A non-sweet for my sweetie…
I often joke when people ask me how I met my husband. I tell them “the old fashion way…the Internet”. Being shoved into the Online dating world by a friend I was beyond annoyed at her. I always thought online dating was for desperate people. And well, I was easily getting dates. Just not the right kind.
When I met my now husband I had no intention of ever getting married. Ever. Spending too many hours in a locker room with guys made me weary of doing so.
We were on a site that would show you if someone was interested in you. I clicked on his bio (which was odd because I stopped looking after a REALLY BAD date). But here was this guy playing with his dogs and something just made me click. I read in his bio that he liked Jif peanut butter. So I wrote him this…”I was in a Jif peanut butter commercial when I was 3”. He wrote back like 3 pages. 
Ah, the power of Jif.
We spent a week emailing each other and finally we talked on the phone one night. We talked so much that both of our cell phones started to die. So he asked me if I was hungry. I said I was and we agreed to meet for dinner. Lucky for me he lived 30 minutes away so I could make myself look a little more spiffy.
We met at one of my favorite eats in Phoenix, Mimi’s Cafe (yes, it is a chain, but a good one). I didn’t recognize him at first as he had shaved most of his hair off. Umm. Not a good look. But there was something about him and I was immediately impressed when he gave up his seat for an elderly man to sit down. We talked and talked and then he asked about marriage. See I didn’t list marriage as something I wanted. My husband had been married before and I could tell by the way he phrased it that he was eventually wanting to marry again. So I lied. I lied and said that though it was not a top 5 priority I was interested in getting married one day. But I wasn’t. This will become very ironic.
At the end of the night he walked me to my car and we hugged ( I never kiss on the first date…yep, I am old fashion). He told me he would grow his hair out for me. Plus for him.
Something was so different about him. He immediately felt like comfort to me…a full on grilled cheese sandwich with warm tomato soup while I sit in my flannel pj’s by the fire under a blanket kind of comfort.
We spent a lot of time together. I knew when I was considering skipping playing hockey that night (never did though) to go out on a date with him that I was falling hard.
This is where the irony comes to play. As the girl who didn’t want to get married was engaged just 5 weeks after knowing her now husband. And truthfully, we would have gotten married that weekend, but we decided since we didn’t have a ring or anything like that, we would hold off. So we picked a date, Pi day (March 14th….3.14). It worked for us since we were both nerds. I knew I loved him even more when he suggested that we get married at 3pm. If you are a math nerd you will appreciate that. Why? Because on a 24 hour clock, that had us getting married at 3.1415. Yes, we really are that geeky.
Sunday marks my 5 year anniversary of the day I met my husband. The day that changed my life for the better. I have never known such love and support. Didn’t think it was possible. Now I know. I am so glad I never settled, for in the end I got my total package.
So to honor my husband I offer up Garlic Cheese Twists. All things he will eat. These were fairly simple to make…the twisting is the hard part…or should I say time consuming part. I used fresh garlic but you could get away with using garlic powder if you like.
Garlic-Cheese Twists
3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, divided use
2 ½ tsp active dry yeast
1 TBSP granulated sugar
1 ½ tsp salt
1 ¼ cups warm water (110F)
1 TBSP canola oil
1 cup freshly shredded Tillamook Cheddar Cheese
1 clove garlic, minced
olive oil for brushing
Butter (or spray) a baking sheet; set aside.
Combine half of the flour with yeast, sugar and salt in a large bowl; add warm water (110F) and oil; beat on medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth, 3 to 4 minutes.
Stir in garlic and as much of the remaining flour as needed to make a stiff dough.
Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead 4 or 5 times or until smooth and elastic. Divide dough into fourths; shape each portion into a ball then divide each ball into 10 portions. Shape each portion into an 6-inch stick. Brush 1 stick with water and twist it with another stick, pressing at the top and the bottom. Arrange the twists on a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining sticks.
Place twists 2-inches apart on baking sheet. Brush the twists with olive oil and sprinkle cheese on top. Cover and let rise in a warm place for about 50 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Bake until lightly browned, 12 to 15 minutes. Serve warm.
84 Responses
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October 3rd, 2008 at 11:04 am
What a sweet story!
October 3rd, 2008 at 11:11 am
Oh, Pea, so glad you didn’t settle! He’s definitely a keeper. Lovely story, lovely garlic twists. (Not Jif twists?)
October 3rd, 2008 at 11:38 am
That’s a wonderful story and lovely photo of you two! Happy anniversary.
