Valentine’s Day Special: Portrait of Bluebird

Happy Valentine’s Day, darlings!

I’m not really a big Valentine’s Day person. Gifts come and go. But memories linger. This might sound a little cheesy, but I do thrive on love, affection, thoughtfulness, caringness, and humor. Just knowing that I Love and I’m LOVED sweetens my day. Like sunshine. Like this pretty homemade moist Malaysian layered cake.
I put an American spin to it and call it red velvet-strawberry Malaysian “lapis” (layered) cake with dried fruit.

But when it comes to my two lovely daughters and “Bubbles,” granddaughter, this girl gang can never get enough of chocolate. Here’s CHOCOLATE!
This is velvety vanilla bean-dark chocolate with a touch of red velvet “lapis” (layered) cake with dried fruit. Using fresh pandan juice, the pastel green layer is just to make the colors pop.

I’m not a writer. My baby-blue-eyed Mr. Chi-Town is. But here’s  what I’d call The Portrait of Bluebird. This portrait will feature a few wonderful things about him since I met him more than 15 years ago.

When it comes to food, Mr. Chi-Town was born a carnivore. It could be ribs…
…Weber-ed with a rub (you may refer to my Rib 66 recipe) or all sauced-up like this with jalapeno, mango & tamarind sauce.

Believe it or not, he’s a great cook! He makes this scrumptious Greek-style lamb chops that’s to die for. In fact, he’s able to use these…
and turn them into these!
See what I mean? I’m a veh-ry lucky girl.   🙂

Mr. Chi-Town digs chicken wings.
Mild, spicy, plain, or panko-ed, he’s very accepting of ’em all.

Mr. Chi-Town is brave when it comes to trying different cuisines. One minute, he can go Chinese and wallop these sweet-n-greasy char siew.
The next minute, he can go cruise control for Italian and inhale a crusty torpedo with a mound of paper-thin hot capicola — the kind with potent cayenne powder nicely smeared all over it. Does he eat anything else other than meat? Of course!

He’s got curry running in his veins, too. Take for example this homemade succulent prawns and egg curry with turmeric, tamarind, and tomatoes. Interestingly, he likes spicy curries with lots of, believe it or not, fresh curry leaves. Old school Indian mamas out there will be impressed!

What about fruit and veggies?
Oh yes, he does. I make sure he does! Once upon a time in his bachelor’s mess kitchen, you’d only find a couple of tomatoes in the veg drawer of the fridge. If you’re lucky, there’d be ‘shrooms. Today, the fridge overflows with rainbow chard, kale, beets, eggplant, Asian long beans, okra, you name it.

Most of all, the Love of my life loves Nature. He grew up camping, sawing, chopping kindling, and cooking bacon, eggs, and toast over a campfire in his family cabin in Mackinaw, Michigan. He’s instilled the love for nature in me and our family.

Lastly, Mr. Chi-Town loves wolves. His best buddy is also a wolf. Meet his handsome GSD, Wulf

I’d like to share with you a poem. Mr. Chi-Town weaved this piece called Portrait of Sunbird when we first met more than 15 years ago. It was documented in a cute little book called Reassembling Dust.Milady
lives in Malaysia
so her night is my day,
and my daydreams
follow moonlight
through a window
to where black silk
spills upon a pillow.

In photos, she’s a
lean landscape
of brown earth-tones
posed in a yellow sundress.
By phone, her voice
in an English accent
arrives musically cool,
carries a hint of the East
like saffron and clove.

She has sent me
personal recipes
and curry leaves,
a pressed leaf from a bo tree.
Via cyberspace and satellite
our drifting minds
cross-pollinate.

I desire her,
from the cellular to the cerebral,
wish to kiss her
until candles
burn down
and drown themselves.
Her body, I look to
as a faraway temple
I will enter someday
in reverance.

To Mr. Chi-Town, glad our paths crossed.  If you’re still contemplating a little something for Tee, how about this?  😉I know…That’s my initial right there.

To all you darlings out there, if Valentine’s Day is not your thing, or if red velvet-strawberry cake or vanilla bean-dark chocolate cake is not your cup of tea, how about something citrusy? As it Cooks suggests a nice big slice of moist & fluffy triple citrus & blueberry pound cake. 

Much love & Happy Valentine’s Day from the Great Plains,

Tee