The Motivating Menu

A few months ago I purchased a white board for in the kitchen.  It immediately turned into a "Menu board" and it has been motivating me to cook ever since. This little board begs to be written on in the morning and is a cooking cheerleader as you pass by it throughout the day so I highly recommend this kitchen addition if you are looking for some culinary motivation.

Today my husband and I are celebrating our 8 year anniversary which is a BIG DEAL considering he almost filed for divorce when he read my OKRA Secret blog entry!!!  Just kidding!  Marriage can be hard work sometimes and so can menu planning ...not knowing what to make from day to day, pairing side dishes with entrees, pairing courses and wines, etc.   I don't always have a super creative menu with multiple courses, sometimes its just an entree and side dish and on lazy days it might even say "Hawk's Club" (ha, that's an inexpensive alternative when we don't feel like cooking...its a restaurant down the road from our house) but no matter what it says, it feels good to have a dinner "game plan" and on the days it does have multiple courses it makes me feel focused.

Tonight's menu starts with a champagne toast to celebrate our anniversary. Then we will have Caesar salads followed by crab stuffed portobellos paired with sauteed fresh spinach and for dessert warm chocolate pudding cake (if successful will be like the hot lava cakes at restaurants).  I'm excited to be cooking a special meal for my husband tonight and happy to be celebrating not just these past 8 years but our future together.  I can't thank him enough for allowing me to be a stay-at-home-mom which at the same time has allowed me to spend more time getting creative in the kitchen and sharing a food blog with you!  Slainte (cheers)!!

What's on YOUR menu tonight??