On Food & Things

I really love eggs. Just about any way you can make them (except hard boiled, please never give me a hard boiled egg!). Although I had totally thrown caution to the wind when the whole "you shouldn't eat eggs" trend came about, I am happy that the surgeon general (or whoever makes up all these food "rules...I feel like it should be the surgeon general for some reason) has once again decided that eggs should be consumed, and are a wonderfully  nutritious part of your day. I mention this because I have recently rediscovered the amazingness that is slow-scrambling eggs. As a single girl, more often than not, I would simply crack my egg into the frying pan, turn up the heat, and scramble, scramble, scramble! When I started cooking breakfast for Harris before work each morning, I started, you know, actually cracking eggs in a cup, whisking them, pouring in a little milk, salt, pepper, but then I would still cook them super fast on high heat! What a cardinal sin I was committing! I had forgotten how truly wonderful and fluffy slow-cooked eggs are, and I am happy to say, both the hubby and I have been enjoying them the past many breakfasts.

Now, to move on from eggs, because I am sure no one wants to talk about eggs. Anyone besides me and my little sister watch the season finale of Pretty Little Liars last night? I remembered why I usually save that show for morning viewing - I was so freaked out by the end (even if I did read the leaked script beforehand and knew exactly what was going to go down!) that I made Morgan stay on the phone with me until I made it in the bedroom where Harris was sleeping. You know, just in case someone in a black hoodie jumped out of my guest bathroom on the short walk from living room to bedroom.

Speaking of entertainment (like my segway there?), John Krasinski might possibly be my most favorite actor ever. Harris and I have been re-watching The Office, which may be the best comedy ever to air on television, and I just forget how awesome the whole show is, but especially the character of Jim. Likewise, I absolutely love him in Something Borrowed (and really hope they make the sequel just so there can be more of him!), and currently have It's Complicated on the TV in the background, and, as much as I love Meryl Streep, John makes this whole movie, and I love it. Also, how do the three siblings in that movie actually look like they could be related? No joke, I am pretty sure they look more alike than my sisters and I do.

I don't know about y'all, but I am supremely over this moody weather. Please make up your mind, weather gods! This pendulum effect of 38 one day and 72 the next is not for anyone, not even the birds. No joke, we are supposed to hit 72 on Saturday, be back in the 40s on Sunday, and have a chance of snow on Tuesday. I cannot deal!!! Moreso, the wind has been a beast lately - there is this nice wind tunnel effect created by the roundness of our condo building, and the wind really gets going. So much so that the other day I was a little worried that somehow the wind would scoop Lucy up, and, with her lovely Elizabethan collar, she would be whisked away!

Finally, to bring this full circle and back to food, we have been in a deep pizza phase in this house, and, really, is there a more perfect food? You can get your carbs, dairy, meat, veggies (even fruit because Kayla's friend introduced me to pepperoni and pineapple pizza and it changed my world) all in one. And you don't even need a fork. Pure genius, and, were I ever be forced to decide on one food to eat the remainder of my life, it would for sure be pizza. So there's that, and now you know.

Happy Hump Day!

From Our Kitchen: Mini Egg Frittatas

I could eat eggs almost any time - I love them scrambled, fried, poached; as omelets, frittatas, quiche, pretty much any way you can come up with (except hard boiled, yeck). Harris is also a pretty big fan of eggs, and we, like most people, do enjoy having breakfast for dinner every once and awhile. This is one of my favorite breakfast for dinner recipes, just because I feel like it is a little bit different, and also incorporates a lot of flavors. A lot of this recipe is "guesstimates" in terms of ingredient amounts - I usually just eyeball it, so do keep that in mind.

What You'll Need:
Makes about 24 mini frittatas

• 1 carton Egg Beaters
• 1/2 container deli turkey, chopped
• 1/2 bunch of asparagus, steamed
• Goat cheese (or any other kind of cheese you prefer)
• salt & pepper to taste

What You'll Do:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Pour egg beaters into large bowl. Season with salt & pepper. Give a good whisk.
   
