 |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
|
|||
 |
 |
|
|||
 |
 |
|
|||
 |
 |
|
|||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
|
|||
Subscription/Unsubscription/Address Change/Contact Information can be found near the base of this newsletter.
MENU du JOUR:
Appetizer
Main Course
Christianity in the Kitchen - "Learning From Mistakes"
Culinary Learning - "Cashews"
CCF Trivia
Recipes - Chinese Cashew Chicken
Recent Job Listings - 1 New
Dessert
Recipe Contests (For Professionals Only)
Hints and Tips
Featured Website - ItalianMade.com
Chef to Chef
A Little Something Extra
A Merry Heart
Toothpick
 |
A P P E T I Z E R | |
Last month held a memorable moment for CCF, for our very first newsletter was sent on October 1st, 1998, which means that we just had our 5-year anniversary. Too bad I didn't notice that until last month's newsletter was already sent. Still, it's exciting to see how God started CCF and has brought it from almost no members to our now almost 1200 members. If you are interested in seeing the progression of how God has brought the newsletter to what it is today, you can view our past newsletters all the way back to the very first newsletter here:
http://www.christianchefs.org/past_newsletters_old.html
Also, as many of you know, the Southern California Cooks Advance scheduled this month was cancelled due to the fires. Although (thankfully) the conference center where we were going to hold the conference didn't burn down, it was within a mile of the fire. Please pray for all the people who lived in the area that are in need, as many homes and businesses did burn down. Although we don't have any more information currently available, we are considering rescheduling the conference to another date - possibly February 23-25.
God Bless,
Ira Krizo
CCF@ChristianChefs.org
|
M A I N C O U R S E | |
Learning From Mistakes
We should never dwell on our mistakes and beat ourselves up over them, as that only leads to depression (Prov 12:25). What you can do is repent (if that mistake was sinful), know that God forgives us AND then forgive ourselves, and see what good can be taken from the situation.
Pretty much everybody who has been cooking for any period of time, especially in the secular world, has gotten furious with someone and did something they've regretted. In the past, I've gotten mad at someone and lashed out on them verbally. So what do you do in that situation? Obviously you need to get right with God and that person about the situation, but what then? Do you stay angry with yourself and keep going over and over what you did wrong? No, once you've gotten right with that person, you also need to forgive yourself and learn from what you did. So what is there to learn? It's fairly easy -- you look at what happened and at what could have prevented it from happening in the first place. Looking for signs in yourself that led up to the problem and at what external things also influenced it can help you to be a stronger Christian. Then you can start thinking through how you can avoid running into the same problems - for example by knowing at what point to leave a discussion in the future before you lose your temper.
This concept obviously works very well when you make mistakes in cooking as well. Once you make a mistake in a recipe, what should you do? If it's fixable (like a broken vinaigrette), you can learn two things. First is how to fix it, and secondly how not to make the mistake in the first place. If it is a mistake that is not fixable, like when I overcooked the ganache for some chocolate truffles a little while back, you have the opportunity to grow a great deal. I've rarely ever overcooked chocolate, but now I have a better idea of how easy chocolate is to overcook and a better idea on how not to do it. Although not with chocolate, sometimes making a mistake with a recipe will allow you to figure out other ways to use a product, making for a dish even better than what you had planned for. Never lose hope and never give up.
God bless, and just imagine how many great recipes and great people have come out of the simple concept of learning from mistakes made.
Your Brother in Christ,
Ira Krizo
http://www.ChristianChefs.org/about/irakrizo.html
If God is speaking to your heart about these things, and you need somebody to talk with, please don't hesitate to e-mail us about your need and somebody from the Fellowship will contact you as soon as possible. If you have a prayer request or would like to start a theological discussion on this or any other topic, please feel free to post it in our Message Boards:
http://www.ChristianChefs.org/forums.html
The cashew tree is a curious plant with multiple uses, yet we are only familiar with one of its fruits - the cashew nut. The cashew tree also produces an edible, pear-shaped fruit called the cashew apple. The cashew apple, extremely rich in vitamin C, is eaten raw, as well as made into jam, marmalade, candy, and juices. In Brazil, one of the areas where the cashew tree grows indigenously, cashew apple juice has become one of the most popular beverages. The juice can also be fermented to make an alcoholic beverage. Because the cashew apple spoils quickly, it cannot be exported; we can only enjoy it on a visit to Brazil. The cashew tree is native to South America where it flourishes in Brazil and Peru. In the sixteenth century, Portugese traders introduced the tree to India where it has more recently become an important export crop equal to that of Brazil. Other countries that grow and export cashews include Sri Lanka, China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Colombia, Guatemala, Venezuela, the West Indies, Nigeria, Mozambique, Tanzania, and Kenya. The United States is the largest importer of cashew nuts.
