Married cooks vs Single cooks

[NgocBao]

Just out of curiosity, to what extent to do you think your marital status affects your cooking. As a single cook, I found that I have much more freedom than my married friends, who obviously are limited by what the rest of the family likes, but then I don't get as much gratification when I whipped out a fantastic meal, but no one to share it with.

So… just wanted to hear your thoughts about it. How do you think marital status affect your cooking. As a single cook, here are things that I have to deal with:

1) Making friends with my freezer: Most item in the store are sold in family portions. To remedy, I'd have to ziploc them into single portions, and unfreeze them as needed.

2) Having to deal with a bunch of little plastic bags from the produce department, each having ONE zuchinni, or ONE squash, one lemon.

3) Leftovers galore!

4) Recipe adjustments to accommodate only 1 or 2 people (depending on if BF is coming over, or if I plan on having left-overs for lunch.). If I can't adjust the recipe, see #3.

4) Desserts are rare (Wahhhhh!). Even though I love desserts, it just seems too much time and effort for just one person - especially after a day's work and you've already prepare the main-course and 2 side dishes.

How many other single cooks do we have out there? What are YOUR cooking issues? How do you deal with them?

And for all the married cooks, how do you think your cooking has changed after you got married?

[aggie94]

I used to only cook things that both DH & liked, but I've become less tolerant of his intolerances, and find myself really wanting to cook things that I love to eat, like risotto. So oftentimes, I cook what I want, and he's welcome to eat it, and if he doesn't want it, he can make himself something else. It works out better for us this way, and I think it's making him a more open-minded person to food, because he's often too lazy to make something for himself and would rather eat pasta, beans & greens than eat another bowl of cold cereal.

I do sometimes feel guilty for not cooking enough of things that he likes, so I do try to accommodating his tastes in what I cook as much as I can. If I were single, I think I would either be a vegetarian, or eat very little meat, but it's been hard for me to stick to that as a married person whose husband loves meat. I also think I'd shun fast food, but sometimes we find ourselves in a situation where we're out running errands, we're both starving, and DH wants to run through the drive-through at McD's. If I were alone, I'd drive home and have some of that yummy leftover risotto in the fridge, but he knows the only edible thing at home for him is another bowl of cold cereal, so he'd rather pick up a burger. Since we're already there, no sense in making a special trip home for me to eat, so I end up eating fast food too.

I can't really make the comparison between pre- and post-marriage cooking, though. DH & I have been together since college, so it's always been the both of us. Pre-DH, the extent of my cooking was ramen noodles and Kraft mac & cheese. (and no, DH wasn't the one that changed that!)

[Gail]

Once again I'm feeling like I live on some other planet. (Many people have accused me of this.) This topic comes up quite a bit and I think maybe I'm missing something. Granted when I was single I'd have to break up a package of meat or fish or whatever when it came home from the store, but that was about as troublesome as things got. I didn't buy one of anything at a time, figuring I'd eat it several times or in variation over the period of days. I seldom had lots of leftovers, since I scaled down the recipes to begin with. For me, cooking for one was absolutely no big deal.

...but then again, I don't have problems cooking for three now either. My husband came from a family which ate the same three foods: fried chicken, meatloaf and pork chops over and over and over. As a result, he's happy to eat most anything put before him. My kid has been raised to try, try and try again until a food clicks-- and although there may be a few whining sessions, such as over the herbed scallops last night, really he's a cook's dream! For that matter, my family is a cook's dream.

So, I can't say my cooking has really changed in any appreciable way. Maybe just that now I can afford things I couldn't manage back then, and maybe as a result I've gotten a bit more wasteful. (I was not ALWAYS She Who Breeds Things In The Fridge, after all... http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/tongue.gif) I'm also thinking that maybe now having an appreciative audience for my experiments, I may even be a little more motivated.

[SueK]

Being married, and especially being a parent affected my cooking choices. Before I got married, I lived off frozen dinners and fast food. Then when I got married, I got a ton of nice kitchenware, and felt like I should put it to good use. Being married to someone who grew up never having anything more exotic than spaghettios and Shake -N- Bake made me want to expose my husband to dishes that I loved when we dined out.

