It Wasn't All Bad

I should be ashamed to share this with you. However, I have to tell someone, and our paths will never cross.

The enforced hibernation of these past weeks due to the perils of ice snow, sleet and all the other demons of winter has had one dramatic effect in my life.

I have eaten better.  Yes, that's right, I said better.  And I think I might add healthier.

Why?  Because I have been cooking.  I did that throughout my marriage and certainly during the years the Fabulous Four were part of our household.  As they drifted away, one by one, I still kept cooking mostly because my husband enjoyed our meals together.  And, of course, so did I.

After he left, I rather lost interest in the shopping and preparation that previously had been one of our mutual activities.  I didn't stop altogether, but what I did prepare was somewhat prosaic and certainly lacking in any concentration.

Once the snows started, shortly before Christmas I believe, I began  to research what ingredients were available hidden in the shelves of my freezer.  Instead of pulling out a Lean Cuisine Entrée or stopping at one of our wonderful local gourmet markets for a takeout, I began to cook again.

Surprisingly, I discovered it was fun.  Something I had put away with other memories when I found myself living alone for the first time in my life.  I didn't need anyone else to enjoy the preparation and pleasure of a well balanced home cooked meal.

I found a large supply of yeast that had long been forgotten, but remained fresh.  Decades ago, someone had given me "King Arthur's 200th Anniversary Cookbook."  I checked out a relatively simple recipe for dinner rolls, and to my surprise, the result was quite good.  The recipe made a dozen, and I kept four.  The other eight were packaged for a friend who was not well.

Then I remembered the frozen chicken breasts I had purchased a few months back hoping to serve them over the holidays.  My plans had changed, however, and I left New York and spent both Thanksgiving and Christmas with my children out of town.  Obviously, I didn't take the chicken with me, and how wonderful to discover it again.

My wonderful IPad quickly brought up Ina Garten's amazing lemon chicken recipe.  Fortunately, there was one lone lemon hidden in my vegetable drawer.  Another simple recipe that produces a main dish any cook can be proud to serve.  Once again, I discovered I was enjoying myself and what had begun as a long, dull afternoon during a storm turned out to be fun.

And, of course, another healthy meal.

I found two apples and a few shortbread cookies I had frozen.     Jacques Pepin has a wonderful idea for a great dessert.  The apples were quickly pared and sliced, topped with just a smidgen of butter and topped with the crushed cookies.   Perhaps not ambrosia, but quite close.  And the house smelled wonderful with the scent of apples baking.  I began to forget I hadn't been able to access my car.

I wonder how many other things I enjoyed with my beloved that I put away when he had to leave.  I know he would have disapproved.  He always wanted what was best for me, and maybe I have forgotten that too.  And he always encouraged me to find pleasure in my myriad activities.  Something else I have failed to remember.

The snow has begun to melt, and I could drive to the market and buy one of their "home cooked" meals, but I have decided to step back in time and rediscover the joy of my own culinary efforts.  They may not always be an adventure, but I have rediscovered a pleasure that I had almost relinquished.