Will work for dinner

Last night we had a good dinner to celebrate my husband's first day of paid work in about 10 months. I picked up some NY Strip Steak at Skips. Many thanks to my friend Mike for telling me about this butcher- their prices are so much more economical than Wegman's. Sauteed some bok choy with garlic and balsamic vinegar, made smashed potatoes with baby reds (skin on, of course), and sauteed some shitake mushrooms. My husband was enlisted to mash the potatoes when they were done, as I had enough to do with monitoring three other burners at once. He commented that gave him the opportunity to add extra butter without me knowing about it. Well, it all tastes better that way, doesn't it?

The temperatures could have been higher on the steak and the mushrooms, as they were cooked through but lacking that nice caramelization. Got me to thinking about how sometimes our jobs, paid or not, can bring out the best without going too far. By far, my current job is my least favorite. It will not challenge me, but neither will it burn me out. Of my past positions, the ones that were the most challenging were the best ones. And by challenging, I mean they had technical challenges and not merely institutional speedbumps. In today's economy, this current position will have to do until things pick up again. Here's hoping that my husband's new long commute- an hour plus each way- will not burn him out but afford him thinking time to consider what he'd like to do.