My culinary knowledge is so rudimentary that my best description of a Dutch Baby is "fancy pancake." Deborah could tell you exactly what it is, because she made it. She makes a lot of meals and treats, and they're all great. I doubt that many people outside of billionaires and royalty eat better than I do, and certainly not with less effort (on my part). What I'm saying here is that Deborah loves to cook, and she's really good at it. I hope she's recording her recipes and cooking tips for future reference.
When the kids were young, I had the early shift. That is, I went to work early, while Deborah brought the kids to school/daycare; and I picked them up. So I was home earlier, and thus it was natural to expect me to make dinner, at least some days. Fortunately, kids are quite happy with Mrs Paul's Fish Sticks or macaroni and cheese from a box. But everyone recognized that I was not well suited to food preparation. Today, I grill things; that's pretty much it. Deborah throws herself into making dinners, with enthusiasm. She usually tweaks even the most acclaimed recipes in an attempt to make them more interesting, or just to find out how they taste. She makes bread on a regular basis (sourdough usually, though I always lobby for focaccia). She's delighted to be able to harvest herbs from our garden to add to her creations.
We're in a few social groups that call for the host(s) to prepare dinner. I'm a total freeloader. Other husbands make something, but Deborah does all the actual cooking for us. (I do heat some things up on the grill.) If she resents this, she has never indicated it.
Besides all this cooking for me and guests, Deborah spends a few hours a week at Miriam's Kitchen preparing food (or serving it in the dining hall) for their homeless clientele, as a sous-chef. On behalf of everyone who benefits from your love of cooking, thank you, Deborah!
I would be remiss were I not to acknowledge the role of Esther (Deborah's mother) in instilling the "joy of cooking" in her. Esther is an excellent cook and baker herself, and clearly enjoys making great food for others. The tradition lives on, and I am grateful.
...She just keeps doing it. This is from January 30, 2021:
