It’s simple, satisfying, and exactly what the end of the week calls for.
When "Girl Dinner" took over social media, clips of people tossing together leftovers, tinned fish, pantry crackers, cheese, and just about anything edible became impossible to miss. And while Gen Z often credits the trend to 2023, people have been following this approach for decades, building plates with small portions of their favorite bites.
As it turns out, Lucille Ball had her own version of girl dinner years earlier. In the "Celebrity Cookbook," published in 1978, the "I Love Lucy" star shared her go-to Sunday supper, a three-course meal built from an unexpected mix of ingredients.
Read on to discover what made Ball’s Sunday night dinner so quirky and how to recreate this iconic meal at home.
How To Make Lucille Ball’s Sunday Night Supper
Lucille Ball’s Sunday night supper begins with a small appetizer salad built on a base of crunchy iceberg lettuce. Douse those greens with a blend of three of your favorite salad dressings. I grabbed whatever vinaigrettes were hanging out in my fridge and whisked together balsamic, lemon, and Italian.
For the main course, it’s documented that Ball reached for a warm, hearty bowl of goulash, a Hungarian tomato-based stew packed with seasoned ground beef, aromatics, and macaroni noodles.
To finish on a sweet note, Ball turns to a classic fruit-and-cheese pairing, Triscuits, and coffee. There are no documents that state which cheese was Ball’s favorite, but when deciding which one to go with, I was instantly reminded of the episode where Lucy and Ethel sneak 25 pounds of cheese back from Europe, so naturally, a wedge of sharp Cheddar felt like the only choice, paired with its perfect counterpart, a crisp Granny Smith apple.
How To Make Lucille Ball’s Sunday Night Supper Your Own
Recreating Lucille Ball’s Sunday night supper reminded me just how good a simple, well-thought-out meal can feel. Sometimes the best dinners ask the least of you, and this one delivers on all fronts without wearing you out at the end of a long week. Give it a try and see how easily Ball’s cozy routine fits into your own. A three-course Sunday meal sounds ambitious, but it does not have to be. A few simple tips below will help you pull it off without all the fuss.
- Prepare your greens in advance: Washing and chopping salad greens on the day of can feel like a chore. Do it the night before and store them in the fridge, or grab a bag of pre-washed greens and skip that step entirely.
- Use leftovers for your main: A fresh pot of goulash every Sunday sounds lovely, but leftovers from the week or last night’s Saturday dinner work just as well. That way, you save time in the kitchen and cut down on food waste.
- Visit your cheese shop: To make the cheese plate feel a little more special, swing by your local cheese shop and chat with the monger. They know their inventory better than anyone and can point you toward something to mark the end of you getting through the week.
Read the original article on Allrecipes
