For 30 years Tom has loved my beef stew. When the beef and onions browned he'd get a whiff and enter the kitchen. Garlic hitting the oil in the pan would set him to kissing and hugging me. Fresh herb perfume made waiting for the meal torture. It's been one of his favorite dishes for three decades.
Then, a few months ago, I made Julia Child's Bouef Bourguinon. Bouef Bourguinon is the stew that is served by angels in Heaven, I'm pretty sure of that. It's divine. Yes, yes it is.....
...long pause while I stop to recall the aroma, the flavor, the texture.....sigh....Okay, back to today. As I prepared my good ol' stew the usual wonderful fragrance wafted as the meat browned and gave off its flavor. From outside where he and Joe were working on a car, Tom entered the kitchen gleefully looking into the steaming pot. "Oh boy! This smells great!" Kiss. Hug around the waist. Back to the pot.
And here is the killer line: "Is this Bouef Bourguinon?" Long pause as he sniffs and smiles. "Or just stew?"
Or. Just. Stew.
Hmmmm.
I answered, "It's just stew," but my tone let him know a major faux pas had occurred in Tommy Land.
Still I laughed. It's good to know my improving skills create exuberant responses. I wouldn't want to be boring nor would I want my cooking to be same-old, same-old for Tom's and my entire Marriage Journey.
Tonight, it's just beef stew.
With wine added as a tribute to Julia.
I'll call it Bouef Stew.
Why not?
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