Keeping the Spirit Going

While many of you may already be contemplating how to best repackage Christmas ornaments, or where to take the tree to be recycled, I like to keep the holiday spirit going for as long as possible.  I don't plan on removing my Christmas tree until the Sous Chef officially declares it a fire hazard, and I will always have Christmas Radio bookmarked on Pandora (in case of emergencies).

Having the Sous Chef home with me this week has also prolonged the festive feeling around the house.  Just having him around makes it feel like vacation.  But the place where we've really kept the holiday magic going is - where else - the kitchen.  We went to the grocery store and together created a menu for a special and uncharacteristically decadent meal.  We allowed ourselves to buy out of season produce - namely, tomatoes and asparagus - and we even went so far as to purchase filet mignon.  While children had visions of sugar plums dancing through their heads, ours were filled with images of tender oyster mushrooms and caramelized asparagus spears.

The magic continued as we prepared the feast.  We moved about the kitchen seamlessly, naturally taking on the different responsibilities for the meal - the Sous Chef was in charge of the steak and its accompanying sauce, and I prepared the salad and asparagus.  It was like two people dancing - one of us would move one way, and the other would accommodate.  We were in the zone.  We were on fire.

It's moments like these when I feel the most alive - when I am doing what I love, with the person I love, and we are completely in sync.  I can think of few things more exhilarating than that.

I'll admit, there were times tonight when I felt a bit silly, almost giddy with the thrill that comes with making a Really Good Meal.  Like when the Sous Chef seared the steak on the cast iron skillet before roasting it in the 500-degree oven; the meaty aroma was amazing.  Or when the Sous Chef lit the Madeira wine on fire after pouring it into the saucepan.  Or when I pulled the homemade croutons out of the oven, tasted one, and was immediately impressed by the balanced flavors of onion, garlic, thyme, and crushed red pepper.  The more we did, the better we knew it was going to turn out.  And that, my friends, is what really gets me going.

As we sat at the table, and gazed at the filet, dripping with savory, buttery, herby, mushroomy sauce, and the asparagus, perfectly roasted, and the salad, complete with crunchy croutons and a homemade vinaigrette, I realized something:

We hadn't used a single recipe.

We had pulled this together - this delicious, perfectly timed, perfectly executed meal - without consulting anything but our experience and instinct.  I'm not saying this to boast - on the contrary, I'm saying it because only by typing it out am I starting to accept that it really happened.

I combined balsamic vinegar, olive oil, mustard, stevia, and herbs, whisked them together, and made a salad dressing.

The Sous Chef, in typical fashion, determined that the meat was done with a series of sniffs and pokes.

I cubed some stale bread, pulled a few bottles down from my redesigned spice rack, and tossed everything in a bowl with some olive oil and made croutons.

The Sous Chef took onion, mushrooms, beef broth, butter, wine, and spices and concocted a sauce that was so good that we literally licked our plates clean.

Sometimes we get so bogged down in rules, regulations, and recipes that we forget that sometimes all we need is faith, time, and practice in order to achieve perfection.  Sometimes we focus so much on making the special occasions special that we forget to simply enjoy the moments we have with our loved ones.

The holidays may be over, but that's no reason to stop celebrating.  Just cook.  Just live.  Just love.  You'll be surprised at how perfectly things can turn out if you just follow your heart - and your nose.