Now I cook quite often and my family teases me that I use "strange" ingredients (i.e. chipotles, etc) but they love my cooking. Cooking with CL recipes helps me broaden my culinary horizons while making sure my family eats healthy dishes, too.

I think if I were still single, I would have probably caught on to cooking anyway, but I'm glad I had the extra motivation to do it! And also, on a note to NgocBao, I rarely make dessert either, reason being that I'd rather have fresh fruit. Also, my DH has a major sweet tooth, and then I have to listen to him groan about "Why did you let me eat that"?? , so I just don't bake!

[ebobbitt]

I am a single cook and have the biggest time trying tons of recipes. I put lots of stuff in the freezer and I usually bring leftovers for lunch. I would hate to think that if I got married I would have to change this. I know of people that say they make the same 5 meals over and over again. I just couldn't stand it. One of the guys in my department thought I was married because I cook so often. I told him I didn't know that was a criteria for being married.
Elizabeth

[Kelli Kerrigan]

I love to cook and need to rent a family....or some hungry single men!
I've been married before and I have also lived with other people. I do have to say, cooking for people often times is better than just cooking for myself now that I'm single. But I love to entertain, so I try to do that on a regular basis. (That was easier before all my friends decided to have kids)

I do try to cut a recipe way down so that I only have two portions of it. (I still have not figured out what one third of 1/8 of a cup is.) While I will eat the same thing all week long, I really try not too. My freezer is packed, but mostly with bean soups and fruit(that I've had to freeze before it goes bad.) I make myself go on 'mystery lunch' week every so often to clear out the freezer. The frozen fruit is gathered there for tofu smoothies.
Luckily, I'm not really a dessert person. (I still have thin mints in the freezer. And it was only one sleeve)
It is not always easy cooking for one, especially since you make the same number of dirty dishes. But it is something I enjoy and often times I need to remind myself that I too, deserved to be pampered.

[LaraW]

I am a married cook, and have found that both my and DH's tastes have expanded since we began cooking our meals together. Probably DH's more than mine, as I feel like I am usually the one who is asking hime to try something new.

DH is currently living in CO, and I have been single for the past 3 weeks, and will be single for 3 more until I move there too.

I have found that the hardest part of this as it relates to cooking, is that there is nobody to share the cooking duties with, no one to share the cleanup duties with, and nobody to talk to during dinner.

Dinnertime has always been our time together in the evenings, and I really miss the unwinding after a long day with some good conversation, some good music, and maybe a glass of wine.

I have enjoyed eating more fish the last couple of weeks, and also eating a great eggplant pizza that I don't know if DH would have gone for. That's the upside, but I still miss having someone to share dinnertime conversation with! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/frown.gif

Lara

[Jewel]

Gail, I'm with you! I've always experimented on myself, and having my family as an appreciative audience makes continuing the experiments even more fun! It started nearly 4 years ago when I met my husband. Normally, a woman doesn't really want to hear from her new man that 'he has to have variety'...once he clarified that he meant variety in his food and not his women, I was happy to accomodate!

I always scaled down recipes before, and just took leftovers to lunch. My last year as a single woman I lived platonically with two men in a huge house, so I always had men sniffing around and begging for a plateful or leftovers. I never thought of myself as that great a cook, but when you have someone around that DOES think you're a great cook, and makes you feel wonderful every time you put something new in front of him, it's motivating!

I think the only thing that's changed for me since I went from single cook to married cook is that I now have someone else that looks forward to sitting down to dinner with me! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif

[This message has been edited by Jewel (edited 06-15-2001).]

[Jen]

I'm married, and I think my situation is similar to aggie94's. My husband does appreciate my cooking, but truth be told he'd be happier with a big hunk o' meat and a pile of rice on his plate every night. I feel kind of guilty about not cooking more food that he really loves (although he does LIKE what I cook), but on the other hand, I know that if I actually let him eat that way he'd probably have a heart attack and leave me widowed at 40! I just wish he would WANT to eat healthier food instead of just eating it because it's there. But I guess I should consider myself lucky - at least he doesn't complain too much! And he really does appreciate my effort. I usually either cut recipes in half, or make a full recipe and keep the rest for lunch the next day. I'm not a big leftover person, and I find if I make lots of servings (like lasagna, soup, etc.), I either don't eat all of it and it goes bad in the fridge/freezer, or I'm so sick of it by the time it's gone that I never want to eat it again! So I've become really good at cutting down recipes. (Kelli, 1/3 of 1/8 cup would be 2 tsp - 1/8 cup = 2 tbsp, and there are 3 tsp in a tablespoon, so 1/8 cup = 6 tsp. I told you I've become good at cutting down recipes!!). http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif
Jen

