LET’S TALK CHICKEN

Do you remember the first time that you cooked chicken? I do and to this day, when I remember that day, I laugh within myself.

My [first] ex-husband and I were 19-years old and newlyweds. We had moved into our first place together less than one month prior and I wanted to cook my first full blown, real dinner for him besides hot dogs and spaghetti. I wanted him to fall in love with me more than he was [at the time], after having eaten that dinner.

So, I set our places on our kitchen/living room counter (we ate there because we did not have a dining room table or practically any furniture at all – but I was HAPPY to be with “my love”…), put white rice to cook, and then I got a pack of chicken drumsticks (defrosted, of course!), put them in boiling water for about five minutes (because my mother told me to do so in order to “kill the germs”), seasoned them – somehow – and put them in the hot oil in the frying pan.

PAUSE: I cannot remember if I cooked/served anything else other than white rice and chicken. HMMM…

BACK TO THE CHICKEN: During this time, he was seated on a twin-sized bed that we used as a couch (NO SHEETS! We did not have any of those for that bed, either!) in the living room watching something on television. All of a sudden, I remembered that my parents always put white cooking wine in the frying pan when they cooked chicken so, since we did not have any, I grabbed from inside the refrigerator a bottle of something that I will mention in a couple of sentences, and poured away – into the frying pan!

fizzle! fizZEL! FIZZLE! KABAAM!

The oil splatted EVERYWHERE and POOF – – – FLAMES!!!

As soon as he heard the splattering of oil, he ran into the kitchen, grabbed a towel and, as he put the flames out with the towel, in a scolding tone, asked me, “What did you put in there?” By this time, I was crying and replied, “CHAMPAGNE”.

YEAP! I put bubbly, cheap, cold champagne in HOT OIL!!!

Then, scolding me, asked “Are you stupid or what?” And I replied, “I just wanted to make you a delicious dinner” and walked away. A few minutes later, he hugged me and said, “It’s okay. It’s the thought that counts. It was kinda cute.”

I cannot remember anything else about that night except the VERY greasy-all-over kitchen but it was hot dogs and lots of spaghetti after that for the next two years…

Why did I remember this? Because earlier tonight, I was at my son’s and his family’s place and his girlfriend had just finished making a very cheesy, delicious-looking lasagna for him (pictured below) simply because he told her that he wanted to eat that. She did not have to make that for him; she did not have to make anything for him – but she did because she loves him, as I loved my ex-husband (VERY much, I may add), and she wanted to do something nice for him, as I did for my ex-husband with the chicken-gone-wrong!

When you love someone, you try to make your loved one happy, even more so when it is reciprocated. You find happiness in the smallest things such as an “It’s okay” hug or a “Thank you. It was delicious (even if it was not)”. You live happily with almost nothing and/or in a crowded, small “home”.

If you live with your beloved, make wherever you live, regardless of the comfort/luxuries or lack thereof, a “home”. You do this by loving each other and making each other happy…

ENJOY YOUR CHICKEN!

(I appreciate your comments/questions/thoughts about this article)