New light, and chicken with scallion dumplings.

On Friday, Murdo and I officially became homeowners. We celebrated with gyros. After lunch, I quit my job.

My last day of work was on Monday. Since then, I've been getting up early, packing boxes, working out and watching episodes of "Parenthood" -- all before lunch each day. It's been years since I've had time during the week to myself. Time to sit down to breakfast, to play with the cats, to take a nap in the middle of the afternoon. To notice the way the light filters into the apartment at nine in the morning, and to stand still to enjoy it.

I start work at my new job the Monday after next, on Murdo's 30th birthday. We'll have moved into our new home by then. It's strange to think that the next time I go into an office for work, we'll be living somewhere else. I've been thinking about "the next time" a lot lately. Tonight, while I made dinner: "The next time I make this chicken dish, we'll be at our new house." As I fed the cats: "The next time we buy a bag of cat food, we'll be at our new house." As I packed boxes: "The next time I use my slow cooker, we'll be at our new house."

I've been thinking about saying goodbye. I'll miss the runs through our wooded neighborhood, the way our walkway smells of lush greenery right after a rainfall, the tree-lined path along the lake that transforms with each season. This little apartment is where we lived when I started my last job. It's our first home as a married couple. Tim died here. The kittens grew up here.

And I cooked many, many meals here -- some just once or twice, while others made the menu week after week. I'll bring those recipes to our new home, and learn a new rhythm in a new kitchen, and fill our new home with familiar smells, and discover new light filtering through the windows.

Chicken with Scallion Dumplings (slightly adapted from Canal House Cooking Vol. 3)

For the chicken:
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 large onion, chopped
5 ribs celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
handful parsley leaves, chopped
3 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
1 to 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
salt and pepper
1 cup chicken broth

For the scallion dumplings:
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup half-and-half or milk
3 to 4 scallions, chopped

Start with the chicken. Melt the butter in a heavy pot with a lid over medium heat. Add onions, celery, carrots, parsley and garlic. Cook until the vegetables have softened, about 10 minutes. Place the chicken on top of the veggies and season with salt and pepper. Add chicken broth. Cover, reduce heat to low and cook for 30 minutes.

While the chicken cooks, prepare the dumplings. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a bowl. Stir the egg and half-and-half into the flour mixture. Add the scallions and combine, but don't over mix. The dumpling dough should be like very wet biscuit dough.

After the chicken has simmered for 30 minutes, drop 2-tablespoon mounds of dumpling dough on top of the chicken. You should have 8 dumplings. Cover and simmer until the dumplings are puffed and cooked through, about 5 minutes.

Makes 3 to 4 servings.