Sunday 27 January 2013

Best Restaurant in Town


From Chicken Soup for the Soul: Food and Love

By Virginia Redman

When love and skill work together, expect a masterpiece.
~John Ruskin


The dinners my husband so lovingly prepares each night are mouthwatering delights, from braised Chilean sea bass, to salmon bathed in sesame ginger sauce, to luscious chicken cordon bleu. He marinates filet mignon till it is fork tender, or he tops ultra thin pork chops with an apricot sauce that melts in your mouth. The aroma of rosemary and thyme that cover a lamb roast is a hint of a delicious feast ahead.

He bakes petite Idaho potatoes or sometimes sweet potatoes and tops them with margarine or sour cream. Verdant asparagus or broccoli round out the plate, sometimes covered in homemade Hollandaise sauce.

Almost every night he makes his signature salad of baby spinach leaves, blueberries, sliced strawberries, chopped walnuts, and thin strips of Dubliner cheese, topped with raspberry vinaigrette dressing.

As if all this isn't mouthwatering enough, you should taste what he does with the leftover meat or fish! He makes what I lovingly call a pizza. He places a large whole wheat and virgin olive oil soft wrap on a pizza stone, and brushes an appropriate sauce on it. Then he finely chops salmon, filet mignon, chicken, lamb, or whatever is left over, and sprinkles it on top, followed by baby spinach leaves, and then tops it with shredded Colby-Jack cheese. He bakes it on the pizza stone, and then he cuts it into wedges. This luscious pizza is served with freshly made guacamole. I almost love the leftovers more than the original dinner!

As if all this isn't sweet enough, he keeps a supply of my favorite ice cream in the freezer: white chocolate raspberry. However, after such scrumptious dinners, I hardly ever have room for dessert.

We've been to many restaurants. A few years ago we went out to a highly recommended new one on my birthday. As delicious as the Chilean sea bass was, it couldn't compare to what my husband serves me at home. I went to Michael's and bought a frame, matting, and sparkling letters. With the blue letters I spelled out "Best Restaurant in Town," and hung this framed piece between the kitchen and the family room -- rooms where masterpieces are lovingly created and enjoyed every day!

Reprinted by permission of Chicken Soup for the Soul Publishing, LLC (c) 2011. In order to protect the rights of the copyright holder, no portion of this publication may be reproduced without prior written consent. All rights reserved.

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