Winter Blues

I love to cook more than most people I know, but I am rapidly entering into the time of year when I'm done. Done with the routine. It's cold, your pasty skin hasn't seen the sun in months, and the thought of trying to push a shopping cart through a slushy parking lot is too much to bear. It's the dangerous season of Too Much Take-Out.

I'm not anti-take-out; in fact, it's one of the things that I loved when I moved to the big city. It's the time of year though, when you get into the habit of just ordering from the Vietnamese joint down the street one cold night, and one night becomes two, and two becomes four....

Full disclosure: There was a period last winter when the bar down the street had $13.95 prime rib on Wednesday, which was also the day I had my most hated late grad school class. We probably went there 5 Wednesdays in a row for Mahattans and rib. By the end, I was feeling like I might get the gout, but then Spring sprung and we recovered.

So how to fight the take-out-all-the-time habit that's no good for your wallet or waistline? That's a tough one. One option would be to try and make that Pad Thai or Beef and Broccoli yourself. (The recipe I use for Pad Thai is from the Boston Globe. I'll reprint in the post underneath). The other would be to try and change habits. Eat less meat for a week. Use only recipes from a favorite magazine. Try "breakfast for dinner". Recreate your Mom's staples.

Or book yourself a fabulous Spring break and let it motivate you to save your pennies for the swim up bar.