Today, it’s been eight days since I’ve seen my husband. I’ve eaten five dinners on my own, if granola and snack mix on the plane home from Austin count as “dinner.” Cooking what I like, only for myself, usually that’s totally liberating. I get to eat all the things I like and he doesn’t. I see myself leaning against the stove in a crisp white shirt (mmm, very practical), sleeves rolled up, stirring a pot with one hand, contemplating my day while leisurely sipping a glass of red wine. Like in a movie.
It hasn’t been nearly that romantic.
I’ve made simple stuff. In yoga pants with my hair in a wild ponytail. Everything I made, I ate twice. Even at lunch. Monday it was lentil and cauliflower tacos with avocado, Tuesday it was pizza. Wednesday it was tacos again, Thursday it was pizza again (I’m experimenting with a crust recipe that was doing its thing in the fridge). It’s confirmed, I could live off of tacos and pizza indefinitely.
What made this week of solo meals notable wasn’t the food itself.
I sat at the table. It was only the kitchen table. You’ve seen it before, I shoot photos on it. A lot. So this wasn’t about making a special meal for myself and sitting at a big dining table with a cloth napkin. But it made me realize that with our busy schedules, most nights, we eat as close to 7 pm as we can, at the counter, faces turned to the TV (even without cable or satellite).
With new TV over for awhile, there’s no reason to keep doing that. I’ll admit, I should have been reading rather than staring at my computer, (I’ve recently rediscovered the library, but that’s a whole other post). But sitting at the table, it’s a step in the right direction. Gathering at a table, even if it’s only two of you, is important. Without kids, we give ourselves a pass on it most of the time.
With 5 dinners on my own and his 5 dinners on the road, sitting at our table tonight, eating something made at home, will be important. We have a lot to catch up on. And yeah, it’s gonna be pizza, plus this Cherry Arugula Salad. Again.
Cherry Arugula Salad for One
Ingredients
- 2 handfuls of arugula, rinsed and spun dry
- 6 red cherries, pitted and halved
- 4-5 nubs blue cheese
- 2 t. balsamic vinegar (fig or port balsamic, if you have it)
- 2 t. olive oil
- salt and pepper, to taste.
Instructions
Put the arugula in a small mixing bowl with cherries. Add the balsamic vinegar, olive oil and salt and pepper. Toss by hand until evenly coated.
Arrange the salad on a plate, add the blue cheese and season with additional pepper, if desired.
