Sunday, November 15, 2009

Zack's Adventure in the Kitchen

Last week-end Zack and I ended up spending a lazy morning hanging on the couch together.  It was wonderful until we realized we had two hours before we needed to leave for Lincoln for Grandpa Jack's birthday.  No one had showered, we still needed to make our culinary contribution, and get 5 kids loaded in the car!


I had decided to make Homemade Macaroni & Cheese from the Pioneer Woman's web-site.  Please keep in mind that I have just discovered The Pioneer Woman about a month ago and it's one of my new favorite things!  The author offers a beautiful step-by-step account of each recipe she provides.  The pictures and description allows for a fool proof way to create yummies!!!!!!

So, back to last week-end.  Zack and I were making the game plan of how to accomplish everything we needed to and avoid being late to the party!   He decides he could make the MacNCheese while I take a shower.  Now, this conversation ended up priceless:

Me:  Honey, are you sure?  It's homemade, you'll have to make a roux, etc.

Zack:  Babe, it's this Pioneer Woman, Right?  She has pictures...nobody can screw that up.

Me:  For the record, I am worried!  This isn't just chop, mix, and plop....

Zack:  I can handle this babe!  Go take a shower and don't worry about it!

So, I head to the shower all the time thinking of how he was certainly going to burn the cheese sauce.  Zack doesn't cook....at all.  He MIGHT make quesadillas which involves plopping some shredded cheese and meat on a tortilla and I just knew this wasn't going to end up well.

I came out of the shower, dressed quickly and dried my hair...still worrying about what was happening in my kitchen.  I finally emerge from the bedroom and to my surprise the stuff looks delicious!!  I was shocked and so pleasantly surprised.  I also felt a little sad, like this is my thing --- you can't be good at cooking too!!  Zack's a freaking genius.  A controls engineer that can do complex algebraic equations as simply as I would do addition or subtraction.  A guy that tutored and pulled me through my economics, finance, and managerial accounting courses for my MBA.  A guy that is undefeated at both Monopoly and Scrabble when playing with me.  This guy is smart he doesn't need to steal "my thing."

I begin cleaning up the kitchen and preparing the children to head out while he finishes the casserole.  Finally, he asks me to taste his dish and he is oh so proud.  He dishes up a small bite and places it in my mouth.  It takes every ounce of self-control I can muster not to spit it out.  AAAAAAAHAHAHAHA it takes like a big pile of gooey mustard!!!  What the heck?  This genius of mine didn't recognize the difference between a tablespoon and a teaspoon.....

Yes, I still have my thing.  I am the cook, I'll forever be the cook, and Zack is no longer trusted in the kitchen alone!!!! :)




2 Comments:

Jessica said...

I once left Bart to watch over a pot of red beans while I ran to campus to get my cap and gown for graduation that week...a 20 minute trip. When I came back, he'd not only "watched over" the beans, but also "helped" by seasoning them w/ a LOT of salt and Tony Chacherie's ... good thing an Arby's had just opened up across the street from our apartment :)

Stephanie Williams said...

HAHAHAHA that's great!