillow and her blanket because she was just exhausted.
We finally got home, everyone took a second shower or bath after spending the entire day outside, and we all crashed.
Sunday Morning
Apparently someone needed that extra sleep because my almost-four-year-old slept until 8:00 a.m.
That almost never happens.
We had a light breakfast of bacon and Costco bagels before heading to Mass.
One major disappointment, according to my children:
It was the first Sunday of the month and a holiday weekend…
…and there were no donuts after Mass.
They were very let down.
Lunch
Lunch was another leftover meal.
A couple of kids had burgers.
One had both a burger and a hot dog.
My husband recreated last night’s dinner with:
- Flank steak
- Rice
- Peppers and onions
- Avocado salsa
My 11-year-old wanted exactly the same thing.
I made myself a burger salad using one of the burger patties along with my favorite dressing:
- Avocado salsa
- Regular salsa
- Rice wine vinegar
- Garlic
- Honey
- Salt and pepper
We’re making good progress on the burgers.
I think there are only five or six patties left.
Afternoon
A few kids grabbed bagels for a snack before we headed to the pool for a short swim.
Everyone was still a little tired from the late night, so it was a low-key afternoon.
When we got home, I realized I was hungry.
I reheated some of the roasted potatoes I’d prepped earlier this week, chopped up one burger patty, warmed everything together, and added a little ketchup and mustard.
Simple, but it absolutely hit the spot.
Sunday Dinner
As usual, we headed to my parents’ house for Sunday dinner.
My mom did steak, and we had salads, vegetables, fruit, and potatoes.
She also made the chocolate cupcakes everyone loves.
And of course…
I came home with leftover steak.
Looking Ahead
My oldest is still in Europe, and today she got to take a river cruise and see the Eiffel Tower. We haven’t had much time to talk because of the time difference and all the traveling, but we’re so excited she’ll be home later this week.
Looking ahead, I still need to cook:
- The chicken thighs I bought at Costco on Friday
- The ham that’s waiting in the refrigerator
The flank steak is almost gone.
The burgers are almost gone.
But thanks to the leftover steak from my parents’ house, we’re in great shape for lunch tomorrow.
Tomorrow night will definitely be another cooking day.