   
   
   
   
3. Chop deli turkey and asparagus into small-ish pieces (don't you love the precision here?)
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
4. Spray muffin pan with Pam
5. Use a measuring cup to pour eggs into muffin pans (only fill about 1/3 of the way at first)
   
   
   
   
   
6. Top eggs with several pieces of turkey, asparagus, and cheese
7. Fill remainder of cups with egg
   
   
   
   
   
8. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until middle is set, and edges are slightly browned
   
   
   
   
   
9. Enjoy!
   

From Our Kitchen: Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake

My dear friend, Michelle, asked the other day for me to put up a cheesecake recipe. Now, while my waist line certainly does not want a cheesecake in the house right now, I was happy to oblige in at least sharing a recipe, and am proud to present you with my favorite cheesecake recipe of all time. Yes, you heard me right: of all time. This is a really simple recipe, and can be prepared in either a traditional springform pan, or just in a pie dish. For the sake of simplicity (ahem, Michelle prefers her recipes simple, yes?), I will share the pie dish version, but please let me know if you would like help with the springform version. This is an old recipe from a cheesecake cookbook my grandparents gave me when I was like 10 years old (obviously me and cheesecakes go wayyyy back).

What You'll Need - Graham Cracker Crust

• 12 graham crackers
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 7 tbsp butter, melted

What You'll Do - Graham Cracker Crust

1. Pulse graham crackers in a food processor, until they become a fine dust. Add in sugar and salt and pulse to combine.
2. Add in butter, pulse to combine, scraping down sides as needed, until a fine meal forms.
3. Dump the graham cracker mixture into a 9-inch pie pan sprayed with Pam. I use my fingers to press down, but you use whatever works best for you. Make sure to leave a little edge!
4. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes, or until set. Remove from oven, and set aside.

What You'll Need - Cheesecake Filling

• 2 8-oz packages cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup prepared cookie dough, divided (I typically use the pre-made stuff here - a roll is more than enough - but feel free to make your own too!)

What You'll Do - Cheesecake Filling

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Mix cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla at medium speed with an electric mixer until well blended. Add eggs, and mix until well incorporated. Drop 1/2 cup of cookie dough by level teaspoonfuls into batter and gently fold to incorporate.
3. Pour into your graham cracker crust. Top, by teaspoonfuls, with remaining cookie dough.
4. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes, or until center is almost set (should be a nice golden color)
5. Cool, and then refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
6. Enjoy!

I should also note that you can obviously use a pre-made graham cracker crust here, but I am morally opposed to that, so don't tell me if you do. Obviously, kidding (but not really).

From Our Kitchen: Gnocchi Chicken Marinara

Prior to last week, we had never tried gnocchi before. Now, let me be real with you here for a hot minute - 1. I really wasn't too terribly sure what gnocchi actually is, and 2. I was also incredibly not sure on the proper pronunciation. You know kind of like that whole quinoa debacle that happened a couple years ago (the one where where people were saying key-no-ah, or the like, you know, that one). At any rate, I wanted to see what all the fuss was about, and found a recipe on Pinterest (duh) that combined gnocchi with marinara sauce, cheese, and chicken. Seemed like a no-brainer except the person who wrote the recipe didn't do such a hot job of giving amounts, or even listing all the needed ingredients, so I took the basic premise, and concocted this little gem. I think we were both pleasantly surprised! It's really very easy, and comes together quickly. It makes plenty for several meals too, which is a bonus!

What You'll Need:

• 1 package gnocchi (I used the sweet potato version)
• 2 chicken breasts
• 1 package steamfresh asparagus (or fresh asparagus, but I like the short cut sometimes)
• 16 oz marinara sauce (homemade or jar)
• 8 oz ricotta cheese
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
• 5 slices mozzarella cheese

What You'll Do:

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Place chicken breasts in a small baking dish sprayed with pam. Drizzle olive oil over chicken, sprinkle salt, pepper, and garlic seasoning on each piece of chicken. Roast for 25 minutes. After chicken is cooked, cut into bit-size pieces.
3. Meanwhile, bring a medium pot of water to boil. Add gnocchi, and cook for 2 - 3 minutes, or until gnocchi rises to top of pot. Drain, rinse, set aside
   
4. Steam asparagus. Cut asparagus into pieces. Set aside.
   
   
   
   
5. Combine marinara sauce and ricotta in medium bowl.
6. Spray A 9x9 baking dish with pam. Spread 1/4 cup of sauce mixture on bottom.
   