October 3rd, 2008 at 11:58 am
As someone who was never going to get married and almost lasted fifty years with that thought, it really is nice to be hit out of the blue with “the one” (even if you knew him for 15 years and thought he was too nerdy and not your type!). Congrats on your ‘meeting’ anniversary! And go Jif! (for me it was the Jack in the Box Tacos with the bottle of wine).
October 3rd, 2008 at 11:59 am
So lovely!
I absolutely adore this blog – always full of little sweet stories like this one..
Lots of happiness for you two!
October 3rd, 2008 at 12:46 pm
awww get the kleenex out!! You two are adorable.
Yes, the power of Jif!!!
I met my hubby the old fashioned way too: online.
October 3rd, 2008 at 1:00 pm
What a great story! Happy Anniversary. You even fell in love in a jif – how cool is that?
October 3rd, 2008 at 1:08 pm
This is like a modern fairy tale
It s nice to get married when you find the right person to share your life with. Nice twists. They re ideal for this occassion they pepresent your two live intertwined 
October 3rd, 2008 at 1:16 pm
Ahhhhh. How sweet! I love all the number nerd wedding plans too!
October 3rd, 2008 at 1:36 pm
FOr someone who did not want to get married you really had the most romantic story! Ahh! You make me smile a warm and fuzzy smile. Bless you both!
October 3rd, 2008 at 1:39 pm
Such a sweet story. Seriously… I got teary eyed! I love it when fate works its magic!
October 3rd, 2008 at 1:44 pm
What a sweet story! Hope you have a great anniversary. The garlic cheese twists look delicious!
October 3rd, 2008 at 1:56 pm
A beautiful story! Very sweet!
Those twists look wonderful!
Cheers,
Rosa
October 3rd, 2008 at 2:06 pm
Awh!
That is lovely.
October 3rd, 2008 at 2:15 pm
This was a really sweet post, even though the twists weren’t.
October 3rd, 2008 at 2:18 pm
What a cute “old-fashion” love story! Love it! Happy annyversary!
October 3rd, 2008 at 2:30 pm
Such a sweet story! Happy anniversary!!
October 3rd, 2008 at 2:39 pm
awwww, so sweet. happy anniversary!
my hubby and i are the same way – met online, emailed for a week, talked on the phone for hours (flash that back to high school!), and then met. we went from nice to meet you to serious relationship instantly!
October 3rd, 2008 at 3:08 pm
What a wonderful story. It gives me hope…
October 3rd, 2008 at 3:11 pm
Peabody, this is amazing – I LOOOVE how you two met!! I wish you two a lifetime together
October 3rd, 2008 at 3:14 pm
Great story, but more important…
Is that freshly shredded Tillamook? Freshly purchased? Freshly stared at…?
:O)
October 3rd, 2008 at 3:43 pm
what a beautiful wedding photo and yum, those twists look super great.
October 3rd, 2008 at 4:33 pm
What a beautiful post. Loved reading each line you wrote. Happy 5th anniversary and many ,many more to come with full of happiness and joy.
October 3rd, 2008 at 4:49 pm
I’m a sap and love how you met stories! The first time I met my boyfriend, I remember have that same feeling of comfort… Congratulations!
October 3rd, 2008 at 5:21 pm
What a lovely love letter!
October 3rd, 2008 at 5:44 pm
Happy 5th anniversary Peabody…..I loved reading your love story.
The garlic cheese twists look amazing!!! I can’t wait to try them!!
October 3rd, 2008 at 6:42 pm
a sweet story.One of my sons has just met a girl on the internet. Five weeks? I don’t think my son moves that fast
October 3rd, 2008 at 6:46 pm
Beautiful post . When its right its right!
October 3rd, 2008 at 7:03 pm
i was sent here from a friend because I’d asked for recommendations for food blogs.
this story was awfully sweet. (= heh and i thought that the nerdy part of it was cool
October 3rd, 2008 at 7:06 pm
great story, peabody!
i, too, met my other half online… now we’ve got 2 kids, a cat, a dog, 14 fish and a mortgage!
happy anniversary!
xo
October 3rd, 2008 at 7:27 pm
I love both the story and the twists! I’ll definitley be trying the twists at some point, although marriage has so far waited about five months (not that I’m liking it!) and will continue to wait for me until I graduate!
October 3rd, 2008 at 8:51 pm
Peabody, this is the sweetest story… I guess I’m just a bit wistful hearing it all, since I’ve had no luck in love so far. It’s good to know that sometimes it really does work out…
Happy anniversary to you two!
