PETA Kills Animals!

I found an article about PETA and Euthanasia. Bunch of naked hypocrites. Sometime, I wondered if a nude poster lady posed, knowing about animal killings in the back scenes? I don't need any more shrills from PETA, I rather eat hamburger than just a carrot. Have to read this article, again and again, to make sure that I don't misread about the bunch of hypocrites at PEEEETA are doing something without telling the animal lovers about killing your best friends.

"But what many animal lovers don't realize is that PETA itself may have put down some of those unwanted.... The organization has practiced euthanasia for years. Since 1998 PETA has killed more than 17,000 animals, nearly 85 percent of all those it has rescued."

"In recent years those grim statistics have split the animal rights community. Ironically, PETA has emerged as a strong proponent of euthanasia." "In defense of its policy PETA has insisted that euthanasia is a necessary evil in a world full of unwanted pets." quoted from Newsweek.com, PETA and Euthanasia, By Jeneen Interlandi, April 28, 2008

I have two links for you to take second look at PETA. I hope these sites will tell the rest of my viewpoints. Ok, I have to say in advance: You must have strong stomach to handle all interesting news, and some gory pictures. Don't say I didn't warn you.

PETA Kills Animals
PETA Sucks

Hamburger Rules!

Interesting Photo

Pan-seared top round beef

It is my first photo from my new camera. Very beautiful color after pan-searing the beef and turned it over. I took a picture real close as I can do with a camera. I thought you like to see something different with close-up photos.

I plan to start the kind of close-up series of food. Bon appetit!

Lasagna Mania!

One of my family favorites during the winter time, it is so comfortable and keep my tummy warm. I am sure that people will follow the recipe on the back of package to make a lasagna. I did same thing with recipe,too. I have few recipes that I always have choices when I found some ingredients available in my pantry closet or in my refrigerator. I always have lot of fun to make lasagna. Sometime I will make two baking dish of lasagna, so I can put one in freezer for next Italian dinner. Sometime, I got bored with lasagna, I will look for an inspiration from other lasagna recipes and start to make new dish for dinner.

Classic Lasagna

1 package lasagna (500g)
1 pound lean ground beef
1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 can sliced mushrooms (10 oz/284ml
1 can tomato spaghetti sauce (14oz)
1 can tomato paste (5-1/2oz/156ml)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 egg, beaten
1 cup creamed cottage cheese
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 package sliced mozzarella cheese
1 package spinach, thawed,chopped


Cook lasagna in a large quantity of boiling water until just barely tender; drain off most of water; add ice cubes to stop cooking. (Allow lasagna to stand in cold water to prevent pasta sticking together.) In a saucepan, brown meat with onion and garlic; drain off fat. Cook over low heat, covered, for about 5 minutes Stir in mushrooms with liquid, tomato sauce, tomato paste, salt and oregano. Simmer 15 minutes. Combine egg with spinach, cottage and parmesan cheeses. Spread 1/3 of meat sauce in 13x9 in. baking dish. Cover 1/4 of lasagna (about 5 overlapping strips.) Alternate another 1/3 of sauce and 1/4 of lasagna. Spread spinach mixture over pasta and cover with 1/4 lasagna strips. Top with remaining sauce and pasta. Arrange mozzarella cheese on top. Bake at 350F for 30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes. before serving.

Lasagna

1 pound lasagna noodles
1 tablespoon parsley
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 dash cinnamon
2 pounds ricotta cheese
1 dash nutmeg
2 cups mozzarella cheese, grated
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
3 eggs
1 quart spaghetti sauce

Cook lasagna as directed. Brown meat and chill. Mix ricotta, parsley, nutmeg, cinnamon and eggs. Alternate in baking pan; first, layer of sauce. Then a layer of cooked lasagna. Spread ricotta, sprinkle with some of the meat and mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers until all the lasagna is used. Make sure top layer is lasagna.
Top with remaining sauce and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 375FF for 30 minutes.

Zucchini Lasagna

4 large zucchini
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 centiliters garlic
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 pound ground beef
1 pound can tomatoes
1 6 oz can tomato paste
1 4 oz can sliced mushrooms
3/4 cup dry red wine
1 1/2 teaspoons oregano
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon basil
salt and pepper
8 ounces mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
8 ounces ricotta cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cut zucchini into strips 1/4 inch thick. Heat oil; add garlic and onion and cook until vegetables are tender but not browned. Add meat and brown, stirring to keep meat crumbly. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, mushrooms, wine, oregano, thyme, basil and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer uncovered 1-1/2 hours. Place half of the zucchini strips in an oiled shallow casserole. Top with half of the Mozzarella and Ricotta cheeses. Add half the meat sauce. Repeat layers.
Top with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350F for 40 minutes.

