All the world is biscuit shaped

I was moderately grumpy all day yesterday. No particular reason, just out of sorts. In the evening Ernie finally pulled himself away from his jigsaw puzzle. Hattie and I thought about being aloof since he’d ignored us for hours but decided against it as we love him. We (Ernie and I, not Hattie) tossed some chicken thighs in the oven and curled up and watched some tv. Yes, it was a lovely day and we could have grilled but it felt like too much work. It was five chicken thighs, just salt and pepper, roasted skin side down for half an hour at 450, then turned them and did it another 20 minutes. They were pretty big and the pan was somewhat crowded which is why it took so long. Ernie put a mix off greens on the plates, and a chicken thigh on top. Then I loosened up the bits in the pan, poured some apple cider vinegar (maybe 1 1/2 tablespoons) into the drippings and then some maple syrup (a teaspoon or two). Then I carefully retreated to a seat while Ernie whisked it all up and drizzled it over the chicken and the greens.

It was supposed to be honey, rather than maple syrup but our bottle of honey was rock hard and I once went head to head with a bottle of honey trying to soften it and, let’s just say, the honey won. Next time I would probably go with the honey as planned and perhaps a few red pepper flakes but it was surprisingly delicious. It was based on this recipe but I went with roasting rather than stove top as it seemed easier. Also, I upped the acid and lowered the sweetness.

As we ate we both kept pausing to say, “this is really good, this is SOOOO good.” I kinda wished I’d had bread or something to mop up the last of the sauce so instead I just used my finger and licked it off. Heh. Even when we were done we both kept muttering, “damn, that was good.”

Suddenly I felt so much better. It’s as though the pleasure of taste just lifted me–lifted me right up from where I’d been all day. It made me think about our senses and how much we need them. And that’s why I need music and good food and, well, Buster.

Thank you little chicken thigh and thank you for the alchemy of cooking. I try to find positive moments in my day and this was a good reminder of how powerful they are and how much I need them.

After all, the world is biscuit shaped.