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This post is a brief paean to good food, well prepared and the joy it brings, especially when prepared by someone else.

I was lucky to snag an unexpected invitation to dinner tonight, and I got the best meal I’ve had it some time. The menu: Chicken & fennel (with a lovely sauce flavored with fennel and garlic), Brussels sprouts roasted with the chicken, mashed potatoes and pear tart with a dollop of whipped cream. Flavorful, yet subtle. Just the ticket for this winter-weary cook.

On top of the delicious food and excellent company, I also had the pleasure of learning something new: that supermarket butchers (at least at the Hy-Vee in Lawrence), will actually cut up a whole chicken. Yep. My friend bought a whole Smart Chicken and asked the butcher to cut it up for her, and he did, no charge. The result: a chicken cut up “right,” which is to say the breast was whole without ribs (an intact wishbone!), the thighs were thighs only and the ribs were separate parts. In short, cut up like Mom used to do.

But that’s an aside. The important part: Good food is more than fuel; it nourishes the soul, too. This delicious meal lifted my spirits. Thanks, friend!