Almond Butter and Blackberry Focaccia Panini

I don’t often mention information what I deem “too personal” on this site.  There are areas of my life that are best left unknown to the public at large. For example, I may share with you the general area of where I live, but I might not share the name of a restaurant I might frequent.  It is not that I think I am  so great that I warrant and worry about stalking. Quite simply, I try to toggle a very fine line of sharing aspects of my life that enhance my reasons for sharing food and recipes, while trying to keep a modicum of decency and privacy.

I don’t believe that just because I have chosen to write a blog gives every person on the World Wide Web access to my life as if it were an open book. There are people (bloggers, twitterers, face bookers) who are very comfortable letting the world know everything about them.    They wear their ideological tendencies on their sleeves and are happy to share with the world every morsel of their life.  I am not that person.

This is especially true when sharing anything about my BF.  We made a decision a while ago that, while there were some things that would be acceptable to share, there are other things that we consider off limits.  It is funny, while we both have a strong web & twitter presence, we just are more comfortable keeping some things separate.

So, you may ask why I am even bringing this up?

 

Because I am about to (still ambiguously, though) share the most I probably ever will…

A while ago, the BF decided to do a small remodel to his home. Nothing fancy, at all, just a little freshening up with new paint and some other simple things. We were given an estimate of three weeks, so we decided the easiest thing would be for him and the sweet BBD to stay with me.

Three weeks turned into six weeks and that turned into 3 months.

It ends this week.  Our little experiment in co-habitation.  It is very bittersweet.

I have enjoyed every moment of our time in my little apartment together.  As you can imagine, a lot of the joy has been about food… waking up a little earlier than him to make us coffee and a smoothie (of course), for breakfast. Figuring out what to make each night for dinner. Pampering us with Sunday breakfast in bed or taking everything up to the roof garden and sitting in the cool mornings, each of us with hot drink in one hand, computer in the other.

I wonder if other people out there agree, but for me, when I provide food for someone it is the highest gift I can give you. And, the best gift I can get, by the way.  We all need food to live, there is no way around that.  When I make a meal, I try not to put it haphazardly together.  I like to think about the ingredients, who will be eating it, what kind of setting will we be in.  I think about the fact that I am contributing to your life, because I am, maybe in a very small way, but nonetheless, giving you nourishment so you can keep living.  And to me, there is no better way for me to let you know that I care about you.

Eating most of our meals together is not the only thing that has been different these few months. We have become addicted to Top Gear from the UK. I now know more about cars than I ever could have imagined. We enjoy renting movies, now, and staying in, rather than having a date night to the movies; the dog by his side, the cat by mine. We go on walks in the evening… usually to get something sweet to eat.  If we are going out somewhere, we communicate more about what each of us will wear.

Truth be told, we each like our individual place.  This week, we will move him back into his home and we will be content in our spaces, doing the things we do, and spending our time together between two homes.  This is what makes us work, what makes us happy, what makes us productive.

But I would be lying if I said I won’t miss him and the beautiful black dog.

 

 

Some might have seen my Instagrams while making this focaccia.  It comes from Nigel Slater’s Ripe, page 127.  It is amazing on its own.  However, like any crazy food blogger might do, I woke up in the middle of the night with the amazing idea to make it even more decadent and sweet.  This is a yummy panini pressed version of a PB&J.  Slicing through the middle, I slathered the focaccia with almond butter, flipping the top layer over to the middle of the sandwich, making the blackberries become the jam.  Dousing with a good layer of powdered sugar and you have a breakfast treat that will please ANYONE!!

Almond Butter & Blackberry Focaccia Panini