Cooking for One Single Attorney

It's freezing in New York tonight. They say it's in the 20s, but I swear it has to be below zero. At least that's how I feel when I take in some fresh air these days. I really don't like to go out be it to a bar on the island or in Manhattan when there's precipitation or even when it's too damn cold.

So I opted for doing one of my favorite indoor activities tonight: cooking. My college roommate once told me I would make a great wife because I love all things culinary.

Law books and cookbooks encompass a large portion of my literary collection at home. For months I was using the deep fryer I bought to make fish and chips and fried chicken as a makeshift skillet for homemade marinara sauce from "The Sopranos" cookbook. I didn't want to eventually wear it out. The skillet my mother passed on to me deteriorated, so the other day after work I went to the mall to look for a new one.

In some ways, I'm so proud of myself for staying true to my diet. I didn't stop by Godiva for my weakness - dark chocolate almond bark. Maybe I just couldn't make it over there because the Cuisinart skillet I bought was so heavy I had to take it straight to the car. I added two Asian cookbooks to my shopping bag as well. Thank God I parked close to the entrance by the Disney Store, near Williams-Sonoma. So my arm muscles got a brief toning.

Afterward, I had to pick up some groceries. I parked my car outside my apartment building, but I couldn't leave it there overnight. My town forbids parking on the street between the morning hours of two and six lest the cops slap the owner with a $25 fine. In this economy, it adds up. I had given up my space in the parking garage because not only was it too narrow for me to park, but I wanted to save another $65 a month for groceries.

The tradeoff is a long distance to walk from the public parking lot. I brought my car to the door because I would either way have to make more than one trip. One for the skillet, the other for the groceries. Besides the companionship and the intimacy, this is another moment when a serious boyfriend or better yet a husband would be very nice. He could have driven my car to the lot while I prepared dinner.

I wasn't done with shopping. As I scanned through the recipes the past few nights, I decided that Saturday night I would stay in and make tangerine beef. I made another trip to the store for new ingredients. It was delicious. I made enough beef and rice for two. How's that for dinner on a cozy winter night?

I love a glass of fine wine, but I don't enjoy drinking alone. I ordered three bottles of Opici Barberone after my girl friends and I had some at an Italian restaurant. I loved it so much I had the waiter tell me what it was. I am inept at using my bottle opener, but if I had company to share my tangerine beef tonight I'd open up a bottle of red.