7. Add gnocchi, then asparagus, then chicken to baking dish.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
8. Top with sauce mixture, then Parmesan, then slices of mozzarella.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
9. Broil for 4-5 minutes, or until mozzarella is browned on top. 
   

From Our Kitchen: Chicken, Broccoli, and Quinoa Casserole

Back in my college days, when I was really just learning to cook for myself, and poor Harris was subject to things that were sometimes good, and sometimes not so, I found the recipe for Cheesy Chicken & Rice Casserole. Don't get me wrong, this is still a good recipe to have in your repertoire - it's easy, cheap, and has good things in it! When I found this recipe on Pinterest, I knew I would have to give it a try! It felt like a more grown-up version of that beloved college recipe, quinoa instead of rice. Not only do we love quinoa in this house (can you tell, yet?), but it packs so much fiber and protein per punch that I knew it would only enhance the nutrient value of a classic, tried, and true dish!

I totally forgot to take pictures on this one, but trust me and try it out!

What You'll Need:

• 3/4 cup Quinoa
• 1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 10 oz Cream of Broccoli soup
• 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 2 tbsp. milk
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Extra Sharp Cheddar cheese, plus 1/2 cup for topping
• 1 bag frozen broccoli
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp garlic salt (I use the garlic and wine seasoning from the Melting Pot - ah-mazing!)
• 1/4 tsp Tony Chachere's Creole seasoning
• 1 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 2 cups cooked diced chicken, chopped
• parmesan cheese and crushed tortilla chips for topping

What You'll Do:

1. Combine the quinoa and broth in a medium pan, and cook according to package directions, until quinoa is light and fluffy, and liquid has been absorbed. Set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Coat a casserole dish with nonstick spray.
3. In a large bow, mix together soup, yogurt, milk, 1 1/2 cups cheese, sugar, and spices. Stir in quinoa, broccoli, and chicken.
4. Place mixture into baking dish. 
5. Top with remaining cheese, parmesan, and crushed tortilla chips.
6. Bake for 30 minutes, until golden and bubbly
7. Enjoy!

From Our Kitchen: Quinoa Fried Rice

Can I just tell you one more time that we really love Asian food? Would you be okay with that? Okay, good, glad we got that out of the way because we do really love Asian food! Fried rice is one of those amazing vices on the menus at most Chinese and Japanese hibachi restaurants. You know you probably shouldn't love it, but, alas, love it you do. I found this recipe on the Pinterest (seriously - who among you does not just love the Pinterest?), and knew this love of fried rice combined with a newishfound love of quinoa would be a potent combination for our taste buds on one fine day. I made a few minor adjustments to the recipe, and was absolutely amazed at how much it tasted like the real, restaurant version thing! Oh quinoa, you beautiful, versatile, little grain, you!

What You'll Need:

• 1 cup cooked quinoa
• 1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
• 1/4 small onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped and peeled
• 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 1 1/2 tbsp teriyaki sauce
• 2 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
• 3/4 tsp sesame oil

What You'll Do:

1. Cook quinoa according to package instructions. After cooking, fluff with fork, and store in fridge (up to overnight).
2. Mix teriyaki sauce, soy sauce, and sesame oil in a small bowl; set aside.
3. Heat 1/2 tbsp olive oil in a large pan over high heat. Add onion and carrot. Cook about 7 minutes, or until onion and carrot are softened.
4. Add garlic and ginger. Cook another 2 minutes.
5. Add in the rest of the olive oil and quinoa. Stir fry about 2 minutes.
6. Add sauce and stir-fry until mixed well, about 2 minutes.
7. In a separate pan, scramble your two eggs. Add to the stir-fry.
8. Toss in the peas until warmed through.
9. Serve alone, or as a side to your favorite asian main dish!

From Our Kitchen: The Best Green Smoothie Ever

We love smoothies here in Casa de Ligon! I have whipped up several varities, and we definitely love the yumminess of green smoothies, as well as the awesome nutrients we get from them. I happened to stumble upon this little concoction one day when I just started tossing things in the blender. Lo and behold, a masterpiece was born!

