I can’t imagine a luckier gal than myself when it comes to having married a great cook. He’s like a magic shamrock in the kitchen. I’m green with envy as he orchestrates his favorite specialty type of cooking. Not only am I lucky, but our kids are lucky, too. They have fallen in love with Dad’s recipe collection, especially his four-course oriental meals.
When our kids were young, we treated them to dinner at Woo’s Pagoda when report card time rolled around. If they did well on their cards (they always did) we’d treat them to their favorite meal at Woo’s. The restaurant has since closed. While we miss going to the restaurant to celebrate, we don’t have to go far to get a meal that is just as delicious as we remember having back then. All we have to do is say, “It’s been awhile since you cooked a big meal…” and he’s off to astonish us with a Grade A 4-course meal once again.
(See Mr.’s shirt in photos below – a gift from the girls to him that they purchased at The Local Store in Volume One. They carry retro tee shirts from places in and around Eau Claire, WI that are no longer open…and a whole lot more, it’s a great place to shop.).
Oh, Mr. is modest about his gifts, prod him though and he’d tell you the tales of how he became such a great cook. Folklores like, “When I was a bachelor and had to learn to cook for myself, wok cooking was easy and fun.” “I just tossed recipes together to stay fed.” “It’s easy, anyone can do it.” “You’re not cooking, someone’s gotta keep us fed.” (Don’t wrinkle your nose at me taking advantage of someone else’s skills, I appreciate them, and I had to add that one, because, well…it’s true!)
I beg to differ about the easy part. It never looks easy when I’m trying to sneak photos of Mr. in action when he cooks his oriental menus. I’ve cooked a couple Thanksgiving meals (with Mr.’s help, of course) over the 29 years we’ve been married, and it’s a lot of work. To pull off a multiple recipe oriental meal for four seems like way more work than incubating a turkey, stuffing, potatoes, gravy, and veggies in the oven for four.
My type of meal cooking just requires mastering timing. The Mr.’s recipes require chopping with sharp knives (that I’m not allowed to touch – I’ve been known to bleed) and folding skills (that I am too slow and ask too many questions to be of much help). I’ve learned it is best to admire from afar and take pictures when Mr.’s engrossed in the task at hand.
Yesterday, our kitchen turned into a gourmet restaurant. All day long I drooled as I heard the tools of the trade as Mr. clanged away in the kitchen. Each stage of preparation sent new aromas into the air.
From 8 am – 5:30 pm, he prepped and chopped the ingredients, he kneaded the dough, he stuffed and folded the wontons, he rolled the egg rolls, he made dipping sauces, he steamed the buns and rice, he fried the wontons and egg rolls, he stir-fried the entrees, and he sipped a little cup of sake and probably some wine. He even made a key-lime pie for dessert.
Mr.’s fortune cookie read: The secret that leads to many goals is tenacity.
What was on the official menu?
- Cream Cheese Stuffed Wontons
- Chinese Egg Rolls
- Pork Filled Buns
- Homemade Kung Pao Shrimp
- Panda Express Orange Chicken
- 3 different dipping sauces
- Wine and fortune cookies
- Key-lime pie (sorry, I forgot to take a photo…may have been the food coma)
What did I do to help? I set the table, of course. And drank the wine, and ate the food, and I took photos. It was the least I could do.
My fortune cookie read: Success is living up to your potential. That’s all.
And now, I hear him cleaning up the kitchen so I better go help, it ups the chances of him offering to do a big meal again in the future!
Damn…I was too late, the shamrock struck again – all the dishes are done and he’s off planning dinner for tonight! I’m soooooooooo lucky!
Post inspiration: Linda Hill’s Stream of Consciousness Saturday: Green
Happy St. Patrick’s day from the two of us staycationers (a green with envy flashback to our first 5k run in Jamaica – circa 2015)!
Happy St. Patrick’s Day and congratulations to a husband like that. I am a lucky girl too. Mine does most of the cooking and bakes bread as well. Me thinks we deserve to take advantage of that and let the other halves know how gorgeous they are. At least that’s what I do :-). Oh, I found my way via Linda’s prompt.
Same to you! Thank you for stopping by, I appreciate hearing from you. Congrats on your luck in snatching up a great husband, too!
