Color Me Gone...Maybe

If you haven't guess....I live to travel to see and eat..the learn about the foods and lives of different people. It has been al ost a year since going back to china for a month...came back and was sick...then turn out to have two types of lung cancer...one. Ery rare and in truth, that one had been giving me trouble for about four year..who know...made the dr check me for malaria...she did but willing so....fortunately my new dr, asked for a couple tests....and was everyone surprised...two major ones, thankfully caught early, one common, and then the very rare one causing thencarsinoid syndrome...so, missing most of the left lung has made it a little slew getting back to work. I was only able to get back on the torch to work with glass...my hands had shaken so bad earlier that I could not even carry a glass of water across,the kitchen...actually it was funny to see..the water would start to rock,back,and forth...then faster..and faster...until it was slopping out both sides..I did a lot of reading and living the life of th slug.... sooooonow.....I have signed up foe two classes at the old folks home...digital,camera....after using film for,25 years and a large format camera...why oh why do I want a camera that can talk,to,me...that takes movies....that has more choices than fingers,,,and that I have to spend hours looking at a monitor....qi have tried the duo load on the computer several times...what ho...a glitch...then don't know what's where and always end up with not enough on some and too many of others......" The second class at the old people's center...geneology....I should have my head examined...you think people lie now!?!lkyou should get a old of then....and in my family...lots of duet has been swept under the rug...and no one talked about it til later...I didn't know there were cousins til I was in my 50's. And still later thought those who had been dead for years hadn't been dead til recently...... So wat does this have to do with the price of beans...I aam trying to pare down things a littl in the freezer..as in testing..I pulled a piece of green tomato pie out..of the freezer..looked goog, the nibble tastes good....mlkladt light I had chicken lasagna...was okay...tomorrow will be Oslo bucco with mashed potatoes ans chives....got to get this freezer down...a new ice maker coming in on order next week to. Change out...got wild hair tha it would just liffey up the arm and leave it up so it would not to have to make more ice summer will come and the hunger generation will be T the beach to show the younger ones how to work some of this stuff...like why does it ,mess up, when my fingers don't even touch the thing Oh, besides back in the metals,smithing , the learn how to use a digital camera on things other than auto...and geneology. Have planes to head back to Vietnam and Cambodia....should be great,,,,and found another tour company with office in calif...explore!!! Sme just awesome trips to places that I want to go to Kp ickes up a package o tofu pouches at H.Mart..going to test them out..Marie went to a get together for work and a Someone brought them,,,,goggled up...refrigerated section A Week

Photos....

 
Yes, working again on trying to figure out layouts...but adding the photos of the hot Shrimp and Pasta and the Bstilla...well found out how to make them smaller...but not side by side..next the shrimp...

Okay!  side by side!  I can cook...I can shoot when I take the time and remember....but I would just rather cook...tonight is going to be marinating two cornish hens..made my mother's Shrimp Creole last night but just prep the dish..the peas are added and the shrimp but not cooked...that will happen at service time.  Also it can be thawed as is after being frozen and then gently heated...love good food...hate to cook at night..and only cooking for one in a pain.  Probably will send what I don't eat at one meal across the street.  I did have mac, cheese and cauliflower for dinner last night.

Mac, Cheese, Cauliflower:  Yes, make a white sauce..add the cheese...pour over the pasta..I like the 'screwy ones with the hole in the center', and the cauliflower which I have had in the pot of boiling water for about three minutes...don't want it 'cooked and really tender'....I did put it in the oven frozen, lid on for about 40 minutes and then lid off for about 20...I usually make enough for one pound of pasta...toss it all up and put in aluminum container, freeze...this is great to make ahead...I use cheese that is in the fridge...usually a couple of different types...if you have some for the top or crumbs...great...you don't need a recipe to cook everything.....

Also, same photos here but better layout than whoshotthechef.blogspot.com

Bstilla, Feta and Haricot Vert Salad

How about them words....really Feta and Green Bean Salad...no recipe....made a dijon mustard vinaigrette ( o.o. and canola and apple and rice vinegar)...use the taste test, verts, feta and red onion.  More details on Who Shot the Chef blog.

The Bstilla that I made a couple weeks ago...remember the small one I made from the 'leftovers'?  That one went into the freezer, out two days ago to thaw and into the oven this afternoon.  Then out to rest, decorate, and prep for Marie and her friend to take to the 'gathering' tonight.  What a wonderful thing it is to be able to pull something out of the freezer to looks like it took hours...well the first cooking the chicken was the only thing that took 'hours'.  Putting the pie together do not..and baking it off...about 45 minutes....

