Tonight I am having a dinner party. I have 4 girlfriends coming over + 2 of their kids, & I am making baked ziti, tomato/mozz salad, garlic bread, and a strawberry tart. It has been a long time sine I have cooked for this many people!
As I started making my sauce this AM, I was struck again by how much I have changed/been affected by my relationship with BH. Before BH, I made Italian food all of the time. I made all different kinds of sauces, meatballs, ziti, lasagna, etc. I had a lot of confidence in my cooking ability. I had friends over & dinner parties all of the time & took a lot of pride in the dishes I prepared & received a lot of compliments.
Well BH was 1/2 Italian, & ONLY HE could make red sauce when we were together... and ONLY HE could make meatballs -- HIS WAY. I always fried the outside of my meatballs & threw them in the sauce to finish cooking. He always rolled them & threw them directly in the sauce (really, I did the PIA job of rolling them - of course.) They were pretty good - but I truly preferred meatballs made my way. When they are fried first, they have a yummy crust... BH's way produced mushy balls (SORRY - just HAD to go there!)
Anyway... as I was making my sauce, MY WAY, I realized how I had lost that confidence I always had in my abilities in the kitchen. Because BH went around declaring he was a better cook than me (he could only make about 4 dishes, but whatever!) & never apprecaited my efforts, complimented me, or even THANKED me... And believe me, I always made "special" dinners for him, things he liked (he also had kind of a limited palate.) I gave up eating a lot of things I enjoyed because he couldn't/wouldn't eat them. And for a foodie like myself, it really sucked!
I have to say, I am so glad I am cooking for friends that will APPRECIATE the efforts I am making for them! I am looking forward to eating a meal I will enjoy, with company I will enjoy, with no criticism, and definitely no one getting up from the table, leaving their dishes & going to play video games while I do all of the dishes!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment