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Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Shoulder-to-Shoulder: Why Cooking Together is Good For Your Marriage.


To me, it doesn't matter how large or small a kitchen is, it’s a One-Butt Kitchen, and there’s only room for one butt:  MINE.  And though I've not been good at sharing my kitchen space in the past, I’m turning over a new leaf. The kitchen is a powerful place! The tastes, sights, sounds, and scents that erupt from this place we call the Heart of the Home definitely impact the senses. What better way to draw your husband in?




Here are 3 good reasons to get cookin’:

1.   Interactive cooking is fun and romantic
Improving your skills and learning together in the kitchen can make for one delicious and engaging evening. I can think of no greater aphrodisiac than seeing my husband helping me create dinner.  Adding a glass of wine, good music, and maybe a waltz around the kitchen brings even more relaxation with each other.  There’s only one rule: serious conversations are kept for another day – this is our special time together and the focus is US.

2.   A key ingredient:  pre-planned alone time
How often do you and your husband enjoy a regularly planned date night?  Yep, spontaneity is great, but if we don’t make date night a scheduled priority, it simply won’t happen.  Call a sitter or Grandma, or plan to cook once the kiddos are tucked into bed.  Creating an experience that allows you alone time together without distractions and interruptions lets you really connect, and it feels good to make each other a priority above all else.  

3.   Cooking together promotes teamwork
And what guy doesn't like being part of a team? Think about it; guys rarely do leisurely things together that are considered face-to-face. Team sports, hunting, watching TV – these are all activities guys enjoy and they do them shoulder-to-shoulder, with little conversation.

In his best-selling book, Love and Respect, Dr. Emerson Eggerichs says this “Men communicate by sharing experiences.  Women share experiences by talking about them to each other, examining them and infusing the experiences with their impressions and emotions.  Men are different.  They share their experiences by sharing an activity.  This is what your husband wants to do with you.”  Keep this in mind when you first invite your husband into the kitchen to cook with you; simply enjoy being by his side as you work together towards a gratifying common goal:  DINNER.

Here’s to some SIZZLE in your sauté pan!
Now You’re Cookin’,
Chef Alli 

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