the whole plate.

So, it’s February 24th; it’s raining with a chance of snow.  When I arrived home in a downpour late last night, I didn’t manage to shake that raw winter chill from my bones until several minutes after I had climbed underneath my covers.  I’ve definitely reached my winter breaking point.

It happens every year, sometime in the midst of my least favorite month.  I’ll make it through Valentine’s and President’s Days, and then, I’ll realize the groundhog has given us at least four more weeks of this bleak season.  We were teased this past weekend with balmy weather, and now we’ve been slapped back into reality.  It’s at this point that I usually begin to complain on a daily basis.

warm summer colors in today’s lunch: golden beets, celery, and carrots, later mixed into a blend with quinoa, sunflower seeds, and a mustard-oregano vinaigrette.

Some recent gripes:

• I would like to wear a pair of shoes that aren’t boots.  My shoe collection is suffering from neglect.
• While my puffy parka was by far the best purchase I made this winter, I am tired of walking around inside a bubble.
• I have been dreaming up so many recipes for zucchini, cucumber, and asparagus, but I don’t like buying them out of season.  [I now have a perpetual craving for a cucumber-coconut-basil smoothie].
• I’m struggling to be creative with the cruciferous vegetables in season.  [Ideas are always welcome!]
• I have a piece of furniture that I want to paint, and it has to wait until I can hang out on my rooftop while the paint dries.  I’m not a fan of the currently mismatched colors of my bedroom furniture.
• I’m cold.

Rather than wallow in my winter grievances, I’m trying to bring in some summertime warmth.  My parents recently took a snowy trip to our August paradise, and hearing their weekend tales instantly took me away to sun and sand.

thanks for the flavorful trip to summer, amanda.

Then, a few days ago, I made an easy dinner that I had spotted on – where else? – a blog.  As I took my first bites, I felt immediately transported to summer.  Perhaps it is possible to surround ourselves with the aromas and the seasonings of July, simply by sacrificing just a bit of freshness.  In summer, I would have made this recipe with fresh tomatoes [oh, fresh heirlooms, I miss them!] crafted into homemade marinara.  But as I have actually been known to gag on February tomatoes, I used – gasp – a jar of pasta sauce, courtesy of the low prices in the aisles of Trader Joe’s.

I also added some canned diced tomatoes that were leftover from one of my sister’s dinners, and I subbed kale for spinach, because I do adore that wintertime green.  It was the perfect amount of Italian flavor [not to mention color] cooked up in a recipe ideal for we vegetable devotees.

Ok, I have another complaint: I wish the sun would set later so I could have some natural light for late evening photography.

What are your winter complaints?

Related posts:

1. summer flavor.
2. summer eating in.
3. salads for summer.