MicroSeason Ten, White rabbits, and chicken

MicroSeason Ten,

and the leaves are turning

First slate colored junco appeared on the patio, bang on schedule. No picture, I was taken by surprise. Canada geese starting to fly in v formation, before migrating to the next town and back again. Not keen travelers, our local flocks.

The face is completed, 

trapunto work done, cut off from the supporting fabric, and now I can see what's next. 

I have some ideas floating around amorphously. The coloring is roving slid under the silk top layer, in a kind of low relief. Here it's just resting on a handy placemat.

The silk felted shape I showed you earlier may belong with this, but is more likely to be better with the next figure which is impatiently pushing its way into my thinking now. 

Meanwhile there's dinner to consider.

I wanted something involving mushrooms of which I have plenty, and chicken thighs likewise. 

So here's the mushrooms sizzling nicely in butter and good olive oil, in front of the cut up chicken browning in the ready browned onions, curry leaves and fingerlings.

Everything went into one earthenware dish which does a great job with chicken. I added in a handful of sliced basil-and-garlic flavoured olives. Sat the bowl in the fridge all afternoon to let the flavors get friendly. 

Then half an hour at 400°f covered. At that point all was cooked and tender, the flavors were good. 

And another time I'll remember to serve it over jasmine rice, because the flavors could definitely take it. There's a couple of meals- worth left, so I'll try the rice idea. 

Between the curry leaves, picked off the plant Amitha gave me, which you can use wherever you'd use bay leaves, the olives and the buttered mushrooms, there was plenty of flavor to go around. If I hadn't had olives I'd have used capers, similar sharpness, to liven up the chicken.

Anyway it was good.

And since I wrote this yesterday, the dermatologist visit finally happened, and she biopsied the little thing on my face. I'll know in a few days if it's something to deal with. Interesting experience having a biopsy done, a first in my sheltered life.