This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
My midlife crisis arrived about twenty years too early. The year was 2001 and I had been working in the modeling industry for almost 15 years — basically since I was a teenager. Modeling afforded me many wonderful opportunities for which I will always be grateful, but it didn’t really fulfill me.
I had always dreamed of going to culinary school, yet the thought of simply abandoning what I had done for so long to start something completely new gave me great anxiety, no matter how determined as I was to find my true calling. I researched several culinary programs but never could commit to do anything more than take a tour. And so there I remained, lost, two years shy of my 30th birthday and entirely too young to be so confused about what I was doing with my life.
I was living in New York back then and had made an appointment one day to see yet another school, the Institute of Culinary Education. The tour date was September 11th and as you can probably figure out for yourself, I did not get to visit the school that day. As it did for many people I know, 9/11 forced me to reexamine my life. I decided within days of that unspeakable tragedy that if I was ever going to follow my dream, that was the moment.
Would you like to save this?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
I spent the next year as happy as I’ve ever been, working during the day and going to school at night. As hard as it was, I still romanticize that period of my life for the sumptuous meals (my schoolwork) that I would bring home from my classes for my future hubby and I to enjoy late at night after our long days of work and school.
This all finally brings me to the whole reason for the recipe below. While at I.C.E., I was blessed to meet one of the kindest, sweetest, most talented women I know. At a very young age, Sarah Copeland knew exactly what she wanted to be and she made it happen. A veteran of the Food Network, writer, food-expert, urban gardner and co-founder of Share Our Strength’s Good Food Garden’s Campaign, Sarah’s most recent exploit is The Newlywed Cookbook. Not only is this amazing book rich in information and stories, it features tantalizing food photography and delectable recipes which are perfect for both the newbie and experienced cook. Below is one of my many favorites from the book. I made it for Kenya’s snack one day and all the kids (and their moms) went nuts for it.
Rise and Shine Muffins
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 2 cups white whole wheat flour
- 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 medium carrots, peeled and grated (2 cups)
- 1/2 medium zucchini, grated (1 cup)
- 1/2 cup pecans, chopped
- 1/3 cup pine nuts
- 3 large eggs
- 2/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1/3 cup buttermilk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375° F.
- Place the raisins in a small bowl, cover with hot water, and set aside to plump.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and salt.
- Stir in the carrots, zucchini, pecans, and pine nuts.
- In another large bowl whisk together the eggs, oil, buttermilk, and vanilla.
- Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and mix until just combined.
- Drain the raisins and stir them into the batter.
- Fill greased or paper-lined muffin tin 3/4 full with batter.
- Bake 25 minutes (15 minutes for mini muffins) or until a wooden pick inserted into muffins comes out clean.
- Serve.
- *From The Newlywed Cookbook by Sarah Copeland-reprinted with permission from Chronicle Books
The first meal I made was spaghetti with shrimp and crab.
It has been so long I can barely remember. But it must have been something Italian like baked ziti….
Chinese fried rice 🙂
He did all the cooking back then:) I LOVE his bacon and eggs:)
The first thing I made for my husband was homemade chicken ettuccine alfredo. It was his favorite meal and I had never made it before. I had always bought the pasta and sauce, but I decided I was going to make it from scratch. The pasta was like lead and the sauce was like glue, but he ate it anyway! What a guy.
Stuffed peppers!
A full breakfast with eggs, pancakes and bacon!
Chocolate mousse
Shortly after we got married, my husband had to work late. Usually he made dinner, but we’d be eating way to late if he had to do it after getting home. It was my first time making a full meal on my own! (I’m more of a baker!) I made sautéed pepper, chicken breasts, and mashed potatoes. The chicken was a tiny bit dry, but everything was very tasty and I became more confident in my cooking skills!
Chocolate chip cookies-a study pick-me-up when he was still in school.
Brunch: home fries, eggs over easy, bacon, toast, freshly squeezed OJ.
Hrm. I have no idea, but I do recall making chocolate chip cookies with him. He had never made cookies before!
A ham and cheese sandwich! I remember packing his lunch for the first time after our honeymoon.
Grilled skirt steak, steamed brussel sprouts and quinoa! Still one of our favorite meals!
I don’t remember from when we were newly wed, but I do remember he talked me into making gallons of plum preserves the day of our ceremony at the courtroom. We had our wedding a week later, but had a good friend perform the ceremony. It was easier to do it that way than to get him legalized for ceremonies.
I imagine it was something with plum chutney or sauce.
My first meal for my husband was French Onion Soup, made just the way my father likes it… I found out much later, that the way my dad likes it is just too “French” for my darling husband…nevertheless, he suffered through 2 bowls of it (I suffered too, I am allergic to onions so I had to take precautions when making it…LOL).