Zuni Roast Chicken with Bread Salad by TravelGirl on Dec 21, 2011 at 7:08 PM PST

This has become my favorite way to cook chicken. The crisp skin and moist, tender chicken is pure comfort food. The hardest part is remembering to salt the chicken in advance.

I devour cookbooks and pour through food blogs always looking for that diamond in the rough recipe that will knock the socks off my friends and family. I believe in planning and practice and preparation but looking back at the meals I have shared; the most gratifying are the impromptu. A recent death in the family brought a few of us together to pack up and distribute belongings. It was a horrible day. At end of day we were too exhausted to eat out and the thought of ordering pizza was nauseating. I offered food at my house not quite sure what I was going to do. Rushing home ahead of everyone, I pulled hamburger from the freezer and potatoes from the pantry and vegetables from the fridge. The burgers were grilled the potatoes were fried and the couple ears of corn, asparagus, zucchini and onions were turned into the best grilled vegetable salad I have ever made. We sat at the table with our simple meal and shared our stories, mending our grief. Food cooked with love and shared is magical.

You really hit home with this one. For me , coffee is camaraderie. I’ve enjoyed coffee since my children were born over 30 years ago. It was these children that introduced me to the social aspect of it all. I look forward to visiting their urban areas where going for a coffee is as simple as walking down the street. We’ve enjoyed coffee at sidewalk cafes around the world where we sit and talk or watch the world around us. Even in my daily life, when I take that much needed coffee break, it gives me the chance to see what’s going on around me. Even that quick walk down the hall for coffee can gives me a much needed mental break. Coffee is a moment of contemplation, camaraderie, rejuvenation.

I am no different from anyone else and must curb by caffeine intake. So I do my best to limit it to one reasonable cup a day and substitute strong green tea the rest of the day. I have survived.