Asparagus dish leaves more time for holiday matters

Holiday card or no holiday card? For many years, the decision of whether to send holiday cards or not caused anxiety in me.

If the decision was yes, many more decisions then had to be made. I think most of you know what I mean. Which design, how many, who to send to, which family photo to use, holiday stamps or nah, and do I even have their new address.

Is it just me or are less and less people mailing out holiday cards? There was a time, just a few years ago, when we would fill the wall in our kitchen with cards we had received in December.

Now? The cards we receive barely cover less than half that same wall. Either I’ve been moved from the nice list to the naughty list or people just aren’t sending out cards anymore. But I read an article from The Atlantic recently that made me think I’m wrong, at least about the latter reason.

This article described how overall the volume of snail mail in the U.S. has dropped by 43 percent in the past decade and a half. However, the sending of holiday greeting cards has declined at a much lower rate and may even be on the rise.

The reason? Millennials. What? The generation that all the other generations love to hate? Yes. Apparently, Millennials are key players in the continuation of the holiday greeting card tradition.

Millennials, sometimes called Generation Y, are those born between 1981 and 1995. As a generation, they are now of the age to experience landmark life events, such as marriage and a first child. According to the article, people tend to start sending holiday cards about the same time as these milestones occur.

Additionally, Millennials are a generation dedicated to using less paper overall, so when they do use paper, like in a holiday greeting card, it is extra special. Personal touches like handwritten notes and tangible photos make it all the more meaningful.

It was interesting to read about social media fatigue. I had assumed that many in my generation, (Gen X, baby!) stopped sending holiday cards because friends are so connected on social media. Everyone knows what you have done all year, how big the kids have gotten and what vacation you took this past summer because it’s all over your Facebook page.

However, the article pointed out that Millennials realize that social media is a connection that is transitory and impersonal. Receiving a card personally addressed to them, and perhaps with a photo that has not been posted on a digital platform, makes it not only a tactile experience but a very personal and private one as well.

While I ponder whether or not to send holiday cards (I’m still gravitating towards no), let’s talk about food. I mean real food, not all the cookies I’ve been eating since the calendar turned from November to December.

This month brings lots of shopping, driving and activities, so dinners need to be quick and easy. You can never go wrong with a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store, but what about veggies? That’s another matter.

Something fresh that isn’t salad is what I’m about this month. This week’s recipe is from Yotam Ottolenghi’s cookbook SIMPLE and it really is just that, simple. Five ingredients and 15 minutes later you have a delicious veggie side dish that will leave you more time to write those Christmas cards.

Photo by Betty Williams

Roasted Asparagus with Almonds, Capers, and Dill

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 lb. asparagus
• Olive oil
• Salt and black pepper
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds
• 3 Tbsp. capers
• 1/2 cup fresh dill, roughly chopped

Directions

Preheat oven to 425. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Trim woody ends off the asparagus and discard. Place asparagus spears on baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast asparagus at 425 for 8 to 12 minutes, until the asparagus is tender and starting to brown. Remove from the oven and set aside. While the asparagus is roasting, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the almonds and fry for 1 to 2 minutes until almonds are golden brown. Pour the almonds over the asparagus. In the same pan, add about 1 Tbsp. of oil.

Once the oil is hot, add the capers and fry for 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until they start to crisp.

Sprinkle over the asparagus and top with chopped dill. Serve warm.