What You'll Need:

• 1 big handful spinach
• 1 banana, peeled
• 1/2 small - medium avocado, peeled and pitted
• 1/2 Anjou pear, cored (I have tried several varieties of pear, but Anjou is my personal favorite)
• 1/2 cup vanilla low fat yogurt
• 1/2 cup V8 fusion strawberry banana (or I just started using Tropicana Farm Stand)

What You'll Do:

1. Blend everything together in your blender.
2. Enjoy!

Please to enjoy Lucy's photo bomb in the background!

Kitchen Favorites

My BFF just did a blog post yesterday as part of her Forever Favorites series on her favorite kitchen gadgets. She blogs over at The Segura Life, so go check her out!

At any rate, I thought this was a fun topic, and thought I would put together a list of my own favorite kitchen tools and gadgets! We usually cook most days of the week, and I like to make fresh baked goods frequently. Being a newlywed means we have lots of fun new gadgets to play with, and I am enjoying them all greatly, but here are just a few of the "can't live withouts"!

KitchenAid Mixer (in Orange!)

This mixer has been one of the best gifts (thanks Aunt Wanda!). It is such a cinch to use - just pour ingredients in, and watch the magic happen. Also, as Erica also pointed out, it adds such a nice pop of color to our kitchen counters. 

Le Creuset Stoneware (also in Orange!)

This stoneware set has been wonderful! I love how sturdy (and pretty!) each piece is, and, as an added bonus, they have been super easy to clean, thus far. No soaking or scrubbing necessary, which has been nothing short of amazing. Plus, the four little pots are perfect for things that you might usually not have something appropriately-sized - like roasting garlic - and they are even very cute serving dishes.

Chef'n Pinch & Pour Collapsible Measuring Cups & Nesting Spoons

In my humble opinion, these are the best measuring cups - they are fun colors, and collapsible, which means they are easy to store, and you can pop them down and slip them in the silverware holders in the dishwasher, and they don't collect water.Brilliant! I can't tell you how many times a day I use these suckers.

Vegetable Chop & Measure

I am the world's worst vegetable chopper - just ask my husband! I try not to chop around him because I can tell I make him visibly nervous. When we first received this gift, I wasn't sure how handy it would be - especially for the chopping of the onions. Onions and I already have a hate/hate relationship, and this little gadget makes it so that not only do I not have to chop them (usually at least one recipe a week calls for them), I also do not have to cry over them!

From Our Kitchen: Zucchini Lasagna

We really love zucchini in this house, so when I found out several months ago that zucchini is an awesome substitute for pasta in our favorite pasta dishes, I was thrilled! We have made plenty of zucchini "pasta" dishes over the past year, but this was my first attempt at a zucchini lasagna. I adapted it from this recipe over at Skinnytaste.

What You'll Need:

• Pasta Sauce (the Skinnytaste recipe includes a pasta sauce, but we used Harris' homemade marinara sauce - my personal favorite sauce in the world, and vegetarian)
• 3 medium zucchini, sliced 1/8" thick
• 15 oz part-skim ricotta
• 16 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1 large egg

What You'll Do:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Prepare your pasta sauce
3. Slice your zucchini into noodle-like strips. I personally use a vegetable peeler for my "noodles", and this works well!
4. Lightly salt the zucchini, and set aside for 10 minutes (this helps to absorb some of the water from the zucchini). After 10 minutes, blot with paper towel.
5. On a gas grill, or grill pan, cook each of your "noodles" for 1-2 minutes per side.
   
   
   
   
   
   
6. In a medium bowl, mix together ricotta and Parmesan cheeses and egg.
   
   
   
7. Spray a 9 x 13 dish, and spread some of your sauce on the bottom.
   
   
   
8.  Top with zucchini noodles, then ricotta mixture, and then mozzarella. Repeat until all of the noodles and ricotta mixture are used up. 
   
   
   
9. Top with sauce and more mozzarella.Cover in foil.
10. Bake for 45 minutes; uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes.
    
    
    
    Sorry that the last two pics are sideways - they were very uncooperative in changing positions!

