Bare Minimum Monday
I hear there is a trend called ‘Bare Minimum Monday’ whereby employees execute the bare minimum in effort because Mondays are hard. Lord, have mercy! Are you freaking kidding me? Forget the fact that we have an obligation to produce for our pay. Do these people have no pride of authorship of their work product? I worry about our future.
Those who live an extraordinary ordinary life have no understanding of this concept, Minimal Monday. We take nothing for granted. The one who lives an extraordinary ordinary life sees EVERYTHING as a blessing, a gift, an opportunity and a responsibility to put forth our finest effort. This includes dinner.
Last night, as I plated our entree, Steve smiled and said jokingly, “Just another Monday night dinner.” We chuckled over my presentation but it was not lost on me that I had extended only minimal effort to get dinner on the table. This is one of my healthy go-to meals when my day has been filled with other obligations—obligations fulfilled to the maximum (not minimum).
If you gave it your ‘all’ to your clients, your employer, your team mates, your children, your spouse or your service projects, here’s a recipe for your Bare Minimum Monday (ha!) that is tried and true; thirty minutes start to table:
Ellen’s Baked Veal Milanese with Dijon Cream Sauce (serves two)
1. Season two veal cutlets with a mixture of ¾ t salt, ½ t garlic powder, ½ t onion powder and ¼ t black pepper.
2. Dredge lightly in flour
3. Dip into one beaten egg mixed with 1 T water
4. Coat each cutlet in a mixture of ¼ c Panko crumbs, ¼ c bread crumbs, ½ t dried thyme,
and ¼ t black pepper, moistened with about 2-3T olive oil
5. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and spray lightly with canola oil
6. Place cutlets on cooking sheet and spray lightly, again, with the oil
7. Bake in oven (convection roast 400 degrees or conventional oven at 425) for 20 minutes.
Dijon Cream Sauce
While the cutlets are baking, in a small saucepan, whisk together: ¼ c half-and-half with ¼ c whole grain Dijon mustard (I use Edmond Fallot). Heat on low for about three minutes.
Remove cutlets and drizzle sauce. Serve with arugula, tomatoes and sliced onion tossed lightly with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and olive oil.
Oh! And, here’s a prayer to go with it: Thank you God for this Marvelous Monday for I have a job and a purpose. Thank you for my talent, my knowledge and my work ethic that provides for our family. Thank you for reminding me that I work for you, rather than man. Amen.
Bon Appetit!