xp_logs | Sooraya & Lorna

A good cook knows never to say no for a lesson from the master chef in the mansion

Pulling out some bread from the oven and putting it on the stove to cool down Taking off the oven mitts and looking around just in time to see Sooraya. "Hello Miss Qadir."

The young Afghani smiled as she saw the green-haired woman standing up from the oven and answered: "Good evening, Ms. Dane. That smells delicious." She stepped closer and examined the bread for a moment. "Are those raisins and nuts I see?"

"Yes it is. Want a slice? You'll be the first." Lorna said with a smirk.

"Ms. Dane, one of the things I learned here, is to never say no when you offer food. And it's even better while the bread is still warm." She accepted the slice with a smile and happily bit into it. "This is great. I enjoy cooking, but baking isn't my strongest skill..."

"Aww thanks. I'll take that as a compliment." Handing her the slice. "Have you baked before?" Lorna asked Sooraya.

"A little. I tried some very basic bread once, but the rest has mostly been things that need to be finished off in the oven. The bread turned out okay, but it wasn't anything special." Sooraya explained between bites.

"Wanna try something that doesn't involve the oven and is still good to eat?" Lorna offered with a smile. She loved to cook and liked to offer her teachings to others who wanted it.

I am always up for new things." Sooraya wiped her fingers on a napkin she had grabbed and patted her mouth. "I was planning on making chicken massala with rice, but I can always make it later this week. What did you have in mind?"

"Chicken Marsala is a great meal. What is your favorite type of food?" Trying to narrow it down so Lorna knew what they could make.

"I like most kinds of food. I have tried to make a point out of trying as many kind of food as possible. Except pork and non-halal meat of course..." Sooraya look a little apologetic. "Perhaps you have something very unusual or uncommon you'd like to try?"

"I haven't used the crock pot in a while. Want to try that? It is one of the simplest items to use and you can still make a lot of things."

"Crock pot... That is once piece of equipment I have never really used in all the cooking I have done." Sooraya might have taken Advanced Cooking classes back in her early days at the mansion and in Attilan, but somehow during that and her own experimenting she had never gotten around to learning how to use a crock pot. "Doesn't that take a lot of time though?" Sooraya tilted her head quizzically.

Lorna shook her head no. "There are recipes out there you can make things in less than an hour. Crock pot comes in handy when you don't have a stove or oven nearby."

Sooraya nodded as she took in the information and considered for a moment what she had. "I think I also have some halal beef left besides the chicken. Do you have a good example for a recipe?"

"Add sauce to the pot and add spices and if you want halal beef or chicken add that too for some flavor and texture. Let it simmer for about 45, you can be less if you want, then add the pasta and let that cook for an extra 5 minutes and viola food." Lorna said.

"It sounds simple enough." Sooraya agreed. "And a good idea for some pasta. If you wanted to add some fresh vegetables also, when would you add that?"

"The pot is amazing like that." Lorna said. "Yes! I'll never turn down vegetables. You add it to the sauce, doesn't matter when the longer it cooks with the sauce the more of the flavor will come out."

Sooraya walked over to the little fridge where the halal and kosher foodstuff were kept and pulled out some of her own beef, then headed over to the main fridge to gather some vegetables. "Shall we get cooking then, Ms. Dane?"

Lorna smiled and took out the crock pot. "Yes, we shall." Lorna liked that Sooraya was so willing to dive into cooking, this trait made excellent chefs.

Knife and board at the ready, Sooraya quickly started chopping up her vegetables. "Someone told me once you studied with a French chef, Ms. Dane?"

Pulling out the ingredients for the sauce and started to add it into the pot. "Yes. His name was Marcel Pepin." Saying his name with a French accent. "I studied under him for seven years."

Lorna laughed. "No he wasn't like any of those chefs. He was a good man, patient, and my meals could never compare to his. A lot of what I do is stuff he used to do. And he taught me a few French words."

"He sounds like an interesting man." Sooraya nodded as she continued chopping. "I could not see myself cooking for a living, but I do enjoy it as an hobby. And it's a good skill for everyone to have. Especially for my family in a few years."

"He was." Finishing with the sauce and turned on the pot and added a few spices. "It has its ups and downs. I enjoy cooking as a whole, but I have a masters in Earth & Planetary Sciences."

"I remember you teaching something like that the first time I was here." Sooraya pushed the vegetables of her board into a bowl and moved on to chopping the fresh herbs. "What is the usual order of adding things to the crock pot?"

"Nope no order. Just added them as they go." Lorna said. "Yea, I kind of miss teaching but at the same time, I get to help people out in the kitchen."

"Do you think you might ever go back to teaching?" Sooraya brought over grounded meat and added that to the sauce, stirring for a bit to make sure it was not one big clump, before also pouring in her bowl of vegetables. "Now only the pasta is missing..."

"If I am needed then yes I'll go back to teaching. For now I enjoy working in the kitchen." Looking into the pot. "It is starting to smell good." Nodding. "Yes, we will let this simmer for a ten minutes and then add the pasta. Don't want to over cook the noodles."

"I am not very fond of very floppy noodles. They need some bite." Sooraya took an appreciative sniff also. "I also still have some fresh herbs here, but I am guessing they are not added almost until the end..."

