Food with Friends

By Matthew Kraus

Edgar Randolf, a homeowner, Edna Seabrook, his cook, and the homeowner's friend, Dan Cleary, expound on food and cooking. Dan comes sometimes with another friend. Their notions of dining include about diet and the kitchen. Edgar and Edna enjoy regular meals in their living situation, Edna is the most involved in the cooking and kitchen duties. T

• Language: English
• Publisher: Writers Branding LLC
• Release date: May 31, 2022
• ISBN: 9781639451982

Matthew Kraus

Matthew was born abroad and graduated from high school in Hawaii (Oahu). He has an AA university degree. He has written some poetry getting some poems published in a journal and books. In the 1990's he wrote and published the Atomic World newsletter. His recent books published include Melodies of the Isles (2020), Wave Riding Into Therapy (2019), and Overcoming Schizophrenia (2014).

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Food With Friends

Food and Dining

Matthew Kraus

Food With Friends

Food and Dining

Copyright © 2022 by Matthew Kraus

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

ISBN: (Paperback) 978-1-63945-009-1

The views expressed in this book are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

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AUTHOR’S NOTE

I wrote this book with numerous thoughts, it would come out good and was a book I had wanted to write for some time. It was idealized sharable by many different people who would enjoy written cooking stories.

The photos are by the author.

ONE

The house on the outskirts of a fictionalized medium-sized American mid-west town, has three bedrooms and one and a half baths. The house belongs to Edgar Gust Randolph, a retired offic e worker.

Edgar hired a live-in cook, Edna. She usually dishes out the food and discusses food and the making of various dishes. Edna could have teaching credentials when it comes to food preparation, dining, and household chores.

Edna does some of the food shopping, which allows Edgar to relax and take it easy around dinnertime. He has become better informed through reading food product labels and listening to Edna’s reports and lectures, which he sometimes checks the accuracy of on the Internet.

They have enjoyable times and sometimes shop together. One of Edna’s shopping trips included a purchase of precooked chicken from the store’s deli section that had been overpriced. The store it was purchased at was known for a good deli section with seats for eaters.

Breakfast cereals with milk are occasionally of the regular ones Edgar has, he includes nutritional yeast as he enjoys a multi-grain cereal.

The condiments on the cereal he uses include raw organic pumpkin seeds (pulverized in a blender), maple syrup used sparsely as a sweetener, and dried prunes (pits removed), especially for Edgar. The cereal is served to give a morning boost, which is often with fresh coffee. The types of coffee vary since Edgar likes to try different coffees, and he keeps a wide variety to choose from.

Edna has recommended flavored syrups.

As they are finished with breakfast there is some discussion.

Edgar commented, So many fine, simple meals are made on the spur of the moment and go unrecorded; for example, rice (with coconut oil and sea salt) cooked with vegetables (Chinese cabbage and eggplant) and gobo pieces. This may be enjoyed with soy sauce or/and other condiments. This rice dish is good as a staple for shrimp (cooked and peeled).

After lunch, refrigerating leftovers becomes a regular event. Many are the meals Edgar finds available. He likes reheating and serving to enjoy a quick meal. Often the rice is freshly made, and homemade bread is accompanying the dish.

The dishes are dished out. While one dish was being discarded because of spoilage, another was discarded because it had been experimental and not come out so well. At times, a left-over dish was set out for the last time. But there were still a lot of very nice dishes.

Edna, having worked in numerous restaurants where she got first-hand experience in professional food preparation, was besides doing professional presentations, having an enjoyable experience that is given to her friends. Her restaurant work, which at one time was under an incomparable chef at a family restaurant, gave her all-around culinary experience. In being part of the picture of cooking for an executive for well over a year, she learned a lot.

Edna then sets the morning coffee.

Edna said, There are many fine coffees! You know, organic seems a little milder to me, less acidic, but flavored coffees taste good. Also, the finer ground coffee is my favorite. Coarse ground coffee is better sometimes.

Edgar added, Or sometimes used for cold brew, pretty good that way.

Edna added, The courser ground coffees are my preference, but I can appreciate the more finely ground, expensive organic.

They were sitting at the table and mulling over their mid-morning coffee.

Edgar said, It’s a little early to be making rice and veggies but when isn’t the point.

Edna replied, The rice with gobo (Burdock root) pieces would be nice, I’m trying that lately.

Edgar’s attitude was open to traditional.

A word on the cooking covering traditional food and cooking is interesting, but o.k. if the cook is open to new things.

Edgar’s additional consideration along those lines was a familiar food serves well for dining presentations success.

Sometimes, the guest comes. Edgar often welcomes Dan Cleary, who is a regular visitor. He is medium build.

