A name is a name

So, what's the deal with grilled cheese and martinis?

They are only 2 of my most favorite things, although not in combination. As a child I loved a grilled cheese sandwich. It was a staple weekend lunch item or even a midweek dinner item in the 2 working parent home I grew up with my younger sister. It was common to make a grilled cheese with either mustard, peanut butter or tuna fish in my family. Apparently, my grandfather, mom's dad, introduced these combinations to his 8 children and the tradition carries on as I now serve my 18 month old son grilled cheese and mustard for dinner once per week. You may think these additions sound obnoxious, but anyone who has tried one at my request has been won over. I recently learned, after my grandfather passed away, that you could also make the sandwich with marmalade. I tried one, but found that the marmalade allowed the sandwich to "slip" too much in my hand and that the sweetness wasn't to my liking.

As for the martini, it is one of the pleasures of adulthood that I most enjoy. It was the drink I missed the most when I was pregnant and the first drink I stashed breastmilk away for so that I could imbibe. My husband and I typically enjoy martinis on Friday nights. They are a nice capper to the week and tey let us relax and catch up. Some people say they like martinis, but what they really like are the fru-fru "martinis" at chain restaurant bars that are just a few steps up from frozen daiquiris. When I say martini, I mean Hendricks's/Bombay Sapphire/Ketel One up with a twist (or cucumber if it is Hendrick's). I guess I am particular about my martinis.

I am reminiscing about my childhood and adult favorites because as a mom of an 18 month old I am engaged in an endless search to have an adult-life. I love all of the mom stuff, but I also need the adult stuff - where is the balance? Date nights with my husband, J, are planned months in advance so that we can orchestrate getting a sitter and a reservation and/or tickets to something that adults do. Daytime outings are carefully planned around naps and tot meals. How I totally underappreciated those weeknights when J and I would just meet out for dinner and come home as late as we wanted, never worrying about getting a sitter home or paying a sitter for an extra hour while we indulged in a nightcap.

So grilled cheese and martinis are my life for the time being. Hopefully Rex's palate will mature soon and I can pair two things that I can have at the same meal.