October 3rd, 2008 at 9:07 pm
ah! Nerd love is the best kind. Sounds like my first date with my internet nerd. He asked me to marry him on the fourth day I knew him. Seems like online dating has a bad rap!
October 3rd, 2008 at 9:32 pm
ooh nerds! i love your story. thanks for sharing it! happy day you met your hubby. that’s super special. thanks for giving me a moment of pause and thoughts of love and happiness of such a hectic day.
October 3rd, 2008 at 10:00 pm
I’m a sucker for a good love story. Happy early anniversary!
October 3rd, 2008 at 10:02 pm
so cute, nerd love.
October 3rd, 2008 at 10:29 pm
I recently found your blog and love it. I’m inspired to become a baker and am hunting for a Kitchen Aid mixer now.
I loved the story of how you met your husband and became engaged. Beautiful!
October 3rd, 2008 at 11:55 pm
I love the 3.1415 angle! It’s not nerdy, it’s cool. =)
October 4th, 2008 at 12:27 am
Love comes to those who wait. Now tell the story where you cooked for him and sealed the deal. That is my fav of all stories.
All women who cook and bake know what I mean.
October 4th, 2008 at 2:31 am
How sweet, you put tears in my eyes and now I’m laughing at myself. I’m so happy you found each other and are so in love!
October 4th, 2008 at 5:27 am
Thanks for sharing this sweet story. I love the picture of you and your husband. It says quite a bit. Enjoy celebrating the day you found each other.
October 4th, 2008 at 5:33 am
What a beautiful story…..I met my husband on the net eleven years ago and people at that time thought I was nuts. I was NEVER going to get married again! Well 6 months to the day we met in person we got married…..so much for NEVERS!!!!
October 4th, 2008 at 6:14 am
I love that story! And your cheese twists look so crazy good they’re making my stomach rumble. I need to go eat.
October 4th, 2008 at 7:12 am
That is the most romantic story! Brought tears to my eyes! I hope you two have a wonderful anniversary!
October 4th, 2008 at 8:03 am
Jif is THE best peanutbuttah. No chunks, please. Love the story and photo of you both. I’m such a sappy romantic. The twists look like something I’d need to sit down with a bucket of. You ship, right?
October 4th, 2008 at 1:04 pm
Yay! What a great story. Congratulations, and happy meeting anniversary!
October 4th, 2008 at 1:18 pm
What a wonderful story about meeting your husband! I hope you have an amazing anniversary!!
October 4th, 2008 at 1:27 pm
What a romantic story. I love ‘how we met’ stories!
The cheese-garlic bread twists are delicious looking.
Geeks, hmm? You might appreciate my husband. He asked me to call him when the car odometer hit 858585, so he could revel in this number marvel. Luckily, it hit the magic number in the car park at work. He was thrilled when I called to tell him.
I don’t get it personally, but it really tickles him!
October 4th, 2008 at 1:44 pm
What a great story! It’s so nice to hear how happy you are with your guy. I can’t wait to get married (6 days!!) I love the recipe too — congrats on your “anniversary”.
October 4th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
Congrats on your special meeting day anniv….beautiful story! Lovely twists and lovely couple
xxx
October 4th, 2008 at 3:26 pm
What a really sweet heartwarming story. I can feel the love between you two in that picture.
Love the twists too, yum!
October 4th, 2008 at 4:45 pm
What a great story, Peabody! Thanks for reminding us single girls not to settle…I’ll find mine one day and he’ll be SOOOO worth the wait!
October 4th, 2008 at 4:47 pm
That IS great. I’m going to have to tell my brother about your wedding date/time. He’s a number geek.
October 4th, 2008 at 7:18 pm
What a sweet story, Peabody. I just told Justin what time you guys got married on Piday and of course, he knew what that meant!
October 4th, 2008 at 7:18 pm
I really enjoyed reading your story. Congratulations on your anniversary!
October 4th, 2008 at 7:18 pm
P.S. You look beautiful, I love that picture and P.P.S. Go Jif!
October 4th, 2008 at 7:56 pm
What a lovely story, thank you for sharing it!
Those garlic bread twists would be a hit with my hubby, too!
October 4th, 2008 at 8:10 pm
Awww, that truly was sweet.
Thanks for sharing that.
October 4th, 2008 at 11:09 pm
Sweet story and yummy twists!
I love your blog.