In addition to being an excellent food source, the nut yields an oil used in flavoring and cooking foods. The tree produces a sap or gum sometimes used in bookbinding and often incorporated into a varnish used to protect woodwork from insect damage. The cashew nut shell produces an oil used in the manufacture of brake linings and is sometimes applied to metals as an anti-corrosive agent. The shell oil is also used for waterproofing and as an adhesive. Natives in South America used cashew nut shell oil in the treatment of scurvy, sores, warts, ringworm and psoriasis. The oil is found to have potent antibacterial properties. Not many plants can claim to provide so many benefits.
Many people avoid cashews because of their high fat content, though they are lower in total fat than almonds, peanuts, pecans, and walnuts. Cashews provide essential fatty acids, B vitamins, fiber, protein, carbohydrate potassium, iron, and zinc. Like other nuts, cashews are high in saturated fat; however, eaten in small quantities, cashews are a highly nutritious food.
Cashews can be enjoyed raw or roasted. Sprinkle them into salads and grains, use them on top of breakfast cereals, and enjoy cashew butter on your favorite whole grain breads.
Submitted by
S. Fisher
Fontana, California
Questions about this article or any other culinary related subject can be asked via the "Culinary Q&A" Section of the Message Boards:
http://www.ChristianChefs.org/forums.html
First, this newsletter's question:
Who in the Bible lived to be the oldest? And how old was he?
A) Noah
B) Methuselah
C) Adam
D) Shem
E) Mahalalel
E-mail your answer to "trivia@ChristianChefs.org" with "Trivia Answer" in the subject column. Also, please tell us what brief title(s) ("Sous Chef," "Dallas, Texas," or whatever - see examples below) you would prefer for your name being listed in the next newsletter, as well as how difficult you found the question (so we can improve future trivia questions).
Solution to the last newsletter's trivia question:
Question:
What is the nut with a highly toxic shell that grows from the bottom of a specific apple?
A) Walnut
B) Almond
C) Peanut
D) Cashew
Answer:
D) Cashew
Additional information found/submitted on the subject can be found above in the culinary learning article.
The first people to answer this question correctly:
1. S. Fisher, Fontana, California
2. Phil Bettencourt, Administrative Coordinator, Alia Corporation/McDonald's, Merced, California
3. Seiji Nakatani, Garde-Manger cook at Bistro Vendome, Denver, Colorado
4. Wanda
5. Stephen Hall, Exec Chef, Vancouver BC, Canada
Prefer your measurements in a different format? (weight vs. volume)
http://www.christianchefs.org/charts/weight_volume.html
Chinese Cashew Chicken
Author: www.recipecenter.com
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients:
3 Chicken breasts (boned and skinned)
1/2 lb (225 g) Chinese pea pods
1/2 lb (225 g) Mushrooms
4 Green onions
2 cups (475 ml) Bamboo shoots, drained
1 cup (240 ml) Chicken broth
1/4 cup (60 ml) Soy sauce
2 Tbsp (30 ml) Cornstarch
1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) Sugar
1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) Salt
4 Tbsp (60 ml) Salad oil
4 oz (115 g) Cashew nuts
Procedure:
1) Slice breasts horizontally into very thin slices and cut into inch squares. Set aside.
2) Prepare vegetables, removing ends and strings from pea pods, slicing mushrooms, green part of onions, and the bamboo shoots. Set aside.
3) Mix soy sauce, cornstarch, sugar, and salt together.
4) Heat 1 Tbsp (15 ml) of oil in skillet over moderate-high heat, add all the nuts, and cook 1 minute, shaking the pan, toasting the nuts lightly. Remove and reserve.
5) Pour remaining oil in pan, fry chicken quickly, turning often until it looks opaque.
6) Add pea pods, mushrooms, and broth. Cover and cook on low heat for 2 minutes.
7) Remove cover, add soy sauce mixture, bamboo shoots, and cook until thickened, stirring constantly.
