Gratitude catchup

Having been reminded by waya over on earth_clergy (a lovely new community, I recommend it to many of you) that gratitude is a goodness, I hereby start up my daily 'five things I'm grateful for' postings again.

1) Chocolate and Shanti, my beautiful sweet cats who love me unconditionally.

2) Samson and Taltos, who are also beautiful and sweet but don't love anyone, much less me, but who do teach me love and patience - I have gotten to pet both of them today, a rare and beautiful thing.

3) My new(ish) ability to take ingredients and turn them into lovely, healthy, tasty food for me and my friends.

4) Ray, specifically for provoking me to go to the gym with him last night (though we never actually got round to it, what with peerage discussions and all) and more generally for _growing_ in such a beautiful and visible way.

5) Knowing that my friends are standing by me. Especially the ones who, when I do something dumbassed, are willing to whonk me upside the head and say 'Hey, Kate? That was dumbassed.'

6) (Bonus!) Dwen, for teaching me to drink margaritas. I think.

More about cooking...

When I moved in I bought a long string of garlic, thinking it would look pretty to hang up while I used it. Well, it turned out that it wasn't really set up properly for that, so I've been trying desperately to use it up (as have Tim and Ray and Dwen; it's been a group effort). It's finally getting to the point where enough of it's gone bad that it's not worth it any more, so today while I was at the store I contemplated a jar of minced garlic, like I used to buy.

And passed on it. I've gotten to a point where I enjoy it: peeling the garlic, the papery feel against my fingers. Cutting each clove up, mincing the resultant pile of garlic pieces until they're just right, careful of my fingers because I'm still learning how to keep them out of the way properly. Putting them in a pan with some olive oil to sautee for a while; the aroma, the sound. Yes, it takes longer that scooping it out of a jar, but I'm convinced it tastes better - and the _doing_ of it is so much more satisfying.