awww you guys.....
Kuan has such fluid movements in the kitchen, he's smooth. It's like watching someone with so much finesse work. We were putting together meals for a past (well apparently current) PC client who's been ill.....real comfort food for a family with young teenage boys. Chicken potpie, brisket with BBQ sauce, mashed potatoes, burritos with pot roast, roots, southern green beans, chicken parmesan.....even leaf lard crust.....
Morel Madness this weekend, Kuan, Heidi and Garrett made it to camp Sat and Kuan got to look for shrooms (no luck, bummer). But they got to meet alot of funky dorky scientists that hang out in the woods and wear chemical equation t-shirts on the make up of amenitas or little woodland scenes....
For the first time in Julie history I found more morels than several top shroom hunters....this is monumental believe me. Chanterelles are another matter but morels hide, they are extremely illusive.
Oh, the victory dance and smile are still fresh.....12 morels did not hide well enough.
Sat. night the Toahs stayed and had potluck at Cuivre River State Park, We listened to Joe Walsh and watched his slide show on the various types of morels and when they appear with what corresponding follage.....who knew there were sooooo many varieties of morels or that they have specific patterns for each favored tree/burn area....and distinctive corresponding shapes/colors
Garrett/Heidi found a blue racer snake in the bunkhouse during naptime.....just ewww....Garrett was facinated and so concerned about the snake, I just wanted it set free into the woods.
Thank goodness one of the hunters is a herpatologist and thinks it's REALLY cool to pick them up, move 'em and talk to small boys about them.
Cooking together with cheftalk family would be a blast. I've got local food sources out the wazoo, if a bunch of you wanna come visit STL we can have a fun foodie time. Visiting farms, stores, cooking up a storm in my monster size kitchen. It's been a long time since there's been a Cheftalk weekend, I'll be glad to organize one here if you guys wanna see the "breadbasket of America" and actually pork capital too.
Missouri State Parks actually have pretty functional mess hall kitchens, the one today had a 8 burner, two oven, griddle top stove....a large newish hobart mixer, 2 walkin fridges and 2 reg freezers.....and all the melamine you could desire. Plus the perk of having running water and an indoor restroom.
West VA, Aug 16-19 is the national wild mushroom conference. I'll be cooking and teaching how to cook wild shrooms....any of you wanting to come hang with fungal heads let me know. It'll be a blast!!!! Though I gotta tell you mushroomers are kinda like chefs in that they are not the general mainstream populace, there's a peculiar sense of humor and for many shroomheads the attention to detail is mindboggling....they call it dorkiness or some such thing...one of the grad students is studying slime molds and micro risal something or other....basically little fungal things, some being slimey....when I ask if their edible they typically say, well every mushroom is edible....some only once. great. It was so bizarre taking the food handler's course on Wed then cooking wild shrooms on Friday, there's a twisted sense of humor there somewhere.
Working for my lunch. 
I'm with Mezz, I'd gladly peel potatoes or whatever else to hang and learn with Shroom for a day (or 2)! 
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