Baked flathead!!

I was not too keen on the idea of getting out of bed today. I was not too keen on my shower. I was not even that keen on my peanut butter toast (can't wait till pay day...peanut butter toast can get pretty dull after a while.) I was not keen on the walk to the train and I was not keen on facing another whole day without coffee.

Yes, today I was a wee bit moody. I couldn't pinpoint the emotion but I have been feeling just generally a little low lately. I'm not sure if it's the lack of time off, the constant early mornings, or the recent departure of coffee in my life. Just for the back story...coffee and I have recently broken up (again). It has been an ongoing lover of mine and a habit I just can't shake, despite the fact it makes me feel a lot tireder (is tireder a word? If it is it's my new favourite one. "Hey don't you complain, I'm much tireder than you!"...anyway). So I've been trying to cut it out of my life. I do have a small problem with letting go, though. Like most of the men I date, even after the break up I will keep them in my life, just lingering, just in case, for months and sometimes even years on end. I miss coffee a lot. I think about it all the time. I try to see myself ten years down the track without a coffee in my hand, and I just can't picture it (all I see is me in very, very stylish designer clothes, taking my six kids to soccer practice and ballet lessons, then heading off to work at a huge beautiful glorious commercial kitchen where I produce my cook books and run cooking lessons...ALL THE WHILE WITH A COFFEE IN MY HAND). I toy with the idea of buying one, "just this once", I tell myself, "one more can't hurt." So far I have stayed strong. It has been four days and I actually feel much much better. However, it is inevitable that after a while my resolve will die down and I will call him...I mean, have a coffee.

If this is one of my biggest issues in life I feel that things probably aren't that bad. Unfortunately though, I have had this niggling feeling that they are. Something, and I know not what, has been eating away at me. I just feel a bit glum. When expressing this to a friend recently, they brought everything into perspective for me. "Cherry," he said, "Honestly there is nothing wrong with you at all. It's just that you have only had one day off in the last four weeks." And I'm starting to think maybe he has a point. So I'm looking forward to Sunday, like a shining beacon of hope, and a day to have a rest.

Here is a recipe I learnt at school this week. Maybe you can make it on Sunday for me while I'm having my day off and resting.

Baked flathead with daikon pickle.

You will need:

One flathead, gutted and scaled, (also cut off the fins)

A couple of very generous pinches of sea salt

30ml oil

20ml rice vinegar

1/2 chilli diced with seeds removed

3 sprigs of garlic chives

I love this recipe because its super simple. All you need to do is oil your tray, sprinkle your whole fish with salt and bake it in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes at a moderate temperature

Then for the pickle, very very finely slice the daikon, mix with the chilli, chives and rice wine vingar. Serve the cooked fish with the pickle, and eat it!!