Finally, I Did Something Romantic (With Video)

It is a running joke here that over 26 years of marriage I have made dinner zero times! Today that would change.

Helaine spent the end of the week in Milwaukee. This morning she flew back. She got to spend Mother’s Day morning with Stef, now back in Los Angeles, and Mother’s Day afternoon with me.

I have an admission. I am not a romantic guy. I love my wife but… well some guys just aren’t very adept at romantic gestures.

None of this is lost on Stef. This year she gave me some advice, “Make dinner for mommy.” It would be our little secret until Helaine saw or smelled what was going on.

It is a running joke here that over 26 years of marriage I have made dinner zero times! Today that would change.

Stef found a recipe on Food Network’s site for Wolfgang Puck’s “Fresh Tomato, Basil, and Garlic Sauce over Angel Hair Pasta..”

“You can do this,” she said.

Friday night after work I headed to Stop and Shop to fill my grocery list. Yes, I needed help. I had no clue where most of the things I needed were located. Not only that, there are shopping nuances I didn’t know.

I was on the phone with my friend Dennis as I shopped. That was a good thing because until he set me straight I thought each head of garlic was a clove. Overly spicy dinner avoided!

I’d also like to thank the nice woman at the self checkout stand who found a way to get me the shopper’s card discount without my having a shopper’s card… and gave me a quick lesson in weighing and pricing produce. The woman knew the four digit code for tomatoes without looking!

You veteran dinner preparers probably know how to do this, but I had no clue how to backtime the meal so it arrived at the same time Helaine did. I started as she landed at Bradley. As it turns out the timing was right, but that was just blind luck.

Within the first minute of prep I realized I was in over my head. I’d never chopped onions or garlic. I didn’t know which pan was a saucepan. I had herbs to remove from their stems.

Actually, it’s possible I have experience in herb/stem removal from my college days, but that’s a story for another time.

Long story short, the pasta came out tasting pretty good. Wolgang’s might taste better, but there’s no way it has as much love in it as mind did.

A home cooked meal is romantic. Stef knew that. Helaine was touched. Stef knew that would be the case too. This is one gift she’ll never forget.

10 thoughts on “Finally, I Did Something Romantic (With Video)”

  1. Impressed – with your lack of expertise in the area, and even more so with your willingness to overcome. Excellent.

    You DID wash the dishes, right?

  2. No. He absolutely wanted to, but I insisted. With what Geoff did, and what Stef did with him and on her own, this was my most memorable Mother’s Day ever!

  3. Good job Stef and Geoff! Cooking with love is the best! (as long as you don’t burn it) LOL Very cool that you took the leap and branched out into uncharted waters as a gift for someone you love!! Who knows….you may have started a new hobby!

  4. I think that was so sweet! I got taken out the night before Mother’s Day by my son. He did text me on Mother’s Day (he lives in NY). My boyfriend gave me re-heated food. My mom loved the book I had gotten her – Chicken Soup for the Soul – Moms.
    My mom is 88 years old and said out of her three kids, I’m the only one who knows what to get her. I didn’t ask if she read the card. I had put in there “Mom, for being a great mom who has had 63 years of practice. Here is to another 63 years!
    Love,
    Shar

  5. Loved the video…forgot to mention that! Very cool you put the time lapse photography up and then continued it in the corner. BTY what program do you use to edit/create your video?

    1. Doris – It was all shot, video and stills, on my iphone. The time lapse was accomplished using ReelMemories an iPhone app, but it shut down long before I wanted it to! It’s possible I mistakenly hit the button, but I was trying not to. The final cut was edited in Sony Vegas Pro 9. The music is from some British boy band. It didn’t take long to do. It was mastered to mp4 and uploaded to Flickr for serving.

  6. Well….I am a PC, and use Verizon…so I guess that is not gonna work for me! LOL I want to venture into “my uncharted territory” ( cause I know how to cook ) …..using more features on my PC to make “stuff” with my still pictures and videos….any suggestions?

  7. Doris, Most PC users don’t know their computers already contain Windows Movie Maker, a fine and simple editing program. There are lots of ways to go about this. I just mentioned mine.

  8. Thanks Geoff….I wanted to know what you used.. any knowledge is power! Was not trying to be flip….;o)

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