You think the economy is hurting? Oh, friends, you have no idea.
The troubled financial system is nothing compared to the poor guy
who forgot his wife or girlfriend on the recent Valentine’s
holiday. C’mon, guys, you know who you are, and if you blew it big
time this year, I have a way out of that doghouse you’ve been
occupying the last few days all by your lonesome.
You think the economy is hurting? Oh, friends, you have no idea. The troubled financial system is nothing compared to the poor guy who forgot his wife or girlfriend on the recent Valentine’s holiday. C’mon, guys, you know who you are, and if you blew it big time this year, I have a way out of that doghouse you’ve been occupying the last few days all by your lonesome.
Now if your name is John Edwards or Mark “I’m hiking the Appalachian Trail” Sanford, I can’t help you. No, I’m afraid your love life is dead in a ditch. But for the “Average Joe,” I have a sure-fire solution certain to sweep your incensed sweetheart off her feet. It’s called “Cooking in the Nude,” and no, I am not making this up.
It’s the title of a largely unknown recipe book I found the other day at the bottom of a long-forgotten heap of cookbooks in my kitchen. It was time to discard some of the old ones, you see. I’ve collected cookbooks for years, and frankly I haven’t carted out some of the old “go-to” 1970s recipes since approximately the Carter administration. I mean, how long has it been since YOU made Chicken Divan?
This tome would have been trashed, too, had it not been for the recent Valentine’s Day holiday and what I’ve learned from Valentine’s Day disasters in years gone by. Now don’t misunderstand me here. I am not talking about my spouse. Oh, no. He learned waaaaaay long ago that girls have a thing about being remembered on Valentine’s Day. And he got with the program. But some guys take longer than others to get the hang of it, so as a valuable public service I am sharing this sage advice with the poor, Valentine-afflicted sufferers who blew it big time this year.
“So what’s the plan?” you’re probably saying. “Let’s get to the good stuff.” Yes, I know, it’s hard to be patient when I tease you with such a saucy subject, if you’ll pardon the pun.
Major alert: The author isn’t suggesting you actually broil your burgers while cavorting about completely starkers unless you don’t mind a few pops of hot grease getting into all that chest hair. Not that you can’t take it, of course, you big, manly … ummm, wait. Where was I?
Oh, yes. Before you can begin getting back into your sweetie’s good graces, you must formulate a plan. This, according to the author, includes preparing a “Quickie Kit.” OK, this sounds a little crass, but who knows? Being prepared is possibly … not just for Boy Scouts anymore.
I mean, you just never know when you’re going to get swept away with the desire to present a fabulous, romantically-conceived dinner for that special someone, right? Yep. Happens to me all the time. And presentation is everything. For example, you can’t just rip off a hunk of paper towel and call it a napkin, now can you? No, no, no. This is the kind of thing that got you into trouble in the first place. So in your “Quickie Kit” you will store lovely cloth napkins complete with napkin rings. Now, wasn’t that easy? You’re well on your way back into your beloved’s good graces already.
So after building your Quickie Kit containing such amorous items as wine, candles, “sensuous” music, bubble bath (bubble bath?) and the like, you’ll need to plan your menu. And the cookbook doesn’t disappoint. Here you can take your choice of passionate menu starters like “Suggestive Salad” or “Caesar and Please Her” and honestly, how long has it been since you’ve dressed your salad in “Voulez-Vouz Vinaigrette?”
Since an entree is imperative and if your passion is seafood, this book has you covered. Tempt your sweetheart with “Halibut My Place” or “Promiscuous Prawns,” and if you want to get wild and crazy there’s sole stuffed with scallops, crab and shrimp aptly named – you got it – “Menage a Trois.”
Not a seafood fan? No problem. “Chicken Porno Bleu” or “Fowl Play” should please those poultry people in your life while “It had to be Ewe” and “Tempting Tenderloins” cover the red meat crowd.
A word about table etiquette: if you’re a fan of the wildly lecherous “Tom Jones” movie scene of Tom and Mrs. Waters sitting opposite each other lustfully tearing into large turkey legs, banish that thought immediately! It’s just not that appealing if, at the end of the feast, your plate appears to have been torn apart by wolves.
So I hope you and your sweetie are soon feeling the love, but should you decide to re-ignite those flames by “Cooking in the Nude,” be careful out there. I certainly don’t advise that you attempt a “moon landing” on your sizzling hot stove. Ouch!
