It’s a kind of big week for us.
Not huge, but meaningful — our fourth wedding anniversary is coming up and I’m officially celebrating that we haven’t killed each other. That feels like an accomplishment, right?
We don’t have a ton of kitchen triumphs as a couple. Mostly I remember shooing him out of the kitchen because he tends to wreak havoc on pots, pans and whatever else he touches near a stove. I’m not exaggerating — please send help for our cookware. And whatever you do, don’t give him ground turkey and set him loose at the stovetop.
He’s been a very patient dinner recipient through many of my kitchen disasters — dry chicken, unseasoned pasta, clumpy rice, watery soups — and he accepts it all with a shrug. It’s straight out of those country songs about new wives attempting dinner while new husbands grin and bear it. The funny part is it keeps happening because cooking is kind of my job.
One of my more memorable kitchen misadventures was attempting tiny red velvet cakes that turned into burned burgundy sludge and resulted in a thorough oven-cleaning bonding session. Not recommended.
These little muffins, however, are the opposite — they came straight from my husband’s idea. He texted me one day: “hey could you make some whole wheat chocolate chip muffins?” When he gets a sweet tooth, it’s notable because he usually opts for savory: filet over cupcake, chicken leg over cheesecake, nuggets over milkshake. (Although I admit I’d probably try dipping nuggets in milkshake, and that thought grosses him out.)
When he does want something sweet, I’m thrilled. I like not having to eat cake by myself. I love sharing ice cream straight from the pint and discovering him later with a spoon over the sink. I even find the empty container in the trash the next morning and feel comforted knowing we both enjoyed it.
Those small, shared moments — sneaking a bite together, standing in the kitchen with sticky fingers — are the memorable ones.