Tuesday, August 27, 2013. Julia
is winding up seven weeks as an exchange student in South Africa. Carter is three weeks into his freshman year at the University of Georgia. DB is working in Raleigh,
which is notable only because he usually works where he lives -- in Charleston.
And me? And I am home alone.
Just writing about it makes
me take a deep breath. Because I miss them all. I do. But to the consternation
of well-intentioned friends, I am actually fine. Peachy. Hunky dorey. A-OK. In
other words, don’t hate me because I’m beautiful* (because I am not), hate me
because, when I wipe down the kitchen counters in the morning, they’re still
clutter-free when I return from work. Hate me because I only do laundry once a
week and when I do, the hamper remains empty until I fill it myself – with my own
clothes. And that Ben & Jerry ‘s NY Super Fudge Chunk in the freezer?
That’s right. It's mine. It will be there whenever I want to dive in. Unless later tonight, I use it to soothe myself in the wake of nightmare involving under-nourished
lions, elephants and bulldogs roaming a college campus in search of their
Monday morning Afrikaner history class.
No worries, though. Because even if I end up with a self-imposed ice cream headache, that sticky empty container will end up in the
trash. See? Now you can hate me.
Because while my teenagerse are away, there are no “all-but-empty” pints of
ice cream in my freezer. No teaspoonfuls of milk remaining in a gallon
jug. No deceptively empty boxes of Nilla Wafers.
Enough gloating. As you can see, I don’t mind being alone. “Lonely” just isn’t part of my vernacular.
But I miss them. Oh, how I
miss them.
In all this free time, I’ve
put clean sheets on all the beds and clean towels in the bathrooms. I’ve tidied
the closets and cleared the desks. I’ve stocked the pantry. True, I haven’t actually
sorted through all the old family photos, but I did think about it more than once, and surely
deserve some credit for that.
And, inspired by Julia, who
sends me regular text messages about all the meals she’s been in enjoying, I’ve
been cooking. Julia it seems, has found a new-found appreciation for
under-appreciated vegetables like cabbage and squash and legumes. So I’ve been a frequent visitor to our local farmers' market and dining on lentil salad, black-eyed pea soup, apple slaw,
and cauliflower soup. And, in a nod to Julia, I’ve worked butternut
squash into the repertoire, too.
Because in four days, she’ll be
home. Carter will be back for a visit. And DB will be with us, too.
So now, I’m not lonely. I'm not. Really. But in four short days -- clean countertops and full freezers be damned -- I
won’t be alone, either!
Roasted Butternut Squash, Cauliflower and Tilapia
I am always a fan of "one dish" meals. This summer, I've enjoyed a number of variations on this particular one, roasting a pair of veggies -- in this instances cauliflower and butternut squash -- until nearly done, and then, adding a piece of fresh fish for the final five minutes.
1 cup of diced butternut squash (per person)
1 cup of cauliflower "florets" (per person)
4 tablespoons good olive oil
4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
red pepper flakes (to taste)
curry powder
kosher salt
fresh ground pepper
1 tilapia filet (per person)
chopped fresh chives
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Toss together all ingredients except tilapia and chives. Using a strainer or slotted spoon, move vegetables to a flat baking sheet. Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes, tossing occasionally. In the meantime, marinate tilapia filet in remaining juices. When vegetables are slightly brown and fork tender, add tilapia filet to baking sheet. Bake an additional 5-7 minutes (until fish is done and flakes easily). Remove from oven, garnish with chopped chives and serve!
* Remember that old Pantene commercial?
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