Reading Laurie Colwin again.

Realizing that I have never read every page of her two books on food, realizing that I have always wanted to make Black Cake and understanding that as often as I have made Mustard Chicken I still need to look at the words, I sat down on the couch with both "Home Cooking" and "More Home Cooking" on Sunday while it was pouring rain. Published in 1988 and 1993 respectively, mine are first editions that I love. Ask me to give up my cookbooks, I will claim that these two are not cookbooks but essays on life with some food involved, and thus I will never give them up.

On a rainy day there is not a better use of my time than reading Laurie Colwin explain to me, the reader, how simple it is to make soup. Or to whip up a chocolate cake in one bowl. To listen to her tell you why she would eat pasta with beets "every day of my life" is to begin to enjoy her passion of simple food. Her recipe for Cornbread and Prosciutto stuffing at Thanksgiving is now made either by me, by my daughter or by my son every Thanksgiving, even if we are eating alone that day. We tweak it, of course, but it is Laurie's, basically, beginning to end. Nantucket Cranberry Pie, which is a cake and simple enough for a ten year old to make, is another staple. Creamed corn: just some fresh corn, cream, spice and people will lick their plates when it's all gone. And Mustard Chicken, which is really just chicken coated in mustard with crumbs and butter..... cooked for a long time, it is as crispy and as juicy as anything fried and your house will smell mouth-watering. You will want to invite friends over, just to let them stand on the front porch and smell that chicken.

Oh, if only she had gone on living. I am convinced that Laurie Colwin started the "Get Over Yourself" trend of cooking. Stop fretting, just do it. And that's how good food happens, you just do it. If it doesn't work, you can reimagine it for the next day, feed it to the dog or toss it out. If you make a meal that is exemplary,  you can call a friend to come and share it or eat it alone with a glass of wine and be happy. Your life will not be changed with either outcome in any dramatic way but it might make you happy for an hour or two.

Smile. Be happy. Life is good.

Combine in a bowl about a half cup of Dijon mustard, a grated garlic clove, some dried thyme, a pinch of cinnamon, salt and generous ground black pepper. Brush this on chicken thighs and legs, or just thighs, skin on. Then roll in fine bread crumbs or panko, dot with butter and put in a shallow greased baking pan. (You can line it with greased foil or parchment if you want or not.) Sprinkle, if you like, with paprika. Bake at 350 for about two hours (!) until nice and brown. (It is usually done in about 75 minutes for me, just saying.) Let cool for at least 15 minutes. It is good hot or cold.



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