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I’m stuffed on food and stuffed on love…

Ten years ago today, Jeremy and I were married before a dozen people and a dog. Even though neither of us cared if we ever married, as we were perfectly happy living in *sin*, we can definitely say we are happy that we are together. Ten is a nice number. It is a lucky number in Chinese culture. Given that so many marriages don’t make it to ten years, and also given that so many marriages older than ten years (and plenty under ten) are wrought with unhappiness and dysfunctionality, I am allowing myself to feel good about this mark in time. As much as we are opposites, we are also very similar.

As I grew up, I figured adulthood would be pretty miserable and expected much of the same. If anything, it has been a realization of a completely different way to live – in harmony with someone so special and important to me. Jeremy is always there. He never lets me down. In the Book of Jen, Jeremy ranks #1.

I asked Jeremy if he wanted to go out for dinner on our anniversary, and if so, where?

I didn’t think we’d return to the Flagstaff House until Jeremy made tenure, but ten years is just as good. We decided on the 9 course degustation (chef’s tasting menu)! I even consulted with Kell over the past couple of days about foie gras, which was listed on their sample menu. I can’t eat foie gras. So I intended to request a substitute or omission. Luckily, this evening’s degustation did not have foie gras (the menu changes daily). Here is what we had minus a few complimentary in betweens (no picture of the arugula salad since it was covered with a paper thin sheet of prosciutto parma – mmmmmmm).

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I made up a recipe on the fly tonight while preparing dinner. We were having pad thai and… I had a fresh batch of asparagus on hand. My fridge is usually stocked to the hilt, so I found some tofu and then swiped half of a flank steak intended for a meal later this week – I mean, we’re trying to EMPTY the fridge, right? The flank steak is sautéed with peanut and tamarind sauce with a hint of sugar, fish sauce, soy sauce, and sesame oil. I think I’ll omit the soy sauce next time. I fried the tofu and mixed it in at the last minute with the sauté. I like it! This goes in the quadrille notebook of keeper recipes.

Yesterday was such a teaser. Today the temps were down (a little) and the winds were up and snow is in the forecast. Not that I’m complaining, because I am a ski whore… just that the muddy melting of spring felt nice. Trust me – I am definitely torn up about leaving during the month of March because March is when you get those amazing springtime dumps. Then again, I’d be off my rocker to turn down a chance to see amazing rock formations in The Middle of Bloody Australia, cook and dine with Kell and Chef Jerad in Sydney, and to tramp, paddle, and play in New Zealand. There are far worse choices to make in life (elections come to mind), so I’ll shut up now.

The US postal service gets a big fat Effingham F. My dad sent me a priority package last Wednesday which only just arrived today – 9 days later. We go through this with the post office every damn year. My mom thinks to make this special vegetable dish: 10 ingredient lucky vegetables, which you eat for good luck at the start of the Chinese New Year. And every year it arrives too late and the food poisoning potential is very high, but my superstitious Chinese upbringing makes me nervous for fear that if I don’t eat it, I’m screwed. The dish translates into “as you wish”. I tasted some and it was slightly sour. But it’s made with some pickled vegetables – so I’m not sure if it’s supposed to be that way or not. My mom would never overnight anything. She stresses about the vegetables calling me every day to see if it has arrived. And so, it stresses me out. Then when it arrives, I’m stressed some more. I’m just going to make it myself from now on since I have achieved Chinese Cooking Competency. She called this afternoon and said to just stir-fry it on high heat for several minutes.

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