Sunday Dinners

The girl and I both love to cook about as much as we like to eat. She's more a baker, i'm more a cook. I did, briefly, get paid to make desserts for a restaurant I worked at. Mainly cheesecakes and brulee, but the occasional cake or something slightly more experimental. The rest. was a Cajun joint in Greensboro, so there wasn't much call for intricate types of things. However, I have joined the Daring Bakers and will soon be posting about desserty things as I make them.

Since we both love hanging out in the kitchen as well as with our friends, we decided to try to have dinners at either her or my place on Sundays. The last two, I made homemade pasta (pappardelle with a bolognese that she made and a lasagna that was all me) then I took two weeks off due to a trip to New Orleans, which I have been blogging about. This weekend, I have decided to bring the South to my friends and am making a chicken and andouille gumbo, red beans and rice, collard greens and jalapeno cornbread. I have some crawfish, but since they are frozen, i'm holding off until we have a day that's nice enough to hold something where we can all hang out in the open air, eating these little yummy creatures on a picnic table covered in newspaper with good beer.

The thing I like about making a meal and inviting people over is that it's a chance to hang out without having to crowd around a bar or separated because the group is too large to sit at the same table. I get to spend a day prepping and cooking, focusing only on food (which is kinda' like meditation for me) and listening to NPR or music. I also get to share something that I love, food, that I have made with people I care about. Since I no longer work in restaurants, it's a great way for me to keep my culinary chops tested. It's also a time when we can talk at comfortable levels without fear of pissing someone off about whatever happens to come up.

So, it's a really nice day outside, I have windows open, the beans and gumbo are simmering on the stove and the collards will be started shortly. It's a good day. I'll post about the dinner and how I cooked it all later.

Comments

I love you, and I am happy to share my kitchen with you any day of the week!