Supper Time

But first, some more Alameda Halloween fun...

I had a crummy day today. Well, it wasn't that bad, but it had crummy bits all throughout it, which sort of ruined the overall day.

I left work and needed a good dinner. The meal that would Make It All Better. I have always been inspired by Marion Cunningham's The Supper Book introduction when thinking about dinner (or, rather, supper):

"I love supper. The idea of supper always conjures up a simple, easy, flexible meal marked by the intimacy of family and friends... sitting down to one dish, with bread, butter, and a dessert, can put the world back into a pleasant perspective... Supper is more a state of mind than a meal bound by rules. Above all, it shouldn't be prepared watching the clock and racing through all the cooking. Nothing destroys the pleasure and natural rhythm of kitchen work so quickly. The kitchen should always be a soothing place, especially after a hectic day at work. Cooking supper for yourself and others can be a welcome change of thought and tempo. It can be one of the nicest times of the day."

I couldn't agree more. I generally look forward to making dinner (thinking of WHAT to make, on the other hand, frequently tries my patience). I like chopping and stirring and mixing and tasting and adding bits of this or that. I like having something delicious to eat that I've made. I don't like buying ready-made dinners. There is something soul-nourishing about good home-cooked food that really tastes good, and I've happily invested lots of time figuring out how to do this trick.

So what was the soul-nourishing dinner that I made tonight? Curried butternut-apple soup, brown-bread muffins, and chocolate loaf cake for dessert. It sounds like a lot, but each dish was super-easy to make and it was probably an hour and 15 minutes prep total. Which is a lot if you have kids, etc. But I don't, and I like to cook. So, it was a nice diversion from the stressful day.

And now we have the best soup in the world, yummy dark muffins to nibble on, and fudgy fresh cake to have for dessert. Bad day, begone.