[speaker001:] Okay, um, do you like to cook?
[speaker002:] Well, I love to cook as a matter of fact I'm making dinner right now [LAUGHTER].
[speaker001:] Oh, really, what are you making?
[speaker002:] Um, I, um, I'm making, some, uh, I have a little turkey left from a passover whi-, whi-, which was in April.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] And I had frozen it and I'm defrosting that and making some dressing and gravy and making corn and wheat stuff that you can buy at a store, which is like, uh, rice pilaf,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] but we with, with, with wheat kernel that,
[speaker001:] And do you cook, I mean are you single do you cook every night for yourself?
[speaker002:] No, um, I'm married and actually the, my wife is a vegetarian,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] so this isn't for her, this is for our friends that came over and helped.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] helped me do some stuff so,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] stuff so,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] he and I, and, and she's having, I, I do cook, um, virtually, I cook most of the time because I,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh, well like if you were having a dinner party what, would you cook a variety of things, I mean, you know, vegetarian and nonvegetarian?
[speaker002:] Yeah, we, we, consistently, if we cook, if, if we have a dinner party we usually make it vegetarian just to make life easier.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] So we'll make something, you know, uh, some sort of pasta or something,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] you know, homemade pasta or lasagna or something.
[speaker001:] Yeah, that's something that's, you know, really easy. In fact I'm having a dinner [LAUGHTER] party next Saturday and that is what I'm having is pasta.
[speaker002:] Oh, good idea.
[speaker001:] Well for,
[speaker002:] What,
[speaker001:] for Christmas I got a, um, pasta machine,
[speaker002:] Um.
[speaker001:] and all, all my friends are really anxious, you know, to have the homemade noodles so, um,
[speaker002:] Electric or, uh,
[speaker001:] No it's the hand kind,
[speaker002:] Best,
[speaker001:] old fashion kind [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] kind. That, that, that, that's we, we bought one in Italy.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] That's the best kind to have.
[speaker001:] Yeah, yeah, I like, you know, kind of still having in put that not everything's being done for me.
[speaker002:] Uh-huh,
[speaker001:] You know.
[speaker002:] that's real good.
[speaker001:] But, um, yeah, so that's what I'm going to be cooking, you know,
[speaker002:] Um.
[speaker001:] I thought I would , um, pasta salad first, and, {F um, then } just something for desert, you know, bread and wine and cheese stuff like that.
[speaker002:] That would be great. Have you made pasta before?
[speaker001:] Uh-huh. Yeah.
[speaker002:] Um, so you know, so you know that it's a, a lot of fun actually.
[speaker001:] Yeah, yeah.
[speaker002:] I,
[speaker001:] A lot of people think though that I've talked to about it think that it's, you know a lot of hard work and I said heck [LAUGHTER] it's kind of easy.
[speaker002:] It actually is, if, if, if you have a food processor, I don't know if you have a food processor or not. Actually,
[speaker001:] Yeah, I do.
[speaker002:] it, it turns out that i-, i-, if, if you really want to be nice and easy about it you can make the dough in the food processor really simply.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] And then, um, and with that it becomes really easy to make colorful pasta.
[speaker001:] Right, right.
[speaker002:] By throwing in some spinach or some tomato or something and mixing it up it, it's,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] a snap from there. And then,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] I made, I making yucky.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] It's also, people think it's real hard, it just time consuming to get all of the little things right.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] Otherwise it's real,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] it's good stuff. What other kinds of, uh, dinner parties [LAUGHTER] do you serve?
[speaker001:] Um, well, I don't entertain that often, uh, when I do though I, I have some friends that I always [LAUGHTER] like to experiment on.
[speaker002:] [LAUGHTER].
[speaker001:] But, you know, um, I see a recipe and think, oh wow, I'd really like to try this, cause I'm single and I live by myself,
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] so it's not necessarily something that I would cook just for myself.
[speaker002:] Right, you didn't want to cook.
[speaker001:] So I'll say, okay, you guys are experimental I want say how this is going to turn out *say see [LAUGHTER] but, [LAUGHTER] here we go and usually I'm, I'm pretty good about it.
[speaker002:] That's great.
[speaker001:] Um, I have this really good recipe for this, um, pork chop and apple casserole kind of thing and, um, you put stuffing and put poached apples and everything and my girlfriend and her husband loved it,
[speaker002:] Uh.
[speaker001:] in fact she passed it on to her parent {C and [LAUGHTER],
[speaker002:] [LAUGHTER].
[speaker001:] so } it's like it really made the rounds and I was quite impressed with myself if I should say so.
[speaker002:] Yeah, that's how these things sort of make it for one person as an experiment and,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] I usually find it when I make up for the first time I usually doctor it just a,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] little bit and little here and there and,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] it works real well.
[speaker001:] Well, I'm the kind of cook that I don't normally measure things, I just kind of throw them in and, you know, I don't to the point of, you know, measuring down to the exact amount that they say.
[speaker002:] That means you're a real cook.
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER] Oh, is that what it means.
