Wednesday, May 23, 2018

Graduation Dinner

My boyfriend graduated from the full-time MBA program at UT earlier this month.

I'm proud of him. He had a full career in the military before heading back to school. As much as it's been a time for learning finance, accounting and Excel, it's also been a time for transitioning his vocabulary and acclimating to the civilian perspective. It's been a lot to take on at a time in life when change is less appealing to most.

I had to talk him into participating in the graduation ceremony. Ironic, given that I refused to walk in my own law school and MBA graduation ceremonies eight (8!) years ago.

By the time I won this negotiation, every restaurant we tried for post-ceremony dinner reservations was already booked. This meant I had to pull together a modest celebratory dinner to be enjoyed at home, which was a touch difficult because we needed to leave the house for the ceremony mid-preparation and had a house full of hungry guests immediately thereafter. Here's what we came up with:
  • Main - Picked up chilled brisket from Franklin's to reheat using a pseudo sous vide method that required minimal supervision.
  • Side 1 - Cowboy beans that simmered in a slow cooker throughout the day.
  • Side 2 - Corn on the cob. This was the only item I cooked after the ceremony.
  • Side 3 - White bread (because, as I was surprised to learn at my own UT Law orientation, in Texas, white bread goes hand in with BBQ).
  • Dessert - Pecan pie baked the day before.
It was simple and very fitting for a Texas graduation. I would have loved to do something more involved, but think it was smart to dial it back and reduce stress so we could all enjoy the celebration. He was happy about the menu and that's what was important!

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