*** Quoting Cindy Haglund from a message to roger Nelson ***

CH> and good food is tasty if it's cooked right. SOme people just don't
CH> know how to cook. They just buy the processed junk, pop it into the
CH> mircrowave etc.. to save time for the boob tube...

I watched a new friend make 'fast dinner' just a bit ago with all that
¨pre-processed stuff.  It took her 30 mins.  The food tasted 'ok' enough as
we ¨arent all that picky.  (Havent mentioned it much in THIS echo but we
are a ¨small community feel here and very 50's MS Cleaver in some ways so
we tend to ¨have dinner at one anothers place fairly often).

It was our turn and we fed all 7 of us with a 15 min prep/work time all
with ¨fresh stuff and 1/3rd the price of her tuna cassarole 'tuna helper'
stuff.

She's jewish so pork was out but she's not a strict type.  Milk and meat is ok.

We made sliced potatoes with olive oil and parsley, steamed bok choy,
steamed ¨whole small fish (3 of them and we have leftovers, seasoned with a
little ¨calamansi powder and sake), Dashi with tofu, spinach, and a chopped
egg.  For ¨dessert, I chopped up an asian apple and put some pistachios on
the table.

We spent more time setting the table with pretty bowls and such and
arranging ¨the eating pillows, than I did cooking.  (Here, one sits on
pillows around a ¨coffee table like unit that doubles for both functions
and mine can sit 8 ¨comfortably).

Dashi might need a little explaining.  It's a fish based soup stock.  You
can ¨get pre-mixed powders but like chicken bullion, its not the same
thing.  I make ¨mine fresh and it takes 3 mins time but needs to simmer
about 20 mins.  I do ¨this in a weekly batch of about 1/2 gallon.

Oh, I pulled some bread out of the breadmaker too. A simple white one thats
a ¨bit mixed french and italian in nature.  Threw a splotch of olive oil
and ¨balsalmic vinigar in a small dish and some grated romano and let it be
with a ¨black pepper grinder next to that.  The kids were used to butter
but took right ¨away to Charlotte tearing off a bit and dipping it.
                                       xxcarol

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