A week of food

My writing fortnight did not go so well. I was to write about 15 pages over two weeks for my dissertation proposal. I ended up writing only a few paragraphs, even though I did sit at my computer and read all sorts of papers. It was discouraging, but I'm doing freewriting exercises now--15 minutes in the morning, every morning to warm myself up for writing. I'm hoping that that will be good practice, and that I will have something in the next few days.
I had mentioned in an earlier post that I was planning to make Waldorf salad.  That has been made and photographed:

I was quite happy with it. In making it, I followed the directions too well: it had me make the salad and the dressing separately, and then directing me to mix the two together. I did so, and then realized that I probably should have kept the two items separate, since I was going to be eating the salad over several days (the recipe said it served 4, and I have only myself). I was afraid that the addition of the dressing would cause the salad to go limp. Turns out, I did eat the salad over three days, and it stayed crunchy the entire time. I've been craving it again, in fact, and plan on making another batch tonight.
I am also looking forward to making daal makhani next week, an Indian dish of lentils in butter sauce. I want to try to back away from eating eggs. I made bread pudding last week, and have been eating that, or fried eggs, for breakfast, and it's my understanding that eggs should only be eaten a few times per week.
While doing some shopping at Sam's Club I was offered some Mrs. T's pierogies, which were seasoned with Old Bay seasoning. I had had pierogies before, but never had Old Bay--the combo was so good that I purchased a package of each, although at Wal-Mart, which sold them in much more manageable sizes. I've already had them for dinner twice.
For next week, I'm thinking of oatmeal based breakfasts, to make up for my egg based ones this week.
St. Valentine's Day:
I want to make brownies for Valentine's Day. I have not made anything for Chinese New Years, though that was last week, and I have all the ingredients for it.
I've also resolved that for next year, I am going to mail out Valentine's cards to my friends. I've been feeling ambivalent about St.Valentine's Day for a few years now, and after thinking about it, I came up with two reasons for it. First, was that I dislike it because there is no food associated with it that I dislike. With every holiday that I consider a "real" holiday, there is a food I at least somewhat dislike: Easter-lamb, Thanksgiving-whole roast turkey, Christmas-eggnog. For Valentines, the official food, I suppose, is chocolate, which I eat quite regularly throughout the year--if by regularly one means "once very 8 weeks." I have taken 2 years to eat a package of Valentine's chocolates, and I have thrown out Valentine's chocolates because by the time I get to them, I have no idea how old they were, (or I knew that they were 5 years old). So, not only do I enjoy chocolate, but I have a package of it looking at me every time I open the refrigerator.
My unease, with the holiday went very obviously beyond a silly food though. So thinking again, I realized what bothered me was the exclusivity of it. Remember when valentines had to be given to every kid in the class? What silly person now made it a rule so that, now, as an adult, the holiday was to be shared with only one significant other? And THAT, really is what bothers me. A holiday isn't a holiday if you can't spread holiday cheer far and wide. I associate "real" holidays with getting together with family, an acknowledgement of a larger community, of a certain self-reflection and sense that as a human being we can become greater. I guess the Valentine's I know is the more commercialized version. I have nothing against a day to encourage people to show appreciation for another person--whether a parent, someone in your employ, or a romantic partner (Mother's/Father's Day, Admin.Assistant's Day, Valentine's). I just have a problem with the celebration being inwardly focused.
So this year, I mailed Valentine's cards to not only my husband, but to several family members. Next year, I'm going to mail Valentine's to family AND friends--old school style. Of course, with all things old school, the difficulty will be finding the appropriate materials. If you go shopping for Valentine's cards, you'll notice that the only ones that are sold in packs, the same way that Christmas cards are sold in packs, are for kids. Oh, consumerist greeting card companies, how could you have failed me?
And Valentine's Day also means one more thing: Anniversary Dinner planning has begun!  ::rubs hands together::
Rachel Ray's Where's Waldorf? Salad (originally found here)
Ingredients
1 cup whole walnut halves
1 heart celery with greens, wiped clean and chopped
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1 cup red seedless grapes, split
2 Gala apples, seeded and chopped
1 lemon, juiced
3 tablespoons honey, eyeball it
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom, eyeball it
2 tablespoons fresh dill, finely chopped
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, eyeball it
2 to 3 tablespoons cream, eyeball it
Salt and pepper
1 head Bibb lettuce or butter lettuce
Directions
Toast nuts in a small skillet over moderate heat in a small pan until aroma develops and nuts crisp a bit, 5 to 6 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Combine walnuts, celery, onion, grapes and apples in a medium bowl. Whisk lemon juice, honey, vinegar, cardamom, dill and mustead, then whisk in extra-virgin olive oil in a slow stream. When oil becomes incorporated stream in cream, then season the dressing with salt and pepper, to taste.
Dress salad and adjust salt and pepper, to taste. Use 2 large lettuce leaves per serving to form a bed for the salad.