Four-square

I've been struggling with a decision for months now. Mom finally couldn't take my whining about it anymore, so she sat me down at the kitchen table for the dreaded Four-square™ session. I don't know where Mom came up with this method, but I've searched the internet and can't find a progenitor. There is something that looks similar called the "Eisenhower Box," but that was pioneered by President Eisenhower to help him be more productive by prioritizing tasks, rather than deciding whether to do something in the first place. You're all familiar with the particulars.

Four-square

You get the blank paper out,

draw the lines—

first up and down, then across—

label the quadrants, and

start entering data.

As usual,
I ask how it’s better than a standard binary list,

pointing out that pros in one box

are just the opposite of cons in the diagonal,

exaggerating their effect and throwing off

the decisional weight of your four-square.

As usual, you’re having none of it.

"Subtle differences," you say, with

the honeyed voice I imagine you use when

spelling something out to one of your third graders

you know will never grasp it anyway.

Intent on the matter at hand,

you don’t notice me beaming at you.

I water this seed of love,

another building block in our union,

like the Legos our boys used to assemble

Yoda and the Millennium Falcon.

And the damn thing works this time, extorting
the vital bits needed to make my choice.

It only puffs you up more, but
you’re radiant in your smugness,

so I don’t mind. Unlike Darwin,

I never needed a scientific method to know
what a good thing I was getting myself into.

*********

Uncle Clint made this yummy soup for us recently out of his new Palestinian cookbook. Everyone loved it, including Brad, who's not usually much for soup but does love him some Penne with Butternut Squash, so maybe that's the draw.

Butternut Squash and Red Lentil Soup

Adapted from Zaitoun (2019) by Yasmin Khan, via the kitchn

Time: ~1 hour

Uncle Clint served this with some crusty whole-grain bread, which was great for dipping in the soup, but the original recipe, linked above, also includes directions for making your own crispy za'atar croutons to float in the soup if you want to try that instead (or try it with Cornbread Croutons flavored with za'atar). I didn't make the croutons, so we ate the soup with a sprinkle of za'atar, which added a lot of flavor.

1 large (1 kilogram/2.2 pounds) butternut squash
40 grams (3 tablespoons) olive oil, plus more for roasting the squash
1 large or 2 medium onions (~225 grams/8 ounces total, yielding ~2 cups), diced
1 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus a pinch and more as needed
4 medium garlic cloves, crushed
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
160 grams (~⅞ cup) split red lentils, picked over and rinsed
1 quart (4 cups/950 grams) boiling water
3 cups/700 grams vegetable broth or stock
juice of ½ lemon (~2 tablespoons)
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
minced fresh parsley
za'atar (see note)

    1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 400 degrees. Line an 18-by-13-inch baking sheet with aluminum foil. (You don’t have to use the foil, but it does make it easier to transfer the hot chunks of roasted squash into the soup pot.) Put a kettle of water on to boil.
    2. Prepare, peel, and cut the squash into 1-inch chunks, following these directions (with video). Place the squash on the baking sheet, drizzle with some olive oil, then toss until evenly coated. Roast until a skewer or thin knife passes easily through the chunks, about 30 minutes (start checking after 20 minutes).
    3. Meanwhile, heat the 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the onions and a good pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until very soft, about 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic, cumin, coriander, and cinnamon, and cook, stirring, until fragrant and darkened slightly, about 2 minutes.
    4. Stir in the lentils, just-boiled water, and 1 teaspoon salt. Cover and cook, adjusting the heat as needed to maintain a lively simmer, for 10 minutes.
    5. Stir in the broth, roasted squash, lemon juice, and pepper. Cover and simmer for another 10 minutes.
    6. Remove the pot from the heat. Purée the soup, preferably with an immersion blender. Taste for seasoning, adding extra salt, pepper, and/or lemon juice as needed to balance the flavors.
    7. To serve, ladle the soup into bowls, drizzle with a little extra-virgin olive oil, and sprinkle with minced parsley and a pinch of za'atar. Serve with crusty bread or warm naan. Serves 4 to 6.