As a relatively new cook and as someone whose just made an international move, I only have the basics. I think my Le Creusets and a couple slotted spoons were the only kitchen items that made it in the box (translation: now that I know where you store the loot, you can expect to be raided).

That really was a special meal. Of course I wasn’t a part of the shopping and was only minimally involved in the cooking, but the experience was special for a number of reasons, not the least of which was watching Tony, a pro at work. I really enjoyed having another boss in the kitchen (that wasn’t you or mom) because he had to be nice, haha. He was a good teacher, showing us how to chop or telling us if we’d salted things enough.

And then we all practically fell into our seats around the dinner table and dug in. The food was incredible. The most noteworthy dishes were the pulled pork (recipe to follow in Sharon’s post) and the fries. I don’t know what I thought fries were, but I’d be happy if I never had another potato fry again. AND they do sell Yucca at our local supermarket.

Thank you Shaz and Tony for that memorable meal! Andy and I owe you one.

This meal reminds me of a poster that used to hang in our house, which then got moved to our garage, which then disappeared in our last move—or at least I think it did. The poster was a wonderful black and white shot of a portly, beaming Julia Child and beneath the photo there was this quote: “Noncooks think it’s silly to invest two hours’ work in two minutes’ enjoyment; but if cooking is evanescent, so is the ballet.”

For some people, the idea of shopping for ingredients for five hours, only to come home and cook for another 2-3 is a nightmare. For others, it’s pretty much the best way to spend a Saturday. I think you can guess which camp I am in.

Tony and I had to go to the grocery store, Costco, a Latin American market, a fishmonger, and two different liquor store to get everything we needed for that meal…and it was a blast. Of course, we stopped for a beer and split a burger half way through the mission.

I think my favorite was the Latin market—where I got to watch Tony absolutely light up as he saw cactus, yucca, green plantains, and other less-than-average items in their produce section (aaaaand hearing him speak Spanish to people is just downright hot.)

And by the time we got home, it was time to whip up those grapefruit-tequila drinks and get cooking. Sure, eating the meal was incredible (smoky pulled pork, spicy black beans, tangy salsas and guac, homemade tortillas, and cool-hot-sweet-spicy chocolate ice cream…what’s not to love?). But I think, for me, having my whole family (and Tony) together in the kitchen, all of us working like a well-oiled machine—laughing, frying, chopping, and having fun—was the best part, by far.

So, Mom, can I have that Julia Child poster? Or maybe you should keep it to remind you that sometimes it’s good to work on a special meal for hours just for a few minutes of sublime enjoyment. After all, I’ve got Tony ☺