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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.
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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
Grilled ham and cheese sandwich and a can of tomato soup! I am a far better cook now but I have to admit still a comfort meal for both of us:)
Pasta, broccoli, chicken and Italian dressing. Blech!! Why he didn’t run screaming, I’ll never know! 🙂 Thank goodness I’ve gotten better since then!
When we got married, we were short on time and money. So we ate a lot of pasta! Now, we actually cook and spend a lot of time in the kitchen.
I honestly can’t remember what I first cooked for my husband. I just remember he has never disliked anything I have cooked for him except for some carrot soup which he said wasn’t his favorite. He likes my meat loaf and lasagne.
I believe our first meal made together was BBQ. He grilled and I made the sides. We still love to BBQ together!
A delicious Corn Cake with called “Arepa”. We still make this 14 years later. This recipe is a family tradition.
Pancakes! Breakfast has always been our favorite meal of the day.
His mom’s lasagne.
Chicken parmesan
Do mimosa’s count? 🙂 But seriously, the first thing I probably made him after we tied the knot was a sandwich (not very labor intensive at all!), BUT we love a good sammy!
No idea what the very first was. But…the very first thing we cooked together as a couple was crab stuffed trout for our first married Valentines Day. Delicious.
Chicken tacos. He still asks for them weekly!
I can’t remember the *first* thing I cooked, but the first thing I made at his request that I was excited about as beef stroganoff. Yum!! This cookbook looks great, thanks for the opportunity!
The first real thing from scratch was one of his Mom’s Bar-B-Q sauce recipes. Of course he failed to tell me not to put my face over it when I took the lid off and it about knocked me down from the steam of the vinegar in it, LOL. It was awesome if I do say so myself. That was 31 years ago.
chocolate chip cookies. 🙂 the only thing i could really make at the time. 🙂
Been married for 9 years this year and we cook together on a rare occasion. ONly b/c we end up wanting to kill each other in the kitchen 🙂