It’s always lovely to dine with your spouse, or invite friends over. And when you do that, it’s great to have Big Daddy there as your co-pilot.

But Big Daddy also makes dining solo a memorable experience!

I asked Big Daddy to help me prepare lunch. It was going to be just me. I had leftover egg whites from my various ice cream experiments, carried on with Big Daddy’s help. We decided to use up those egg whites in a delicious way — in a Mediterranean frittata.

We created a recipe — I had to add three more eggs, and vegetables. I think Big Daddy called for mushrooms. However at the last minute I subbed in cabbage ribbons, left over from when we had that yummy Chicken and Sausage Cacciatore. Howard had the cacciatore over pasta. I enjoyed it over buttery cabbage.

That is the beauty of frittatas — you can use what you have.

The frittata was a masterpiece. Perfetto, as the Italians would say.

It emerged from the oven as puffed and golden as Big Daddy had predicted. I let it rest for five minutes, as my Executive Chef had directed, and then I cut a wedge — about a quarter of the frittata. The other three quarters would keep in the fridge. I will get to them.

I plated my warm frittata portion with salad and cucumber slices. I went out to the porch, our Bistro.

This was a wonderful lunch!

And as I enjoyed it, I did not forget to compliment the chef.

I was thinking about how without Big Daddy, without My Home Bistro, I would not be treating myself so well. I would be cutting corners, figuring no one else was there. I would have just thrown something together, not bothered with the herbs, not allowed myself to open a package of feta cheese.

Involving Big Daddy in the process made the meal enjoyable — not just a pit stop.

Now, things were different. Lunch was something to be savored. To take time for. To enjoy.

It’s fun to go that extra mile — just for yourself.