Ever realize a moment too late that you’re in shark infested water?

I’ll explain.

My dad is a chef- we grew up with Brie & Feta in the fridge- not cheese singles or mild cheddar (gag). We didn’t use ketchup on our food- in fact if I’m going to be completely honest- I still cringe a little when my kids squirt it all over something before they taste it. Thanks Dad. He taught me how to cook- how to bake- & how to eat. Admittedly- my sisters and I are a bunch of food snobs. Our parents had a bakery when we were little- He made the best birthday cakes ever- anything we wanted. He let us play in the kitchen while he worked and all of us can bake the pants off any man…

He was also quite a playboy. He left as many broken hearts in his wake as he did dirty dishes- & it was always a mixed blessing when Dad made dinner because the clean-up was intense. I realized as a teenager that he loved us all very much, but he lived to cook- and he was miserable without it. He wanted to be in the kitchen Christmas morning, even though he’d spent a fortune buying us all the things we wanted desperately. It’s his passion. He made every one of my favorite flavors for my wedding cake…  Sponge cake, Apple Spice, Carrot, Chocolate, Red Velvet, Lemon w/ Raspberries &  Huckleberry pound cake…. with Grand Marnier buttercream. He spoils the hell out of us every now and again. He can out-shop any man I’ve ever met- and introduced all of us to the magic of Victoria’s Secret gift cards- he’s truly one in a million. He’s the best dad in the world, when you’re standing in front of him. When you aren’t… life takes over and he gets back  to work. He’s had probably a dozen restaurants? ♥ him.

Which brings me back to the shark infested water I find myself swimming in.

Casual conversation with the man I adore…

J-What’s in that anyway?

He smiles at me & lists the ingredients… and he knows what he’s talking about…

More than me, even. <gasp> Stunned me straight silent… I was afraid of what I’d say if I opened my mouth. lol.

He knows more about food than I do… and it excites me more than I would like to admit. Go ahead and start waving your *Daddy Issues* flags, I’m waving my own right along with you.

I have to confess it’s a hell of a challenge because I can really cook- and admit fully to charming a man with my kitchen skills in the past…Hell I have a tart I made for a ex-boyfriend that makes me a fortune at the market every summer. I’ve always had this one in the bag before…