[jazzcat]

To be honest, when I was single I did not cook much. Usually I'd eat a bigger lunch at work. It worked out well since it was one person to do the yard work, house work etc. I'd sometimes just eat nachos or baked potatoes, and sometimes would cook a whole meal just because I longed to cook. Now with BF and I living together I usually cook what I want and he ends up eating it or making sandwiches out of what I make. He loves sandwiches. Don't get me wrong, he likes my cooking but he usually takes whatever meat I've cooked and does the sandwich thing. He's not a big potato or rice person. He does eat veggies, but would rather have them raw. Thus, I basically make what I'd like and he works around it. I used to get offended, aggravated, but I've come to accept it and not take offense. P.s. I never like to eat alone. I think its some phobia I got at a younger age, thinking that if I did that I'd start binging and gain lots of weight.

[This message has been edited by jazzcat (edited 06-15-2001).]

[SusieO]

I cooked for myself when I was single, but I remember eating the same dish for lunch every day for a week. I don't think I could do that now.

I was fortunate to marry a man who will eat almost anything, and who loves my cooking. So I pretty much cook what I want.

Kelli: One cup = 16 tablespoons, so 1/8 cup would be 2 tablespoons. One-third of that would be 2/3 tablespoon, or two teaspoons. Hope that helps! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif (And someone please double-check my math!)

[SueK]

Jen- I know how you feel. My husband is the same way; he loves what I make, but could eat beef for every meal. I think now that he has seen that we can eat steak, not have it smothered in gravy, yet still have it taste great, has won him over to my cooking.

On a funny note, I was eating a Chicken Grill (recommended by another thread) today, and I said to him "This is good!", to which he replied, "What is it"? I told him it was a meatless chicken breast and he nearly choked. I had to explain it was made out of soybeans, etc., and then he completely tuned me out. So much for completely converting him!

[Anne]

The biggest difference I see in being married vs being single is that when I was single I cooked all the meals, including lots of leftovers and did all the cleanup. Now I cook half the meals or less, including leftovers and do less than half the cleanup. DH cooks/cleans about half and the kids are getting old enough to really pitch in. Of course, quantities cooked are far far larger than when I was single so I'm not sure its really less total work but it is great to have a whole evening out of the kitchen to work in the garden, read to the kids, etc. We also cook completely different menues so the variety is much larger. I did have to train him off of 'el cheapo brand canned chili' and he trained me to really appreciate fresh venison.

[BosunsWife]

I will have to admit that although I have pretty much always loved cooking, when I was single I existed on frozen meals! I worked long hours and the last thing I wanted to do was come home and cook. Now, I very seldom have anything in the freezer that is quick prepare except maybe french fries and DD's chicken nuggets and fish sticks.

When I married DH (I was 30), I started cooking a lot. I have converted him from a meat and potatoes man (he was raised in New England) to someone who will try just about anything now. His mother is still amazed that I have gotten him to eat broccoli! We both like spicy food so we tend to eat a lot of "ethnic" type foods.

We seldom eat out, only because we are a single income military family and frankly its not always in the monthly budget and also, a two year old is just not conducive to a nice meal out. DH and I save up and get a babysitter and go out for a nice meal about every six weeks or so.

So I guess since being married (over eight years), I cook almost 100% more than I did as a single. I find it is a lot more rewarding to cook for more than one person. Now if we could only get DD to eat what we eat for dinner we would have it made. Her pediatrician told me yesterday it takes upwards of 10 times of offering a food for them to actually eat it! We are doing the tough love thing with her - she is offered our dinner if she chooses not to eat it that is okay, but she is offered nothing more until the next morning for breakfast. Thank god the doctor agreed with me.

[KValley]

Fascinating thread...

