Riveted

It is possible that things will not get better
than they are now, or have been known to be.
It is possible that we are past the middle now.
It is possible that we have crossed the great water
without knowing it, and stand now on the other side.
Yes: I think that we have crossed it. Now
we are being given tickets, and they are not
tickets to the show we had been thinking of,
but to a different show, clearly inferior.

Check again: it is our own name on the envelope.
The tickets are to that other show.

It is possible that we will walk out of the darkened hall
without waiting for the last act: people do.
Some people do. But it is probable
that we will stay seated in our narrow seats
all through the tedious dénouement
to the unsurprising end — riveted, as it were;
spellbound by our own imperfect lives
because they are lives,
and because they are ours.

by Robyn Sarah from A Day's Grace: Poems 1997-2002

Fall Chicken with Feta

Serves 4

This dish is especially nice served over couscous




INGREDIENTS:
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 1-1/4 pounds total)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups peeled, seeded, and chopped (into 1/2 inch cubes) winter squash
8 ounces of chanterelles, shiitake, or morel mushrooms, sliced with tough part of stems discarded
1 medium onion, sliced and separated into rings (about 2 cups)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
dash of cayenne pepper
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (2 ounces)
1 teaspoon fresh minced marjoram, savory, or thyme (or 1/4 teaspoon dried herb)


DIRECTIONS:
1. Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Season chicken with salt and black pepper. In a 12-inch skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Cook chicken for 12 to 15 minutes or until the internal temperature registers 170F on an instant-read thermometer, turning once. Place chicken on a plate and tent with foil.
2. Turn heat up to medium high. Add squash, mushrooms, onion, garlic, salt, and peppers to the skillet. Cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken broth. Cover and cook for 6 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in pumpkin and place chicken breasts in skillet. Cover and simmer for 4 minutes more, stirring once.
3. Place chicken on plates and spoon vegetable mixture over chicken. Sprinkle with feta cheese and fresh marjoram and serve.
*** According to many surveys, chicken consumption has nearly doubled in the last 50 years, going from about 50 pounds of chicken annually per person to nearly 100 pounds.

Blah-Blah-Blahg: Food For Nought

For last year's words belong to last year's language and next year's words await another voice. And to make an end is to make a beginning.

-T.S. Eliot