Sam Cooks!
In a stunning development,, my brother Sam is learning to cook. It’s stunning because, in all the years we spent growing up in our large, traditional Midwestern family, the only male contribution to the evening meal was the belching.
But now that Sam is an empty-nester in a home where domestic duties have always been equally shared, he’s taken up the wok, designed a new method for chopping onions (see photo), discovered his inner Julia, and even made chili for the Super Bowl. (It was delicious. Recipe from Food52.)
And he’s blogging about it at “Greetings From The Empty Nest”:
“There are two meals on our dinner menu: the Let’s Create Something Wondrously Gourmet Special, and the I Don’t Give A Shit What We Eat Platter.”
Sam admits that the latter category is the one most often selected. His blog currently features a photo of a one recent I.D.G.A.S.W.W.E. Platter that consisted of a few limp spinach leaves and a nicely grilled, bun-free hot dog.
Okay, so the photo doesn’t inspire you to invite yourself to the Harper house for dinner, but I insist that Sam is a chef-in-training with unlimited potential and I look forward to seeing what he comes up with next.
With any luck, maybe his belching brothers (and even maybe my husband) will follow suit…..

Tags: cooking for large family, cooking for two, empty nest food, food52 chili recipe
February 8th, 2013 at 3:02 pm
LOVE all of this except the part where you say he lives “…in a home where domestic duties have always been equally shared”.
NOT.
xoxo
February 8th, 2013 at 4:00 pm
ohhhh, well, okay, i guess I guess I should amend that to say “dishwashing duties”!
February 8th, 2013 at 6:41 pm
[…] she lived to tell the tale. Share this:TwitterFacebookLike this:LikeBe the first to like this. This entry was posted in […]
February 8th, 2013 at 6:46 pm
That’ll work…
xoxo
February 9th, 2013 at 9:07 am
S’ma bro yip go go!
February 12th, 2013 at 12:49 pm
Is Sam wearing goggles to cut up an onion?
Nice touch. Another tip: RUB AWAY – the stainless soap bar by AMCO
Good Valentine gift for those with smelly hands.
February 12th, 2013 at 12:59 pm
Tell Sam that when I started cooking for myself again I found it to be quite time saving to move the Band Aids from the medicine cabinet to the kitchen counter.
February 14th, 2013 at 8:42 pm
Good for him, some men do cook and do it well. I would cook for you anytime, Jessica!
February 14th, 2013 at 8:43 pm
The goggles not only look funny but also very big!