8) Simmer uncovered a bit more. Add green onions and nuts and serve immediately.
We prefer to list recipes from Christian Chefs rather than from other sources, so if you have any good recipes of your own, please post them in the "Recipes" section of the Message Boards. Please include an introduction to the recipe with your personal comments of the stories that make them special, and if your recipe is chosen, it will be listed in our website forever and in our next newsletter.
http://www.ChristianChefs.org/forums.html
More information on each of the below Job Listings, such as the job's timeline, responsibilities, pay, and how to contact the employer on each of these, can be found within the Employment area of our website (link below). There you can also find jobs that have been posted in previous months that haven't yet been filled and you can also post any job openings you have to be listed there and in this newsletter for FREE!
http://www.ChristianChefs.org/employment.html
Name = Crowne Plaza Harrisburg
Location = Harrisburg, Pennsylvania (USA)
Position = AM Relief Cook/Breakfast
|
D E S S E R T | |
Please note: Contest Listing(s) below are for PROFESSIONALS ONLY in the culinary industry. There are many more contests available for nonprofessionals as well, some of them ongoing or being repeated on a monthly basis. If you're interested in those, here's one excellent website to check out:
http://www.recipecontests.com
WE ARE NOT AWARE OF ANY CONTESTS THIS MONTH!
See also the Featured Website in this month's newsletter for an area where Contests and Giveaways are listed. There are many, MANY giveaways you might want to check out!
All contests listed above are provided by the company listed, NOT by CCF. For additional information on each contest, please contact the designated company for that specific listing. Enjoy!
If soup tastes very salty, a raw piece of potato placed in the pot will absorb the salt.
Submitted by Diane Boone
Taken from the Cooks Advance Cookbook of 1990
If you know of any great hints or tips, please post them in the "Hints and Tips" area of the Message Boards. Of the ones posted there, one will be featured here in our newsletter.
http://www.ChristianChefs.org/forums.html
ItalianMade.com
This website is very comprehensive regarding everything gastronomic about Italy, put out by the Italian Trade Commission. It goes through the foods and wines and how they differ between their 20 different regions. If you think you already know a lot about Italian food, or after doing much research through the website, take their "Italian Food IQ Test" to see how much you really know.
"Meat Not Done Enough"
"I'm at altitude, 6500 feet. Electric stove.
I need help cooking steak indoors, in a pan on the stove.
For some reason I can't seem to cook the meat well enough inside before the outside is too tough or dry. My husband likes his steak medium well, I don't eat steak at all, but I'd like him to like his steak!
Can someone suggest -timing- AND -temperature- for a rib eye steak that is about 3/4" thick? (Also should I cover it as it cooks?) If anyone has experience with altitude cooking that would be great." -Cheapskate
You are welcome to respond to this message in the "Culinary Q&A" section of CCF's message boards:
http://www.ChristianChefs.org/forums.html
If you're searching for particular instructions or cooking techniques or maybe have a special need, you can post these on our message boards. If you've done that and are still in need, please e-mail us and let us know so that we may highlight that need in this section of our next newsletter.
Until a man has found God and been found by God, he begins at no beginning, he works to no end. He may have his friendships, his partial loyalties, his scraps of honor. But all these things fall into place, and life falls into place, only with God.
H. G. Wells
Borrowed with permission from "This Day's Thought"
http://www.thisdaysthought.org
Some people are kind, polite, and sweet-spirited - until you try to sit in their pews.
(unknown)
|
T O O T H P I C K | |
Note: To view our archived newsletters, go here: http://www.ChristianChefs.org/past_newsletters.html
If this newsletter was forwarded to you and you would like to be added to this mailing list, please go to the following link for a free subscription:
http://www.ChristianChefs.org/subscribe.phtml
Or if you don't have web access, e-mail us at the below address asking to subscribe.
If you would like to be removed from our mailing list or change your e-mail address, please log in to the Members Area and select to do so. Otherwise, please send an e-mail to the address below, with the word "Unsubscribe" in the subject column, or to change your e-mail address, do the same, with "Change E-mail" in the subject column.
God Bless,
Ira Krizo, Director
Christian Chefs Fellowship
CCF@ChristianChefs.org
http://www.ChristianChefs.org
Phone: (909) 336-0754
Fax: (508) 462-1068
Christian Chefs Fellowship
PO Box 608
Crestline, CA 92325
USA