Food and cooking are important components of the relationship between Julie Orvis of Deerfield and her sweetheart, Bill Gross of Holyoke — particularly at this time of year.
In warmer months, the pair travel together and enjoy outdoor sports like biking and canoeing. In February, however, they concentrate on food and drink.
One of their first dates in 2014 was an Open Hearth Cooking Class at Historic Deerfield, where Orvis works as special events coordinator putting together forums, lectures and symposia. She told me in a recent interview that she is good with people — and with logistics.
She met Gross through the free dating website, “Plenty of Fish.”
“I got divorced in 2012, so I started putting my foot out there,” said Orvis, who is now 60.
She said that she was tickled to find that almost all of the men she met in the Pioneer Valley were, “never more than two degrees of separation” from her.
“That’s the way western Massachusetts is,” she observed. “When you really start meeting people, it doesn’t take long to find connections.”
Bill Gross was no exception to this rule. As soon as they started dating, they discovered that they knew people in common, Orvis recalled.
One of the first recipes Orvis cooked for Gross was her “Rise & Shine” waffle formula. She plans to make the waffles for him again at breakfast this Valentine’s Day, along with chicken sausage and honey-rum marinated oranges. Gross will provide dark-roast coffee; he prides himself on his coffee.
He is also an experienced cook — but the two prefer to work in the kitchen separately and treat each other.
Orvis and Gross were kind enough to let our cameraman sit in on a test run of their Valentine’s Day meal. The waffle recipe is adapted from Betty Crocker; the fruit recipe is from “Cooking Light.”
Orvis, who is a veteran of Weight Watchers, believes in preparing healthful yet flavorful foods.
“No matter what my weight is, I like to cook healthy,” she explained. “Lower fat, less sugar. You get a taste for not having a lot of salt.
“I’m not gluten free or avoiding carbs or anything like that, but I like things in moderation. I’m a big fruit person. And I eat a lot of vegetables.”
The waffles include oats and wheat germ.
“They’re whole grain, but they don’t feel heavy,” Orvis noted. “You can eat great food that’s healthy. You just have to be able to cook from scratch.
“If I’m going to bother cooking, more often than not I’m going to cook from scratch.”
She added that her “honey” isn’t fond of yogurt, so he doesn’t eat the topping in the waffle recipe.
“I have homemade apple butter in the house, so that’s what he likes on his waffles,” she said.
I asked both Orvis and Gross what made their relationship work.
“I think what works is that Bill and I were very clear (when we started) that we were in the same place,” Orvis said. “We don’t want to get married. We don’t want to be living with anybody. But we want to have a companion.”
Gross concurred.
“I think if we lived together, we’d kill each other within a month,” he said. “She watches her money — I don’t. I like creepy movies — she likes PBS.”
The two have established the things they will do separately and those they will do together.
“I don’t have any desire to go hunting, and Bill doesn’t want to start singing,” said Orvis, who is an avid participant in the Pioneer Valley Symphony Chorus and in her church choir. “He does come to my concerts.”
“I don’t think Julie’s crazy about fishing,” said Gross. “But she likes fishing with me. We both bend either way.”
Above all, Orvis emphasized, she and Gross have fun together — in a canoe, on bicycles or in the kitchen.
Julie’s Rise & Shine Waffles
Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour (you may use half all-purpose and half whole-wheat flour if you like)
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¾ cup old-fashioned oats
¼ cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup skim milk
1 cup fat-free plain Greek yogurt
¼ cup maple syrup
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
5 to 6 chopped strawberries
1 egg
3 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons wheat germ or ground flax seed
1 teaspoon grated orange peel or lemon zest
Instructions:
In a small bowl combine the flour, the baking powder, and the baking soda. Set aside. In a large bowl combine the oats, the brown sugar, and the milk; let this mixture stand for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, mix the yogurt, the maple syrup, the cinnamon, and the strawberries until well blended; refrigerate until serving time. This will be the topping for your waffles.
Stir the egg and the oil into the oat mixture. Stir the in remaining ingredients until they are blended. Let this batter stand for 5 minutes longer. Meanwhile, spray your waffle maker with cooking spray and then heat it to the desired setting.
For each waffle, pour batter onto center of the hot waffle maker, spreading the batter to the edges. (Use the amount of batter suggested by your waffle maker’s manufacturer.). Close the lid.
Cook until the steaming stops and the waffle is golden brown. Carefully remove the waffle. Repeat with remaining batter.
Serve the waffle with the reserved topping or with apple butter. Serves 4. These waffles freeze well for later toasting.
Honey-Rum Marinated Oranges
Ingredients:
5 large navel oranges (reserve the zest of 2: use half of the zest for this recipe and half for the waffles)
5 Cara Cara oranges or blood oranges
ground cinnamon to taste
1 cup honey
1 cup water (more or less, see directions)
2 fluid ounces dark rum (about 4 tablespoons)
1 average-size cinnamon stick (or a couple of allspice seeds and a couple of cloves)
the juice of one lemon
2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves for garnish
Instructions:
Zest 2 of the navel oranges and reserve the zest as directed above. Slice off the ends of all the oranges; remove the peels and the white pith with a knife over a small bowl to capture the juice.
Slice each orange into 5 or 6 ¼-inch-thick slices in a large glass baking dish. Toss with ground cinnamon and set aside.
In a small saucepan combine the honey, the reserved juice, and enough water to make cup. Add the rum and the cinnamon stick. Bring the mixture to a boil. Boil for 1 minute; then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer the liquid for 5 minutes. Set aside to cool for 10 to 15 minutes.
Add the lemon juice and the orange zest to the cooled honey-rum mixture. Stir the resulting liquid, and pour it over the oranges. Cover the baking dish and chill it in the refrigerator for at least two hours and up to overnight for maximum flavor.
Serve with mint garnish. Serves 6 and is great for leftovers.
If you would like to nominate a home cook for “Franklin County Cooks,” email Tinky Weisblat at Tinky@TinkyCooks.com. For more information about Tinky, visit her website, www.TinkyCooks.com