Butternut Squash & Spinach Tart

The winter blues have set in. Though it has been a mild winter, it has done nothing to alleviate my yearly winter woes. I'm never certain for the reason. Perhaps I lack a good dose of vitamin D or maybe I've simply been too sedentary for too long. Whatever the reason may be, the results are always the same. My dark summer tan has faded, turning my skin fair and transparent. I've gained a few pounds from indulging in my favorite comfort foods. Maybe the worst of all, the only time I spend outside is to run from my car to the house not more than twice a day.

Oh, how the winter blues have set in.

I've spent the last few days brooding, giving in to my jaded mood because fighting it just takes too much energy. I'm not proud of these foul inclinations, where I shirk responsibilities and snap at anyone who dares to come close. I've been lying around, finding myself curled up next to a book or television remote. I've eaten the pantry clean, a feat of which no one should be proud. I've avoided sending emails, baking, or taking photographs for fear I should spread the mood to you.

Even so, my blues always reaches the point where enough is finally enough.

This morning I awoke to a warm winter sun streaming through the windowpanes, the diffuse light brightening my world and giving a spark of light to my dark mood. I ate a grapefruit, giving myself a little vitamin C with a side of TLC. I took a shower to wash away the matted hair and days spent in sweatpants and thick sweaters. Then, I did something I haven't done in a long time. I left the house.

The cure to the winter gloom, thankfully, is never too far away.

This Butternut Squash & Spinach Tart is so fresh and vibrant it can breathe hope into the worst of winter blues. Spinach, roasted butternut squash, and half a pound of Gruyere cheese come together to create a hearty, colorful meal. The sweet squash contrasts beautifully against the salty cheese, with the rich buttery crust rounding out the flavors. This tart makes for a perfect Sunday meal, when you have a few moments to prepare it. Ever adaptable, pumpkin may be substituted for the squash and your favorite hard, melting cheese could be used in place of the Gruyere.

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Garden Tomato & Basil Tart

Since I began my own food blog, I've found myself more open-minded when it comes to the kitchen. New flavors, new tastes, unexpected combinations—I can't seem to get enough of it. I never expected to start inventing my own recipes or have a "to-make" list a mile long (one of my fears when starting a blog was that I would run out of ideas. Ha!) Even now, having shared dozens of my own creations with you, I still find it hard to believe. You see, growing up, I was one of the world's pickiest eaters.

My poor mother certainly had a handful when trying to feed me. Rarely would she find a food I would actually eat and enjoy. There was no seafood, no vegetables, and no chocolate (can you imagine?). Even "different" kinds of french fries (aka not McDonald's) were shunned from my picky palate. Perhaps worst of all was my absolute dislike of tomatoes. I would have nothing to do with them. No pasta sauce, no lasagna, no ketchup. I preferred my pizza to have no sauce at all.

Basically, I was a tomato hating picky eating nightmare (sorry mom!).

Gradually, tomatoes managed to sneak themselves into my diet. I would get lazy after constantly scraping the sauce off my pizza (it's a lot of work!). Then ketchup won me over. But it was pasta sauce that took the most time. For most of my life, when my mother would whip up a spaghetti dinner, she'd save some plain noodles for me to eat for my dinner. And I would eat them just that way. Plain.

It wasn't until a couple years ago that my love for tomatoes began to flourish. I can only imagine a switch in my head (or mouth) must have flipped, because I suddenly and unexpectedly couldn't get enough tomatoes. Last year around this time, every single meal I cooked for myself had tomatoes in some form or another. Pasta with fresh cherry tomatoes. Pitas stuffed with tofu, greens, and sun-dried tomatoes. I would often eat tomatoes like apples, as I brought them for lunch at work or to snack at home.

I had turned into a red fruit loving, going-to-turn-pink-from-all-the-tomatoes kind of gal.

When I lost my sense of taste last spring, tomatoes were one of the few foods I could eat and truly enjoy. Though I could not taste, the texture of the tomato was so diverse—meaty and juicy, yet both soft and firm—that I virtually ate tomatoes for that entire week I was ill. Since then, I've really grown to respect the texture of a good tomato, whether raw, roasted, or cooked down into a sauce.

The fact that I can now eat (and absolutely enjoy) this Garden Tomato and Basil Tart really showcases how far my love for tomatoes has come. Now to take my tomato loving one step further—desserts.

I'm only kind of joking.

This Garden Tomato and Basil Tart truly does taste fresh from the garden. A whole wheat crust is infused with olive oil and dried basil. On top are layers of Gruyere cheese, fresh basil, and garden ripe tomatoes. The whole tart is then sprinkled with freshly ground pepper and sea salt before roasting in the oven. The concept is similar to a margherita pizza, but has so much more flavor. This dish will certainly rouse your taste buds, giving them a bit of a wake-up call. This is the perfect dish to use up all those extra garden tomatoes.

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