In yesterday’s post, I mentioned how lucky we were to have friends who are such terrific cooks. The same can be said about our daughters. Our eldest daughter, Dee, who lives in New York City, is a vegetarian, and even when she was in her early twenties, it was obvious she had a real flare for cooking. Shannon, our youngest, has come to cooking later—in her late twenties—but the progress she has made with her cooking over the past two years has been nothing short of remarkable. This is despite the fact that she works full time and has a long commute. Her example shows that “where there is a will there is a way,” and for couples without children, there really isn’t much of an excuse to turn to processed food because there “isn’t time to cook.” Mark Bittman, with his self-proclaimed minimalist approach, is a favorite of hers, but Shannon also subscribes to Food & Wine magazine, and she is always on the lookout for good recipes. 

Yesterday, she and her fiancé, Mike, invited us to their apartment for an anniversary dinner. Unfortunately, Clif forgot to bring his camera, which was too bad, because the dish she made was so pretty in the pottery bowl she used as a serving dish. (Perhaps she can be persuaded to make it again so that Clif can take a picture of it.) The dinner she served was something of a fusion dish—spiced pork in a stir fry with broccoli, peppers, ginger, and garlic served over spaghetti. Oh, my, it was good! For dessert she made a baked custard with strawberries, a perfect light accompaniment to the pasta dish. 

So all in all, thanks to family and friends, Clif and I had a delicious anniversary weekend, and the cherry on the weekend wasn’t food related at all. Instead, it was the health care bill that the House passed, and although it wasn’t designed solely for us, it felt like a real gift. Kudos to President Obama, Nancy Pelosi, and Harry Reid for having the courage to continue on the right path, despite the tremendous opposition, much of it very ugly. (The spitting on black lawmakers by some of the Tea Party folks was a real low.) Like Medicare and Social Security, this health care legislation will improve life not only for the poor but for businesses and the middle class as well. 

Happy anniversary to us!