My name is Jennifer and I have been married to a chef for 25 years.

I blog about my life as a chef wife and how we combine restaurant and family life each day.

If you are new to my site, start here.

Recent Posts:

Day 3 – Don’t Sit at Home (12 Days of Encouragement for the Chef’s Family)

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Today I’d like to encourage you to not sit at home, wishing the Christmas season was just over so you could see your chef/husband or chef/boyfriend again. Last year, half way through the month, my chef/husband and I actually had a conversation about that. We just wanted December to be over. 🙁

I don’t know about where you live, but here in Seattle, there are so many fun things to do at Christmas time.

I used to try and save all those things for when my chef/husband was off. But when I did that, we ended up missing out on a lot of things. read more…

Day 2 – Social Media (12 Days of Encouragement for the Chef’s Family)

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If you are new to my site, start here.

It’s the most wonderful . . . and hardest time of the year for our Emulsified Family, as I’m sure it is for many of you.

If you struggle with loneliness this time of year, today, I’d like to challenge you to think about the time you spend on Social Media this holiday season.

WHAT!!!!

ARE YOU CRAZY????

HOW COULD I LIVE WITHOUT FACEBOOK?

I know that sounds funny coming from a blogger. I get a lot of website traffic from Facebook. But honestly, one of the hardest things for me during the Christmas season is seeing what everyone else is doing on Facebook. read more…

Day 1: Twelve Days of Encouragement for the Chef’s Family

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New to my site? Start here.
The holidays are a tough time for our Emulsified Family.

By the end of December, my chef/husband and I are usually just ready for Christmas and New Year’s Eve to be over. I know that sounds horrible but December is a really hard month when you are married to a chef.

It’s 4-5 INSANE weeks of working way too many hours for my chef/husband. We really don’t see him much at all during this time. Because of this I struggle with loneliness, even with 3 kids. I also feel bad that we are out doing fun Christmas things and my husband is slaving away at work to provide for us. I could say more, but it would really just sound like complaining, so I’ll stop.

I thought maybe this year would be different, with him being the COO of a restaurant group and out of the kitchen, but the hours have still been crazy…including a restaurant opening. I am thankful for his days off this month and don’t want to take them for granted, as I remember many years, he rarely had a day off in the month of December.

Since so many of you can relate to our family, I would guess that we are not alone in feeling this way each holiday season.

While in the past, I’ve dreaded the month of December as a chef’s wife, I’ve decided this Christmas season is going to be different. No more moping around and wishing it was over for this chef’s wife and kids. read more…

How an Immersion Circulator Changed our Thanksgiving

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I don’t usually try to sell things to people. (Well, except for the Instant Pot…because…well, I can’t live without it.) But our Thanksgiving was so relaxing this year and it was due in part to the Immersion Circulator my chef/husband got for his birthday.

This is another example of a time I should have listened to my husband and bought something sooner. Cooking/reheating Sous Vide is a GAME CHANGER!! YES I’M YELLING AT YOU RIGHT NOW. No, seriously. On Thanksgiving, we had everything (including the mashed potates) made ahead of time and used the immersion circulator to heat it up. Not only was everything perfectly reheated and not dried out, there was only 10 minutes of clean up/dishes after our huge meal. 10 MINUTES!!!! read more…