Breakfast (or Why I Married SSB)
Once upon a time, a tall brunette met a taller blond bloke after a game of rugby. And sparks flew. And they lived happily ever after.
…
OK. This is not quite the whole story. There was a fair bit of stuff between “and the sparks flew” and we are still working on the “happily ever after” bit. Among this mountain of stuff, among the gazillion things that made me sit up and take notice of a this particular boy, was food. Because while SSB (for the uninitiated, this can stand for Seriously Sexy Bloke, Stern Silent Bloke, Strong Silent Bloke, etc etc – silent is a regular descriptive though!) … while SSB looks very manly and alpha-male (and he is) he is also a total Foodie. It was a revelation to me – I learned to embrace my palate and let go my heart after hooking up with him – our courtship consisted of dining experiences. Fare of all nationalities, imbibed in various locations throughout whatever city/town we were in. Greek breakfasts, cheap but wonderful Italian pastas, Spanish tapas before the movies… and home cooking like I had never seen before.
To understand, I need to talk for a moment about SSB’s ma – an amazing lady. I only met her once, and miss her presence in our lives constantly (she passed away before I became a serious fixture in her son’s life). SSB was her fourth and last child. And their bond was amazing. And she could cook, baby. Her repertoire was immense and exotic – she cooked fabulous cakes and scones like any good Aussie woman, but also Asian and Indian curries from scratch (in the 70s, for heaven’s sake). Her kitchen was the hub of her family life, and all her offspring were keen to return to this hearth regularly, years after they had flown the coop.
…
She taught all her children to cook also – three sons and a daughter. They possess the kind of natural confidence in a kitchen that I can never muster. An instinct for flavour, if you like. Sadly, our current lifestyle (read: SSB in the paddock for all daylight hours, me at home with kids) means I am the chief cook and bottle washer. It’s never been a role that sits easy with me. I try. I love the feeding of people. It’s just the flair I don’t really possess. But I do try. And sometimes I succeed. 
But I do love it when my hubby gets the time and energy and inspiration to get behind the stove and take over for a while. (There is something about the work-roughened hands delicately working food that does it for me!).
But I do love it when my hubby gets the time and energy and inspiration to get behind the stove and take over for a while. (There is something about the work-roughened hands delicately working food that does it for me!).Like one breakfast we had this week.
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It was cold and frosty outside (again). And just seven degrees (C) in our kitchen (fan heaters blasting to try and lift the mercury a smidge). So SSB whipped up an old courtship favourite.
Potato cakes
Simply grate peeled potatoes into a bowl.
Add an egg or two to bind and stir through mixture.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Have about 1 cm of vegetable oil bubbling gently in pan.
Add spoons of potato mixture to oil.
Brown well both sides.
Drain on absorbent paper. (Keep warm in low over while you finish the whole batch.)
Serve these simple, delicious, warming delights with salt and sauce of choice (mine is Spicy Red!)
Devour!!
…
And that is why I married SSB. Potato cakes.
The End.
10 Comments
debby
Well, I betcha it was ONE reason, but not the only reason.
Tim was on his own for eight years before he met me. I believe that he lived on hotdogs and frozen pizza for those years. I am not a fancy cook at all, but everything I make, to him, is gourmet. The first day I made tuna melts, I thought he was going to die of delight. It was really quite sad.
Leslie
Yum – looking good!
Leslie down in cold Canberra
lol, I’m comment #6 on the Tree post – the Albert Namitjira comment 🙂
I never miss a post. I have the new blogger “Updates” now, it’s brilliant, you are on it. I used to sit on a weekend and do all my catching up, and I’m sure I missed some. Now, I see them all straight away and can go in and look.
It’s on my sidebar, on the right, down under recent comments.
I love the weekly PhotoHunt. I missed one recently cause I was TOO VAIN – it was “bad hair day”. Um, I’ll be right.
Looking forward to my little one coming home. My little world traveler! Some time tomorrow.
Bush Babe (of Granite Glen)
Hello Leslie… I’ll get my head on straight soon! Gotcha! Ghost Gum girl!!! I do have Bloglines but am a bit slack about checking even that… my time to trawl other people’s sites seems to be fast vanishing *sigh*. I do love having you guys visit me occasionally though…
Deb… the trouble with SSB is he is hard to impress. He appreciates my efforts, but I have SILs who are genius in the kitchen… cows. (lovely cows!).
🙂
BB
Jayne
LOL So you married SSB solely for his heavenly spud cakes? LOL
Great post 🙂
Jenni
I love me some potato cakes, but, mmm, those hands! I love a man with rough, strong, working man hands. I often tell dh that’s one of the things I love about him:o)
Jenny
Can’t argue with that. Look at those hands and forearms. My, my, my. . .
Now what was it you were eating again?
🙂
rhubarbwhine
Oh, I do so love tater cakes. I have not made those for ages! I think, I just might…. yes.
Bush Babe (of Granite Glen)
Shirley – how did your tater cakes go?? All crispy and soft in the middle and hot and delish?? mmmmmm…
Jenni and Jenny – women of immaculate taste!
Jayne – you know it sister!!!
🙂
BB
jeanie
I don’t think I have ever had those – but I do know he does a nice line in corned beef fritters!