the power of beef

My husband is not a morning person, and he'd never be mistaken for a vegetarian.

After three whole nights of not having red meat as part of our supper (I'm so cruel!), I decided this morning that I'd go ahead and start up the slow cooker with some beef stew ingredients. It would be a nice little surprise for Matt because I feared he was going through red meat withdrawal symptoms.

I typically wake up at least an hour or so before Matt, and then when he does wake up, he takes a really long time to actually make it out of the bedroom. Waking up is quite a process for him, which I don't completely understand, but I do know he's easier to deal with when he wakes up in his own time, so I give him lots of space in the mornings. It's actually nice for me as well because I get my own private time while he's waking up.

So I'm up and about this morning, and I start browning the beef for the stew. Within about 10 minutes, I heard Matt moving around in the bedroom, which is a little early for him. About 5 minutes after that, he was in the kitchen going on and on about how good something smelled. The power of beef drastically reduced his waking-up process.

He looked a little disappointed when he realized he was smelling supper and not breakfast, so I surprised him with steak and eggs for breakfast when he got out of the shower. He practically bounced out the door on his way to work with some steak already in his system and the promise of more beef waiting for him when he comes home.

My grandfather, who raised Angus cattle, died before I met Matt, but I know he is looking down and giving me the thumbs-up for picking a steak-lover. My own bout with vegetarianism as a teenager had him a little concerned that I'd end up with one of those crazy hippies. ;)