Three-Cheese Lasagna with Italian Sausage
Bon Appétit | March 1997
Amy Bond, Marblehead MA
Serves 8

SAUCE
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup finely chopped peeled carrots
2 tablespoons minced garlic
8 ounces lean ground beef
6 ounces spicy Italian sausages, casings removed
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes with added puree
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon golden brown sugar
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper

LASAGNA
15 lasagna noodles (about 12 ounces)
2 15-ounce containers part-skim ricotta cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (about 3 ounces)
1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained,
squeezed dry
2 large eggs

4 3/4 cups grated mozzarella cheese (about 1 1/4 pounds)

FOR SAUCE: Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, carrots and garlic; sauté until softened, about 12 minutes. Add beef and sausages to pan; sauté until cooked through, breaking up meat with back of spoon, about 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer until flavors blend and sauce measures about 5 cups, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Discard bay leaf. Cool.

FOR LASAGNA: Preheat oven to 350°F. Cook noodles in large pot of boiling salted water until almost tender, about 7 minutes. Drain; cover with cold water.

Combine ricotta and 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese in medium bowl. Mix in spinach. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix in eggs.

Drain pasta and pat dry. Spread 1/2 cup sauce over bottom of 13x9-inch glass baking dish. Place 5 noodles over sauce, overlapping to fit. Spread half of ricotta-spinach mixture evenly over noodles. Sprinkle 2 cups mozzarella cheese evenly over ricotta-spinach mixture. Spoon 1 1/2 cups sauce over cheese, spreading with spatula to cover (sauce will be thick). Repeat layering with 5 noodles, remaining ricotta-spinach mixture, 2 cups mozzarella and 1 1/2 cups sauce. Arrange remaining 5 noodles over sauce. Spread remaining sauce over noodles. Sprinkle remaining 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese evenly over lasagna. (Can be prepared up to 1 day ahead. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate.) Cover baking dish with aluminum foil. Bake lasagna 40 minutes; uncover and bake until hot and bubbly, about 40 minutes. Let lasagna stand 15 minutes before serving.

Mexican Lasagna by Rachael Ray
Mexican Lasagna with Chicken by Robin Miller
Cheesy Vegetable Lasagna--Allrecipes
Three Meat Lasagna Recipe by The Spice House

Chipotles

Homemade Chipotle Sauce

You can add the zip to your favorite food like Tabasco. It will improve the flavor of chipotle and garlic as it sit in refrigerator. One of best spicy sauce I can make at home and put the sauce into the squeeze bottle. This sauce will keep for a month unless you use all sauce real quick--that's good. It is my idea to use Chipotles since I have few cans that are sitting in my pantry closet.

1 cup water
1 cup distilled white vinegar
1 can chipotles with adobo sauce
few garlic cloves
Salt and Pepper to taste

Puree all ingredients in a blender and adjust with salt and pepper.

Chipotle Barbecue Sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup onion, chopped
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup malt vinegar
1/4 cup golden brown sugar
1/4 cup coffee, strong brewed
3 tablespoons beer, stout (like Guinness)
2 tablespoons molasses, unsulphured (light)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 1/4 teaspoons canned chipotle chiles, minced
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground

Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat.
Add onion and garlic and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes.
Add all remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally, about 25 minutes. Season with salt.
Can be made 1 week ahead.
Cover and refrigerate or can for longer storage.

Pepper Profile: Chipotles
Vast Collections of Chipotle Recipes
Chipotle Recipes by PepperFool.com--Nice recipe collections on Chipotle Peppers

The Glory of Blue Cheese

In past days ago, I could not help myself by thinking about blue cheese and cheesecake. When I was in college, learning to be a chef, I found a recipe to make a cheesecake--I am not kidding--and research on the blue cheese. There are no Internet that time, I have to scavenger through the library.

Until one day, I found a recipe in very old Gourmet magazine and decided to make blue cheesecake with Oreo cookie crust, garnished with candied roasted hazelnut slices and drizzled with dark chocolate syrup ( not from heresy stuff, I made a syrup). The result: My God! it tasted very divinely. Intensity of Blue Cheese worked well with chocolate syrup.

I started to talk so much about Blue Cheese until I drove my classmates crazy in kitchen.

Unfortunately, I could not find that recipe in my files. I tried to Google this recipe but all I got are many cheesecake recipes...I gave up but found some goodies for you.

Making Blue Cheese at Home

The Cheese Making Process The British site where Stilton cheese are made. Nice photos of processing.

Blue Cheese-Hazelnut Butter by Chef Red Hawk

This recipe, I used for garnishing the steak--sliced or scooped. Nice flavor to NY Steak.

Butter, softened at room temperature
Blue cheese, crumbled
Roasted hazelnut, chopped
Cooked bacon, diced small
Roasted garlic, chopped
Or, Garlic Confit, chopped
Salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients. Form a cylinder of butter and wrap with plastic. Used for garnish on steak.

Blue Cheese Cheesecake with Baby Greens, Candied Walnuts and a Pear Vinaigrette By Emeril

Blue Cheese Spread from Appetizer Recipes

In Praise of Beef Tongue

Have you tried Beef Tongue--real cow tongue that you are going to eat? It is one of my favorite appetizers. I liked it on cracker with butter and mustard. I don't know how to describe it but the taste reminded me of head cheese slices when I was little kid. Very good flavor. I usually got beef tongues from my in-law families' farms. Most of them don't share their recipes with me. I knew how to find recipes from several websites.

