Home cooking

I never actually realized how often Scott and I have people over the house to eat what we cook. It’s actually with quite an astounding frequency that two young people with full-time jobs, a social life that isn’t bland, and incomes that in no way will allow them to buy houses in the near future have folks over for home-cooked meals.

In the last couple of weeks since I’ve been back from Thailand we’ve had friends (old and new) to eat barbequed steaks, a three-course Thai meal, and a cheesy Italian feast.

Just a few days after Karen and I returned from Thailand, Scott was planning a dinner party for some of his friends. His menu would consist of barbequed steaks with a side of sausages, and I would make macaroni and cheese, which has somehow become a dish that I can do surprisingly well (although those of the faint of heart as well as those with histories of heart failure should be wary). Those steaks marinated in a barbeque sauce overnight were delicious—tender, juicy, and still a little pink inside. The mac-n-cheese was yummy as well—creamy, al dente, with a nice crusty top—even after scooping out the half cup of what seemed like leftover cheese goo out of the baking dish. And, Scott’s friends brought over decadent pot au crèmes—chocolate and butterscotch—topped with a canned whipped topping. I felt my heart stop.

Last week, I finally got around to cooking up some Thai food. It was a test-run, to see what I could make and have it not taste disgusting. It was also a part of my new money-saving plan, to cook in rather than eat out, and have friends over for some good old-fashioned board game fun (this time it would be Scrabble). I made a hot and sour soup (tom yum) with mushrooms and shrimp. Colin said it rivaled the spiciness of the hot and sour soup at Spices II (and the new one, Spices III, in Oakland’s Chinatown) and that he’d eat my soup if he were to ever be down with a fever again. I also made a red curry with salmon, bamboo shoots, and those little green eggplants that actually have the shape and size of eggs. It didn’t seem too spicy on the first day’s eating, but I tried it again a few days later and the spiciness had very evidently intensified. And, finally, I made a stir-fry with chicken, ginger, and scallions that was well-seasoned with a sauce of soy sauce, oyster sauce, and fish sauce. I didn’t have time to make the steamed banana cake and we never got around to playing Scrabble (we watched Project Runway instead).

And, tonight, for all the folks that were staying the night with us, Scott was going to make dinner, though he very clearly specified that he wanted nothing made in a wok. We opted for baking dishes and the oven instead with lasagna. I cooked up a simple, healthy, and tasty tomato sauce as Scott sautéed bell peppers and fried up some sausages. Bradi sliced up the cheese and Lindsey cut up the sausages when they were done. We then piled the layers on: peppers and spinach for the vegetarian one and peppers and sausage for the non-vegetarian one. Thick layers of mozzarella, along with sprinklings of cheddar and parmesan went in between. Into the oven they went until we thought they were done. For a bunch of people who really didn’t know what they were doing but who had some basic ideas of how food should be cooked and what food should taste like, we made some pretty damn good lasagnas. It was a good example of teamwork too.