Chicken, Mac n' Cheese and Catan

As I'm sure I mentioned in the past, after I graduated from college I stuck around the area for a few reasons. Most of my peers, however, moved on. In an effort to strengthen the connections with those still around, I began a weekly shin dig formally known as "Adult Macaroni and Cheese Night." K. was a regular presence on these nights, and so there was no question that I'd be making the dish out of nostalgia. And there is a smidgen of pride in there too; I still think it's a pretty unbeatable dish. Along with the pasta I spatchcocked, salted and peppered the chicken that I picked up  at Fleishers before throwing it on the grill.

While the mac n' cheese and chicken baked and grilled respectively, we continued our multi-day Catan marathon.

And actually played even while eating, or immediately thereafter. The chicken did well for itself. I think I tinkered with the grill less than at home, and it was really nice and golden and crispy. The meat was good too, but I think if I had taken the time to brine it it might have been just a bit more moist. Or perhaps if I had taken the chicken off the grill maybe ten minutes earlier. The mac n' cheese turned out quite well if I do say so myself.

And then we played again. I think K. won this lower one.

And then on perhaps the next afternoon, we played again. A running theme. Our outdoor games were intermittently interrupted by rain showers that peppered each day, but on the whole they didn't last long and the view was quite lovely. I don't have a lot of photographs of the lake, or me in it, but I usually made it down to the shore and did a bit of swimming and floating each day. Though it is true I probably spent more hours reading a series of books (Gone Girl, The Host, Sweet Tooth) and playing games with J. and K. than I did immersed in the waters of Lake Champlain.