Monday, January 4, 2010

Married people are supposed to share

You know what's sad? The end of vacation.

The husband had two glorious weeks off and spent them footloose and fancy free. I had a sprinkling of days off too, during which I followed his lead, enjoying myself at every chance. We had drinks with friends, went to the movies, and wandered through a natural history museum. We each finished a couple of books. And we fit in some eating here and there.

Last Wednesday, we met up with some good friends at one of our favorite restaurants, Firefly, in Noe Valley. Over shrimp and scallop potstickers, roasted duck with kumquats, and ginger cake with quince marmalade, we rang in the new year a day early.

The next night, which was New Year's Eve, we stayed in, playing records that the husband had dug up on his recent trip home to Kentucky and shipped out. I made filet mignon with cabernet-thyme sauce and mashed potatoes. We drank a fancy bottle of wine that we had been saving for a year.

On Friday night, which turned out to be misty and gorgeous, we met up with some other friends at a sleek bar on Haight street called The Alembic. We settled in at a cozy table, drank spicy cocktails filled with whiskey and cognac, and nibbled on cumin-scented nuts, warm olives, and a fabulous cheese plate.

And then there were these sweet, lemony, crumbly-topped blueberry streusel muffins, courtesy of the Barefoot Contessa.


These little guys had me freaking out a little. To be totally frank, they tasted like cupcakes, although not because they were overly sweet. But they were rich like cake, with a soft crumb. I guess there wasn't much that was muffiny about them except for the fact that there was no frosting. Cupcakes must have frosting, it's a rule. So, I think I can get away with calling these muffins and eating them for breakfast. (Note to self: these would be mighty fine with a lemon-cream cheese frosting.)

I made a half recipe which yielded 10 muffins, which meant two each on Saturday, and two each on Sunday.


Today, there were only two muffins left, which of course we shared, because we love each other. Plus, we both knew there were two left; it would have been tough for me to get my paws on both without the husband noticing. Although, I could make quick work of them, I'll tell you that. One muffin might take about one minute to eat, especially if I was alone.

But when you're married, you say things like, "What's mine is yours," and "Of course I want to share," and "Please, take the last one!" and other things that make sense when you're talking about a bag of potato chips or a book of stamps. I'm positive those phrases were not conceived of with these little cupcakes muffins in mind.

In any case, married people are supposed to share, whatever the item in question. So, I dutifully packed one up for the husband and ate the last one myself, right before I left for work. I tried to eat it slowly, and stretch it out over at least five minutes.

Goodbye, vacation.

Goodbye, blueberry streusel muffins. 

Sigh.


 * Sorry, I could not find a link to the exact recipe on the Food Network site. This recipe is from BC's newest cookbook, Back to Basics.

18 comments:

  1. Oh, I don't know if I would have been as thoughtful as you, I might have pretended the kids ate them :) To be honest, I'm not a muffin fan, precisely because they lack icing, but these look like muffins I could definitely get accustomed to.

    Your holidays sounded perfect!

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  2. Heh, you are a good spouse. :D They look awesome! My girlfriend recently had a week off, which was fun. I'm on an extended "vacation" (read: unemployment) myself. I can't wait for it to end!

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  3. Sounds and looks really yummy! Very nice of you to share them. : )

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  4. Ohh, yes please. I am definitely pro "cake" for breakfast. And I cannot resist the streusel. Lovely post!

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  5. Now that's the sign of a marriage built to last. Any couple that can share baked goods happily and fairly is a couple that has respect for one another. I think you should celebrate every anniversary with those awesome muffins. :)

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  6. yes, a lemony frosting would be a marvelous touch...as long as you kept the streusel too. streusel rules. :) and congrats on finding a mate who fits you like a glove. :)

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  7. shaz: if only I had kids--I could blame a lot of things on them.

    Bob: Sorry to hear about your forced "vacation"...I hope you get a lucky break soon--fingers crossed for you.

    oneordinaryday: thanks!

    aubrey: how could you not love streusel, right? It's just crumbled sugar and butter. Yum.

    Food Gal: Good idea!

    grace: ooh, frosting AND streusel--you're on to something!

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  8. I dont share.
    Those little muffins look so lovely, too bad you couldn't find the recipe.

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  9. Love blueberry muffins with crumble topping! And your New Year's Eve celebration sounds just about perfect!

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  10. I know. With Ina you always have to think: muffins or cupcakes? I've made these- they are divine!
    Your New Year's celebrations sound like relaxed fun!
    BTW: I share!

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  11. Oh, you went to my favorite places ... Firefly and Alembic, and had all my favorite foods! Sounds like you had a lovely holiday. And just FYI, I don't have to share being single. But I'd rather have someone to share things with!

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  12. Ooh, I used to love Firefly when we lived on 24th Street years ago... haven't thought about those potstickers in a long time! Those cupcakes sound delicious, I love streusel topping but lemon cream cheese frosting makes me go crazy... Your holidays sounded wonderful.

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  13. Heavenly Housewife: I know, I really wanted to link to the recipe....and I am too lazy to type it all out.

    croquecamille: It was just about perfect!

    Barbara: I agree--there's a fine line with Ina--all the more reason to love her!

    Ben: I've been to Firefly many times but this was my first time at the Alembic--I loved it. ANd we can walk there which makes it doubly cool. Enjoy not having to share while you can--you won't be single forever! :)

    foodhoe: Another things we have in common! I lived in NV for 10 years--it's still my favorite neighborhood in the city.

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  14. LOL, I think that everything in the house is 'ours'. Except the muffins. They're mine.

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  15. just found your blog - love your writing!

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  16. Kate: I think occasionally you just have to be greedy.

    alison: Thank you so much! Hope to see you here again.

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  17. True, true, when Mr. Wasabi went back to work, it was strange to lose that vacation mode. Right now I'm a Lady of Leisure, aka in between jobs, so it's even harder to lose the daily companion that I got used to in the house all the time (sorry, Indy; you nap too much!). But sharing meals at home when he does return is a nice thing, especially since it's winter and we can curl up on the couch together at the end of the day and watch our favorite TV shows or a movie.

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