thank you both. (((hugs))) i have to make separate posts since there are so many things...

cooking for Bizi...

oh and btw 5 hours prep/cooking is not that unusual for me lately... typical is maybe 2-3 hours. it's all the finely chopping of this and that plus i wash up while things are cooking so it isn't all piled up afterwards. i could not face having 4-5 pans to wash in one go.

what i fixed last night:

(the idea was to "use up" left over sausage from when i made stuffed bell pepper boats (another 5+ hour dealy )

- platter of "home fried" potato wafers, with a centerpiece of......

- sauteed sausage with carmelized onion and fennel seed, topped with steamed peeled n crushed cherry tomatoes,

- spinach with garlic for my dad (not enough for 3 people)

- beet greens w/ garlic, clove and ginger and mustard for mom and me (dad no like)

- julienne carrots with hot paprika, ginger, garlic and bouillon

(the potatoes i cut into semicircles, 1/4 inch thick, and browned them in a single layer using minimum oil and less than a tablespoon butter total. they couldn't all fit, so it took 2 rounds with the fry pan, and one hour, just to do that. and it would have taken longer if i had not partly cooked them whole, in the microwave, before that... i think, not sure.)

i chopped some parsley that was otherwise going to go bad but we didn't use it.

~ waves ~