In Which She Celebrates Thanksgiving

This weekend, people, I was consumed with the desire to cook.

On Friday, I purchased a quarter kilo of chicken, and made it go really far- for three spectacular (says she modestly) meals.

That evening, I opened a bottle of wine brought all the way from Delhi (no, I have not found a purveyor of grape-juice-made-interesting in Ddun yet), poured me a glass and set to work on the chicken. I deboned it, and boiled the bones with some veggies for stock. With the meat and some stock, I made me a jambalaya. You might have noticed that I have a slight tendency towards self-congratulation, but this was worthy. I know it happened by accident, and I will not be able to replicate it again, but Lord, this was so good. It was perfectly cooked- creamy but not mushy, had the right amount of flavour and a smidgen of heat, and was hearty and fragrant and warm and awesome. I wish you were all here.

The recipe? I fried my chicken till brown, took the pieces out and added far too much garlic and some sliced onions to the pan. Tossed that around a bit, then added diced tomatoes, and followed that up with some green peppers. Tossed in some chilli powder, a squeeze of lemon and a sprinkling of salt. Added some rice and moved it around till translucent, threw in the chicken, then added hot stock till the things in the pan were covered. Put a lid on the pan, and let it simmer while I cleared the kitchen and drank my wine. Opened the pan to check, and there was perfection. A sprinkling of coriander, and mmmmm.

It was when I sat down for dinner with the rice and another glass of wine, sat down in my house with the first poultry dish that I had cooked there, at the end of a satisfying work week, after having talked with/emailed friends and family, that I realised that it was Thanksgiving.

This is not a perfect world- infact it is filled with far too much horror, and pain and anger and pettiness, but I have a lot to say thanks for, and so do we all. Cheers, people. Miss all those of you I had been with at this time last year. Come and visit me.