A note to Snow from a tired commuter, and some new recipes

Dear Snow,

As you know, I love you very much, but we need to talk. You are incredibly beautiful and until today, you used to make me happy. While I cannot deny your beauty and the warm feeling you used to invoke in me, lately, I have been feeling stifled. I love you, I really do. There are days when nothing makes me happier than watching you fall gracefully from the sky, but I feel that our relationship has become one-sided as of late. And frankly, I want a break, particularly one filled with warm weather and sun. In the past month, I've been feeling suffocated. You show up when you know I'd rather not see you, ruining my commute, keeping me from parking on the street, and making driving in general, a hassle.

I won't give you the old cliche, "it's not you, it's me", because really, it is you. I'm sure that after a much-needed (on my end) break, I will feel for you the way I always did. I will fall back in love with you and you will see my face light up when you arrive. But until then, please give me some space and go away.

Best,

Tired

Well, now that that is out of the way, let's get back to food. Earlier this week, Kurt and I made Grilled Swordfish with Soy and Ginger. It was my least favorite recipe thus far. First of all, I didn't read the recipe in advance, and it turned out we needed to marinate the swordfish overnight. After making the marinade with soy sauce, dijon mustard, garlic, and fresh ginger, we placed the marinading swordfish in the fridge and ordered pizza. The next night, we went back to the fish with renewed energy. Since we don't have a grill or grill pan, (I made a mental note to add one to the registry), we sauteed the fish in oil. It sauteed beautifully and smelled amazing. I was very excited. We made fresh veggies and rice pilaf as sides and sat down to dinner, eager to taste our new creation. Let's just say it did not live up to our expectations. The ginger was overpowering and didn't go well with the soy and mustard. I'm thinking if we used more mustard and less ginger, it might taste better. The fish itself was perfect. I love the "steak" quality of swordfish. It's a little heartier than sole or tilapia. This recipe, we'll keep in mind, but will be sure to modify.

Today, we have planned for dinner, Roasted Butternut Squash, White Rice, and Green Beans. We're planning on seeing Avatar tonight in 3D, so wanted something quick and simple to make beforehand. I found a quick and easy recipe for Roasted Butternut Squash (though I can't imagine roasting butternut squash would ever be long and difficult). First, you half the squash and seed it. Then place on a baking sheet, flesh side up and place a tsp of butter in the middle of each half. Sprinkle with brown sugar, salt and pepper, and roast for 25 minutes at 400 degrees. So easy! We'll see how it comes out. More to come later.