October 3, 2026
Comfort Island
Dear Sandra,
I conjured you up last night when Conor and I went over to the cottage at Thousand Island Park for movie night with Jason and Evan. I had offered to bring dinner…and, per usual, ran out of time.
So off we went to Price Chopper to get a roast chicken, macaroni and cheese and some broccoli. Panera had some pre-packaged macaroni and cheese and broccoli…so there you have it.
The first idea was to tart it up with some fresh peas, corn and roasted mushrooms, but we were going basic here. I pulled apart the chicken, mixed it with the mac and cheese, put it in a casserole, topped it with panko and Parmesan and voilà…a simple meal.
I did serve it with a proper baguette and a delicious Margaux, so not all was lost.
Evan and I are pretty good cooks, all in all, but this was fast, easy, did honor to your “Semi-Homemade,” and was entirely consumed.
While the casserole was baking, we caught the sunset, wine in hand, and thought how lucky we all were.
The movie was perfect—Moonlight. It won the Oscar for Best Picture and is definitely worth seeing.
Marvin the cat, feeling recently neglected because of the new baby Sloane, lay next to me and was rewarded with lots of rubs and attention. That’s all he needed.
A simple thing.
That’s something all of us need from time to time.
Missing you and hope you come back up next summer.
Stephen