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I laugh every time I think of a story from early in my marriage when I reminded my wife that she should look into getting an oil change for our family van. Michelle lovingly responded, “Oh honey, when I was a girl I always dreamed that when I got married, my husband would take care of all the mechanical stuff.” I quipped back, “Yes, and when I was a little boy I thought I’d marry a wife that could cook!”.
Neither of us got exactly what we wanted but we’re still happy. Yes, I am the mythical husband that cooks. Yeah, yeah... I know... it’s the stuff of legends but I have photographic evidence and everything.
Early in my relationship with Michelle, we discovered that if I didn’t cook we didn’t eat. She fondly recalls her bachelorette days when she would often just eat popcorn or heat up a bowl of frozen veggies in the microwave for dinner. Does that sound familiar? Apparently it’s a lot more common than we realize. It’s a wonder she had the energy to do anything... and I can’t even imagine the bloating.
Yes, I am the family cook. I guess you could say I’m an adventurous cook taking on dishes like Stuffed Chicken Legs, Fish in parchment and a wide variety of grilled and oven roasted dishes. I really like making soups too. Soup is super food! But as much as I love to experiment, those times tend to come in waves. Does that happen to anyone else out there?
My all time classics are chili, roast beef on veggies and pasta fagioli. All cow dishes. Beef is a big passion of mine although as I get older, I notice that chicken, pork and fish are making more usual appearances. It’s funny, you know... it just dawned on me how many dishes you can make with a bag full of lemons, some fresh herbs and chicken, pork or fish... I guess I’ll have to spend some time thinking more about that.
Recently, I was given a recipe by a friend that blows me away because of it’s simplicity and succulence. No kidding, it takes under 2 minutes to prepare. So I’d like to share it with all of you right now:
That’s it! Season your blade roast with salt and pepper. Put it in a medium sized roaster. Pour the can of tomatoes over it and throw in the head of garlic. Pop it in the oven at 200 degrees for four hours. You will NOT believe how delicious this dish is. The beef is fork tender and the sauce that is created from the tomato’s will melt your heart.
The bonus comes from the head of garlic which you can pull out from the sauce and serve with bread. I’m tellin’ you... it’s the stuff that dreams are made of. For an extra, extra bonus... I’ll throw on one of my albums at dinner.
Oh, I guess I forgot to mention that I make my living as a jazz singer. I’m also a radio host for CBC Radio 2. If you’d like to pick up some of my music you can grab my newest album at my website at www.itakerequests.com.
I guess my biggest thrill will come later in life when my kids are grown and I overhear them reminiscing about the food that I would cook for them. “Remember dad’s braised roast with tomato sauce? Nobody could cook like my dad! I should get that recipe from him...” Ha!
And I still insist that Michelle gets her own oil changed. After all, there’s a Mister Lube right across the street from her office... yeesh!
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