I didn't (read couldn't) cook when DH and I married. I was just out of college and still in the Top Ramen and baked potatoes mode. So, my skills in the kitchen and love for cooking have developed since marrying. I believe the summer of 96- our 4th year together- was the turning point. I finished grad school, got a job, and we could afford to eat.

DH is gentle and laid-back in every way and with the exceptions of tofu and eggplant, will happily eat everything I make- or at least give it the old college try! I know that he would like red meat, and since I am the one who travels on business, this is what he eats while I am away.

Lara, like you, dinnertime is our time to unwind together, to linger over a glass of wine, to enjoy music. I hope we can always preserve this time together.

And, like you, I'm about to become single for 6 weeks. How're you coping!?

Julie

[This message has been edited by KValley (edited 06-15-2001).]

[chefbec]

I cooked a lot when I was single, and my cooking didn't change when I got married. My DH loves my cooking. Everything changed after the kids came... http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/eek.gif

[LaraW]

Julie

I'm coping. DH will be back in on the 4th of July, so I am counting the days. I am fortunate to have my parents in town, and have been able to go over to their house 1 or 2 times a week, so that has helped.

Are you moving to a different area of the country? We are moving from Iowa to Colorado. Something we have wanted to do for a long time, and the time is finally right for us... It's hard for me to think about everything we are leaving behind, but I am trying to look towards the future and look forward to new friends, home, job, etc.

Thank you for asking! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

Lara

[KValley]

Lara,

I wish you so much peace and happiness as you move and settle in to a new life in Colorado. Good for you for following your dreams!

Graced, or perhaps cursed, with wanderlust DH and I have picked up and started over five times in 9 years of marriage! One of those stops included a year in Colorado- an interlude between Peace Corps and graduate school. We lived in a tiny town on the Western slope- Hotchkiss, about an hour east of Grand Junction.

We also lived apart for about a month during one move, when I went ahead to start a new job, so I know exactly what you are experiencing!

Our last move sounds a bit like your current adventure. We sold our home and quit our jobs last summer to return home to the Pacific Northwest- a move that was always in our dreams. We've always landed on our feet, so the thought of returning without jobs or a place to live, was daunting, but also exciting. I found a job a month before we moved, one that made it possible for us to live anywhere we chose, so we returned to my hometown.

I think we're ready to settle down now! Starting over is emotionally wearying and we are ready to plant roots, particularly in a place that is so familiar and which we love.

Oh- this upcoming separation is due to DH going to France...an even longer story than the one above http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif



[This message has been edited by KValley (edited 06-16-2001).]

[luv2cook]

when I was single, I ate boxed frozen food. When I met my DH, I started cooking some and just added and improved as time went on.

My mother has always been a creature of habit and would eat the same thing - she ate tuna for 3 years straight and then switched to chix with black beans and pasta for another year.

Now Mom and DH eat whatever I cook and rate the recipe. DH doesn't like certain things but I cook them anyway in hoping that he'll learn to like it. If he doesn't, he can starve or fix something but most times is too lazy. Two things that he has got to learn to live with is cumin and fresh beets. You can't have Mexican food without cumin. He's actually not sure if that what he doesn't like and I always tell him it's not in the dish!

[Melina]

I'm single and I love to cook. One of the perks is that I always get to eat what I like. But then, when a meal turns out really delicious, no one is there to shower me with their wild and crazy words of profound appreciation, which I so richly deserve. But then again, I do get the leftovers for myself.

I usually cook with leftovers in mind. I love my freezer and I love the new inexpensive storage containers. They make storage neat and easy and are good for family that "borrows" food from my freezer.
I was becoming severely Tupperware poor.

I do make desserts, but always with their freezability in mind. I freeze tea and fruit breads in slices; brownies, etc., and I whip one out when I just must. And I've learned on this BB that I can also freeze very ripe bananas! Something that I would often have to throw away.

There are times when I feel that I want to
REALLY COOK. But I have more than enough relatives and friends around who like to REALLY EAT! So no frustration problems there.

Right now, when it comes to cooking, I feel I have the best of both worlds.

[This message has been edited by Melina (edited 06-16-2001).]

[gertdog]

I think there are so many interesting issues associated with cooking and meals! Some are purely practical, but others are social and psychological.

