It's National Guacamole Day!

Having grown up in an extremely avocado-centric household, this comes as BIG NEWS to me! I sort of thought maybe Super Bowl Sunday was the unofficial guacamole day, but I'm happy to learn that we seem to have two official set aside: Today, September 16 and November 14. Well, you know, according to this totally random website, which might now qualify as one of my favorite informational websites ever (I mean come on, people! Isn't your life enhanced knowing that Kitchen Klutzes of America Day is June 13 or that March 30 is Turkey Neck Soup Day? I'm sure I'll never miss another National Creme Brulee Day, July 27).

Turns out my birthday to be National Blueberry Pie day, while The Husband pulls National Prime Rib day. Very fitting, considering our vegetarian/carnivorous union.

It is a challenging food pairing, this veggie and meat-eater marriage. The Husband doesn't particularly enjoy cooking, which works out great for me since I'm a bit of a kitchen hog. I have no issues with his desire to have meat in his meal plan, but what does pose a problem is that I -- the meal cooker -- won't touch raw meat with my bare hands...or my knives. Moreover, I don't have the slightest idea how to safely prepare any form of animal for food. But, we do have a temporary compromise. I experiment and have fun with vegetarian dinner recipes, and, in the last 10 minutes of food prep, will toss some frozen Trader Joe's chicken into the oven or heat up a fancy sausage or restaurant leftovers to add to his plate.

This method has been serving us well in the convenience factor for a long time; however, I am no longer satisfied.

My desire for The Husband to have ALL of the ingredients on his plate be as fresh and local as possible is beginning to overwhelm my raw-meat-touching-phobia. A lot of this, I've concluded, has to do with his exceedingly attractive willingness to eat whatever it is that I set down in front of him. He wants to encourage my kitchen creativity, and he's honest about when something tastes great (Leftover Veggie Stir Fry Eric e-Stratta) or if it's not edible (Unintentionally Turkey-Flavored Butternut Squash Soup). He really does love me.

And I want to return the love.

Sometime.

Eventually.

One of these Saturdays, I will bravely approach that stand at the Farmer's Market and purchase a whole, ready-to-cook, locally grown, hormone-free chicken. Then, I will bare my non-latex exam gloves and rub said chicken in butter and herbs and figure out how to cook it. After that, I'll feign confidence and tear cooked meat from bones and freeze it, making my own version of Trader Joe's chicken to later be re-heated and added to The Husband's meal. Finally, I will gently place those bones into my soup pot, add some chunky root vegetables and make soup stock, also to be frozen.

Yes, that is what I shall do.

In the meantime, I'll go home later today and make something familiar and meat free. While I'm cutting/chopping/smashing, I'll be grateful that The Husband loves avocados. I'll recall, with a grin, how I once warned him that any man of mine would have to love himself some avocados; it was my absolute relationship deal breaker about which I wasn't really kidding.

And tonight -- together -- we will celebrate National Guacamole Day.