My husband cooked dinner!

For those of you who know him, this is a big deal. He does not cook. Tonight, he made jerk chicken with mashed potatoes and corn. The chicken was perfectly cooked! I've thanked him over and over again. He insists that it was only good because I told him what to do. Who cares? It was great! My husband is awesome. We've been together over two years. This is the first time he's cooked me dinner. Mark the calendars! Alert the press! Brian cooked dinner.

I can't tell you how happy I am to be going to culinary school. I feel like, suddenly, it's OK to think about food. There's a freedom in it. I can sit on the sofa and wonder what to do with the left-over chicken from dinner tonight. I know that sounds strange. But, it always felt like an indulgence to think about food constantly. I mean to really, really think about it. For example, what do I have in the house that will complement the chicken that Brian made tonight? I want to make a chicken salad to show him how versatile cooking can be. Another example...What can I do with the bacon I bought? I'd like to make a quiche, and I have smoked Gouda, and will the Gouda work in a quiche, even though it doesn't melt well?

I met with my adviser Thursday afternoon. His office is literally covered in cookbooks. I could spend hours and hours, maybe even days, reading them. I got a glimpse of the classrooms. They're all heavy-duty mixers and steel. So exciting! I now have my permission numbers for registration (it's limited). He let me see the knives that will be available in the bookstore. I really think I want to get my own elsewhere. I don't want to drop $150 on mediocre knives, only to have to spend another couple hundred to get the really good knives. It's like buying a suit. You can buy something to get you through wedding season, or you can buy something to last you a lifetime. It's a Coach bag vs. Target bag. I'm sure you understand.

I'm going to address Zuppa for a moment. My co-worker worked there for a while. He said I should try it, since they make everything from scratch. Promised the food was great. So, I went. One o'clock on a busy Friday. I ordered the grilled cheese and a cup of gazpacho. It was a religious experience. Not only do they make their own soups, they make their own BREAD. They took grilled cheese to another level with fresh basil, tomato, mozzarella, prosciutto. Good lord! All of that on big, fat slices of toasted brioche. These people know what they're doing. I had to ask the server if they made their own bread. She confirmed my suspicions. As well as my theory....

You can put great product on crap bread and have an OK sandwich. You can put OK product on great bread and have a great sandwich. If you put stellar ingredients on outstanding bread, you have a toe-curling, mind-boggling experience. Note to self....drop off resume at Zuppa. I can learn something there.

That's all for now. No work tomorrow or Monday. That means plenty of time to find a new job. Because I can no longer stand the hypocrisy. Happy Saturday Night. I hope you wake up, and feel the need for brunch tomorrow morning. Make it yourself. It's better that way.

Peace.