Yesterday was our anniversary and we celebrated by Roy
working from 9-11:30 and me from 2-9:30. It was really special.
Anniversary Date Night In was held on Wednesday and it actually was
really special.
In the first realm of specialness, the pretzel buns. Here’s
what the book says they should look like.
And here’s what they actually looked like.
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| #uglyassin |
(That’s “ugly as sin”, not…whatever alternative translation you
want to come up with.)
I’ve made pretzels before and even if they come out of their
baking soda bath a little lumpy looking they poof up nicely in the oven. Not so
this time. Even Roy couldn’t suppress a laugh when he saw the finished product.
We counted on their bite being better than their bark.
I’m afraid I didn’t spend much of Wednesday focusing solely
on my children and cherishing every second of their little lives. It was a
clock-watching day. How many more hours
until bedtime? I was hungry for good food and good time with
Roy. He took the boys up at 7:15PM and I immediately started sautéing shallots
and melting cheese for our non-fire-pit fontina dip. I cut up one of the #uglyassin
pretzel rolls to dip in this Italian fondue. And the instant Roy reemerged from
stories and prayers it was READY.
It looked pretty ugly. Not nice to photograph. Should have
presented in the skillet or a dipping bowl or something. I apologize for the
ugliness. (At least I tore up the roll as to mask its horrific appearance.)
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| Don't say I didn't warn you. |
As was the theme of the menu, it tasted better than it
looked. It tasted great. And, while sometimes eating cheese
straight up doesn’t agree with my stomach, this wasn’t a problem. I'll be making more for
lunch.
The timer beeped and Roy pulled out the foil-wrapped packet
of potatoes, garlic, oil, salt and pepper. He tossed them lightly in sour cream
and dill while I cooked two sausages over our non-fire-pit stovetop. They were then tucked into pretzel rolls, slathered in mustard cream cheese, and covered in
Roy’s pickled peppers.
That’s the way to eat a hot dog my friends.
The potato salad was warm and dilly and we both commented on
how nice it was to eat meat, bread, and potatoes
for supper. Most certainly not our normal fare but what an excellent,
satisfying treat!
For dessert I pulled out the s’mores terrine that had
chilled in the fridge. We sliced off respectable hunks and enjoyed the rich
chocolate dotted with graham cracker chunks and chewy marshmallows. It was like
s’more fudge. Ashley recommends cutting a slice and using it as the chocolate
in an actual s’more. A s’more within a s’more if you will. We have ample
leftovers to try this. I’ll let you know if we do.
I had, yet again, recurring dreams of guzzling glass after
glass of water that night. We didn’t add nearly as much salt into these dishes
as some other DNIs, but things like the sausages came pre-loaded.
At this point in my summaries I try to include a quote from
Ashley’s opening entry presenting each DNI. This one was all about how she and
her husband built a fire pit together and how their strengths complemented each
other in its construction. The last time Roy and I had a bonfire we didn’t put
it out all the way and woke up the next morning to discover the cover for our
little pit was burned into a melty, ruined mess. (And melty, unlike the fontina
dip, is not good in this instance.) So how about if we skip the Ashley quote this month?
My parents learned from an early age that, with me, anticipation is most of the fun. Surprise birthday parties, while enjoyable in
theory, rob you of looking forward to the birthday party. I think one of the
reasons this summer was so incredible was because of how hard I looked forward
to it. Date Night In has become something I am excited about for days and weeks
ahead of time.
Roy, happy anniversary. More than birthday parties, summer,
and date nights--being with you means I always have something to look forward
to.
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