First things first- when it is overcast and raining here, you really feel it. Overcast is the default status in WV, so it is not as noticeable. Here, when you expect sun, and it isn’t out, it hits you hard.
Regardless, another real perk of shacking up is I am cooking a lot more. Left to my own devices I will make a big batch of things and eat it until it is gone four days later with other stuff interspersed. But when you are cooking for two, you can cook just enough for two without the recipe needing to be doubled.
It’s still a struggle with some things, like chicken breasts are just too fucking big and one steak is big enough for both of us, and so on. But it’s just much more manageable with two people to cook small batches of different things, and you also have the luxury of being able to plan ahead, so every raw ingredient you purchase can be used for multiple purposes. Use the bacon grease form breakfast to quickly sear the green beans for dinner tonight after parboiling them. Buy a head of broccoli, use as the veg for one meal, save enough for the stuffing in the chicken breasts tonight, freeze the stalk for vegetable stock. And so on.
It gives me something to think about- what can I make for the next week? What ingredients can I use multiple times? What does she like and not like? How long has it been since we had this? What is in season? What cheap cuts of meat were in the discount bin? And on and on. I like that because it lets me do things for much cheaper than normal, it gives variety and freshness, it lets me think things through and make balanced meals, it allows me to make more complicated meals that require multiple stages of preparation- 1 pm do this, 3 pm follow up, etc.
Speaking of, the first rise on the bread I am making is almost due to be punched down and parceled into loaves. When I was an undergrad in Morgantown in 1992, there used to be this place called Shakespeare’s First Edition and Deli. This was the first real place in town that had imported Italian goods and the makings of a little Italian Market. But what they were really known for were their soup and sandwiches. They made their own bread, and what they did was overstuff the bread pan so that the bread, when baking, would have a large muffin crown on it. They would then layer it with wafer thin pillows of meat, cheese, and what you wanted on it. I personally would always get roast beef and swiss with their in-house horseradish sauce.
At any rate, that is what I am going to try to recreate today. I will show pictures of the final product later.