😊👍
I’m green with envy at the photos of your meal. Yum! So, I have just one question: Do you rent out your husband for chefing purposes? :-p
LOL…how much are you willing to pay, I might be able to talk him into it, we’re earning $ for a vacation ;-)!
Well, the pay isn’t great, but I would post on social media that he’s an excellent chef and should be on Chopped or Master Chef. Those gigs would earn him a few dollars for vacation.
I’ll go work on him to convince him! I’m sold on your idea!!
I know how much work that is … yesterday I made egg rolls as a treat since the kids go back to school. Good bye Spring Break 2018. I am inspired by the pictures to up my game to more than just egg rolls next time.
You spoil your kids too!! Yay! Mr. will be happy to hear he’s inspired someone in the cooking world!
Mine are semi homemade but still a treat yes. I used to chop everything by hand. Now I only chop the green onions and mushrooms. I buy a bag of coleslaw mix as that shredding of the cabbage was the worst. It took what felt like forever.
I shall use your hot tips if I ever attempt such a feat as making them myself! :-)!
Looking at your food table is a little like being in a foreign country: for years I’ve eaten very little red meat and I stay far, far away from fried foods. These are not issues of morality, they are one-to-one health-related and when I disobey, I pay too high a price. However! If I were a one-time guest at that pretty table, there isn’t one thing there I wouldn’t have one of, and I’m very afraid with the steamed pork bun with dipping sauce (I first had one in Chinatown, NYC) it could be more! Now go outside and walk briskly down the street – and back!
I hear you on eating healthy – luckily, most of his recipes are good for us too (except the deep fried stuff). I’m off to mop the kitchen floor and then go for a walk…I ate a lot last night! 😉
Wow…. that’s great . You are very lucky that you have got such a Master Chef as your hubby . God bless you both 🙂 . A few lines from your side to your dear and loving hubby :-
Oh my dear , you are always in my heart and mind,
I can’t express in words how much you are kind.
Always ready to cook sweet dishes and meals,
Our home seems as palace on wheels.
I love you more than any other thing,
I am your Queen and you are my King . 🙂
Thank you, Bakshi – beautiful words to describe my (our) fortune!
Always welcome dear mam. God bless you both 🙂
Please do understand I was not judging from on high … I have blood pressure that hates fried foods and arthritis that resents red meat … and also, I must admit, I already care about you and your husband and want you to persist as blogger and mister for many years to come. There. I’ve said it.
No worries, I didn’t think you were judging at all! Aw, we appreciate your votes of confidence and your support. Ditto to you, I want to see you persist as a blogger and poet, too!
He sounds similar to mine, except not fancy four course emals just your basic, but still. It is nice, wonderful actually. He does the marathons and triathlons etc. But I don’t. He use to I should say and he just mentioned the other day about maybe doing another marathon…
Sounds like we both have been lucky to have found great catches! We like to run together…and neither one of us has wanted to do more than a 10k! Cheers to you and your husband from the two of us!!
I don’t run with him, bad hips and knees but I am there at the finish line!
That’s a perfect spot to be – I’m sure he appreciates the support!!
Shelley, this is outstanding! You’re husband surely is a dedicated, professional chef. Even my cooking husband could not compete with your man. Holy smokes!!!! When you prepare gourmet meals like that at home, rest assured, your ingredients are way more healthier than what you would get at a restaurant. And I’m certain your husband fried in brand new oil. Not months old crap oil like some restaurants use over and over again.
Good for you.
Remember, most of the Asians who eat this type of food daily are both skinny AND way healthier than we Americans!
Thank you, Cindi! Yes, you’re right on the new oil, and fresh ingredients, too! Yes, they are!
Nothing more to say. I love eating oriental but am too old to go thru with cooking it. I do chow mein and stry fry. Ilove your writings and am sure I’d love his cooking. After cooking for 20 years in a restaurant it is great to eat someone elses food.
Aw, thank you, Pat! So nice to hear from you! He’s a great cook, took after his mom’s side of the family 😉
Wow! You really are lucky! Looks like a top notch meal, My husband loves to cook too!
Thank you! Awesome, glad to hear you’re lucky, too!!
Your husband is really a great cook, Shelley.