When I mentioned cow tongue to my friends or Chefs, they think I am one of worst eater on few certain meats (calf brain, sweetbreads, pig jowls, and oyster mountains <pig's balls>. Yea, all tasted very divinely good after they are correctly cooked). One day I actually brought sliced cow tongue along with my crackers and mustard for my lunch to work. When I find a table where all employees sat, I made the demo of beef tongues--Lot of fun to watch their faces grimaced in disgust look when they saw me setting it together on cracker and ate noisy, then they left my table. Well, of course, I lost nearly all friends in praise of Beef Tongue and got peaceful lunch break on one sitting.

I don't care about what they think about me. I like cow tongue and you should, too.

Pickled Tongue Sandwich from Columbusing
Spiced Beef Tongue from Smokey Mountain Breakdown

Tongue with Mustard-Horseradish Sauce from Epicurious

How to boil beef tongue instruction from Instructables

Some Grocery stores packed the cow tongues like this. I will find it in one of stores and was thinking about taking it home and give my wife a tongue kiss....Nay, I think she will hurt me so much.

There are some restaurants who will put cow tongue in their menu but I don't think it will sell so much. After searching for good images, I managed to find few good pictures of cow tongue on plate. They looked so nice but need little work on plate.

Pickled Beef Tongue

One of Hawaiian dishes, Grilled Beef Tongue.

Do you like Chicken Livers?

Personally, I do like chicken livers but my family don't. My dog loved it so much than his dog food in dish. I liked the chicken livers pureed into paste so I can spread on a cracker and enjoy it.

I am sure that you had seen the chicken livers in grocery store. I had observed people walked around and checked the meat and deli. I noticed almost no one come near to chicken livers beside my daughter photographed it for her blog--I don't know why, I guess she tried to gross her friends out.

Chicken Liver Pate
Bourbon Chicken Liver Pate
For your dog's treat, Chicken Liver Cookies
Famous Pate Maison Recipe from Simply Recipes
2 Easy Chicken Liver Pate Recipes
Chicken Fried Gourmet with nice photos of Chicken Livers on plate.

Beef Rouladen (Beef Rolls)

You may notice that I didn't give specification of how much amounts in Beef Rouladen. I got this recipe from my friend who knew too much about Germany. He is so awful with handwriting, I have to translate his scribbles into plain English. I tried this recipe by following the direction. The results is VERY good with spatzles. I got rave reviews from my family and my friends. Even, I made and cooked the beef rolls for my friend's birthday. I decided to keep this recipe for future reference in my file and want to share this with you. My recipe are written as is:

Beef Rouladen (Beef Rolls)

Round roast, trimmed, thinly sliced--see direction.
Dijon mustard
Dill pickle spears
Onions, finely chopped
Bacons, cooked--strips or chopped.
Flour, to dredge
Lard, butter, or vegetable oil for frying
Salt and Black Pepper
Beef stock

Round Roast, I usually used the sliced raw beef which are for carne asade. It made my job easier to roll without any slicing or pounding on beef.

Lay the sliced beef on cutting board, spread Dijon mustard. Add dill pickle spears (sliced thinly into two spears), onions and bacon. Roll the beef and secure it with butcher strings or toothpick. Dredge in the flour before frying in a pan. Brown all over and transfer rolled beef to baking pan. Pour the beef stock into pan and deglaze the pan. Bring it to boil and pour over the beef--enough to cover the meat. Bake beef in the oven until all are completely cooked. Serve beef over bed of spaetlze, egg noodle or sauerkraut.

At the Café Signes, sign language and steak frites

Can you imagine that I have to search through 40 pages in Google--sure beat going to church on Sunday morning. Found one article and I thought you might find something interesting about Cafe Signes, a rare gem in France. It is about restaurant that staffed almost all Deaf employees in restaurant with a hearing Head Chef who know how to sign. He have three Deaf Sous Chefs working with him. Put yourself in a hearing shoes and can you imagine when you enter the restaurant and tried to call the bartender.....

I really like this article about employing Deaf people in restaurant to give the different atmosphere to hearing customers.

Other one, I knew about Danny Delcambre, Deaf Cajun Chef and also, legally blind, known as Usher's Syndrome. His restaurant called Ragin' Cajun, located in Seattle, Wash. In few years, I heard that his restaurant were closed due to his visual problem--I don't know how to call this kind of vision problems. I am sure you understood what is the disability that Danny Delcambre had. He had employed some Deaf cooks, and Deaf waitresses despite his business counselors gave him advices, not hiring Deaf people to work for him--he hired them anyway. His restaurant have been lasted nine years. I obtained some information through sites and others, that is how much I knew. I had some troubles by trying to find more articles on Danny Delcambre. If any errors, please correct me in comment area. Anyway, I found some inspirations from him that motivated me to consider owning a restaurant in future. One of years, my family planned to go there and eat in his restaurant but was prevented due to bad snowstorm in Seattle. The plan changed into visiting my in-law families in Oregon during Christmas week. Nice time being with them for a week but had bad cold that I got from airline. I did not forgot about that bad cold. When returning to very cold Minnesota, my colds were gone. Strange.

