Patience

It seems I have misplaced mine. That is, the ability to be patient. That envious little ability to wait for something, anything, that takes times to be enjoyed. It's something I've always known, that I lack this characteristic. But I think, not because I want to, or even have to, I've decided to come to grips with my flaw.
I know now, that had I owned just an ounce of patience, the roof of my mouth would not be burnt from the pizza I decided to shove in my mouth mere seconds from taking it out of the oven. I also know that I would have been more comfortable for the first few hours of my day had I just let my wet jeans dry for that 10 extra minutes. Looking closer to a few other glitches I've found in the complexity of my personality, I've discovered something. Is patience, or the lack there of, at root of some of my most mindless flaws. Was I too lazy to do the dishes this evening? Or, was it my lack of patience that urged me to pass them up and crawl into bed instead? Was I irresponsible for not paying that phone bill on time? Or, was I too impatient to spend time going over bills because the front page picture of Bon Appetite with it's mouth watering Steak Frite was calling my name so loud I just couldn't wait to push my bills aside and dive in?
I suppose the answer to these questions is really not important. I hope in the acceptance of my shortcomings I'll begin to recognize it. It'll be one those life long personal journeys, "learning to wait", like staying sober or learning to paint. Perhaps there's group help out there, I.A: Impatience Anonymous. Ya! It'll go something like this:
Hi, my name is Kari, and I'm impatient. This is my first day being patient, it was tough, I relapsed a few times, but I'm still feeling strong. My biggest accomplishment was waiting a an entire hour for my squash to cook (wow!).
Ok, enough of my ranting, I can't wait to tell you about this squash!
Buttercup. NOT Butternut . Buttercup is a stout, green and grey, sometimes yellow, warty looking little slice of heaven. Sweet orange flesh, slightly sweeter than butternut, but smooth, oh sooo smooth. The texture is like whipped potatoes, not stringy or grainy, just smooth. Perfectly moist, with crispy roasted bits to add just that perfect hint of crunch. Really, I could go on forever. I've been waiting in anticipation for for these little gems to come popping up in the market, and finally! I had mine this evening as dessert. I mean, I prepared it in it's usual fashion but I ate it as my sweet/salty finish to my chips and salsa dinner. PERFECT!

Roasted Buttercup

One buttercup squash (they range in size from large softball to basketball, i prefer mine on the small side)
1/4 C Water or so
2-3 T butter
Kosher salt

400 degree oven
Cut squash into equal sized pieces, either quartered or halved. Rub edges with a bit of butter (evoo would work just as well). Sprinkle with desired amount of salt, place in a roasting pan (glass works will, I use a clay pie dish). Pour water in bottom of pan just to cover, enough to create a bit of steam during cooking. Cover pan with a tin foil tent and set to cook for about an hour. Just like a potato, when finished your fork should pierce the flesh without hesitation. You can remove the tent during the end of cooking to crisp up the edges. Peel away skin before eating.

Now...

Wait for it...

ENJOY