"There are so many things to love about a person other than how they cut a carrot."

This year has clearly flown by, as today—the release date for the Newlywed Kitchen—completely snuck up on me. Today, May 1, you can find our cookbook on various online sites as well as in bookstores everywhere!

I'm so pleased with how pretty it is; Sasquatch did a beautiful job of compiling all of Lorna's recipes and the charming food/love stories of so many inspirational couples. I hope everyone who reads it finds the idea of cooking with their partner—something antithetical to far too many home chefs—as joyful and rewarding as Lorna and I do. We have learned that cooking with another person is one of the most giving and loving things you can do for each other. It's also a wonderful way
to unwind at the end of the day, share stories and savor true quality time together, whether one of you is doing the "hard" labor and the other one is simply mixing the martinis or serving as clean-up crew.

If you've never cooked with another person or, like many of us, have had negative experiences doing so before, consider opening yourself up the experience. I've been continuously cooking with my partner—something both of us tried in past relationships with mixed results—since our fourth date nearly four years ago. Now that we both work from home we often cook three meals a day together! (And may I say, our cooking has gotten good!) It's become such a sweet time for us, to actually create something from scratch and then sit down and enjoy it. It's become so that you nearly have to drag us from the house to get us to eat at a restaurant!

The key, I think, to making cooking together a joyful experience rather than a frustrating one is to let go of any and all expectations. Don't judge your partner's prep skills, sauteing techniques or methods of cleaning. If you planned on grilling salmon and he's in the mood for vegetarian burgers, go with the flow and just be appreciative of the time spent together. (There's always going to be another night, another meal, so why ruin the one you are having in the present moment?) As Duskie Estes, one of the contributors to the book put it, "There are so many things to love about a person other than how they cut a carrot." That phrase has come to mean so many things for me in the time since I heard her speak those words. Time and food are a gift. When the two are linked, be sure to appreciate them. Savor the time and the meal shared. After all, a carrot—diced poorly or perfectly—won't ever laugh at your stories, share its leftover dessert, or hold you in its arms later that night.