Right now, I wished that I could go there and eat Danny Delcambre's Cajun food. Well, I can find good Cajun cooking some day. I do make mean blackened chicken sandwich, that will put hairs on your chest.

Someday, I will own restaurant and will employ Deaf people to work in my kitchen. That's my first promise.

Found more Deaf Chefs via Google

During the morning, I put words, "Deaf Chef" in Google search and got the results. I noticed something changed so much than five years ago. I found there are more Deaf Chefs and added them to my favorites so I can read them up later, possibly add the link to my blog.

Quite inspirational, I would like to mention the only Deaf-owned restaurant, Abbondanza Pizzeria in West Seattle. I read an article about an interview with Deaf owner. I checked the reviews on his Food--very impressive, enough to make me so proud about Deaf people with "Can-Do" Attitude.

Yea, someday, when I plan to go to Seattle, I will make sure that I will stop by and tell Deaf owner "Big Hello". Will eat whatever they have.

I can related to other Deaf Chef in the Pub and work along with hearing Chefs. Several times, I will find a way to communicate through signs or gestures and there are no problems when they once learn few signs.... There are no differences in the problem when Chefs help each other to communicate or work together.

When I am looking for other job, I always encountered some looks on future employers--their face said, "I don't know what I am doing with Deaf" or "How do I work with you?". I had many interviews and became an expert by reading facial expressions and by finding kind of atmosphere, ( I don't know how to explain, I had seen enough of this kind,) that I felt I am not getting a job, without my wife's knowledge. I had met so many nice people out there who did not see the deafness as the major issue. Several time I was told that they worked with Deaf workers before and even retained them with good pay most than rest of staff. I did not get hired because of my culinary experience are too much. I don't care, there will be other one job I can find. I noticed that there are not so many resources to help your future employers when they found out that the applicants are Deaf. When I am looking for good resources, all I got are kinda of boring ADA laws, boring "how to work with Deaf" stuffs and others....If you know any good stuffs like this, let me know through comments. But one article, I am so happy after reading this. It is about Deaf Chefs take a "Can Do attitude" into the kitchen. (required pdf application)Very good reading. Now I knew there are more Chefs realized that they can find some best workers with loyalty for their kitchens or they lost. Yea, you are going to love this article so much!

Good Links to Deaf Chefs and others:
Matthew Krueger
Chef Julz--pretty difficult reading the fonts on purple background but nice photos of her.
Deaf Chef Proves Discrimination, Jamie Berke's Deafness blog--it was unedited blog by a Deaf Chef, I don't know who, Jamie only had it reprinted. I had encountered enough of problems but I have big sympathy for Deaf Chef.

I will continue the Google searching for more Deaf Chef. If you have any links, let me know by putting your link in my comment area, ok?

Paul Kirk's Championship Barbecue Sauces

About years ago, I found this cookbook due to what it said on book cover--175 Make-Your-Own Sauces, Marinades, Dry Rubs, Wet Rubs, Mops, and Salsas. I had been read this cookbook several times to gather good information to make my own sauces or my own dry rubs. With kind of knowledge, I occasionally used this in an emergency like run out of barbecue sauce in my kitchen and will scour for all ingredients I can throw in a sauce pot to make barbecue sauce. I am glad that I am very lucky to read this cookbook again and again. One time, someone told me why I read this again and I have to answer him that I just review my knowledge--see what's happening to barbecue sauce in the kitchen, what you want to do, running to store?

My personal Rating for this book is Five Stars based on how instructive I can understand and learn to make my own barbecue sauce recipe. That's how I have some secret recipes that I didn't share them in my previous blog entry: Barbecue! Paul Kirk is the Baron of BBQ, Top expert on BBQ stuffs and Best teacher. He wrote BBQ Cookbooks. I have few cookbooks from him and enjoyed by learning something new. Always had fun with barbecuing, making a recipe or trying something new out. I got good results thanks to Paul Kirk's cookbooks.

You can check some recipes out at: Paul Kirk's KC Baron of BBQ

Barbecue!

At home, I almost never bought barbecue sauce from grocery store and made my own recipes including one below from Barbecue Bible, Sauces, Rubs, and Marinades by Steven Raichlen. Make your own sauces will cause you to abandon the stuffs at grocery store or give store-bought sauces away to your neighbors, I can promise. No one tell you to buy
these sauces. I always made sure that I have ketchup, molasses, and few secret ingredients well stocked at home.

I had made few barbecue sauces and its results are very dark, sweet and smokey--will make Ken Davis weep over his sauce--similar to Sweet and Smokey Barbecue Sauce but I will not impart few of my secret recipes to you, my barbecue buddies. I am working on to obtain perfect sauce. Sorry. That will force Cattlemen to retire very early from the grocery shelves. Barbecue Bull will think I am his Master, worshipping me..... Ok, enough of my ego trips but seriously, I made my own sauce recipes.

