While most people look forward to long weekends with great anticipation and excitement, I, unfortunately, approach them with much trepidation, anxiety and fear. Restlessness abounds within me, and my mind wanders anxiously to fill the days with something fruitful to do. Cliff, on the other hand, is great at patiently savoring free time. Unlike me, he understands the meaning of rest.
If you, like me, are wondering what to do over this long 4-day weekend, consider doing something meaningful with your time.
Cook a meal for your family to show your love and appreciation for your loved ones, drop by a soup kitchen to help pack food for the less privileged, read a book that challenges your worldview and builds your character.
Ever since Cliff and I decided to tighten our budget a little more, we saw how much money we could save from food. Since this means careful planning and frequenting our favorite cafes less often, I thought to bring the café back home. This long weekend, I’ve found a little cheat treat for myself, busying myself with something enjoyable to do- trying new recipes.
I won’t comment too much about the acrobatic act it was to balance the timing of assembling the piece together… returning home from an early morning run with Cliff, and poaching eggs for the first time, intensely watching the translucent slime transform into fluffy cirrus clouds in the boiling water while watching the mushrooms roasting in the toaster, slicing the smoked salmon, warming the hollandaise sauce, blanching the spinach and toasting the focaccia bread with cheese to a crisp… while trying to time it all such that everything was hot and crispy and melting all at the same time… It was great fun, but more importantly, great joy to see the look of surprise, satisfaction and immense appreciation on a special someone’s face. (Even the disappointment of a sloppy first egg lost and swirling hopelessly in a saucepan, and another prodigal egg which ran away and splattered on the floor didn’t feel so bad anymore.)
One experiment became another…
A dinner of salmon, covered with sliced onions and mushrooms sautéed with the previous day’s leftover hollandaise sauce, and a side of salad and fluffy quinoa, mixed with cider, balsamic vinegar, cranberries, almonds, cashews and apricots.
(Asian vegetables are almost a must at every meal in our home.)
Complete only with warm home-baked banana cake topped off with chocolate ice-cream.
“Why are you so nice to me?” You asked, half-jokingly. I had taken a relatively longer time in the kitchen, and you were most patient, even though we were both starving after our morning work-out.
“Because you’re my husband. And I love you.”
We were both exhausted, our legs sore from the bike, run and swim this early morning.
“And which part of the meal did you enjoy the most?” I asked, wondering if it was the ham, the cheesy eggs or the Portobello mushrooms.
“Eating it next to you.”
All the effort becomes worthwhile for someone you love.
Bless someone by trying something new and creative today.
* With special thanks to our parents, whose generosity has always ensured a constant supply of fresh ingredients at our home.