comfort squared...

don’t groan, but i really like making dinner after working all day. my kitchen is my refuge. my safe harbor and solace. my ridiculously happy place. granted i like my job fine enough, but when i walk out the door at quitting time, breathing in freedom along with the sticky hot fresh air wafting up from the parking lot, i’m home free. seven minutes, door to door, and i’m back in my element.

after a quick switch from work clothes to play clothes, i fasten on an apron (i really do. i love ‘em!) and settle into my kitchen to create. after splashing a little red wine into a glass, i plug in the latest audio book i fancy and get to work. good work. fun work. if i could, i’d do this for a living. but alas, i cook for my huz, who is always mucho appreciative of my creations. perish the thought of marrying a fuss budget fella who’d screw up his face in distaste at trying new things. not my guy – he’s always game for whatever i make. lucky me, for a million and one reasons, but that’s a big one.

last night i made a dish out of one of my new favorite cookbooks. yes, i still buy them, despite the fact that i have a virtual cookbook with a simple google. i thought for a moment about fancying up leftovers in an attempt to clear out the fridge. but no, not tonight. i had looked forward to making and eating this dish all day. had talked about it, as a matter of fact, with my co-workers before leaving the library.

the dish? baked cheesy farro out of “giada at home,” a new cookbook by that diva giada de laurentiis. yum. oh wow, yum. comfort food at it’s comfiest. who cares that it was hot and humid outside? comfort food defies all seasons, as far as i’m concerned. and while i chopped, sauteed and stirred, i listened to the final cd in the audio version of the latest book by sandra dallas, “prayers for sale.”

what a sweet story. lots of stories, in fact, and good stories too – all wrapped up in a first rate novel. the story tells of unlikely friendships, loyalty, hardships, forgiveness and redemption, along with a fair dose of humor. it’s stories like this that just keep me reaching for another recipe, thinking what else can i make?

stories do that to me. and mixed with the art of working with my hands in my kitchen, well...that pretty much sums up heaven to me. pour a good glass of wine, push “play,” roll up the sleeves and dig right in. and the tasting? yum. seriously, that recipe goes on my list of favorites. it was bliss.

my strength isn’t photography, so i don’t have any fancy pictures of the fruits of my labor. but rest assured, it was pretty...pretty delicious. i highly recommend combining audio books with kitchen work. for those of you who aren't as enamored with cooking as i am, it might just make the work just that much more enjoyable for you.

i’m on to a new story now – “the forgotten garden” by kate morten. it’s a good one too. along with a new chicken recipe for dinner (another giada) i’ll also be whipping up some gingersnaps. that recipe comes from another one of my new favorites which i’ll fill you in on another time.

to good food and stories
and the simple things in life...

ciao,
-t.