Anyway, this recipe is very good on chicken, beef, pork and of course, french fries. I enjoyed this sauce along with sandwiches or toss it into pork carnita. Even, My wife made this 4X recipe and canned them in pint sizes for my relatives on Christmas day. Very good sauce.

Yesterday, it was very nice outside--sunny, and very warm, I got in good mood for barbecue. I started to barbecue dinner for my family. My wife like my smokey perfume, and my daughter thought I smoked too much--well you know the typical family things. I cooked hamburgers, and smoked beef. Had tortilla chips, nice potato salad and pretty cole slaw. My daughter insisted that she have a soda along with her dinner because I had beer... hahaha. I will have smoked beef for my work lunch so I don't eat something same everyday. Always nice to have something from your home in your lunchbox.

Sweet and Smokey Barbecue Sauce
By Steven Raichlen, Barbecue Bible, Sauces, Rubs, and Marinades
Make about 5 cups

6 tablespoons dark brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons dark rum
2 tablespoons yellow mustard
1 tablespoon liquid smoke flavoring
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
4 cups ketchup
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper

Combine all the ingredients, except for the ketchup, in a large, deep, heavy, nonreactive saucepan and bring to simmer over medium heat. Cook, uncovered, until all the ingredients are dissolved, stirring constantly, about five minutes. Stir in the ketchup and bring to boil, stirring well, as the ketchup has a tendency to spatter. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Reduce the heat slightly and gently simmer the sauce, uncovered, until dark, thick, and richly flavored, about 30 minutes, stirring often. Use right away or transfer to jars, cover, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate. The sauce will keep for several months.

Comments on Deaf Anthology, "GEO HIRED AS FIRST DEAF CHEF BY RAMSAY ON HELL'S KITCHEN" II

My Fellow Deaf Bloggers,

Here are the copy of my responses to the comments that you, my friends, made on my blog:

Thank you for leaving the comments on my blog. I greatly appreciated. I want to clarify what I am trying to say. I understood the fiction and I like to read for my entertainment. I like Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmare because I can related to him in some dirty kitchens.

I don't mean to offend anyone or someone's blog. If I did offend someone, I am really sorry. I don't intend to hurt anyone or their best blog work. Geo as a fictional chef as I understood, but the story was getting in my thin skin--it sounds like how sensitive I am toward to the culinary profession. Please accept my apologies.

This kind of story of Geo, the Deaf Chef is similar to someone who walked in the hospital and do the brain surgery on someone. I felt that someone can walk in the kitchen and be their chef, think he can do better than trained chefs who worked so hard to advance their careers by perfecting their culinary specialty. I had met several people and they think the chef is easy job to get, think the job as hash slinging, pan slinging and pancake flipping. This is not what I mean about my job, I mean about my culinary experience by practicing to make perfect in many aspect of cooking.I had been worked so hard to advance my career and reached where I wanted to be. I hope this will clarify the misunderstandings on my blog.

By the way, I am sure that some of you are experiencing some hurting feeling when someone told you that "Deaf" can't do anything or cook anything. I agreed with you when you got hurt if someone told you to dream on. I had been laughed at by several chefs until one day they discovered that I am more than just a Deaf Chef, possessed good knowledge better than they have. There are no major difference between Deaf and Hearing Chefs, they have something in common is the skills that they have.

When I was very young man, I always talked about what I am dreaming about who I am going to be. Until I met one old man and he told me, "Easy to dream about whatever you want to be, but what you do about your own reality today?" This question stayed in my mind for long time until one day I understood clearly about my own reality.

Thank you for reading my responses.
Chef Red Hawk

Comments on Deaf Anthology, "GEO HIRED AS FIRST DEAF CHEF BY RAMSAY ON HELL'S KITCHEN"

First of all, I want to say that this Deaf Blog, known as Deaf Anthology blog, is the work of fiction. I want to make sure that you don't jump into the conclusion about first Deaf Chef ever work in Hell Kitchen. Good Story, I don't have much of criticism on Deaf Anthology Blog because it is fun to read, it is very refreshing to my mind and encourage me to think about anything related to Deaf life. Yea, it would be my big dream, putting myself against the famous foul mouthing Chef Gordon Ramsay. I will win the game since he could not swear at all, I could not hear him f-words, I might heard him shouting some Klingon language at me.

I come to this blog for pleasure but I did not have one good pleasant moment when I read down this story, Geo is the first Deaf Chef of Gordon Ramsay's Hell Kitchen. I don't feel like to debate along with my fellow Deaf Bloggers about how much I knew about being a Deaf Chef that have to deal with every situation during his tenures with many places that he had worked in or along with some great Chefs and some bad chefs. I, myself, knew what is really being a Chef and what is really like to work along with hearing herds who are bleating, barking and humping at each other along with orders for dishes. With this Geo thing in Hell Kitchen: Dream on....

