One Year Anniversary, Temporarily Closing the Distance, and Food!

[Lea-le-Lea]

So, as of last month, we decided that we are going to temporarily close the distance, by me moving there for a year on a WHV in December. Our Anniversary is also coming up (about a month before I leave there), and I've been putting together all of these home made things (because of saving and stuff, and I've just always made things for him in general). One of them includes a box of "Reasons I Love You."

Another thing I'd like to do for us is make a "Recipes for Two" book. We will be living together for the year, and I thought it'd be a cute idea, since he and I both enjoy cooking, and cooking together. I guess I wanted to know some dishes and/or recipes that are your favourites to include in the book (since we both love food from all over the world). He loves French, Greek, and Japanese cuisine, while I enjoy Italian, Japanese, Authentic Mexican food (not the gross americanized stuff), and Louisiana kitchen type foods like Jambalaya and Gumbo <3

Any input will be much appreciated.

[differentcountries]

Congrats on your upcoming aniversary! And also congrats on temporarily closing the distance, that sounds really nice

"Reasons I love you"- stuff are great. I have done the 52 card deck with those, you can really make as many as you want. It is nice to make some of the reasons really personal, something you could not say about just anyone.

Cookbook is a nice thing to do as well. I have started on a cookbook for us, the theme then is to put in there stuff we already made, so we can do it again, and with pictures. So far we have made for dinner Turkish food, Norwegian food, international/Italian stuff like pizza and pasta dishes, as well as breakfast, cakes and drinks. Of course you will have to make the dishes first to have pics - another option is to search for the recipies you want online, some of the ones from food blogs have pics in them and look nice when you print them, so that might be an option.

[conejita_hada]

For recipes, I've found it's easiest for me to type a food/dish I like into google like "carnitas recipe", read the reviews and alter it to how I would like it. A dish I grew up with that is Italian (although could satisfy Greek, maybe?) is roasted peppers served with crusty bread. I don't have a real recipe, learned from mom and she doesn't do measurements. haha It can be served cold or warm.

Roasted red and orange bell peppers (2" strips) mixed with olive oil, about 2 chopped (not minced) cloves of garlic, pitted and rough chopped Kalamata olives, anchovies (canned, not whole). Usually the garlic is tossed into the hot oil in a pan on a stove, followed by the peppers, anchovies, and olives. Cooked just for a minute or two then set into the serving dish. You can just add everything together without cooking but the flavors mixed better if it cooks for a minute or two and the anchovies can kind of melt. It's easy enough to roast peppers in the oven but often times I'm lazy and buy the jar of roasted peppers at the market. To roast in the oven, use a non-glass baking dish covered in foil. Lightly rub olive oil on each (whole) pepper. Put in oven for 10 minutes, rotate, and occasionally check from there until all sides are brown/blackened. Let peppers cool until you can handle then remove skin and de-seed.

Here's a link for Unagi Don (char-grilled eel with rice): https://www.justonecookbook.com/reci...gi-don-unadon/

[Lea-le-Lea]

Oh my gosh, thank you, and that sounds delicious! I will have to try it out and put it in the recipe book!