“All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt.”
― Charles M. Schulz
We are pretty good cooks at our house. My kids all love to bake and some even cook. We are often adventuresome enough to try a complex new recipe like Chicken Tarragon or a three-tier Magleby’s chocolate cake. Sometimes it’s a total fail, but we sure have fun in the process.
Cooking and baking can be a family affair or you can just send the kids to their friends’ house or put them to bed for the night and make it a couple activity. The nice part is, you do the creative work of cooking, and then get to enjoy (hopefully) the outcome.
My husband, David, and I occasionally go to a cooking class for a date. We’ve loved it. We meet new people, learn a new dish, and enjoy some delicious food. However, we’ve learned that we can have just as much fun at home. We shop for all the right ingredients, make sure we have the right tools, and then jump into a new recipe like beef carpaccio with capers and laugh and visit during the whole process.
One reason cooking together is so fun is because we talk. We talk about food we love (and don’t love). We talk about new foods that we are nervous to try. We talk about memories of how coming together to eat was fun, celebrated, stressful, or crazy. And the conversation doesn’t just have to center around food. This is a wonderful opportunity to have time together to catch up each other’s day, to talk about goals and dreams, or to discuss current affairs.
Cooking together is also nourishing because we have to work together. One of us chops and the other measures. One of us stirs the sauce and the other preps the meat. If we are mindful, it is a slow, beautiful process of creating, savoring, exploring—together.
Think of the cooking process as a mindfulness exercise. Be thoughtful, relax, pay attention to the small things—the way parsley curls, the smell of tarragon, the cute look on your husband’s face as he tries to chop shallots.
The cooking adventure can range from simple hot chocolate (my favorite) to beef wellington (my son’s masterpiece before he left on his two-year LDS mission to Slovakia). Browse the Internet for recipes (a few ideas https://www.chelseasmessyapron.com/ OR https://pinchofyum.com/ OR https://www.sixsistersstuff.com/).
Here is one easy idea to try out:
Eastern European Hot Chocolate
- 3 cups whole milk
- 1 cup evaporated milk
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- Pinch of ground cinnamon
Chelom Leavitt
Dr. Chelom E. Leavitt teaches and researches healthy sexuality. She received her PhD from Penn State. Her research specifically examines how being present, accepting, and non-judgmental is linked to improved sexual functioning and satisfaction. Dr Leavitt’s research has been published in the top academic journals. She teaches seminars on sex and healthy relationships around the world. Chelom is married to David Leavitt and they have eight (yes, eight) children.