I have to give some little facts about Gordon Ramsay and his attitudes along with f-word antics among chefs and cooks. Sometime, I would count all "bleeped" words during TV show, Kitchen Nightmare. Even, he did called some chefs many obscene words that Chefs don't want to be labeled as their reputations. Gordon Ramsay is no different from other Chefs I had worked with and for, I had seen plenty of tantrums, shouting and kicking. If I ever seen a chef with mellow attitude, there must be something wrong with him or her--on "happy" pills? If I see one like this, I will go, looking for other job or stay in kitchen to make their life hell.

Dream on if you think you are one of chefs in Hell Kitchen as Deaf Chef. Dream on.

I had gone through hell with sweats, bloods, cuts, burns, and lot of callouses. Learned something new from the Best, Learned the jungle-hell laws in the kitchen. Put up with discrimination craps from Chefs, proved that I am better Chef than they are. Fast than they can do with their knives. I can finish slicing cucumbers within one minutes while it take them five to ten minutes. Knew how to make real hollandaise sauce better than the canned craps, knew how to make buerre blanc sauce and keep it from breaking down. Dealing with fresh meats who graduated from Cordon Bleu or other culinary arts skools and threw them into hell. I always had lot of fun, observing the fresh meats lose their way in the kitchen and by shot their ideas down when they brought up. Grilled Tuna with Roasted Green Pepper sauce. Declaring that green Wasabi stuff is delicious with hamburger. Want to make dinner special: Pan-seared halibut on bed of white rice, serve with steamed cauliflowers (all are white, color-blind?). Sometime, I always had lot of fun, watching them making hollandaise sauce and break sauce down several times on one standing. Or, watching them whining over four cases of red potatoes they had to peel. There are few good chefs who graduated from these schools, I had good respect for them because they are eager to learn, build their knowledge and very humble, very willing to work so hard, not timid by asking questions, hitting some cookbooks, and be happy with their job. Others don't have the kind of traits--willing to work, to be humble and to be ready for any unforeseeable moments but the traits are to talk their walk, not walk their talk.

Talk, Talk, Talk. That's enough.

I have to say something, when you had to prepare the food for 2000 customers for banquet event every weekend. You had to prep much food, peel potatoes before making mashed potatoes out of the mixer, shucking many oysters, mark many steaks over grill, clean and cut the salmons into many portions, bake several prime ribs and etc. Have to go through very boring jobs, deal with your back sore, and excessive caffeine in your body. Think it is easy job. No. Want to be a Chef, consider all what I said. That's truth. I don't think Geo will do that with little knowledge of his dinner and impress the food critic. I don't think Geo will last in the kitchen. This is impossible to became a Chef after you are a customer at a restaurant and blew the dinner.

Want to work in Hell Kitchen? Dream on.

When I watch Celebrity Chefs on TV, they are big jokes and had problems with their egos. I am so sick of Rachael Ray, twittering over the food, shouting EVOO over frying pan, Martha Stewart get all attention to herself with pretty craps, Sandra something with semi-homemade food with impressive boob cleavage, and Bob Flay need some serious make-overs on his Ego. I am so sick of their gimmicks, their craps and their food.

I like the famous Chefs: Gordon Ramsay, Anthony Bourdian, Paul Bocuse, and Daniel Boulud. I love the victorious Underdogs of Iron Chefs, who beat the Iron Chefs. I have enough respect for the Chefs who I admired most and, lean with humble attitude to learn new things from their cookbooks. I don't care about their attitudes, I do care about how much knowledge they possessed to pass it on to other future chefs.

Want to work in Hell Kitchen? You can continue on dreaming on. I am so sick of dreaming about what I want to be. I am just hauling my stinky and fat ass to accomplish everything that I want to get things done fast.

Other than my comments on Geo as Deaf Chef, I love Deaf Anthology Blog because I enjoy many fictional Deaf stories.

Good Panini Sandwiches

One of my lunch favorites, I always enjoy good Panini. I always got creative with making panini, putting good stuff together and grill in the panini press. Get it warm and always love the warm flavors from all ingredients between bread slices. I have a panini press at home and I will look for good ingredients then, making sandwich. Heat my lunch in panini press,then, viola!, delicious sandwich. Sometime I will make good panini sandwiches for my family dinner along with humble soup and nice bowlful of salad.

In my humble opinion about panini sandwich, there are no differences in making the panini since it is almost same as ordinary sandwich. Only need to grill to warm it up on panini press and let the flavors blend together as it heats up.

Panini Sandwich recipes from CDKitchen
How to make Panini sandwich from Suite101.com
Roast Beef Panini Recipes from Epicurious
Pesto Chicken Panini from Epicurious

Here are the list of ideas:

Garlicky Roast Beef Panini: Ciabatta, Aioli Sauce, Roast Beef, Caramelized onions, Fontina cheese.
Grilled Chicken with Fresh Mozzeralla cheese Panini: Italian bread, Aioli Sauce, Grilled chicken, slice of fresh mozzeralla cheese, Caramelized onions.
Club Panini: Italian Bread, Mayonnaise, Turkey, Ham, Bacon, Tomato slices and provolone cheese.
Smokehouse Turkey Panini: Sourdough bread, Mayonnaise, BBQ sauce, Turkey, tomato slices and smoked cheddar cheese.
Hawaiian Ham Panini: Ciabatta, Spicy mango sauce, Ham, Pineapple and Provolone cheese.
Chicken Salad Panini: Italian Bread, Chicken Salad, tomato slices and cheese.
Reuben Panini: Rye bread, 1000 Island Dressing, Swiss cheese, Sauerkraut and Corned Beef.
Rachel Panini: Rye Bread, 1000 Island Dressing, Swiss Cheese, Sauerkraut and Turkey.
Tuna Salad Panini: Sourdough bread, tomato slices, red onions, pickles, Tuna Salad, and pepper jack cheese.
Pesto Chicken Panini: Italian Bread, Pesto sauce, Tomato slices, Grilled chicken and fresh mozzeralla cheese.
Smoked Salmon Salad Panini: Sourdough Bread, tomato slices, red onion, smoked salmon salad and cheese.
Breakfast Eggs and Sausage Panini: Italian Bread, Pepper Jack cheese, mayonnaise, fried eggs, and one patty of cooked Italian spicy sausage.
BBQ Pork Panini: Italian Bread, cheddar cheese, 1000 Island Dressing and BBQ pulled pork.
Italian Stallion: Italian Bread, mayonnaise, ham, salami, tomato, red onion, peppercini, black kalamtia olives and provolone cheese.

I can go and list so several panini inspirations but I hope that will give you enough ideas. There are so many good Panini recipes through Google and they are so good. They are so good. Sorry, Chef Bob.

Now, I am having a turkey panini for my breakfast. Yummy! Bon Appetit!

Fry Bread Mania

Here is my memorial contribution to my mother. She is only one who made best fry bread and had good patience by teaching me how to make one like her own. I did not make the best one, I always got it like hard disc or really soft bread. I learned and worked on making a batch. Someday, I will find a way to make a perfect one every time.

During my childhood, I always anticipated to have one fry bread during my dinner with my family. One of my favorite bread, I can have it as peanut butter and jam, or sandwich with deli meat or any good meat scraps and mayo. Or Fry Bread Taco, with good spicy hot sauce. Or, have nice hot dog wrapped with fry bread like a corn dog, along with ketchup and mustard. Even, dessert with cinnamon sugar and butter or topped with thick blueberry sauce and whipped cream.

The quality of fry bread always affected by how much kneading, what cooking oil or what cooking pan are used. I had tasted several breads and learned lot from how did one made their own breads. The sizes of bread varied from palm-size to large like 9 inch pizza. Some are very thick puffed up breads, some are simply flat breads. I like palm-sized and thick fry bread because I can make sandwich with good meat and mayo.

I have to find some good Native American Fry Bread Recipes based on what I had seen and had made some batches during my childhood years. You will notice some similar recipes but that's how the fry bread are made.
Fry Bread Recipes
Fry Bread Recipes and Ideas
List of Native American Fry bread and breads
Native America Cuisine-Fry Bread

Coq Au Vin #3

Classical Coq au Vin

Other last very interesting recipe, I have to comment little about this recipe since it required the marinating times before cooking. I liked the idea of chicken marinated in red wine. I like beef marinated in red wine because I knew how it tasted after cooking--very delicious. With Chicken in Red wine, I am totally in paradise. This recipe will require you some careful reading before doing something wonderful with chicken. I have to confess about word: Classical. I don't care about what is classical, I already read and tried one good recipe from The Traditional French Cooking by Curnonsky during my culinary college years. Classical?

Recipe source: Bon Appetit magazine, October 2002.

MARINATING CHICKEN

1 bottle French Burgundy - (750 ml)
(or California Pinot Noir)
1 large onion, sliced
2 celery stalks, sliced
1 large carrot, peeled, sliced
1 large garlic clove, peeled, flattened
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 roasting chicken - (6 lbs), backbone removed,
cut into 8 pieces - (2 drumsticks, 2
thighs, 2 wings with top quarter of
adjoining breast, and 2 breasts)

COOKING CHICKEN

1 tablespoon olive oil
6 ounces thick-cut bacon slices, crosscut into strips
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 large shallots, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
4 large fresh thyme sprigs
4 large fresh parsley sprigs
2 small bay leaves
2 cups low-salt chicken broth
4 tablespoons butter - (1/2 stick)
1 pound assorted fresh wild mushrooms
(such as crimini and stemmed shiitake)
20 pearl onions - (1" dia), peeled
(or boiling onions)
Salt, to taste
Freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

1. For Marinating Chicken: Combine wine, onion, celery, carrot, garlic, and peppercorns in large pot. Bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer 5 minutes. Cool completely; mix in oil. Place chicken pieces in large glass bowl. Pour wine mixture over chicken; stir to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 day and up to 2 days, turning chicken occasionally.

2. For Cooking Chicken: Using tongs, transfer chicken pieces from marinade to paper towels to drain; pat dry. Strain marinade; reserve vegetables and liquid separately.

3. Heat oil in heavy large pot (wide enough to hold chicken in single layer) over medium-high heat. Add bacon and sauté until crisp and brown. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to small bowl. Add chicken, skin-side down, to drippings in pot. Sauté until brown, about 8 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to large bowl.

