Since the play has taken over my life for the past couple weeks, I haven’t been very good at fulfilling my usual role in the family as Cooker of Delicious Dinners. Mike is understandably upset about this, since he was the main benefactor in that arrangement.

Yesterday I had a day off from the play {which Mike has taken to calling “Dorklahoma”}, so I told him I would make whatever his hungry little heart desired. He pointed to this recipe in this cook book.

There’s nothing like soul food to give you the strength to perform the heck out of “Oklahoma” for the second week {and to give your husband the strength to tolerate it.} This meal is exactly what the doctor ordered.

And it was made even better because it was shared with great friends and paired with tangy home-brewed beer and lots of immature jokes, which the doctor also ordered.

And a nutty Maple Layer Cake to top it off {recipe note: I used cinnamon instead of ground ginger and was very happy with the change. I also used waaaay less frosting than Martha suggests, because the cake was already plenty sweet.}

I feel rejuvenated and ready to give the second week of performances my all! And Mike has about a week’s worth of leftover fried chicken to work away at in the ‘fridge, so he’s a happy camper. Oh, the wonders of a good meal. Yeow!