[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
[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 which which which was in April
[speaker001:] uh-huh
[speaker002:] and I had frozen it and I'm defrosting that and making some defrosting some gravy and making corn and this wheat pilaf stuff that you can buy at a store which is like uh rice pilaf but we with with with wheat kernel that
[speaker001:] uh-huh 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 helped me do some stuff so stuff so 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 uh-huh 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 you know homemade pasta or lasagna or something
[speaker001:] uh-huh yeah that's something that's you know really easy in fact I'm having a dinner party next Saturday and that is what I'm having is pasta
[speaker002:] oh good idea what
[speaker001:] well for for Christmas I got a um pasta machine and all all my friends are really anxious you know to have the homemade noodles so um
[speaker002:] um electric or uh
[speaker001:] no it's the hand kind old fashion kind
[speaker002:] best kind that that that that's we we bought one in Italy that's the best kind to have
[speaker001:] uh-huh yeah yeah I like you know kind of still having in put that not everything's being done for me you know
[speaker002:] uh-huh that's real good
[speaker001:] but um yeah so that's what I'm going to be cooking you know I thought I would have like an antipasta um salad first and um then just something for desert you know bread and wine and cheese stuff like that
[speaker002:] um that would be great have you made pasta before
[speaker001:] uh-huh
[speaker002:] um so you know so you know that it's a a lot of fun actually
[speaker001:] yeah yeah yeah 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 it's kind of easy
[speaker002:] I it actually is if if if you have a food processor I don't know if you have a food processor or not actually it it turns out that if if if if you really want to be nice and easy about it you can make the dough in the food processor really simply
[speaker001:] yeah I do uh-huh
[speaker002:] and then um and with that it it becomes really easy to make colorful pasta by throwing in some spinach or some tomato or something and mixing it up it it it it's just a snap from there and then you get to roll it out yourself
[speaker001:] right right uh-huh uh-huh
[speaker002:] I made yucky I making yucky every now and then as well
[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 otherwise it's real simple it's good stuff
[speaker001:] uh-huh uh-huh
[speaker002:] what other kinds of uh dinner parties 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 like to experiment on 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 but 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 in fact she passed it on to her parent and
[speaker002:] huh
[speaker001:] so it's like it really made the rounds and I was quite impressed with myself if I should say so
[speaker002:] well that yeah that's the way these things sort of make it is you 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 little bit you know my own way here and there and it works real well
[speaker001:] uh-huh uh-huh 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:] oh is that what it means
[speaker002:] if you've ever watched the ones on television like uh Jeff Schmidt the super gourmet he he just throws takes stuff he says yeah about an ounce of this or something
[speaker001:] uh-huh
[speaker002:] it's real good yeah we have a
[speaker001:] uh-huh
[speaker002:] we do uh uh middle eastern dinner quite a bit actually or uh we have people other that have never experienced it before and haven't had much middle eastern food
[speaker001:] uh-huh no I haven't
[speaker002:] we make uh because we're my wife is Syrian and um her families always have this food she grew up in and I've made some of it before as well so we make uh four or five middle eastern dishes that are just all real simple
[speaker001:] uh-huh uh-huh uh-huh
[speaker002:] we put them out for people and 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 yeah those
[speaker001:] yeah yeah I stir fry things on occasion but I'd like to know more about you know more elaborate things I guess
[speaker002:] I think it's God's gift to cooking because it's just quick it's easy um and the food just comes out you know if you do it right I think it comes out
[speaker001:] uh-huh uh-huh
[speaker002:] the food comes out very tasty not very mushy you know and and it doesn't taste like a million calories of oil so
[speaker001:] um-hum uh-huh
[speaker002:] we live 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 or Japanese food or you know Korean or something or Vietnamese or something
[speaker001:] uh-huh uh-huh uh-huh
[speaker002:] and that seems to so wok food seems to be our thing
[speaker001:] uh-huh
[speaker002:] so anything else you cook
[speaker001:] um I just kind of you know cook here cook there 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 the
[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 through like a company
[speaker002:] I like it that's great I haven't the the the thing I really want to do I keep seeing the signs for the 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 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 like you know some a professional would I try to I go real slow and you know it's a little time consuming but it's really worth your effort once you see how you do
[speaker002:] right uh-huh yeah oh yeah we have um my brother can do it he's he's uh got a degree in business management so he learned to uh how to do this really well
[speaker001:] uh-huh uh-huh
[speaker002:] can you hold on one second thank you
[speaker001:] sure
[speaker002:] thank you sorry about that
[speaker001:] that's okay
[speaker002:] some one kept beeping in our calling waiting over and over again so
[speaker001:] uh-huh uh-huh
[speaker002:] yeah he he does does that a lot so you know he cooks a lot
[speaker001:] so uh-huh
[speaker002:] but you know he bakes a lot whenever he when when my wife and I got married the night before we had a party or two nights before and he baked us he made a real big cake himself
[speaker001:] uh-huh uh-huh
[speaker002:] did it up and we have a friend who can do for New Years our friend made a baby cake like a baby New York
[speaker001:] oh my uh-huh
[speaker002:] it was amazing
[speaker001:] uh-huh
[speaker002:] I never have can't do anything with cakes so I get the mold I put I put it on you know the frosting always melts and it's 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 mix itself well that helps
[speaker001:] you know some different hints yeah some different hints you know and the different things 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
[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
[speaker002:] I suspect that's part of the problem but you know
[speaker001:] yeah so that's about it
[speaker002:] yeah I guess so it was it was a pleasure chatting with you yes well have a good time cooking for your dinner party next week
[speaker001:] okay well it was nice talking to you thank you
[speaker002:] all righty bye-bye
[speaker001:] bye-bye