Is This A Sign?

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

When I was a kid, and I didn’t get my way, my mom would always fix me a scalding hot bowl of Shepherd’s Pie. Other countries call it Farmer’s Pie. It’s basically a ridiculously thick layer of ground beef under a ridiculously thick layer of mashed potatoes.

Now while my wife and I were just dating, she was able to sample some of mom’s Shepherd’s Pie on one of those many nights that mom would insist I bring her over for dinner. Instantly, she was hooked.

Fast forward to married life. I figured that my kids should also have a taste of the same comfort food I was treated to. So I had mom email us her recipe. My wife was more stoked than I was. I guess it’s a girl thing. New recipe = New ammo for friends and family for when they come over.

So when we got the recipe, my wife rushed me out of bed, out of the shower, and into my clothes, and out the door to accompany her to the grocery store. She was THAT psyched. Also, she was THAT antsy cause it was Sunday. So basically, EVERYBODY’S out shopping. After a long queue at the cash register, we got our ingredients, and went home.

We got started, followed everything to the letter, only changing things here and there in terms of volume. Oh, and my wife said “You can’t enjoy mashed-po without gravy.” So she whipped up a generous batch as well. Boy did that do the trick!

Our first try at it was a success! Remember that scene in Ratatouille when the douchey food critic guy tried the rat’s ratatouille, and was somehow magically transported back to when he was a kid? I swear that stuff really happens! Immediately, I recall my mom saying “Sorry about your dad breaking his promise about your Super-NES. Here eat this.” I nearly cried too! Apparently my mother in-law loved it, and so did my wife’s older and younger brother.

Wifey’s older brother loved it so much, that a week later, he begged me and my wife to accompany him to his house and teach him how to make it for his girl. He practically kidnapped us! Honestly, his batch turned out to be better than ours! I’m really happy for him too. He now calls it his “Secret Pie”, and refuses to share the details with his girl. I guess it’s some sorta “breakup failsafe” or something. Either way, I’m stoked.

Next day even stranger news. My mother in law brought some of my wife’s Chicken and Potatoes in Creamy Cheese Sauce to work with her, and basically her officemates FOUGHT her for it. She comes home telling my wife that her creation is a hit in the office. I told my mom about it and she said “Remember that time when you told me to go into business selling Shepherd’s Pies, and I didn’t act on it cause I thought it was too common? Well now I’m hurling that advice right back at you, son. Start up a resto or something. Sell while there’s a market for it. If there ain’t none, make one.”