Every morning after my workout, I give myself 30 minutes to spend drinking coffee at my desk with my cat in my lap.

From the second my alarm goes off in the morning until I close my eyes at night, every moment of my day is spoken for and spent on necessary tasks… except for this 30-minutes of indulgence. For this short half an hour each day, I relieve myself of all responsibility and give myself permission to be completely unproductive. I watch my brain-rot YouTube drama unapologetically, I delight at watching the newest fashion shows and hair tutorials and marvel at the beautiful but completely impractical nails I wish I could wear, and all the while my black velvet kitten is looking up at me with love in her expression and fervor in her purr.

She was a bony, gangly kitten, with a sharp triangle face, giant ears, and a round little button nose. She was awkward and skittish and would certainly never have let me carry her around like she begs me to do now. She is 9 years old now, and I cannot ignore the fact that my kitten is quickly entering her golden years. She wants to be carried up and down our stairs, playtime is no longer a showcase of agility and speed, her midnight fur is speckled with silver between her eyes, and I only get a shrew or vole on our porch every so often, instead of every morning. My girl is clearly feeling her age, but she still burrows her face into my elbow like the baby kitten she always will be in my eyes.

I should still have plenty of time with my kitten, but this realization has made me declare my 30-minute morning indulgence is no longer aimless — it is now my designated time to spend with her. Time for me to check in with her and inspect her from nose to tail, time for me to brush her and cuddle her and give her my undivided motherly affection and care. My girl has been a velvet cushion for me to rest my eyes on all these years, and now I will be hers.

I am careful not to give her too many treats, but I always let my son give her a few bites off his plate when we have chicken for dinner — bits of breast are her favorite. This week I made some gochujang-braised chicken wings for dinner and made sure to reserve a couple unseasoned morsels for her to enjoy while we did the dishes.

These chicken wings are sweet, mildly spicy, and fragrant with fresh ginger and garlic. They are sticky and messy not healthy at all, so they are best enjoyed as a side dish to seasoned vegetables and in the comfortable company of old friends.

Gochujang-braised Chicken Wings

Ingredients for 8 wings:

8 chicken wings

3 tablespoons honey

¼ cup mirin

¼ cup soy sauce

3 cloves fresh garlic, minced

1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced

1 teaspoon sesame seeds

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1-2 tablespoons gochujang (more or less for desired spiciness)

A few cracks of black pepper

1 stalk green onion, chopped for garnish

Directions:

Boil the chicken wings in lightly salted water for 5 minutes, drain, and rinse in cold water.

Whisk together the honey, gochujang, soy sauce, black pepper, mirin, and sesame seeds in a small bowl and set aside.

Drizzle the sesame oil into the bottom of a wok or fry pan and briefly sauté the ginger and garlic before adding in the sauce.

Add a splash of water to loosen the sauce, then add the wings.

Cook over medium high heat, tossing the wings as you go, until the sauce is thick and sticky and the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees.

The sugary sauce will be extremely hot, so let the wings cool for 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with chopped green onion and extra sesame seeds.

Tressa Dale is a writer, pre-K educator, culinary and pastry school graduate, and a U.S. Navy veteran. She lives in Kenai with her husband, 5-year-old son, and beloved black cat. Find her on Instagram @tressa.m.dale.