Please welcome Passionate Cook Maree Anderson to the Cafe.
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It was hard getting back into the dating game after my divorce. I’d never been one for hanging out at pubs, and nightclubs were for Ceroc dancing with my friends from dance class rather than checking out the local talent. I figured the best chance I had to meet a nice guy outside of work was through my dance classes. And strangely enough, once I put that thought out there, the universe decided to oblige me.
I was teaching a beginners level Ceroc dance class of around seventy-odd people when I first spotted him—hardly the best moment to be noticing a guy and getting all distracted. But he caught my eye because he was wearing his Air Force uniform, and he was cute. Even better, he had rhythm and he really could dance! I hoped like mad he’d enjoy the class enough that he’d keep coming along.
He did. And to my dismay, I wasn’t the only woman who appreciated it a lot when he rushed straight from the Air Force base and turned up in his uniform. But unfortunately, because I was always busy teaching the class, or helping students out with a move afterward, I didn’t get a chance to do much more than smile at him. And dream a little—as you do when you’re single and lonely and wondering what went so very wrong with your first marriage.
Then, to my delight, he started turning up at the main dance studio for the same intermediate level class I happened to be doing. Which meant I got to partner with him every now and then… and daydream some more, because he was a real sweetheart. I was getting this vibe that maybe he liked me more than just as an occasional dance partner, but I was so insecure, so unsure of myself, I didn’t know whether I was misreading the signs. Finally, I plucked up the courage to ask him out for a drink after class… along with half the class, too, just to be on the safe side. I laugh about it now, but it seemed like a good idea at the time.
Luckily for me, he took the next step and asked me out for dinner. At his place. Just him and me, with no one else to act as a buffer. Could be great. Could be a disaster. I had no idea what to expect but as he was a young guy, I figured I could count on dinner being something easy and uncomplicated—maybe even takeout.
I was sooo wrong on that count. Dinner was a beautifully home-cooked Beef Stroganoff, accompanied by a really fabulous bottle of wine. No one had ever cooked a special meal just for me before. To say I was impressed was an understatement. And there was dessert, too, his secret recipe hot chocolate sauce over vanilla ice-cream. That dessert was OMG delicious—the best thing I’d tasted in my life. And this guy was the real deal. A man in uniform who could dance like a dream, romance a girl to within an inch of her life, and cook. He stole my heart that night.
We were married two years later on the 4th of July—we always joke about it being his “loss of independence day.” And this year we celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary.
That secret recipe for hot chocolate sauce? Still a favorite of ours, but these days we have to split it with the kids. I’m delighted to share Rob’s Decadent Hot Chocolate Sauce with you in Passionate Cooks. It’s got three ingredients (including the ice cream!) and takes literally five minutes from start to finish—the perfect quick and delicious treat to share with that special someone you’ve got waiting for you in another room Image may be NSFW.
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Hope you enjoy it!
Maree Anderson
Website http://www.mareeanderson.com
