I had planned to do some yoga tonight, but was distracted by new episodes of some of my favorite TV shows. At least I cooked myself a meal and ate at the table before plonking myself down in front of the TV. This is a big step for me. It's also only 10 pm as I sit down to draft this post about my cooking trials and tribulations. It's possible that I will be in bed before midnight. Maybe that's why people eat dinner before 8pm?
I cooked a simple chicken dish tonight and cooked more of the asparagus, using the same recipe as yesterday. Unfortunately, it only comes in a certain size bunch, so it will my main vegetable for the week.
Tonight I listened to Alicia Keys's latest album, Girl On Fire, while cooking and eating. She's got a rich soulful voice and plays piano. Her songs are comforting, even when they're sad. It's a nice mix between slow R&B and groovy pop tunes. Her lyrics are simple and often repetitive, but I find her songs soothing.
The tune that struck me tonight was "When It's All Over" which is simply about being glad you had the chance to love someone. The song has more of a jazz feel, slow but with more dispersed instrumentation than a typical four by four steady beat. A good family friend lost his mother this week. I'm headed to the funeral on Sunday. The death of loved ones remind us to take time to enjoy people while they're with you. Yet, it doesn't have to be as extreme as death, people move and relationships end, so we should cherish people in the moment. For the first time in my life, I feel that way about the man I've been with for the past two years. This break is difficult for me, but even if we don't move forward I will be grateful for the time we had. Of course, I want more time and to move forward. I'm sad, but I'm not so worried about tomorrow.
And it feels so good
Don't you feel so good?
Talk to me
Hey, I've never been this good, not ever, not ever
Never seen this part of me
I know that nothing lasts forever, however
Oh, I'm not worried about tomorrow
Cause tomorrow may not come
And where my heart takes me I follow, you gotta follow
When they lay me down, put my soul to rest
When they ask me how I spent my life
At least I got to love you, when it's all over
When it's all said and done, when it's all over
At least I got to love you, at least I got to love you
For the sappy sad song, there's the contrasting "Tears Always Win" which also suits me tonight. Her piano builds with a steady drum beat, a more typical Alicia Keys song. There's a city sound scape in the background, sirens and traffic. The chorus even has some back-up Mowtown-ish singers.
These covers
May keep me warm at night
But they can't take your place
Cause they never gonna hold me tight
And these pillows
May let me rest my head
But they can't say good night
And tuck me in before I go to bed
Say now baby girl you're better off
That's what I'm telling myself (over and over)
But I'm lying to myself
Cause I know I don't want nobody else
These lips are missing you
Cause these lips ain't kissing you
These eyes put up a fight
But once again these tears always win
These arms are wanting you
Cause these arms ain't holding you
These eyes put up a fight
But once again these tears always win
Seared Chicken Breast with Almond-Olive Relish from The Little Black Apron (page 12)
1/2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
Salt and pepper to taste
1 shallot thinly sliced
1 Tbsp chopped picholine or other green olives
1 Tbsp chopped roasted red peppers (in a jar is fine)
1 Tbsp coarsely chopped toasted almonds
1 tsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Heat oven to 350
Heat an oven-safe saute pan over medium-high heat and coat with olive oil
Season chicken with salt and pepper
Sear chicken 4 to 5 minutes each side, until nice brown crust
Transfer pan to oven and cook chicken for about 10 minutes
Remove chicken from pan and return pan to stove over medium heat
Add the shallot and cook until translucent
In separate bowl mix the olives, peppers, almonds and parsley and stir
Spoon the relish over the chicken
The book doesn't tell you what to do with the shallots so I just added them to the relish with everything else. Yum!
I cooked a simple chicken dish tonight and cooked more of the asparagus, using the same recipe as yesterday. Unfortunately, it only comes in a certain size bunch, so it will my main vegetable for the week.
Tonight I listened to Alicia Keys's latest album, Girl On Fire, while cooking and eating. She's got a rich soulful voice and plays piano. Her songs are comforting, even when they're sad. It's a nice mix between slow R&B and groovy pop tunes. Her lyrics are simple and often repetitive, but I find her songs soothing.
The tune that struck me tonight was "When It's All Over" which is simply about being glad you had the chance to love someone. The song has more of a jazz feel, slow but with more dispersed instrumentation than a typical four by four steady beat. A good family friend lost his mother this week. I'm headed to the funeral on Sunday. The death of loved ones remind us to take time to enjoy people while they're with you. Yet, it doesn't have to be as extreme as death, people move and relationships end, so we should cherish people in the moment. For the first time in my life, I feel that way about the man I've been with for the past two years. This break is difficult for me, but even if we don't move forward I will be grateful for the time we had. Of course, I want more time and to move forward. I'm sad, but I'm not so worried about tomorrow.
And it feels so good
Don't you feel so good?
Talk to me
Hey, I've never been this good, not ever, not ever
Never seen this part of me
I know that nothing lasts forever, however
Oh, I'm not worried about tomorrow
Cause tomorrow may not come
And where my heart takes me I follow, you gotta follow
When they lay me down, put my soul to rest
When they ask me how I spent my life
At least I got to love you, when it's all over
When it's all said and done, when it's all over
At least I got to love you, at least I got to love you
For the sappy sad song, there's the contrasting "Tears Always Win" which also suits me tonight. Her piano builds with a steady drum beat, a more typical Alicia Keys song. There's a city sound scape in the background, sirens and traffic. The chorus even has some back-up Mowtown-ish singers.
These covers
May keep me warm at night
But they can't take your place
Cause they never gonna hold me tight
And these pillows
May let me rest my head
But they can't say good night
And tuck me in before I go to bed
Say now baby girl you're better off
That's what I'm telling myself (over and over)
But I'm lying to myself
Cause I know I don't want nobody else
These lips are missing you
Cause these lips ain't kissing you
These eyes put up a fight
But once again these tears always win
These arms are wanting you
Cause these arms ain't holding you
These eyes put up a fight
But once again these tears always win
Seared Chicken Breast with Almond-Olive Relish from The Little Black Apron (page 12)
1/2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
Salt and pepper to taste
1 shallot thinly sliced
1 Tbsp chopped picholine or other green olives
1 Tbsp chopped roasted red peppers (in a jar is fine)
1 Tbsp coarsely chopped toasted almonds
1 tsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Heat oven to 350
Heat an oven-safe saute pan over medium-high heat and coat with olive oil
Season chicken with salt and pepper
Sear chicken 4 to 5 minutes each side, until nice brown crust
Transfer pan to oven and cook chicken for about 10 minutes
Remove chicken from pan and return pan to stove over medium heat
Add the shallot and cook until translucent
In separate bowl mix the olives, peppers, almonds and parsley and stir
Spoon the relish over the chicken
The book doesn't tell you what to do with the shallots so I just added them to the relish with everything else. Yum!
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