Then usually Edna whose interests are in baking has an especially well-proven effort of dough rolling, which is appreciated by Edgar and Dan. Their enjoyment of a morning coffee with the cinnamon-apple rolls she has made takes them well into numerous times of remarkable acquaintanceship.

Edna’s large hole muffin pan, a valuable asset, helped a lot. She put fresh, chopped apple pieces to fill the dough and placed the rolls into well-greased muffin pan holes, and let them rise. At the correct time, she placed the pan in the oven and baked it. (See above, cinnamon rolls)

Meals were often scheduled by Edgar at normal dining hours, and the preparations for the guest were made after the guest arrived.

As Edgar had a history of fasting and frugal dining habits, fasting was with a style of food consumption that drifted into a lifestyle, he related more to Dan.

As the first few weeks go by, Edgar gets more into accepting the standard cooking designs of Edna’s. She stands about equal to him and his weight exceeds hers by a few pounds. Her cooking of the more general regimen appeased Edgar’s culinary curiosity to appreciate this expertise. In his view, Edna has good mental health and her cooking talent, which included required muscular skills, was appreciated.

Dan came visiting again and enjoyed a simple but sumptuous, impressive noodle soup prepared by Edgar.

What are the ingredients? asked Dan.

A package of ramen noodles, water, peanuts, cabbage, soy sauce, and sesame oil, Edgar answered.

It was a simple soup. Edgar also had a similar bowl.

Dan looked at him over his bowl, and using chopsticks lifted a bunch of noodles and its ingredients to eat. They ate and paused. The moments passed.

Edgar said, For me, another way of having this soup lately is with collard greens. When the collard greens are cooked, noodles are tossed in for the three minutes they take.

Three minutes? Dan echoes.

Yes, Edgar replied, I’ve found noodles too terse if undercooked, and too slimy and nearly breaking up if overcooked.

I always like to know what the ingredients are, commented Dan.

After they had finished their noodle soups, Edna was also there, Edgar wanted remarks on one of Edna’s dishes. Dan was a good listener and absorbed the conversation.

Edgar asked, What are the ingredients in that casserole dish of yours?

Edna replied, The one a couple of nights ago?

Yes.

Edgar replied, The handy ingredients were spinach, garbanzo beans, spaghetti, Brussel sprouts, broccoli, cheese, and turmeric powder.

How do you prepare it? asked Dan.

Edgar asked, How do you prepare it?

Dan looked at him.

Edna replied, I cook the Brussel sprouts, broccoli, and pasta the day before and refrigerate them. The day I make it, I cook the spinach and place the spinach in the dish adding the turmeric powder to the spinach. And then, I add salt in with the well-rinsed garbanzo beans, this is cooked with a cheese topping that is just melted.

I wish I had all that written down, added Dan.

It might be a good idea to keep this recipe in mind, it was designed to please, commented Edna. I cook good rice.

Edgar asked, How do you fix the rice?

What are the ingredients? asked Dan.

Edna replied, The ingredients are rice, Shiitake mushroom, and black-eyed peas. They were listening as Edna continued, A salad of Romaine lettuce, raw peanuts, and a dressing of red cider vinegar with optional vegetable or olive oil is on the side.

Dan commented, If I was in the mood for this, I’d have to be hungry.

Edgar asked, How do you make the plate?

Edna replied, Soak the mushrooms and black-eyed peas for half an hour and rinse them, and then cook them together with the rice. When it’s done and steaming, serve it with the side of Romaine lettuce sprinkled with choice dressing and put the peanuts on the plate between the lettuce and rice.

They were in the dining room. Dan and Edna looked at each other. Edgar started into the kitchen saying something.

Edgar explained, I’m going to have a fruit juice with the powdered herbs burdock root and elderberry well-mixed.

Okay, Dan replied.

Edna commented, About that dish?

Edgar replied, Here it is. He placed the platter in the middle of the table, it held plenty of the rice and black-eyed peas; to the side was the dressed salad and a side bowl that held a lot of peanuts.

Dan asked, Is that the salad?

Edgar replied, Yes, and that’s the peanuts. I like peanuts.

Edgar added, Me too, that’s enough peanuts.

Another time in the next few days there was a similar platter, a salad with rice. Edgar, Edna, and Dan, who had come mid-morning, were ready to consume a rice and beans platter that Edna had prepared.

Dan asked, What is it this time?

Edgar commented, The platter is served.

Edna commented, The Ingredients are rice, kidney beans, broccoli, peanuts, green lettuce salad with green goddess salad dressing.

Edgar picked up the stack of three plates and put it on the dining room table. He had the rice and beans, and salad for three ready.

They were ready to eat and were soon enjoying the meal. Dan was leaving right after eating.

Dan said, Sometime, I would like to bring my friend Ezra. You know him, he has a friend who might come with him.

Edgar replied, "I don’t know, you will have to let me know well ahead