Machboos rubyan was a great success. Handsome Son did it great justice and the evening went FIIIIIIINE.
The overhead light is a task light, very white, for working, so it washed out a lot of color. But the dish, by the usual table light, was fine, lovely and golden and browned, sizzling hot, smelling like a Bahreini kitchen!
The halibut, a first for me, was just lovely, cooked along with the shrimp, both ready together.
Anyway it came off really well. And the hand-dipped chocolates and tea afterwards were decadent.
I feel like someone who completed a big project! And we discussed other ways with the same rice, such as hot sausage..this has possibilities. It's definitely joined the repertoire.
Meanwhile, back at the Kindle, I'm reading this
I'm not a big Gilbert fan, usually find her too excitable and breathless and sound-bitey, but this came recommended by Flossie Teacakes, from whom I learned to love English paper piecing, so I thought I'd try it.
She has a couple of interesting ideas about creating. One is that it's not the realm of a chosen few, which I very much agree on. Another is that whether you make a living or not from your creative work, is irrelevant to the work, yes to that too. And you need to honor your ideas when they arrive, not set them aside for a better time.
She notes the phenomenon where several unrelated people are seized by the same idea at the same time, no way of knowing about the others. Happens in science, math, writing. It can cause a lot of heartburn, too, people thinking their idea was stolen.
Happened to her and Ann Patchett about a novel. They handled it in a very classy way. That's a story worth your reading.
So far, so good. I may take these pearls and let the rest of the book go. And she'd probably say fine, my work is done! She's nothing if not good natured.
I have zero commitments on my schedule today. Maybe I will finally try one of those jigsaw puzzles I've been keeping for January, just in time for February..
And dinner is leftover spicy rice with some fresh cooked shrimp and halibut. Hygge.