Looking over at the herbs, "No you can add a bit in the beginning and the rest at the end. And I don't like floppy noodles either." Lorna then covered the pot and turned to Sooraya. "Anything else you would like to go with the pasta? A salad, perhaps?"

"We can do that..." Sooraya thought for a moment and her eyes twinkled a little as she said: "Or we can do something special for dessert? There are so many good things..."

"Since we are on the topic of no ovens, why don't we make a pie that doesn't involve baking and it would be ready in time for dessert." Lorna suggested.

"Excellent. What did you have in mind?" Her repertoire could always use expanding... Sooraya thought she could cook fairly well, but new dishes were always welcome. And Ms. Dane didn't go for the 'usual stuff'...

Lorna thought about it for a minute, mainly to make sure they had the stuff. "Well we can make cheesecake, lemonade pie, or pumpkin pie. Cheesecake is usually the fastest as it just needs an hour to set in the fridge. The others normally take about an hour or more. Unless Bobby was around." Lorna smirked.

"I have made both cheesecake and pumpkin pie before, but I have never made lemonade pie... I'd like to try that one if we have everything we need." Sooraya was already moving to the cupboard to get a few things they'd need in any case, like mixing bowl, measuring cups and a mixer.

"Cool Whip, Lemonade and condense milk. I think all of those things are in the fridge in the back. And for the crest we need graham crackers, butter and sugar. And if you want a bit of cinnamon for taste." She started naming off everything from the top of her head.

"Sounds like something decidedly sugary to make... Excellent." Sooraya also helped to gather the ingredients and watched curiously as Ms. Dane started the first step.

Once everything was gathered. "Okay want to start crushing the graham crackers and I'll heat up the butter and had the sugars to it. Once the graham crackers are in tiny pieces we will mix the two together and put them in this pie pan." Pulling the pan closer. "You can use a zip lock back and this rolling pin to crush it."

Sooraya nodded and dug out the requested items, efficiently crushing the graham crackers. When they were done, she accepted the hot sugar and butter mixture from Ms. Dane and mixed it to a kind of even dough. "Something like this?" She asked, hunting around for the cinnamon. "And where did I put the cinnamon?"

Taking out a pie pan and handed to Sooraya "Yup. Exactly. The cinnamon is on the spice rack, top row third one in on the right. And once you are done with the pie crust just let it sit and it will harden on it's own." Lorna checked on the sauce before turning her attention back to Sooraya.

"Duh..." Sooraya hit her forehead before she reaching over and grabbing the cinnamon. She pinched some and added it to the mixture. Grabbing a small spoon she tasted a little before working a little more. "This should do." She quickly covered the bottom of the pie pan in the mixture and set it aside to harden. "I am guessing this also needs a filling."

"Cool whip, lemonade and condense milk. Mix it all together and then put it into the pie crust and let it sit." Lorna said. "And it will be ready when the food is done and eaten."

Sooraya watched as Lorna quickly mixed the three, eying the measurements of the ingredients easily. "Shall I check on the pasta then?"

"Yes. You can also add the pasta noodles in." Lorna put the pie into the fridge after adding the ingredients. The kitchen started to smell very good, just the way Lorna liked it.

With a quick nod, Sooraya opened the crock pot, smelling appreciatively. "It does smell good." She stirred and then poured in the noodles before closing the crock pot firmly. "I don't think we have to worry about going hungry tonight... Probably there will be something left..."

"Left overs are great." Lorna knew that the smell of food would attract others to the kitchen. It was like moth's to a flame. "Want to get out the dishes out?"

Another quick nod and an 'Of course' had Sooraya moving, setting the table for two, but leaving two sets of cutlery and plates on the counter nearby. "For those who might pop in." She clarified with a few words when she caught Lorna's questioning gaze.

Good idea." Lorna got out some cups and napkins. "So what do you think of cooking without an oven? Pretty easy?"

"I like the idea of using the crock pot a lot... I would be easy for several reasons. Do you have any recommendations for a good cook book with crock pot recipes." Not that Sooraya often used a cook book, but she found it useful in starting out. Once she felt she had the basics down, she would start experimenting on her own.

Setting the cups and napkins on the table. "I do..hold on." Lorna disappeared into a room that was attached to the kitchen, it lead to her office. Coming back out with a good size book and handed it to her. "Here. It has awesome recipes and they are really simple."

"Oh, they are just a guideline for a bit..." Sooraya explained with a smile. "As soon as I have figured out the basics, I will be out experimenting on my own.

"Once you start experimenting you'll never go back to looking at recipes." Lorna said and set out the napkins properly. "It will start coming second nature to you. And I find food taste better when you don't follow by the book."

Sooraya had to laugh. "I remember that is one of the first things you told us when I did my Advanced Cooking class just after I had arrived at the mansion... I have found it to be true though." She filled a carafe with ice and water and then hunted around in the fridge for some lemon, also adding a few slices of that before adding it to the table.

"I only teach the truth." Lorna nodded delighted that Sooraya remembered her teachings in Advanced Cooking class. "I think the pasta is finished." Looking over at the pot, the aroma of food was making even Lorna hungry.

"I think we can eat then." Sooraya brought over the salad and together with her teacher she settled down to enjoy their meal.