Nov 22nd, 2025 Saturday Cloudy
I like cooking with my husband.
More precisely, I like being the chef while my husband is the sous-chef, who prepares the ingredients following my instructions, and I get to wield the spatula in the wok, or stir the spoon in the pot, and witness the miracle of raw vegetables/meats/grains transforming into tasty dishes, with a cheerful announcement “dinner is ready!”.
Having grown up with a large variety of good food options at low cost, has cultivated my particular taste. Food not only need to be healthy, delicious, and affordable, but should also bring some joy and excitement to everyday life. While there may be multiple ways to meet all these criteria in some other cultures, in the city where we live now, the only viable option is to cook at home ourselves on a regular basis.
Nevertheless, since we both have busy schedules, we have neither the luxury nor the inclination to spend a lot of leisure time researching recipes and engaging in trial-and-error. Moreover, although my husband may be perfectly happy eating the same fare for a whole week, I cannot tolerate having identical dinner and lunch (even the same protein, different cooking methods) – isn’t that boring?
So how do we keep this daily project of dinner preparation interesting without investing much extra time?
Fortunately, the library has countless (literally) cookbooks for inspiration. I have developed the habit to check out whatever cookbooks catch my eyes for a certain period, then bookmark the pages that fit in our budget (both money and time) and preference (it is pointless to make something that one of us would find a torture to bite into). From this selection, I would choose some according to the season, and add them to our monthly meal plan.
It is a functional process, with an obvious consequence (both positive and negative) – we rarely consume a course a second time (after we finish the leftover).
In other words, it is hard to pinpoint a “signature dish”.
Except for this one – my husband’s pasta 🙂
To be honest, it is not fancy – just wholesome, flavorful, filling, quick and easy. Our own homemade pasta sauce (using tomatoes from gardens of ours and our friend’s), ground beef, herb-infused olive oil, and minced garlic. Depending on the harvest, generally some fresh homegrown vegetables (e.g. peppers) are mixed in to spice it up. Applying the trick he learned from a video, my husband put a scoop of water used to cook the spaghetti into the sauce, which helps the sauce to cling better to the noodles. Finally, some basil/various members of the mint family may be the garnish on top.
Coming home after traveling, when we are both exhausted, in want of nourishment and energy to concoct anything new, this pasta is served. However experienced we may be as home cooks, trying new recipes comes with some risk, yet this is a dish we KNOW will not disappoint. It satisfies our need for stability, in an ever-changing world, restoring our stamina to face the unknown challenges.
Perhaps that is why we crave the taste of home 🙂
Absolutely!! Lasagne, as you might recall, feels like this to me. It has less to do with the food, but the fact that I know it tastes like home. A known sensation. Comforting, right?
Exactly! I remember the maztah lasagne you made for us (for my birthday I believe), in your Sheboygan Ave apartment! I imagine it would be more filling if you used regular lasagne instead of maztah 😉
One of my happiest memories. I loved sharing meals with you in Madison. Between walks, meals, many conversations, and joyful studies, I have the happiest memories with you!! That apartment was warm because of friendships and love. You even helped me pack up the stuff and saw my Indianapolis adventure. Trying to visit around my 40th birthday, wahoo!
I would LOVE to see you when you visit!! You were the best gift I got from my chemistry department adventure, however short it is 😉