good food and good "company"

I have really grown to enjoy cooking, but I hardly ever have the time I need to cook some of my favorites. So tonight I decided to cook a delish meal for myself, Champagne Asparagus Risotto. (I play around a bit, but use this recipe as a base.)

I love cooking Risotto, because it's so slow. it's such a process. and you have to keep a close watch on it so it doesn't stick too much to the pan. it forces me to slow down. to breathe deeply as I wait for the process.

I live alone, so I honestly usually eat in front of my computer or tv, even though I kind of hate that. (I'm realizing lately how much of a walking contradiction I am. I'm pretty sure we all are, so I feel pretty ok about it.)

But tonight I decided to finish the rest of the champagne, light some candles, enjoy my Christmasy table, and sit. really taste the goodness of a well made meal.
I talk a lot about sabbath, and incorporating a bit of the sabbath into every day. Lauren Winner says that on the sabbath time as we know it ceases to exist. sometimes we taste moments of that in the everyday and God shows up in really beautiful ways. tonight was a bit like that.



Over dinner, I read The Nativity, which is to say that I lingered over the incredible images of this children's book. It's the text of the KJV with the most beautiful watercolors depicting the Nativity. Mary is incredibly pregnant, the angel wears combat boots, and I'm reminded of the humanity of the story along with the wonder of it all. And over my slow dinner, sipping champagne, really tasting my food....I found myself weeping a little bit.



I really hate it when people say that "someday" I'll be grateful for the nights I spend alone and wish I could have them again. I hate it for a lot of reasons. but one of them is that I don't want to be grateful someday, I want to be grateful today. So today I was. And that's not always the case. But tonight time was different, and I felt grateful for a moment to linger at the table with some beautiful images of the Christchild and truly experience Emmanuel, God with us.