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
Vegetarian lasagna 🙂 YUM!
Spaghetti with ground turkey. He loved it!
I made my hubby spaghetti bolognese. It was delish, he said!! 🙂
I made Khattay Aaloo (literally sour potatoes) which is a tangy, spiced Pakistani/Indian potato snack which my husband loves!
Chicken enchilada casserole! Still a favorite around here, just had it last week!
The first meal I made my husband after we were married was lasagna. It’s something i’ve always been comfortable making and proud of. 🙂
Fresh tomato marinara sauce from scratch! My mother-in-law (then, she was my boyfriend’s mother) had a ton of plum tomatoes from her garden and nothing in mind to do with them. That was the first meal I made for my future in-laws and my future husband.
Hmmm…..I’m pretty sure it was a full breakfast on our honeymoon. Eggs, bacon, biscuits, pineapple, hash browns! Yum!
We had breakfast night! I made a yummy omelette and home fries.
I remember making spaghetti in our mountain cabin on our honeymoon…over an electric stove that took FOREVER to boil water! I think we ended up eating dinner around 10:30 or 11 that night….
My husband had to have my famous Chicken Pot Pie of course! So easy and healthy to make! Still trying to convince him he can do this on his own to surprise me with dinner one night!
I honestly have no idea…it was almost 12 years ago. But we still love to try new things. And by our taking turns in the kitchen to make meals…leaves the other time to spend with the kids. Love my honey!
Spaghetti 🙂
The first thing my dear hubby made for me was pasta alfredo with veggies. The first thing I remember making for him was my mother’s recipe for matzoh ball soup.
I worked in a restaurant part time as a line cook when I first started dating my hubby. The first meal I made him was from there (with my own touches). It was a thai noodle bowl with shrimp! He loved it and still loves my cooking!
I think the first thing I made was spaghetti…I had NO IDEA how to cook anything.