From Our Kitchen: Curry Stand Chicken Tikka

Harris and I are part food-snob, part culinary adventurers. We pride ourselves on trying new restaurants, dishes, recipes, and so on. However, Indian food was a hurdle that we had not yet mastered. Having tried Indian food previously, I don't think either of us ever knew the right things to order, and had just never been impressed with the experience. This all changed during our honeymoon. Now, it surprises pretty much everyone when we tell them that our favorite restaurant at our resort in Mexico was the Indian restaurant - heck, we were even surprised ourselves. We went to said Indian restaurant several times during our two-week stay, and felt pretty confident that we would continue our Indian food exploits upon returning to the states. We were not, however, prepared for how easy recreating some of our favorite dishes would be! I am pleased to report that we have eaten Indian food several times since returning to the states, and not once has it been at a restaurant!

So far our favorite recipe is Curry Stand Chicken Tikka (which is just fun to say if nothing else!). It is so easy, smells amazing cooking, and tastes even better!

What You'll Need:

• 2 tbsp. ghee (clarified butter - I don't take the time to clarify the butter, so I just use regular butter, but, hey, if you want to, more power to you!)
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 (14oz) can tomato sauce
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 tsp. paprika
• 1 tbsp. white sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tbsp. vegetable oil (I used olive)
• 1/2 tsp. curry powder

What You'll Do:

1. Heat butter in large skillet over medium heat, and cook and stir onion about 5 min. Stir in garlic, and continue cooking about 1 minute.
2. Stir in cumin, salt, ginger, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, and turmeric. Fry about 2 minutes
3. Stir in tomato sauce, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for 10 minutes. 
4. Mix in cream, paprika, and sugar. Bring sauce back to a simmer, and cook, stirring often, until sauce is thickened, about 10 - 15 minutes.
5. Heat oil in a separate skillet over medium heat. Stir chicken into the oil, sprinkle with curry powder, and sear chicken until lightly browned, but still pink inside, about 3 minutes. Stir often.
6. Transfer chicken and any pan juices into the sauce. Simmer chicken in sauce, until no longer pink, about 30 minutes. Salt and sugar to taste.
7. Serve over rice with garlic naan (easy recipe, over here).

Couples Who Cook Together...Love Blue Cheese

As a newlywed, I am finding many, many aspects of married life that I love, especially getting to use the phrase "my husband"! One of my favorite things to do with my husband is share time in the kitchen. I am fortunate enough to be married to a man who not only is an excellent cook, but who also really enjoys cooking. I will be the first to admit that I can easily get stuck in a rut of favorite dishes, or dishes that are easy to throw together, but Harris is always on the hunt for new things for us to try. While he was not thoroughly impressed with his blue cheese burgers yesterday (note to readers: don't stuff burgers with ooey gooey cheesy goodness, and then cook on a George Foreman grill, designed to strip all the fatty goodness away), I was still very pleased with his flavorful turkey burgers. Additionally, while I am almost famous (at least in my own mind) at crock pot cooking, Harris was the one who stumbled upon the buffalo chicken soup recipe, and encouraged me to make it. I made a few modifications - the original recipe would have made an absolute ton of soup, plus I really hate celery, and only buy it when absolutely necessary. My modifications still made plenty of soup - enough for at least 4 adults for one meal, with probably some leftover. I would definitely recommend serving this alongside a crusty bread!

What You Need:

- 1 pack chicken breasts, cooked and shredded (I used frozen tenderloins, and then shredded after they were cooked through)

- 16 oz fat free half & half

- 1 can cream of chicken soup

- 1/2 cup (or more) buffalo wing sauce

- 1/2 cup sour cream

- 5 small white potatoes, washed, peeled, and sliced

- 3 carrots, washed peeled, and sliced

- Blue cheese

What You'll Do:

- Spray your crock pot, and place chicken in bottom

- Pour in remaining ingredients, except bleu cheese

- Cook on low for 5 hours, or high for 3 hours

- At this point, if you have opted for frozen chicken breasts, shred your chicken in your crock pot

- Mix in blue cheese (I used about 3/4 of a regular container of blue cheese from the deli section)

- Cook another hour, serve hot!

