We have only been together a month, but already I have learned several new things from being with Joe. Some of these things I had an inkling of, but never really applied. Others I was clueless about. And while most of the things I’ve learned have nothing to do with him directly, having him around has made me more willing to go beyond my realm of experience.
1. Making mashed potatoes from scratch is really easy. We rarely had mashed potatoes when I was a kid, and I’m still not sure why. Momcat* would pressure-cook potatoes quite often, and I would mash them on my plate and add margarine & salt. Maybe she didn’t want the added fat & calories from the butter and milk? Or the extra work? I don’t know. In any event I had this idea that it was difficult to make mashed potatoes. T-Wizzle cured me of that notion, and The Joy of Cooking and my Betty Crocker cookbook also backed her up. I made some 2 nights ago and boy, were they good. My gravy skills, on the other hand, need major work.
2. Using a broiler is messy but it sure does make some damn good burgers. I don’t have a grill – I am of the mindset that if it’s being cooked outside and involves an open flame, a man should be doing it – so making burgers has usually involved a fry pan. My oven has a broiler, though, but I’d never used one so I was confused and slightly scared at the idea of using it. Again, T-Wizzle and The Joy of Cooking gave me the moral support I needed. Joe helped clean the dust away from the broiler area, I put the patties on the broiler pan and slid it into place, and in about 30 minutes we had some awesome burgers.
3. Regular coffee tastes good and puts me into overdrive. It’s only been in the last year and a half that I have expanded my beverage choices to include lattes and mochas. I still couldn’t get myself to drink regular coffee, though. Joe is a coffee drinker and he was blowing a lot of money on buying it every day. Since he’s here all the time, he brought over his coffeemaker. This morning I decided to try some of the Bean Java coffee we bought at the 99 Cents store – couldn’t be any worse than a latte, especially considering that those use espresso which is hella-strong. I tried it black – hmm, not so bad. Added some milk and sugar – very tasty. Two cups later and I am on full alert. Already I’ve completed 4 things on my to-do list for the day. And I’m blogging again! That’s twice in 2 days! See, everyone benefits when Moxie has coffee!
4. Wrestling is just as dorky and melodramatic as I suspected. I had never really watched wrestling before, but Joe loves it. He’s a boy and boys tend to enjoy watching other boys get beat up or hit in the nuts. Because of his love for the WWE and all the other wrestling groups, I know more about wrestlers now than I ever wanted to know. The build-up, where the wrestlers set the stage for the fight, is the worst acting I have ever seen. And the costumes and gimmicks – lord help me. Let’s just call wrestling what it really is: musical theater for straight men, minus the overwrought showtunes.
5. Texas Hold ‘Em is not as complicated as I thought. Pops is a big fan of Hold ‘Em, and while he’d taught me some of the basics, I was still a bit confused. Joe is also a fan of Hold ‘Em, and he will flip the channel to tournaments on TV every once in a while. Watching those, plus playing a few hands with Joe, has helped me understand the game better. Except when Joe tries to make up new rules, such as “any card in Moxie’s hand also counts toward my hand”. Nice try, smart-ass.
6. Chocodiles do actually exist. Joe and I were talking about favorite snacks and he started babbling about Chocodiles. I was convinced he was making it up, as he does have a tendency to tell tall tales. (Last night he tried to convince me that he had an identical twin brother named Moe. Sorry, man, the tattoos are a dead giveaway.) I googled “chocodile” and sure enough, he was telling the truth. I plan on ordering some to surprise him – he can share them with his twin.
*Momcat = Moxie’s mom