To say "Jo is a great cook" is a vast understatement. She's brilliant in the kitchen! With the likes of carbonara, spaghetti bolognaise, Indian curry, chicken parmagiana, beef stew, and so forth, I've never had anything of Jo's that I didn't like (even if I don't normally care for it). A few weeks ago she made tacos and the taco meat was divine, even though I rarely eat Mexican food. When Ning and Melissa were here, Jo's chicken parmagiana was an award-winner.
I haven't really written anything in awhile, but I'm living in a much better place than previously! Jo and I didn't like living with Craig, as he rarely spoke to me unless it was "when are you leaving?" Jo, the four dogs, and I moved in with Andy and his son Tommy. Tommy has mild autism and is a computer game guru, though not nearly as outgoing or charismatic as myself. We really love it here, and Andy has said my room is always mine!
Before setting off on a geocaching excursion today, I asked "if I pick up a leg of lamb, will you make a roast lamb dinner tonight?" It's my favourite of Jo's culinary masterpieces: roast lamb with a side of roast potatoes, pumpkin, and carrots topped with red-wine-infused gravy. I consider myself a good cook but with Jo I can always buy the ingredients and she'll cook away, and the end result will always be a masterpiece! "Aunty Jo" came about because Andy wrote "welcome to Aunty Jo's Kitchen" on the outdoor fridge when they invited some guests over for dinner (which turned out, on that particular night, to be an unmitigated disaster). Roast lamb tonight was a sensory overload with vegetables, gravy, and mint sauce.
My tastebuds went into convulsions during dessert where she made poires belle hélène (pears with chocolate sauce). Pears are stewed in water infused with cinnamon, nutmeg, and brown sugar.
After the pears are stewed, Jo made chocolate sauce with fresh cream and dark chocolate. Jo is a chocolate connoisseur with her mantra "there is no such thing as too much chocolate." I can't remember the last time I ate this well; a glass of sauvignon blanc on the side left me feeling like I was dining on the top floor of a five-star hotel.
As far as food goes, Jo looks after me very well. Her rule is "nobody leaves the table hungry," and I sure never do! Many nights after busking there is a plate of food waiting for me, and I've yet to complain. What's better than roast lamb with gravy and pears with chocolate sauce?
