What's for dinner?
My husband definitely didn’t marry me for my cooking; but my desserts - maybe. My first “date” dinner for him was so awful that it’s only been a few years since he stopped talking about it. It was bad enough and early enough in our relationship for him to back out but he didn't. Let’s just say it was a Salmon disaster. No matter how well I prepare it now, he still doesn’t want to try it. His first “date” dinner for me, I fell in love – with him and smothered chicken.
Sometimes the hardest part of my day is figuring out what’s for dinner. If I ask for a suggestion, I don’t get much more than, “I don’t know” or “whatever you want”. I don’t like to cook, so all I ever want is a salad, but that’s not gonna fly. So a few weeks ago my husband told me had a taste for some Red Beans and Rice, and smothered turkey legs. I raised my eyebrows, thinking, Yeah that sounds good. He cooks very VERY well, just not VERY often. So I’m thinking that this was one of those meals that he was going to fix. Turns out it was a hint. To suggest I prepare something like that is as extreme as asking Martha Stewart to serve up a Lean Cuisine to her significant other. It ain’t that easy.
So two weeks after the “suggestion” I decided to cook the Red Beans and Rice, smothered turkey legs, cabbage and cornbread. Yes, I know – IMPRESSIVE! Don’t be too impressed with the cornbread; it was Jiffy. But I spent hours on everything else. After 14 years married to my Louisiana man, I think I finally “hit the spot”. Don’t get me wrong, I can cook. I can actually throw down, when I try real hard. However, the effort is usually reserved for the holidays.
Most of my daily dinners, I get ‘no comment’ from my big boy (my husband) but the little one will tell the truth. “This looks gross mom, but it tastes okay”. If the big boy overhears this “compliment” before he has decided to partake – he’ll say he had a late lunch and he’s not that hungry. The looks gross taste okay meal does not get saved for leftovers.
My husband likes these wings that I get from Sam’s. He has said to me, “I can eat this every day.” I’m like, Really? The effort is pre-heating the oven, tearing off a piece of aluminum foil and turning the chicken over halfway through. I think he can eat them every day because he’s guaranteed a meal that he likes and he doesn’t have to go through the motions eating.
Here’s the thing…I have definitely improved in the kitchen over the years. But I haven’t earned a classic. There are never any requests unless it’s takeout or one of my desserts. So years from now my son may come home from college asking me to take him to Red Lobster and make him some brownies.
Sporadically Yours,