Another cooking "haunting" to report.

[PinkTiger]

Many of you may remember i have talked in the past about my empathic abilities, which are limited but interesting to me, at least, and my cooking with dead chefs. The way it works is, when I go to a new city or country, and start wondering how their food is cooked, I am visited and followed home by chefs who work with me in the kitchen until I get it right. I am often amazed by this - and a little piqued, too, because when the chef fades, the cooking does, too, just a little.

I had another visitation, a very interesting one - over Christmas I wanted to make my mother-in-law's bread recipe; I never really knew her - she died two years before i met my husband - but I found her recipe in a box of photos, and decided to make it this Christmas. I felt she was there, all the way, working with me on the bread, which turned out very well. Now, another thing - when I was a teenager, my first job was a waitressing position at a small local cafe. I worked there for four summers, and loved to sit in the kitchen with the cook/owner, Carl, and talk about life. He would be fixing stuff and I would be talking. Two things he made, I would love to be able to make well. One I can - the garlic toast - that was simple. But the Coleslaw recipe, which was a trade secret, he kept under wraps. Last week, after a long battle with Alzheimer's Disease, Carl passed away. Last night he told me to make coleslaw, and I did, and in my kitchen, as he told me what to put in it, I marveled at its simplicity and said "of course! I should have known, I saw you make this so many times."
He laughed and told me I was never paying attention.
"You were too busy flapping your jaws!"

But he swore me to secrecy on the recipe. Sorry.

I just love it.

[Bluestar]

1. Pink Tiger, I just love your posts!

They are so interesting and fun. Re: your mother-in-law--I'm absolutely sure that she was in the kitchen with you when you made her bread. I think the "chef" spirits on the other side have passed the word to all their chef friends that you are open to this, and there is a line waiting for you to cook up their recipes! Bon Appetit!

You could publish a cookbook--the possibilities for interesting recipe titles are endless.

[lildreamer316]

2. OMG, now I'm going to be sitting here giggling...

..thinking up titles.
Would be fun...

[PinkTiger]

3. That is a great idea, but what will I call the book?

Recipes from the Other Side?
Cooking with Nostradamus?
Julia Child's Celestial Kitchen?
The Dead Chefs of Europe are Cooking?
What's Cooking in Purgatory?
Hell's Kitchen - For Real?
To Hell and Back - with Recipes?
Ha!

[crispini]

6. Hahahahahaah!

OMG you should SO write this! :rofl: I think it would be great!

[crikkett]

10. Well if you decide to write the book PLEASE tell us

because I want a half dozen copies. My friends and I have this thing where we give each other cook books.

Howbout
Cooking Medium-Well?
The Supernatural Gourmet?

[crikkett]

11. Haunt Cuisine n/t

[rosesaylavee]

13. no no no, here's the title...

"Recipes to Die For"

And I see a TV series in your future as well... lots more fun that that medium show.

Liked the story - thanks for sharing!

[PinkTiger]

14. OK - this is my favorite, LOL

Thanks!

[PinkTiger]

4. You know, if I said anything about this to my "regular" friends,

They would have me committed. Ditto my husband. He already thinks I'm nuts. LOL

[Bluestar]

8. Yes, I know

I used to be "in the closet" regarding my new age beliefs to my family and "regular" friends. But the past few years, I have thrown caution to the wind and I now just tell them everything. I know that my spirituality is real and that they are still searching.

It's strange, I think they have a new respect for me. Some have even come clean about their closet spiritual beliefs. The ones who judge me? I just sort of shuffle them out of my life. My life plan is far more important than anyone's approval. After I have shuffled these folks out of my life, my guide is able to show me that these people were not really my friends anyway and I can see the relationship for what it had been. It took me a long time to get to this place, but it is so liberating!

I was sort of joking about the cookbook, but with the planet's new enlightenment, I think there would be an audience! Good luck to you and sending you love and light.

Bluestar

[crikkett]

9. oops

replied to wrong comment

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

5. That's great

that you have been visited in such a way. The chefs must want their creations to live on.