I didn't love to cook until I started grad school and began eating vegetarian. I lived in a big house with several other people, and we shared cooking, so I had lots of people to cook for.

When I moved out on my own, before I met my fiance, I ate a TON of frozen food. And macaroni and cheese! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif It just seemed like I was throwing away so much fresh food because I always bought too much for just me. And I had a tiny kitchen that wasn't fun to cook in. I also didn't really look forward to meals since I was usually alone, and so mealtime was something to just get done, rather than something enjoyable to take time and share with another person. So I ended up relying on frozen entrees, and things that wouldn't go bad. I ate far too few fresh fruits and veggies.

Now that I live with my fiance, I never have frozen entrees. We have an apartment with a nice kitchen, which makes it sooo much more pleasant to cook. We eat piles and piles of fresh veggies, and I have someone to share the chores of prep and cleanup.

Interestingly, a few months ago our lives got really hectic and our house got incredibly messy. The kitchen table got buried in papers for a project I was working on. We ate sitting on the couch, in front of the TV. I hated it! And I felt like it was hardly worth cooking if we were both going to eat staring at the telly and not even notice what was going into our mouths. And indeed, I slacked off and often only made main dishes, skipping veggies and salad. I'm so much happier now that the table is for dinner again, not for work!

[emilycat]

As a single girl who lives alone, I'm finding this thread incredibly interesting. I love hearing everyone else's takes on the pros and cons of cooking for various numbers of people.
As for me, I love cooking with a passion, and like Elizabeth, I have the most fun time trying out scores of recipes, rarely making the same thing twice.
I've gotten really darned good at cutting down recipes to two servings, whether the original serves four or ten, and I really enjoy being able to cook everything I love without worrying about whether or not my SO is going to think it's got too many ingredients, uses something a little too exotic for his taste, or includes something he simply doesn't like. And to hell with getting dinner ready by a certain time. I marinate the chef (thank you, lorilei, for that lovely expression http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif ), and if dinner's not ready until 9:00, so be it. At least I enjoyed the process, and there's no one whining to me that it's not done yet.
I do love to cook for other people, though, so whenever I'm making something I think will pass the picky-eater test, I cook for my BF, and when I visit my parents, I try to make something incredible, because my father is the greatest person to cook for -- he raves incessantly when I make dinner, thus making me feel like a brilliant chef for a least a week or so http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif . And when my 13-year-old brother likes something I make and asks for seconds, I take it as the greatest compliment in the world. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

I'd say the only down sides are the dessert thing -- I'm not quite as adept at cutting down desserts, and I don't like having a lot on hand. Then there's the fact that like Melina said, when something is amazing, the only compliments come from myself. But I think it's a small price to pay for all the creativity and freedom I have within my cooking. All said! Sorry to run on so!

[JanetB]

Well, I am somewhere in the middle here. I moved back home when I got engaged and went back to grad school at around the same time. I have exotic tastes in comparsion to my Irish family - they think basil is too spicey!! (I have a real taste for Cajun and the like!) So, I don't cook much at home - unless it is light on the flavor department - the folks aren't into "new" flavors.
But, in an effort to save money - I started cooking for my fiance on the weekends for the week. I also cook my lunches at the same time (my pymt!) It is something that I love to do. And, he is a JOY to cook for. He is the type of guy who will eat ANYTHING! So - I get to try out my CL recipes, etc. My CL Complete cookbook is my Bible! I pick three or four recipes out of it a week. The added bonus to this is - - - we are both losing weight!
I know once we get married I'll be able to cook every night - which will give me more options. But, right now I love the weekend! Not one of his friends believe this! And, only one of my friends who loves to cook too understands why I do it!

[lorilei]

I'd have to say that my cooking has changed since I've gotten married -- but in ALL good ways.

I now have a person to experiment ON and cook WITH. I'm fortunate to have a husband who loves food/cooking as much as I do... and he's willing to eat almost anything! Some of the best meals come out of our experimentations with new ingredients.

My diet was more strictly vegetarian before we got married and my husband was a full-fledged meat eater. We came to a compromise in the first year of our marriage. He agreed to eat more vegetarian meals and cut back on red meat. Similarly, I haven't minded adding a few meats back into my diet (mostly seafood and chicken). It makes things interesting. We still don't eat red meat terribly often -- but even that is an indulgement I can handle http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

We like cooking for "4" and using leftovers as lunches the following day.