October 5th, 2008 at 10:20 am
This is such a sweet story, Peabody! I just loved reading it. Congrats on your 5 years together. And thanks for the beautiful farlic cheese twists
October 5th, 2008 at 10:48 am
Congrats!!! Lovely story, Can I send you a greeting card???LMK….Gina
October 5th, 2008 at 4:34 pm
What a beautiful story! Congratulations on 5 wonderful years together — here’s to many, many more!! (And the garlic knots look divine!)
October 5th, 2008 at 5:10 pm
First, the twists look gorgeous. (And so do you!)
And I got choked up at the getting married at 3pm.
And I also got pushed into internet dating. My husband contacted me the second day I was on the website. We met two weeks later. We, though, are overly cautious people and waited 3 years before getting married. Our anniversary is April 14th. Curse that silly Catholic rule about not getting married in Lent. Pi Day would have been awesome!
October 5th, 2008 at 5:47 pm
What a heart-warming tale & related in such an engrossing way! Loved it as I love these twists! YUM!!
October 5th, 2008 at 6:01 pm
thanks for sharing such a great sweet story! Oh and those breadsticks look yummy!
October 5th, 2008 at 8:33 pm
So cute!
Okay … enough mooshy stuff … has HOCKEY STARTED YET???!!! SHEESH … I FEEL LIKE I’VE BEEN WAITING FOREVER!!!
October 5th, 2008 at 11:22 pm
What a great story! Love it. And I also love garlic, so I think these twists have a place in my heart, as well…
October 6th, 2008 at 6:45 am
aww–way to pull at my heartstrings early in the morning.
lovely story, and awesome gift.
October 6th, 2008 at 7:05 am
Congratulations! That’s a very sweet story!
I thought I was the only crazy person for marrying my husband so soon. We met at a club and we were engaged in less than a month and married after 3 months. We celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary 4 months ago.
October 6th, 2008 at 8:45 am
You two look so wonderful together – I love that photo, Pea.
It’s great to read real love stories about real people – especially if the people involved are someone we admire.
Congratulations on your anniversary!
These twists would make my hubby glad, since he’s not into sweets.
October 6th, 2008 at 8:53 am
What a wonderful story! The 4 year anniversary of my husband’s and my first date is this week, so this really hit home. The first time we spent time together, I experienced exactly what you described – comfort. Love is a wonderful thing!!
October 6th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
What a beautiful love story!!!! I have seen the bad side of internet dating and had to counsel a couple who wanted to split up…. I am glad your story had such a happy ending(or shall I say beginning!
October 6th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
Peabody:
That’s a beautiful story and that last paragraph about being glad you didn’t settle – well that just said it all. Thanks for sharing.
October 6th, 2008 at 4:17 pm
I love hearing stories of how people met. Thanks for sharing yours! And cheesy, garlic bread to go along with it? Couldn’t be better! Thanks for stopping by Apples and Butter!
October 6th, 2008 at 10:57 pm
That is such a sweet story! I’m a total sucker for this stuff. Thanks for sharing : )
PS- YUMMY looking lil cheesy twists too!
October 8th, 2008 at 1:31 pm
Very sweet. Funnily enough, today marks the 5 year anniversary of having met my husband the old fashioned way as well. Bless the internet for bringing geeks together.
October 8th, 2008 at 2:46 pm
What a beautiful story! I love reading how people met and fell in love!
We would love to feature your cheese twists on our blog! If interested email haleyglasco@gmail.com
October 8th, 2008 at 4:53 pm
Ah, Peabody, I know exactly how you feel. My hubby was worth all the wait, too.
October 9th, 2008 at 5:52 am
Awww, that’s is so touching! Congrats, and the cheese twists look wonderful!
October 11th, 2008 at 10:07 pm
I loved this post, I like a good modern love story. And, following the nerd angle, I have to recommend you watch the big bang theory, it´s probably the best sitcom out there right now.
October 12th, 2008 at 9:39 pm
Just goes to show you:
Some things are supposed to be!
October 14th, 2008 at 6:49 am
I just wanted to let you know.. I made these last night and they are fabulous! I posted them on my blog.
Thanks!
October 14th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
I made these on Saturday for a dinner party and my husband ate 3/4 of them prior to the group’s arrival. Needless to say they didn’t make it to the party. Mine were not as pretty as your’s. I posted a photo in my LJ journal, though, to record the effort.
October 23rd, 2008 at 2:59 pm
I made these last week for a double date dinner party and LOVED them! So soft and delicious. If i didn’t know better I would swear there was a ton of butter in these because of how good and how much like restaurant rolls they taste! I enjoyed the leftovers as a very nice breakfast too.