I am a big believer in breakfast for dinner. A few weeks ago I made a whole week of breakfast-dinners to delight the kids (and go easy on my time and money).  Last night, to wind down the vacation week, I took out my trusty skillet to make a healthy, bright hash.

I had Jamie (nearly 12) turn the oven on 350 while my husband had the other kids and the puppy outside working on the treehouse.  This might result in a treehouse.  Or just a lawsuit.  Either way, it makes for weekend mess and fun.  When Daniel (9) grew tired of building, he took a few scraps of wood, a hammer, and some nails and began to build a sculpture for me.  Like breakfast for dinner, which is sort of cheap and messy, I think putting thr kids outside and seeing what they come up with is healthy, inexpensive, and worth the mess.  Here’s what I mean:

There are no screens.  No electronic noises.  Yes, it’s possible that he might get a splinter.  Or bang his thumb. Or become filthy.  It’s okay.  Really.  We need to stop hovering and encourage confident, non-screen playing.

Okay – that’s my soapbox for the day.  Jamie helped me with the potatoes, washing them, slicing them 3/4 of the way down and rubbing them with oil, butter, and salt.  Nigella Lawson’s version is good, but I wing it.

So the sound of nails and hammers mixed with the odd puppy bark and drops of rain while the salmon sizzled in the skillet alongside the garlic cloves.  I like to keep a stash of garlic-oil on hand.  I peel fresh coves, put them in a canning jar, cover them with good olive oil, and then stick them in the fridge.  The oil will semi-solidify and the garlic will keep for a long time (provided you fully cover it with oil).  When you want a bit of flavor for sauces or veg, just scoop out some oil (which is now infused with lovely garlic).  In this dish, I use a couple of cloves, two.