I probably shouldn’t have fucked around.
– Guy who found out
Author: H Walker Jones, Esq
A professional programmer with a sordid past involving sysadmin, tech support, and cooking.
Only Child
I was an only child… but it took a lot of effort.
—Alpha Child
We had been riffing on the Steven Wright joke, “When I was a little kid we had a sand box. It was a quicksand box. I was an only child… eventually.” Alpha’s ad-lib made the joke that much darker. I am quite proud.
Indian Butter Chicken
Indian Butter Chicken
Delicious chicken and cauliflower. Pairs well with rice and/or naan bread.
Equipment
- 14+ inch skillet w/ lid
Ingredients
- Olive oil
- Onion, yellow, small diced
- 4 cloves Garlic
- 2 tbsp Ginger, fresh
- 2 tbsp Butter
- 3/4 cup Chicken Stock
- 6 oz Tomato Paste
- 2 tsp Cinnamon
- 2 tsp Cumin
- 2 tsp Garam masala
- 1 tsp Tumeric
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1.5 pounds Chicken diced to bite-sized pieces
- 1 head Cauliflower chopped into bite-sized pieces
- 2 tbsp Lemon juice
- 1 cup Heavy cream
Instructions
- Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in the skillet until it shimmers
- Add onions, garlic, and ginger, and sauté for a couple of minutes, until the onions begin to soften
- Stir in, and bring to a simmer:butterchicken stocktomato pastecinnamoncumingaram masalatumericsalt
- Add chicken and cauliflower, and stir until coatedDon’t be alarmed: the previous steps leave you with a paste, not a sauce, and the chicken and cauliflower might seem a little dry.
- Cover, and simmer for about 15 minutes (or until the chicken is cooked through)
- Stir in lemon juice and cream, and bring back to a simmer
- Simmer, uncovered, for a couple of minutes
Notes
A variation of a traditional Indian dish, my recipe is adapted from The Modern Proper.
This is one of those recipes where your significant other may saunter through the kitchen and compliment the fragrance; children might run away in fear and loathing. The final product is smooth, tasty, and not nearly as strong as it seemed while you were cooking.
Cape Cod 2021
Highlights From Cape Cod
“Baba” plays the part of the matriarch and rents a house on the cape, then invites the families to come stay with her. Our responsibilities include making dinner (plus cleaning up) and enjoying ourselves.
This year was one of the rainiest summers in a long time, among the top 5 since record keeping began, but we still had plenty of time for fun.
We went on a whale watch out of Provincetown on Wednesday. It was really foggy and we didn’t see any whales, or anything at all, for almost two hours.
Suddenly, out of the fog, we stumbled across some whales that really showed off for a bit.
We discovered Skaket Beach, on the bay side of Orleans, on a beautiful afternoon.
The beach is very flat so as the tide retreats you can walk out very, very far.
There are natural tide pools that trap crustaceans. The kids had fun hunting hermit crabs and minnows. Tim dug up a couple of steamers to show the kids what lives beneath the sand.
Beta child made some new friends, as usual. Baba did, too, with a couple that lives in the next town over from us. Meghan and I had fun talking with them about local stuff, and listening to the husband grouse about local contractors and the crappy McMansions they put up.
A couple of days into our stay, a local hawk mother decided that her chicks were ready to leave the nest. One of the three wasn’t quite ready and complained, loudly, every remaining day of our stay.
The mother hawk, to her credit, never strayed too far away. The siblings showed up as well to coax him off his branch. This one, however, mostly hopped from tree to tree and demanded a nest and food.
Other highlights, of which there are no photos
- We got Baba on a rented tricycle and went a couple of miles up the Cape Code Rail Trail. The Fox family rode their bikes all the way from Orleans to Wellfleet.
- I rode solo from Orleans to Wellfleet, and Orleans to the Harwich Rotary a few days later
- We swam at Nauset Beach and Coast Guard Beach
- We walked around downtown Orleans and Chatham
- We got a perfect lunch at The Knack, an excellent dinner at Mahoney’s Atlantic Bar & Grill, and delicious ice cream at the Ice Cream Cafe
- Megh, Beta, and I went to the French Cable Museum and had a great time! (This was my personal favorite part of the entire trip)
- Nobody got sunburned (I think this is a first)
Sometimes
Sometimes I like to fantasize that I’m actually as competent as everyone seems to think I am.
Alpha’s Graduation
Alpha child officially graduated from high school today!
Hot day, graduation was moved to morning to avoid 90+° F in the afternoon. (92° as I write this, expected to top out around 94° in a couple of hours.)
Afterwards, lunch with the grandparents at the Emerald Rose.
I’m very proud of Alpha. I’m also very proud of myself and @mom that we successfully launched a tiny human to adulthood.
Heatwave
I think this is the earliest that I’ve ever put air conditioners in the windows. Most years we make it until July. We used to go entire years without putting them in.
MFA
Being an adult means that you have the power to eat dessert for dinner, but the wisdom and self-control not to.
Lottery
Ralph, who is not religious, is so down on his luck he decides to pray for some good luck. He prays to god that he win the lottery.
The drawing comes, and passes, and he doesn’t win.
By the end of the week things just continue to get worse, his car has been repossessed and he faces eviction from his mom’s basement, so he prays on the lottery again. But nothing.
Finally, after even his dog bails, Ralph prays again: “God, please, I’ll believe
in anything you say, just let me win the lottery this once!”
A voice booms out from the clouds. “Ralph, just meet me halfway and buy a freakin’ ticket!”
Life, in brief
Life is the hardest teacher. It gives you the test, and then gives you the lesson.