Week 8: Paella and Yucca

We’ve now been doing this for two months — my wife and I writing about cooking together. I can’t help but say a hearty THANK YOU to anyone who has ever read one of our posts. It means so much to us. We’re simply trying to grow together in our marriage and share our story along the way. While we’re at it, we might as well share some awesome food together! So thank you, thank you so much.

Last week, I wrote about finding your paradise. You don’t have to be in a tropical location to be in paradise. But sometimes, you do get to go those tropical locations. That’s awesome!

As I mentioned in last week’s post, my wife and I went to Puerto Rico for our honeymoon. It was fantastic! When we were deciding on what to cook for Sunday dinner, a familiar favorite came up. It reminded me of all the fun and adventure we found on our honeymoon.

“Let’s make paella!” Sarah said.

You see, on our honeymoon, paella was our favorite meal. We would go down to the oceanside bistro at our hotel and order it while we watched the waves come in. Then we’d take the leftovers back up to our room to have for a late-night snack.

So, it was decided. We were going to make paella.

Before we made our Sunday meal, we went to church. It’s about a 10-minute drive from our apartment. On the way, my mind was already wandering to the thought of that tasty paella. I wondered what we would make as a side dish. Which made me think of my favorite side dish I ate on our honeymoon.

Which made me think of yucca.

Now, if you’ve never had yucca, you’re missing out. It’s sort of like a potato, so when you cook it, it’s like eating fries. But there’s an earthier quality to it. Probably because yucca is a root.

Anyways, I thought — “Yucca would be perfect with the paella!” In fact, I think my mouth began to water. But we were pulling into the church parking lot, and I kept my thoughts to myself.

Two of our good friends from church stopped to talk with us after service. The topic of lunch came up and I was eager to tell them what we were making. I knew they enjoyed this type of cuisine. In fact, they had made yucca the last time I was at their house.

So I blurted out, “I think we’re making yucca with the paella.”

Sarah gave me an interesting look, which I noticed out of the corner of my eye. Thankfully, on the ride home, she was all for the idea. I had simply caught her off guard.

And so, the menu was set — paella and yucca. But we had no idea what we were in for.

The knife slammed into the cutting board with a loud thud. Thankfully my finger had eluded any slashing.

Sarah looked at me in alarm. I looked down.

I had removed a small part of the harded outer yucca root. The rest looked back at me with a mocking glare. But I was determined to overcome this obstacle. I wanted my wife to experience the glorious taste of yucca.

And so I continued, chopping bit by bit. I changed knives. I changed positions. I tried everything. Finally, with some good old-fashioned effort, the yucca was ready.

While all of this was going on, my wife was preparing the paella. It was a scrumptous mixture of chicken, sausage, yellow rice, beans and other assorted goodness. I’ll leave it to my wife to fill you in on the full recipe. (Which, by the way, you can find all our recipes right here. Shameful plug. Sorry, not sorry.)

Bottom line — it took some effort to make, but the finished product was spectacular. We ate that lunch and cherished the memories of paella past and paella present.

So I encourage you today — celebrate your successes. Cherish good memories. Don’t live in the past, but also don’t be afraid to revisit it every once in a while. Life is hard sometimes — like the exterior of the yucca root. But when you get past those obstacles, you find that life is so beautiful.