4. Add vegetables reserved from marinade to pot. Sauté until brown, about 10 minutes. Mix in flour; stir 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in reserved marinade liquid. Bring to boil, whisking frequently. Cook until sauce thickens, whisking occasionally, about 2 minutes. Mix in shallots, garlic, herb sprigs, and bay leaves, then broth.

5. Return chicken to pot, arranging skin-side up in single layer. Bring to simmer; reduce heat to medium-low. Cover pot and simmer chicken 30 minutes. Using tongs, turn chicken over. Cover and simmer until tender, about 15 minutes longer.

6. Meanwhile, melt 3 tablespoons butter in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms; sauté until tender, about 8 minutes. Transfer mushrooms to plate. Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter in same skillet. Add onions and sauté until beginning to brown, about 8 minutes. Transfer onions to plate alongside mushrooms; reserve skillet.

7. Using tongs, transfer chicken to plate. Strain sauce from pot into reserved skillet, pressing on solids in strainer to extract all sauce; discard solids. Bring sauce to simmer, scraping up browned bits.

8. Return sauce to pot. Add onions to pot and bring to simmer over medium heat. Cover and cook until onions are almost tender, about 8 minutes. Add mushrooms and bacon. Simmer uncovered until onions are very tender and sauce is slightly reduced, about 12 minutes.

9. Tilt pot and spoon off excess fat from top of sauce. Season sauce with salt and pepper. Return chicken to sauce. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool slightly. Chill uncovered until cold, then cover and keep chilled.) Rewarm over low heat.

10. Arrange chicken on large rimmed platter. Spoon sauce and vegetables over. Sprinkle with parsley.

11. This recipe yields 4 to 6 servings.

Comments: Marinating the chicken in the wine mixture adds flavor. Starting two days ahead and rewarming the dish improves that flavor.

Coq Au Vin #2

Chicken Braised in Wine or Coq au Vin

Recipe based on Joy of Cooking by Irma S. Rombauer and Marion Rombauer Becker. Not that one new Joy of Cooking but old one.

A Broiler or Roasting Chicken
3 Tbsp butter or olive oil
1/4 lb minced bacon
1/4 cup chopped onions
or 1/2 cup peeled pearl onions
1 sliced carrot (peeled and sliced)
3 minced shallots or scallions
1 peeled, finely chopped garlic cloves
2 Tbsp flour
2 Tbsp minced parsley
1 Tbsp fresh chervil or marjoram
1.2 bay leaf
1/2 tsp thyme
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground pepper
(1 Tbsp brandy, if desired.)
2 cups dry red wine
1/2 lb. sliced mushrooms
Salt and pepper, season to taste.

Melt the butter in a large heavy skillet. Add and brown the vegetables and bacon. Push the vegetables aside. Brown the chicken in the fat. Add flour, herbs, salt and pepper. (Stir the brandy in if desire). Stir red wine in. Bring to simmer, cover over low heat until done, about 1 hour. Add mushrooms for the last 5 minutes of cooking. Skim off excess fat. Season to taste. Serve the chicken on a hot platter, with the sauce and vegetables poured over it.

Coq Au Vin #1

Coq au Vin--Chicken in Red Wine
10 portions

Recipe adapted from Practical Professional Cookery, by H.L. Cracknell and R.J. Kaufmann. Difficult to translate the metric to English measurements, I hope it may make easier for you to follow this recipe. I don't know if you know much about French Cooking but this recipe was written for Professional Chef--you are lucky I have other recipes that you can read easier without any kind of french jargons ( the recipes follows this recipe.)

Before you are going to try this recipe or other, I have to warn you about the brandy. It can ignite the fire when brandy touch hot pan. Don't assume it as just a small flame, I already knew because I had been there and done this.

1/4 pound butter
1/2 pound bacon, raw, thick slice, diced
30 pearl onions
40 button mushrooms
10 portions chicken, cut for saute
3 fluid ounces brandy
1 bottle burgundy
brown stock
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 bouquet garni
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour, see # 6 directions
(butter and flour mix together to make beurre manie)

1. Heat the butter in a saute pan then add the bacon dices, quickly fry brown and remove. Do the same with the onions and finally the mushrooms

2. Season the chicken, place in the same pan and fat and colour quickly on both sides. Drain all the fat then replace the garnish with the chicken.

3. Heat the pan well, then add the brandy and flamber

4. Pour over the wine and also if necessary a little stock to just cover. Season with salt and milled pepper and add the garlic and bouquet garni. Cover with a lid, bring to the boil and cook gently in the oven at 180 c for approx. 18-20 minutes until tender.

5. Remove the chicken and garnish and arrange in casseroles. Cover and keep warm.

6. Skim off any fat from the cooking liquid then reduce this to about 5 dl. Whisk in the beurre manie to thicken to a coating consistency. Simmer gently for 2-3 minutes. and adjust the seasoning as necessary. Make sure the chicken is hot then the sauce over it through a fine strainer.