Scents

Yesterday I complained about the lingering smell of salmon. Today, I must extol the virtues of sauteeing onions, garlic and ginger. Zeb's just started the Apricot Chicken and, with just those three ingredients and a glass and a half of sauvignon blanc, I'm starting to let go of my crappy day. I'm a sucker for a recipe with fresh ginger. If that's an ingredient, I'm going to add it to my spreadsheet. It's spicy and sweet and so fragrant. Garlic's another ingredient that I think should be in everything. I tend to double the amount of garlic requested by the recipe (I mean, really, who's to say what the recipe author meant by 1 clove?). I used to be totally against garlic. I think that's because my best friend from high school, Gina, overloaded a bowl of my grandfather's vegetable soup with garlic powder. The smell made me ill for years. Now it's one of my favorites. Go figure!

Speaking of which, I really need to get my grandfather's vegetable soup recipe. I don't know how to describe it. I think of it as the ultimate comfort food. Just thinking about that soup makes me feel better. Huh, another thing that makes me forget my crappy day. My grandfather doesn't cook much but when he does, it's memorable. He would send me off to college with some of that vegetable soup and, even though most soups with discernible vegetables would made me gag, that soup was heaven.

Dinner was so much fun! Even though Raley's didn't have the apricots in juice like the recipe called for, Zeb made the apricots in heavy syrup work. He's much better at improvising then I am. I'm a "follow the recipe to the exact detail" kind of person although I'm also a "by accidentally skip important steps and have to scurry around to try to fix it" person. The sauce was absolutely delectable. My chicken was a bit scorched but that's due to the fact that our grill doesn't heat evenly but we haven't figured out its hot spots. Oh, and I got Lisa to drink a ton of wine with me. Jason and Zeb called me a pusher. I prefer to think of it as my enthusiasm encourages others to join me. Here's hoping she didn't get a hangover!!