Oh, the irony

Many of you who know me know that I love to entertain. I have been known to take an entire day off work to stay home preparing a feast of familiars for lots of friends and families or just work on a simple, but pleasing meal for a few intimates. I have, waiting for me at home, a pleasing array of gorgeous chef's cookware that just begs to be used (still in boxes). I also have a selected-over-time collection of favorite cookbooks and recipes from friends that are always able to provide a new (or old) idea to follow or twist...again, waiting for me at home (recently placed in boxes). And when I say home, I don't mean our dusty shoebox flat in Buraimi. I mean, home in my mom's attic along with all the rest of my things: shoes, pretty clothes, books, decorations, photographs...my dog (who, thankfully occupies a space of more privilege than the attic!).

So, here I am, a newly married lady with a husband to cook for every night, if I so desire (a new concept since I rarely cooked for friends more than once or twice a week and never for myself), and none of my tools. As a matter of fact, it's funny to go through a wedding registry and find yourself one day inundated with and wading through complete settings of fine china (Mulberry + Lime in Lexington is the sole Match dealer) and every day dishes, flatware, cookery and housewares only to wake up the next day with 2 plates, 2 cups, 4 mugs (one pair we bought, the other was a bonus buy with the 1 french press), 3 spoons, knives and forks, 1 spatula, 1 slotted spoon, 1 ladel, 1 can opener, 1 corkscrew (brought that with us as you can't really find them here, in the land of liquor-as-contraband--another kink in the cooking plans!), 1 saucepan, 1 saute pan, 1 large pot and various and sundry food storage containers. Seriously. That's it. That's all I have in my kitchen (aside from the minifridge and gas stove--connected by a rubber hose to the propane tank next to it!).

Anyway, that's not even the point, though it's probably amusing, if a little sad. The point is, I have a friend who recently visited us from the states. Sensing a unique opportunity (bookstores with an English selection are scarce), Jacob and I logged on to Amazon.com to purchase some new books. He chose The Great Divorce and a special Arabic-English dictionary. I selected Princess, The Girls of Riyadh (both recommended, both about the lives of women in Saudi Arabia), the latest copy of The New Yorker magazine and Rachael Ray's 365: No Repeats cookbook. I figured it was a good compromise for me (lacks great culinary skill but enjoys a good try at something new) and Jacob (meat, meat, potatoes, meat, please). Plus her recipes are supposed to be satisfying and good for people on-the-go, yielding delicious food in short order for those who just don't have that much time to spend in the kit...HAha. Who am I kidding? If I thought that, I was lapsing into my old life. I have nothing but time here. Time is not the issue.

So I crack this cookbook that boasted "a year of deliciously different dinners," anxious to start planning some meals that will make us feel at home and that might actually be fun to prepare. It's then that I stumble on sliced steak over blue cheese biscuits with watercress salad. I mentally marked it and went on, until I came across it again! I checked and double checked, but the truth was clear: I was the proud owner of a Rachel Ray 365: No Repeats cookbook, with repeats. A full signature of pages and recipes inserted, twice, instead of consecutive insertions with different offerings.

At least we aren't here for a full year before our next move! Plus, it gives me an excuse to buy a new cookbook, and to keep checking out a blog I just found. Rebekka and I went to the same college freshman year and she was roomies with a friend of mine, Abby (who also has a killer design blog). When Abby featured Rebekka's home on her design site, she also referred readers to Rebekka's site, which I browsed, happily, this morning. She's a personal chef and her love of food and fun (and, gasp! wine) is evident and encouraging. Check it out here!