THE PHOTO SHOOT

Buon giorno, and Good Day!

Since writing about *Chicken Poop for the Sole* a couple of weeks ago, I have run into a lot of people who have shared their stories with me, some hard to believe, and, extremely funny. I have also received a lot of support to write the book, if for no other reason, than to just list the craziness of normal people in abnormal circumstances.

Of course *Rosalie Serving Country* is primarily on my mind these days, as I am getting down to the last of the recipes and photo shoots. I didn't anticipate writing cookbooks and humor the last days of my life, but who knows what one might do if given the opportunity.

Since the last photo shoot a few days ago I have had visions of *Homemade Bean Soup,* *Chicken & Dumplings,* *Waldorf salad,* *Battered Fried Mushrooms* and *Black Bottom Peanut Butter Pie.* These were only a few of the 18 food shots that were taken all in 4 hours. The Photo Shoot started out like most of the others, except we had a visitor…a bird.

I don't usually write about Photo Shoots, but this one was quite unusual. I arose early in the morning and began preparing the food items that I wanted to get photographed. Starting with the desserts so they could get refrigerated and have a chance to set up for a good shot, I was well on my way; making the *Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese*, the *Key Lime* and getting ready for the Southern Fried Chicken.*

The Photographer arrived, a Mr. Guillermo Gomez, who is the owner and CEO of St. Louis Color. His sweet and very talented assistant, Sonia Dea, followed behind promising another successful shoot.

We started with the *Battered Fried Mushrooms.* They were not only very photogenic, they were extremely delicious! We all stopped, mostly devoured the mushrooms, and then went on to the next item. This is usually the case and toward the end of the night, we all four, including my husband, Bill, fall over from the myriad of food consumed.

As the evening progressed, I thought I saw a flash of something fly by, and since I didn't invite Superman, I was sure it was my imagination. But there it was again, and this time the photographer noticed and in an instant a bird almost flew right into the large photo umbrella. Guillermo lost his balance and toppled over onto me which started a chain reaction, all while the Key Lime Pie was hanging in a balance by the hand of Sonia.

Instantly, the two men, Guillermo and Bill, became the "Forest Rangers." My husband emerges from the garage with a huge net large enough to catch monkeys. We all open the doors and Guillermo, tripping over furniture, calls out "I've got him cornered." After thirty minutes of destruction, from lamps falling over to the whipped cream weeping on the Peanut Butter Pie, the men decided to just let the bird fly out on his own. What a thought!

All was quiet for an hour, but alas, the bird gathers energy, and again… Ready, Set, Action! Surprisingly the little creature flies out the front door on his own. We, the frozen four, (temperature that evening was getting down to 30-degrees) got back to business.

The evening ends on a sweet note…Guillermo enjoying the Key Lime Pie, Sonia salivating on the Peanut Butter Pie, and Bill consuming the Waldorf Salad and the Chicken & Dumplings. WOW!….The adventures of *Rosalie Serving Country.*

Click on my site,

www.rosalieservingitalian.com for upcoming events. We had a great time at the Rendezvous café the other evening; the Cooking Class was a blast! Be sure to sign up for the Mother-Daughter Class in May. Call Rendezvous Café for reservation, 636-272-8687.

God Bless!

Rosalie