One Kitchen, Two Styles

Joe and I have completely different cooking styles and preferences. He likes to make rich hearty 'old country' meals. He has a knack for the kind of soups and stews that you dream about coming home to on a cold winter day. I cook much lighter and lean towards using more vegetables and less fat. Unless we're having company, we rarely 'coordinate' our meals. He'll cook something he feels like and I'll do the same; it makes for some interesting meals that have a potluck feel to them.

For instance, yesterday we had a couple of pieces of salt cod. I took half and made fish cakes topped with homemade sweet pickles (I think I was missing N.S. cooking after receiving a note and those photos from my friend Ellen). Joe took his half and create a Spanish dish with two different sauces - I'd never had anything like it before.

And today, Joe made a stick-to-your-ribs oxtail stew, while my contribution was hummus with veggies and strawberry shortcake.

Some people would think it odd that we tend to go our own separate ways in the kitchen, but for the most part it seems to work out OK. We are both pretty independent people, so I guess our kitchen styles mirror our lives in general.