Just A Couple 'o Foodies

my husband was deployed to iraq from november 2007 to january 2009. before that he was at west point. before that, home with his folks. point: my husband never had to fend for himself in terms of food. there was always someone around to make it. it might not have been gourmet or even homemade, but the only preparation he put into his meals was to scoop things on to a plate.

his exposure to vegetables was pretty limited to the normal canned goods and the normal preparations. this is not a critique on his family-- my exposure was EXACTLY the same as his when i left home. but thanks to a very good friend (who just so happens to be a blogger as well), her mother (who is quite literally the most incredible home cook i know that isn't practically teaching lessons to friends and family) and an ever rising eyebrow of skepticism at the dietary suggestions the USDA has set out for us compared to other health organizations in the world, i was convinced i should explore the world of vegetables a bit more deeply.

my husband became a victim in my crusade for higher food truths.

canned green beans, limp cafeteria carrots and mashed potatoes from a box are a poor representation of the texture and flavor vegetables have to offer, but that's what most of us get in a convenience store world supported by a double income home. needless to say, E wasn't stoked about the prospect of having more plant on his plate than animal, but his total lack of know-how in the kitchen sort of gave me the upper hand. did he want to eat what i was making? probably not. but he didn't have to make it and that mattered more to him than what was actually going into his mouth.

it was during this phase that E discovered a sort of obsession with mushrooms. he found one acceptable form of potato--baked and doused with wing sauce (anyone noticing the pattern here? he loves wing sauce) and realized that he loves all peppers. every single one. bell, sweet, yellow, red, cayenne, jalapeno, habanero, large, small, raw, sauteed, roasted, you name it.

suddenly a roasted bell pepper stuffed with a rice, goat cheese and mushroom mix sounded delicious.

as i became a more proficient cook his taste buds (and mine) started lighting up in ways neither of us had known were possible.

last year a light bulb finally went off for E--i blame this on all of the summer bbqs we were privileged to attend.

i think we all have fond memories of the smell wafting through the yard as our dad, or someone else's dad (or mom!) flipped hotdogs, burgers, ribs, brisket, chicken, or some other slab of meat all around an open grill. the taste of a true smoked turkey is synonymous with thanksgiving for me. when you're a child grilled food is one of life's happiest wonders. it's so delicious, and yet for some reason we don't grill every day.

grilling must be some sort of magic.

it's certainly daunting when you barely know how to work an oven. but E was confident that he could pick the art up if just given a chance. more than once in his yearnings for a grill i heard him say "it's in our genes: man+meat+fire=good".

when i left my parent's house this summer they unloaded quite a bit of unwanted furniture on us, which we were totally stoked about. we got a dresser, a bookcase, a coffee table, a dining room table and chairs, a rocking chair... a lot of things.

and a stellar grill.

years ago my mom and i picked out a new grill for my dad as a surprise. his old weber was 17 years old and hurting quite a bit. still entirely functional, but the legs were breaking and it was just tired. so we picked out a shiny 5 burner grill with a side stove top, a rotisserie function, a space for wood chips, a griddle plate... it was impressive.

in 3 years he had used it less times than he could count on one hand, and all of the times were when i was home. he has a portable propane grill and a small charcoal weber that work just fine for him and my mom.

so he gave E the grill.

GAVE us an outrageous grill that we wouldn't be able to afford on our own until E had 30 years of paychecks under his belt and all the kids were out of the house. i'm not sure if grateful is an appropriate word for this situation. it's simply not powerful enough.

the best way to show gratitude for a gift like that is to use it. and use it he does.

last week he made this:

bacon wrapped chicken, stuffed with goat cheese

here's the recipe in pictures:

chicken breasts, flattened, cheese in the middle, roll them up

wrap 'em in bacon, use toothpicks to secure

grill them! yummm

don't ask me about time, temperature, or technique. this is not my area. i can bake bread on a grill and make some mean veggies, but meat isn't my area! especially not meat wrapped in meat! :)

after 2 years i think it's safe to say that i am turning my husband into a foodie. maybe not a gourmet vegetable chef, but an incredible griller in his own right. we get a lot of compliments when we have people over and we cook for them, and it's something we really enjoy doing. i think that food is becoming one of the things we're remembered for.

that and E pantsing himself.

we still have a way to go....