[speaker001:] All right, what type of things would you fix if you're having company come over?
[speaker002:] Well, I have a really great one that I make in the summertime because it's cool and it's, uh, it's just really pretty easy. It's pretty much dumping things in and stirring.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] And I like that. Uh, the only thing you have to do is cook the rice that goes in, in it and then I, you're supposed to do chicken, but I just use those little cans of chicken.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] And it makes it so much easier, and so you dump the rice, you dump the chicken and then you put in fruit like pineapple and mandarin oranges and grape, now grapes are the ones that you have to pull all that off, but I get my kids to do that, so, [LAUGHTER]
[speaker001:] Oh [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] I, I don't have to do that. And, um, and it really, and you mix it all up with ye-, there's a little dressing that goes in it that you have to stir up, but it's so simple and it tastes really good because it's cool in the summertime.
[speaker001:] Oh, yeah. You serve it cold?
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] Oh, yeah, that sounds good.
[speaker002:] Yeah, it has to sit in the fridge over night, but, but it's really good.
[speaker001:] Um.
[speaker002:] And I like that one.
[speaker001:] Yeah. Usually when we entertain we do something really simple, because I like to visit with my company,
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] and not be scurrying around in the kitchen, so,
[speaker002:] Exactly.
[speaker001:] a lot of times, we'll barbecue like, uh, for Memorial Day we had some friends over and we just bought a brisket and marinated it overnight in one of those like Adolph's meat marinate,
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] and put it on the smoker and cooked it.
[speaker002:] Oh, that sounds good.
[speaker001:] And tha-, it was real good. You can buy a fairly cheap piece of meat that way and then people think they're eating steak or something [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] Yeah, yeah [LAUGHTER]. And these days that helps, doesn't it?
[speaker001:] Yeah, yeah.
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] It really does.
[speaker002:] I know what you mean.
[speaker001:] I don't usually I just pass on any recipe that's got more than five or six steps to it because I just know I'll never take the time to do it.
[speaker002:] Now spaghetti's such an easy one. Um, I do that a lot.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] I do spaghetti a lot.
[speaker001:] Yeah, it seems like most people like spaghetti.
[speaker002:] Yeah, I don't like to do that i-, if it's ho-, real hot though.
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] Because, um, I don't know, I have a real thing about being hot in the, in the summertime.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] I guess.
[speaker001:] Well I think when you heat your kitchen up it really makes a big difference,
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] in your whole house.
[speaker002:] Yeah, I think that's right. And, um, we don't entertain that often, but when we do, I'm like you. I like it to be fast and easy.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] And something so that we can talk and not
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] and not have to worry about being in the kitchen all the time.
[speaker001:] Most, we don't entertain like people from work or stuff e-, often. It's usually friends from church and stuff,
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] and it's usually kind of like, you want to come over, and they say well what can we bring.
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] And so it's real easy because you just make one or two things and everybody else brings something.
[speaker002:] That's exactly like us, from our church, we just do it, yeah.
[speaker001:] Oh yeah, yeah.
[speaker002:] Uh.
[speaker001:] It's a lot more relaxing. I don't know if I could take the pressure of having to m-, you know, put on this really fancy dinner for someone.
[speaker002:] Well you see all that on T V and I could never be that person.
[speaker001:] Huh-uh.
[speaker002:] It just, uh, I'm just not, well I'm so, I'm pretty laid back.
[speaker001:] Yeah w-,
[speaker002:] And, uh, you know, so I don't, I know a lady in a, my church and, uh, she like does her own bread and does her own stuff and so when she, um, does food, she really goes all out and I don't know how she can do it and be calm [LAUGHTER].
[speaker001:] Yeah [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] I guess,
[speaker001:] Do you work?
[speaker002:] No, I don't.
[speaker001:] Do you stay home with kids?
[speaker002:] Uh-huh, yeah.
[speaker001:] Yeah. I, I've been working, we're going to have a baby this summer, and I'm not going to work anymore.
[speaker002:] Oh, how exciting.
[speaker001:] Yeah. So hopefully, I think I'll enjoy cooking more, when I don't have to work all day. I don't like to come home and stand in the kitchen and spend an hour fixing something and then have to clean it up and by then it's eight thirty or nine o'clock at night, so.
[speaker002:] Yeah. Well I usually start about six and, an, and cook and then eat at seven.
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] I mean, co-, cook at five and eat at six, rather.
[speaker001:] Eat at six, yeah.
[speaker002:] Yeah, and, uh, my family and I, we're a sit down together family.
[speaker001:] Oh, that's good.
[speaker002:] Uh, yeah, I don't like the run in and out part.