I definitely spend more time planning and cooking for two than I did when I was single. I've always done elaborate meals (even when I was single), but now I do them more often and often make them into our "private time" together. I've also found cooking to be more of a stress reliever than it was before. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif (maybe it's all of that "marinating" we do...)

[This message has been edited by lorilei (edited 06-18-2001).]

[Vanessa]

Oh boy mom would love this thread. I must confess I made my now DH then boyfriend "think" I cooked but mom did ( i lived home)I say I did not lie I just did not volunteer information HaHa My mom is the BEST cook. My friends have always loved eating at my parents and I would look or help briefly but was never into cooking. Before my wedding mom started giving us cookbooks and started a notebook with recipes. Well after a great honeymoon we kind of went to mom's for dinner. I decided one afternoon to just "jump in" into cooking. Thank God for phones near the kitchen. MOm "wealked" me through that first recipe. It was quite funny because I made chayotes and never cut them in half so they boiled a LONG time. When I called mom she asked me if I had cut them I said no. But I quickly did and all went so well. Mom just said "you have the books, if you can read you can cook". It has been great trying things & the best part was one yr not long ago I made a fancy diner for my parents and mom said it was excellent.
I can compare then and now cooking because when one gets more confident one gets more daring and tries new things. I just told DH tonight we are having chicken tenders skewered with peanut sauce. He said "we are? ok...it sounds different. Such a great guy!!!

[This message has been edited by Vanessa (edited 06-21-2001).]

[elnant]

I'm a single person who loves to cook -- and I like to try new CL recipes, but it sometimes seems like such a hassle to go through all that effort just for myself! A lot of times, it's just easier to whip up a quick meal -- or get a big pkg of chicken thighs, and cook them all at once, so all I have to do when I get home is heat it in the micro. If I find a CL recipe I really want to try, I usually save it for the weekends, when I have more time to mess around in the kitchen.

[ChrisF]

This is an interesting thread, and since I've been out of town for a week, I thought I'd belatedly jump in to add another dimension: I'm a married cook who has cooked for 4, and is adjusting to cooking for two. Our two sons were each 3 sport high school athletes, and so for 8 consecutive years, the amount of carbo/pasta/"teen" food that poured out of my kitchen was daunting. When the youngest went to college a year ago, I told my husband that I was taking a vacation from the planning/shopping/cooking of the family dinner. He could eat whatever he wanted - but I was off-duty till Thanksgiving! Well, that lasted about a month....then I found epicurious.com, and re-discovered the fun in cooking the new, the different, the experimental. And DH re-started my subscriptions to Cooking Light and Bon Appettit! Sinister move!! Now both of us are planning and cooking for two -- with a new emphasis on wine, and it is such fun. Thanks for all the great ideas on wine and food from this board---you all really helped to put the pleasure back in my cooking!
Chris

[makedah]

I'm single and very glad I don't have to cook for anyone else. I enjoy bringing dishes to gatherings and I look forward to making some dishes for my family when I visit next month. But on a daily basis, I like that I don't have to please anyone except ME.

A friend of mine made me a bit angry the other day when she revealed that she thought I was getting more into cooking for the sake of some future man. WHAAAAAAT!???

On the flip side, I come home from school/work really tired. I do think it would be nice to have someone to cook some of the meals for me. But what's the chance of THAT. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/rolleyes.gif

[donleyk]

I was 20 when I got married 18 when I started working in a restaurant so I didn't need to learn how to cut down from 6 or 8 servings to 2 I had to learn how to cut down from 50! Sometimes I didn't bother cutting down the french onion soup either. You can just imagine how many DAYS we ate french onion soup!

We were bad about fixing only the tried and true meals we grew up on but as we have matured (I've been married longer than not this year) and our tastes have changed we are cooking much healthier. CL has had almost everything to do with it too! DH is also one of those that will eat anything. I have had a couple of real flops but overall I do OK. He has gotten the cooking bug too so we actually have a lot of fun. Tues & Thurs are his nights to cook. He likes to remind me that not many women can come home from the golf course and have dinner waiting on them http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif