Monday Night Dinner

Generally speaking I am not a beach type person.  When I go on vacation I want to do things and see things (and eat things) I’ve never done, seen, or eaten before.  I want to actively pursue the accumulation of new experiences, and new understandings of the history and culture of the place I’m visiting.  Generally speaking in my personal pantheon of hell, going to an all inclusive resort for a vacation is somewhere around the 4th or 5th circle.  It’s further out than being falsely jailed on drug charges in Thailand (thank you, Lifetime Movie Network) or being trapped on a giant cruise ship, but closer in than running out of reading material on a transatlantic flight*.

That being said, this winter is sapping my will to live**, and when the ground hog popped up two weeks ago and sentenced us all to another six (6!) weeks of winter, I shuddered in horror (or was that cold?).  Right now all I can think about is how I want to lie on a beach reading a book while attractive men in crisp white linen pants periodically bring me fruity drinks in coconuts with little paper umbrellas.  I want to sleep in a bed that is festooned with swathes of colonialist mosquito netting while a sea breeze blows in through the window.  I want to cool off by periodically splashing in some stunningly blue waters while tropical fish flit past me.  Then I want to return to my beach towel and book and nibble on chilled fruit.

Instead I’m consoling myself with beef stew, mashed potatoes, and fancy Brussels sprouts.

* Yes, I know, incredibly 1st world problems.  My apologies to the entire continent of Africa, and most of the Middle East.

** Or at the very least it is sapping my will to wear anything other than flannel pajamas and huddle under a blanket on the couch while warming my hands on my umpteenth mug of tea of the day.   Also apparently it has sapped my ability to remember to take pictures.

Beef Carbonnade
Hete Bliksam
Fancy Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Beef Carbonnade

Recipe previously given:  Birthday Stew

Hete Bliksam

Recipe previously given: Habemus Regem

Fancy Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Recipe previously given: Last Dinner of 2012