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] And I like to be able to sit down after school and have them talk with me an, and my husband about what's happened and,
[speaker001:] Yeah, that's neat.
[speaker002:] I think I, that was ingrained in me during my family time at home.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] And, uh, you know we could learn to talk about things and I think that's good.
[speaker001:] Yeah, that really is. It keeps the family in touch with what's going on with each other.
[speaker002:] Yeah. I think,
[speaker001:] Right now we eat in front of the T V but since it's just the two of us, it's [LAUGHTER],
[speaker002:] Yeah, yeah [LAUGHTER]. Well that happens to us sometimes too.
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] But, uh, sometimes if something, uh, is on that they want to watch I leave it on, but we eat in the kitchen and their heads are always poking past the door.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh, [LAUGHTER] to see what's happening.
[speaker002:] Yeah. Anyway food is, is, uh, a real life-style kind of thing and i-, some people don't like to do this but I like to co-, uh, cook with my kids.
[speaker001:] Oh, uh-huh.
[speaker002:] And if they're going to have other kids over then, then they help. And we make real simple things, you know, those, oh, I don-, I don't know if you've ever made them, maybe not since you don't have kids yet, but those Jell-O, uh, gelatin things you can pick up with your fingers, I can't think of what they call it.
[speaker001:] Oh, I've seen those in the magazines.
[speaker002:] Yeah, they're so simple.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] And the kids love to do that. Uh, finger food is, is a biggie with them.
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] And, and like, now one thing I wish I could find a, a better way to do are celery sticks and carrot sticks, because they love to do that and it's just really hard and if you have to work with a knife, I don't like that.
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] So, that's, uh, they like to eat it, but it's a hard one to have to, to prepare.
[speaker001:] Yeah, .
[speaker002:] But they like that with the, the cool ranch dressing that goes along with that.
[speaker001:] Oh yeah, yeah, we like that.
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] That's good that, that's a good way to get kids to eat vegetables too.
[speaker002:] Yeah. My son's getting to be a, a real good cook so, uh,
[speaker001:] Oh, neat.
[speaker002:] sometimes he fixes me breakfast [LAUGHTER].
[speaker001:] Oh, wow, that's great [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] Yeah, I like it, I like it a lot.
[speaker001:] How old is he?
[speaker002:] He's eleven.
[speaker001:] Eleven, wow,
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] that's good.
[speaker002:] Yeah, so hi-,
[speaker001:] Do you cook breakfa-, like you cook a breakfast every morning or,
[speaker002:] Uh, not every morning, uh, mostly during the summer it's hit and miss and,
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] we usually have like, uh, cold cereal or something like that.
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] Um, during the su-, during wintertime when they're in school, um, then I try to vary it so that we only eat that like a twice a, twice a week or something and then have like, when it's really cold, I even cook oatmeal,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] Because I like oatmeal and the loo-, they like it all right.
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] And, um, then sometimes we do something, it has to be fast because they're on their way to school, we do like Eggo waffles and stuff like that, but.
[speaker001:] Oh, uh-huh, yeah.
[speaker002:] Yeah, so, I try to, uh, and sometimes we do eggs if I get up early enough to do that. I used to do them in the microwave, but they don't like that.
[speaker001:] Oh, do they get rubbery, or,
[speaker002:] Um.
[speaker001:] I've never tried it.
[speaker002:] It de-, it depends. If you let them cook too long
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] then they'll turn a little bit gray. You can tell if they've gone to long because they'll turn a little bit gray and they will be a little harder, and I don't like that.
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] So you have to just let it cook a little bit less than what it says in, if you have a microwave book, but you cook it a little bit less and then let it sit with a, like a plate over the top.
[speaker001:] Oh.
[speaker002:] And let it steam.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] And then, and then stir it up.
[speaker001:] Huh.
[speaker002:] Yeah, an, and that turns out okay.
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] And it's funny 'cause if I turn them out on to a di-, i-, on to like a plate, for them to take what they want, [child talking]
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] they don't know I've ever done it in a microwave.
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] It's really funny, it's very deceiving, you know, 'cause if they see it with their eyes they go, uh, I don't like want that,
[speaker001:] Yeah [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] you know, and yet if they don't ever see it, th-, then it's like, oh this tastes okay, you know, so.
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] Anyway.
[speaker001:] We had, my grandmother used to do that to us with things like squash. Everybody would say we don't like squash, we won't eat squash, so she would make these fancy casseroles and hide it in there, you know,
[speaker002:] Yeah [LAUGHTER].
[speaker001:] and then we'd go, oh, this is really good.