Both dishes off with a beautiful handmade pottery bowl for the beans...leave the bowl...and a plate for the pie...leave the plate..this time did not send serving utensils...that way easy to leave...bring my knife and the ring that was used to protect the pie in transport...what will I make tomorrow?

Big Green Egg customer service

There in it is sadly lacking...never a call back at the end of yesterday...nor was there any return call today....after several calls....will have to pass on a couple of quotes from their manager of the retail store in Tucker, Georgia....was really on the edge of having them just pick the thing up...lot less trouble and a lot more fun to book another trip to Europe or Asia!  and for the same price!  "We pride ourselves on customer service but can't always please everyone"...How about returning calls in a timely fashion...if there is a glitch....let the customer know when it happens..don't leave them in the dark...when asked what he could do to make it right...listen to this...I said write a little...said he could if he could have my email address...when I said I would like it US mail..he said " I can't, we are running a business here"....gotten a love a guy who thinks he is more important than the customer...and told the guy who is going to bring the parts they didn't send the first time...he, yes, manager Terry McMillian, said well he would trade me the old style handle for the new one which was one the show room sample!  Duh!  I bought what was shown! ..."and maybe that would make me happy".....Like a car with last year's driver's seat....probably have more business sense...been self employed for 40 years...graduated from CIA in NY at 52..still have cooked a 125 pound pig in the back yard over coals....and traveled a lot more....glad he never worked for me...wouldn't any longer with that type of attitude.....nothing like a smartass young person who things he is brighter than anyone older..

Big Green Egg short parts

Well, I took the dive last Friday and bought a Big Green Egg...the big egg..the extra large egg....and the cart to put it in...and no, didn't put in the back of my truck.  Yesterday the gentleman who contracts with them brought the egg and cart in a number of boxes...and guess what?  Yup..short parts...short the ceramic top...didn't get the rounder handle to open the egg that was on the showroom model...and no plate holder....still sitting around at 5 this afternoon...haven't heard from a sole...or is a for a shoe?  Can't cook tonight...will I be able to cook tomorrow?  or for the weekend?  not sure what is going on..will call...don't you love a phone recording that is three months out of date?  They want you to sign up for the cooking academy class in January...for tailgate parties for the football games...guess no one likes to answer the phone at the end of the day either...probably figure that I can wait...so will post while I am waiting for this 'great customer service'....

bstilla, Mocorro pigeon pie,

Back up and running.  This heavenly pie was baked off yesterday and taken to a friend's house for a dinner party.  In this case, my pie was made with chicken and not pigeon...alas...I also prepared it ahead...froze it, thawed it, baked it.  My pie is like the one I had in Algeria 40 years ago and finally found a recipe in Claudia Roden's book A Book of Middle Eastern Food several years later.  Rememer...no internet then and the cook books were the ones that the book seller thought he could sell...not many people going to North Africa back then.

This savory pie is layers of phyllo, almonds, eggs, phyllo, savory chicken and eggs and phyllo....baked and then garnished with cinnamon and sugar...If you can find a copy of the out of print book it would be wonderful for your library...if not you will be able to find some recipe on the web.  I can't vouch that it would be like the one I had in Algeria....but perhaps close to Ms. Roden's.

One very wonderful aspect of this recipe is that I have made it in smaller 'packages' and frozen all sizes to be thawed later and then baked off.  This has always been that special recipe that will be able to be made in all sizes.  I have made then first off in cast iron skillets for the form and then later in a ring that was sold for a deep dish pizza...worked great for this.  I have always used a form...the pie is built with the first layer being the buttered roasted nuts...I have made it with spray butter flavor in the can, melted butter in a spray bottle and then melted butter with a brush....I prefer the phyllo in the larger sheets...most grocers now are carrying the package with two smaller individually wrapped portions...they are about half sheets...but just allow enough time and work quickly when using the phyllo..

In any case, make it, serve it, and enjoy your pie being the center of attention.

Parsnips and Pastilla

Parsnips...check out whoshotthechef . Roasted, olive oil, salt and pepper. And the pastilla or also known as the bstilla which is the pigeon pie that I ate in Algeria and later cooked at home. Find out about this wonder pie in my other blog!