It's about as easy as it gets, folks. While I am not going to chalk this up to my all-time top crock pot recipes, I will say it sufficiently and satisfactorily did its job - which was to provide yet another version of buffalo chicken "fill in the blank". This brings me to a random, yet related thought - when did buffalo chicken become a craze? I mean, first it was the buffalo chicken dip (albeit delicious, I will admit), and now I see everything from this soup to buffalo chicken macaroni and cheese, buffalo chicken quesadillas, and buffalo chicken hashbrown casserole. Don't even get me started on the variations of buffalo potato chips, or all the other things Doritos is up to these days. I guess when we Americans find something we love, we hold on tight, and don't let go...a good practice for marriage too, not just food.

Sunday Simmer

Marriage is a a lot like backwards cheeseburger. It is a composition of complexity. If you've successfully mastered the art of placing your favorite cheese inside your favorite burger, you've probably mastered marriage as well. Congratulations.

For those of us who still find ourselves in the step-by-step process of burger experimentation,  I bid you all the luck in the world. It occurred to me today that preparing and consuming homemade meals is a near ideal backdrop for the newlywed game. For the sake of brevity, three steps suffice: (1) Preparation (2) Execution and (3) Evaluation. Early this afternoon, I found myself elbow deep in perpetration and thought while attempting to prepare the elusive backwards blue-cheese turkey burger. The process was straightforward enough:

1. Mix turkey meat with traditional spices; shape patties around blue-cheese
2. Grill; wrap with iceberg lettuce.
3. Enjoy.

Not surprisingly, something was amiss. At some point the cheese instigated a pilgrimage to anywhere but the interior of the burger. By the time it was over, there was no cheese spared. The end result was mediocre at best. Luckily, Courtney had put the finishing touches on her  rendition of Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Soup which turned out to be as good as advertised, and worth a second tasting. Thus, our Sunday blue cheese duo was not lost in the kitchen. (Her post will follow soon).

However, as a new husband, the incident is not unlike many interactions that I've shared with Courtney over the years. By nature, I'm a planner in the most sincere meaning of the phrase. More importantly, I consider myself to be beyond proficient in my role, and, if James Bond was in a similar business, he would've happily accepted the numbers 000 after my results. Or, at least that's what helps me sleep at night. While reflecting on my role as activity / date / dinner / planner before, I never previously considered how I handled anything less than rousing success. In fact, I'm not even comfortable with the phrase failure.

Which led me to a stark realization: I'm horrible at apologies. 

Around the office, the jokes always carried three words at the centerpiece of their humor: "I'm sorry, dear". I used to think, I'll rarely do anything wrong. This afternoon, standing in front of the grill, I realized that the for all the effort I spend preparing and executing, I probably spend an awfully small amount on evaluating. Thus, I'm sure on some level, I'm the classic chest-beating guy who does nothing wrong because of all the things I did right. When, in reality, our marriage is better served by a review of all the things I could've done better prefaced with the age-old humility line: I'm sorry.

So, as I stood there over the grill watching the cheese purge itself from the chains of turkey meat and flax seed  I did what I should have been doing long before we said our vows. I apologized, laughed about the outcome, explained what I would do different, and offered to make something else. Luckily, like every great woman on earth, she was eternally kind and patient in her reception. 

To further my point, I would like to highlight Joe Queenan's article from the Wall Street Journal entitled "Who's Sorry Now? Everyone, Apparently" discussing Apple's Tim Cook and his recent apology to China. While the entire article is memorable, humorous, and not supportive of anything like a traditional apology the following pokes a bit of fun at the ongoing struggles of the U.S. Postal Service:

Particularly gratifying would be if the U.S. Postal Service posted a similarly worded mea culpa on its website.

"We are aware that a lack of communications…led to the perception that some of our desk clerks are inconsiderate, condescending, unhelpful, incompetent and just plain nasty," the apology might run. "We express our sincere apologies for the perception that we hate it when you losers walk into the building with your big, stupid, poorly wrapped boxes, or when you don't even know the ZIP Code for Richmond, Maine, or when you show up at 5 on Christmas Eve expecting us to still have Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer stamps in stock. We're sorry if we have created the impression that we despise you and wish you were all dead. We will try to do better in the future."