daily bliss: simplicity

The past few days have contained varying emotions and moods: wracked nerves and unstoppable tears before my third year review; confidence and relief after a successful review; giddiness and comfort in recounting my review to G; joy and accomplishment upon receiving the news that my retention vote was a unanimous yes; sleepiness and lethargy after a morning back-to-school meeting; lack of inspiration for any kind of creative work, whether writing, dinner making, or syllabus creating.

Twice this week I've chosen to cook utterly simple dishes, with few flourishes. And, these have been my favorite meals of the week:

* Thick red lentil soup with carrots, tuscan kale, and roasted chickpeas, topped with a drizzle of olive oil, and scented with bay leaf

* Roasted sweet potatoes, yukon gold potatoes, carrots, onion, garlic, and chickpeas seasoned with olive oil, black pepper, and salt served on a bed of red-pepper flake and garlic sauteed tuscan kale, finished with a skiff of bellavitano cheese

Both meals were accompanied by a glass of Jargon pinot noir. Both meals were absolutely delicious. (this may be because of my seeming addiction to tuscan kale and roasted chickpeas).

This time of year, winter begins to feel interminable. Winter foods begin to lose their appeal. The desire to hunker down with endless sugar and carbs and junky TV can be indefatigable. And yet, somehow, I refuse to give in. My moods may rise and fall, my emotions may seem anything but steady, but I will not be defeated by...weather.

I fight against the seasonal tugs and take refuge in sustainable simplicity. Bliss.