Dear Viking oven...

I know you think I've abandoned you because you've been sitting in storage for all these months. I imagine it must be cold in there, especially in contrast to the magnificent heat you produce on your six heavy-duty burners and your 18,000 BTU broiler.

I bet you think I've forgotten all the nights we spent together, preparing juicy chicken cordon bleu with asparagus and ham; luscious wine-soaked lamb chops with rosemary; tantalizing chicken tagine with olives and lemon; or succulent pecan-crusted salmon. And perhaps you think I don't remember the joys we had as I learned how to prepare divine desserts, like spongy molten lava chocolate cake with its gooey chocolate center; and rich creme brulee with its sweet glassy top.

But I truly haven't forgotten our shared, but brief affair -- right down to the moment that we decided cookies weren't worth our time. (That's when we fell in love with truffles, if you recall.)

I'm sure this letter is not enough to comfort you. So to prove how often I've been thinking about you, I promise to come bearing gifts the next time we see other -- perhaps in the spring. The book sale at work was kind to us both, and I have stocked up on Chocolate Obsession; The Cheese Lover's Cookbook and Guide; Three Guys from Miami Cook Cuban; In Nirmala's Kitchen: Everyday World Cuisine and more.

So please be patient and wait for me as I patiently await our next meeting. And let us not say 'goodbye' but but rather 'au revoir' or 'until we meet again.'

With fondness, Jen