Chapter One

I realized that having a Chef in the family or as a friend is like having a comic for a relative, you always want them to perform.   I love to cook and the kitchen it seems is the only place where I'm truly at peace. There I am the conductor of my own orchestra and the music is sweetness to my ears. But what is a great symphony without an audience?  I'm sure Beethoven as much as he enjoyed creating his masterpiece needed to see the effect his work had on people.  I’m no different.

 To me cooking is better then long walks on the beach, horseback riding in the mountains or making love to that special person.  Correction, who am I fooling?! I must have paprika on the brain for two of those three I could do without and the other is essential to ones survival, just like food.

As a young lady of mixed heritage, my father is swedish and my mother Thai,  the cooking I grew up with didn't always have a consistant "flow" that one gets from a singular culture.  

Swedish cuisine mainly follows the old meat and potatoes routine. Sweden is known for its long winters and harsh weather, and until the age of importing fresh goods arrived, many had to rely on the foods at hand. Therefore, much of the traditional cuisine served is rather basic, yet steeped in tradition. Root vegetables, meats, wild game, and fish play a large role in the diets of the Swedes.  One the other hand,  like other Southeast Asian countries, Thai cuisine prides itself on ingredients that hit the tastebuds in full force. A mixture of sour, spicy, salty, and sweet flavors are blended together to create fragrant dishes many enjoy.

So obviously growing up in our household I was often confused for it    

has been said that  "a way to a man's heart is through his stomach."

That was until I was traveling around the world modeling and I heard a

wise old woman say one day that “unhealthy eating will lead to an

unhealthy love life.”  That got me to thinking and I have to say a lot of

what she points out makes sense. 

 I once dated this guy whose name and the country I met him in I will not delvudge, but whom I will refer to as “fast food Freddy.”  Everything about him including his eating habits had that drive-thru feel to it.  I could never get him to savor the moment, if you get my drift.  I would light scented candles all around the house and sliced Brie for him to nibble on.  He would wonder aloud if I forgot to pay the light bill and stated that he grew up on cheese whiz and preferred that to my selection.

 The last date we had and that’s with a major emphasis on LAST, I prepared for him the same meal that my mother made for my father when she got him to propose.  It was kind of chilly outside so I started a fire in the fireplace to go along with the candles.  Though my mother was Thai she made the best Swedish meatballs in the universe and it was that recipe I decided to share with this idiot.  Tossed in some boiled potatoes and lingonberry preserves and I felt it was a fantastic meal for a woman who spends most of her time on the catwalk and not in the kitchen.  I thought if it worked for my mother it would work for me. Finally  I added a $3,000 Bottle of Romanee Conti, which had been given to me by a rabid fan at one of my recent fashion shows. Although he did seem like a stalker, his taste in red wine could not be denied.

I know what some of you might be thinking now.  "How could i drink the man's exspensive bottle of wine with someone else and not him?"  Well my Grandmother used to say, "just because a person is crazy doesn't mean you have to be."  Besides i was going to include him in my toast!

i decided to slip into something clingy yet elegant and sexy and put on some soft Kenny G, type music,  thinking that the combination of the three would make this “Conan the Barbarian”, into a Knight of shining armor.  

 It quickly became apparent to me that he would forever be a “Court Jester” when he took two slices of wonder bread and some ketchup from my refrigerator and began to make his own version of a Big Mac!

Though I was disappointed I didn’t lose hope. Many months have past since that interesting yet enlightening evening. I knew there was a person out there somewhere that understood the essence of “Love & the Cookbook.”  Ironically I was driving down the street the other day when I stopped at the light and pulling up next to me was none other then “fast food Freddy.”   Holding a greasy hotdog in his hand as the grilled onions dripped down his arms, I could do nothing but smile and drive away, all the while humming the lyrics from Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs. Someday my Prince will come; someday we’ll be as one………….

(Recipe for this Chapters meal)

Swedish Meatballs

1/2 cup fine dry bread crumbs

1/2 cup light cream

1/2 cup water

7 oz. ground beef

7 oz. ground lean pork

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground allspice

2 tbl grated yellow onion (and/or 2 crushed garlic cloves)

1 egg, beaten

3 tbl margarine or butter

Mix the bread crumbs, cream and water. Set aside for 5 minutes. Mix the beef, pork, salt, allspice and onion. Gradually add the bread crumbs, then the egg. Blend well.. Shape into balls. Make large meatballs to be served for dinner or small meatballs for the smörgåsbord. Heat part of the margarine or butter in a skillet. Add 10 to 15 meatballs. Fry over moderate heat until the meatballs are browned and cooked through. Transfer to a serving dish and keep hot while frying the remaining meatballs. Serve with boiled potatoes, lingonberry preserve and a tossed salad.

TOTAL TIME 35-40 MINUTES

RED WINE - ROMANEE CONTI

The price of a Romanée Conti bottle is quite expensive! Romanée Conti is one of the best red wine in the world.

The winery is located in Cote de Nuits in Burgundy, meaning that winemakers use Pinot Noir grapes. It is probably one of the most traditional wineries in France. Wines are produced in small quantities while the demand is huge.

This is why a bottle of Romanée Conti can cost $3,000 and even more. A bottle of the 1978 vintage was sold $24,000 in an auction.