Some of you might think I’m crazy and many of you might not relate. But my husband Ben is one of my best cooking friends. I swear this is not just about Valentine’s day and he does tend to have a Top Chef attitude–standing over a pot and asking for ingredients to be handed to him. We are working on that. He cooks without recipes and with an artistic flair.
When I suggested to my “Denver Girls” cooking friends that we cook with our husbands, I found most of them didn’t want their mates anywhere near their kitchens. It’s our thing, they said. Some are happier with an appreciative audience than anyone who gets in the way. And that’s what Cooking With Friends is about, cooking with the people you want to–neighbors, friends, an occasional husband. I’ve found a few kindred couples who get the creative communal process.
This weekend, Ben and I have been working on our Winter Salad. It has fennel, watercress, arugula, blood oranges, roasted beets and crumbled gorgonzola. The dressing is a curried oil and vinegar. It’s not perfect, it’s a give and take of ingredients. But it’s fun to work on it together.
I think my husband Scott and I could be good cooking partners if we had a bigger kitchen! Our best cooking times are always in the summer when I do prep and sides and he cooks on the grill. Outside.
Our small kitchen is on the top of our remodel list because it really is hard to get a groove on when someone is always standing in front of the drawer or cabinet you need to get into. I heard a funny tip from a woman who loved to cook and whose husband loved to hang out in the kitchen with her but was always in the way – she put a bowl of chips at the end of the counter and sure enough – he stayed near it and out of her way!
I think it’s a great idea to have kitchen mates.