[speaker002:] If you've ever watched the ones on television like, uh, Jeff Schmidt, the super gourmet.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] He, he just, thro-, takes stuff he says, yeah about an ounce of this [LAUGHTER] or something.
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] It's real good.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] Yeah, we have a, we do, uh, uh, middle eastern dinner quite a bit actually,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] or, uh, we have people other that have never experienced it before and haven't had much middle eastern food. *other over
[speaker001:] No, I haven't.
[speaker002:] We make, uh, cause we're my wife is Syrian.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] And, um, her families always have this food she grew up in, and I've made some of it before as well,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] so we make, uh, four or five middle eastern dishes that are just all real simple.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] We put them out for people an-, and that's always a real big kick for people who want, you know, who've never tried it before.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] That's, that's, that's, that's a fun idea I mean if you ever, uh, want something different to try.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] I would try that.
[speaker001:] Um, yeah, I've been wanting to take an, um, oriental cooking class and I just haven't gotten around to it yet.
[speaker002:] Oh, do you have a wok though?
[speaker001:] Yeah,
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] I stir fry things on occasion but I'd like to know more about, you know, more elaborate things like guess.
[speaker002:] I think it's God's gift to cooking.
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] Cause it's just quick,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] it's easy, um, and the food just comes out, you know, if you do it right I think it comes out, the food comes out very tasty not very mushy,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] you know, and, and it doesn't taste like a million calories of oil so.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] We li-, live in our wok.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh, really.
[speaker002:] Yeah, we, we, we like to eat even when we eat out and stuff we eat a lot of Chinese food,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] or Japanese food or, you know,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] Korean,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] and that seems to, so wok food seems to be our thing.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] So anything else you cook [LAUGHTER].
[speaker001:] Um, I just kind of, you know cook here cook there [LAUGHTER]. I don't have any one specialty I mean I'm always willing to try anything usually.
[speaker002:] Well, that's good, that's always the way to do it. I think it's, uh,.
[speaker001:] And I, I especially like baking and making deserts. I've taken a cake decorating class and,
[speaker002:] Oh, the Wilson course?
[speaker001:] No, no, actually it was a private course,
[speaker002:] I like it.
[speaker001:] through like a com-,
[speaker002:] That's great, I haven't the Wilson class.
[speaker001:] It is, it's, it's neat but it takes a long time, you know, I mean like I'm elected to always bring cakes into work [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] [LAUGHTER].
[speaker001:] Like for people's birthdays and that and it's like, you know, you bake the cakes and then I guess just because I don't have the expertise to just hurry up and do it,
[speaker002:] Right.
[speaker001:] like, you know, some, a professional would I try to, I go real slow and, you know, it's a little time consuming,
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] but it's really worth your effort once you see how you do.
[speaker002:] Yeah, oh, yeah, we have, um, my brother can do it,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] he's, he's, uh, got a degree in business management so he learned to, uh, how to do this.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] Can you hold on one second?
[speaker001:] Sure.
[speaker002:] Thank you. Sorry about that.
[speaker001:] That's okay [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] Some one kept beeping in our calling waiting,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] so.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] Yeah, he, he, do-, does that a lot,
[speaker001:] So.
[speaker002:] so, you know, he cooks a lot but,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] you know, he bakes a lot whenever he, whe-, when my wife and I got married the night before we had a party.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] Or two nights before and he baked us, he made a real big cake himself,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] , so New Years our friend made a baby.
[speaker001:] Oh, my.
[speaker002:] Cake like a baby New York.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] It was amazing I never,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] could do anything with cakes so.
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] I get the mold I put, I put it on, you know, the frosting always melts and it's,
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] it's just horrible.
[speaker001:] Well, you learn helpful hints in the classes at least.
[speaker002:] Yeah, I'm,
[speaker001:] You know, the instructor told us certain things about well, don't follow what's really necessarily on the box, you know, if you're making just a cake from a box, you know, do this cause, you know, make it a variety.
[speaker002:] Oh that, that you mean about the,
[speaker001:] You know, some different hints.
[speaker002:] mix itself.
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] Well, that helps.
[speaker001:] Some different hints, you know, and the different thi-, the different kinds of frostings you can make, you know, and I have a book an it, and, you know, all of the different, you know, decorating tips an things like that.
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] So.
[speaker002:] Well, most frostings are sort of butter cream to aren't they. * to too
[speaker001:] Yeah, yeah.
[speaker002:] Those are, those kill me it's like, it's like I'm eating sugar, but they're good sugar.
[speaker001:] Well, yeah [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] I think that's part of the problem, yeah.
[speaker001:] Yeah, so that's about it.
[speaker002:] Yeah, I guess so.
[speaker001:] Okay, well.
[speaker002:] It was, it was a pleasure chatting with you.
[speaker001:] It was nice talking to you.
[speaker002:] Yes, well, have a good time cooking for your dinner party next week.
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER] Thank you.
[speaker002:] Bye-bye.
[speaker001:] Bye-bye.