[NMDemDist2]

7. my stepmom and I have always been close and have a strong psychic connection

her daughter (my half sister) died several years ago tragically at a young age and my SM has told me many times that my sis 'visited' her regularly usually as an electrical 'glitch' (lights going on or off for no reason)

so Christmas Eve we were getting the final touches on the BIG meal of the holiday and suddenly the lights in the kitchen/dining room went off. We have NEVER had that breaker trip before but it did just as we were putting dinner on the table after all the load was off the circuit (no appliances were on, the cooking was finished).

my SM said "There's Shauna" and I 'felt' her there and told her (in my mind) I'd take care of her Mom (who has no family left but me) and that I was glad she came by. I 'felt' a hug and a 'thank you' and the lights stayed on the rest of the visit

:D

[PinkTiger]

12. I love your story.

Thanks.

[Callie McAllie]

15. that is so beautiful

thanks for sharing it.

[Callie McAllie]

16. This is so freaking me

Because of my post about my old boss visiting. Could there be something going on now where the folks on the other side are trying to stay in touch. To help us through in whatever way they can?

And, btw, is a mayonnaise coleslaw, or a vinegar coleslaw. If it is the latter, you should so give up the recipe. :-)

[PinkTiger]

18. It is both, actually. LOL

OK, here's the recipe. I can give it you y'all.

One medium head of cabbage, shredded fine. Carl ran it through the shredder twice, and then sometimes a third time, to get the cabbage the size of rice grains. (you can mix the green and the purple, but you should have a large bowlful)
Carrots to taste. I use one or two only in this, but you can add more.

Dressing:
2 cups real mayonnaise (You can use Miracle Whip if you want to - your choice. I prefer real Mayo).
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup white sugar
salt and pepper to taste

It is deceptively simple. The trick is the sugar, and letting it sit for at least one day before you eat it. You can also, as Carl used to, thin the mayo with milk. He preferred this, he said. to having it be too thick.

[Callie McAllie]

21. Thanks! I will try it

It sounds delicious. I too prefer real mayo, but I may thin it with milke myself.

[MorningGlow]

17. If I haven't said it before, your connection to the other side is SO COOL

Hey, can you talk to my grandmother? She died at 94 when I was 16 and her cooking days were long past even then, but I've always heard stories from my mom and and my aunt about what a great cook she had been. And my mom and her siblings always tried to recreate my grandmother's recipes--they're still trying, in fact--and they always fail (grandma never wrote anything down). Sure could use some advice from the source!
:rofl:

Oooh you could do that on your TV show! Connect with audience members' dead relatives and make something they used to make!
:rofl:

[PinkTiger]

19. I wish I could, but I don't control it.

LOL
I don't even know who the chefs are! The only reason Carl came to me was, I wanted the recipe so bad, and he knew it. He always liked me so, and I him. He and Gracie were wonderful mentors for a young girl. They taught all of us -- those of us who worked there as children -- a work ethic that we carry yet today.
Both have now passed. Gracie died a few weeks ago; she had Alzheimers, also.

[MorningGlow]

20. Hee--'s okay, grandma probably wouldn't be understandable anyway

Way back before I was born, my aunt tried to learn all her recipes. She followed her around the kitchen with a notebook and tried to record what my grandmother was doing. But grandma never measured anything; my aunt would stop her as she grabbed a handful of flour or what have you and say, "Wait! How much is that?" and grandma would show her the handful and say in her thick Italian accent, "How moach? Dees-a moach!" And foomf--she'd throw it into the bowl.
:rofl:

[PinkTiger]

22. Oh, I do love her.

That is the old way of doing things. Of course, really, for many things I don't measure, either. When I make gravy, I do it by "feel."

[PinkTiger]

23. Language is not a barrier.

The French chefs who follow me home show me, they don't speak English. They indicate. And I;ve had them hold my elbow to make me stir "just so" or to keep pouring.