Focaccia

Focaccia (pronounced [foˈkatːʃa] foe-CAT-cha) is a flat oven-baked Italian bread, which may be topped with onions, herbs or other foodstuffs, related to pizza, but not considered to be the same. The word is derived from the Latin focus meaning “centre” and also “fireplace” -- the fireplace being in the centre of the house -- and this is a bread baked in the hearth. In English, it is sometimes redundantly referred to as focaccia bread.
It is typically rolled out or pressed by hand into a thick layer of dough and then baked in a stone-bottom or hearth oven. Bakers often puncture the bread with a knife to relieve bubbling on the surface of the bread. Also common is the practice of dotting the bread. This creates multiple wells in the bread by using a finger or the handle of a utensil to poke the unbaked dough. As a way to preserve moisture in the bread, olive oil is then spread over the dough, by hand or with a brush prior to rising and baking.
Focaccia can be used as a side to many meals, as a base for pizza or as sandwich bread.  (parts excerpted from Wiki-Pedia)

Here is my version used as a 'side' bread (like Spaghetti Bolognese last Monday night on the ship) or making incredibly delicious sandwiches.
Some of you (friends, families, catering clients...) have tasted my focaccia before.

I mix herbs in the flour when making the dough.  What you see on top of the focaccia is a butter, extra virgin olive oil, herb, and chopped garlic mixture that was applied before and once after baking in the oven.

I usually add the herbs and garlic to the butter and olive oil before heating everything together in a pot or in the microwave just to allow the 'essence' of the herbs and garlic to infuse into the butter and olive oil mixture.

The most common herbs I use for focaccia are oregano, basil, and rosemary.  But don't limit yourself, a bit of tarragon or fresh thyme...the possibilities are endlessly delicious!

Blogging Exhaustion

Last month I (tyrone) wrote the following post on my other blog the AFM menu...

Its days like today that make me feel like packing in this blog (AFM menu).

The big boss man (my boss) is gone for an LOA. But that really doesn’t change a whole lot for me…work goes on, people keep eating. Its just that I have another blog that is more of a joint venture with my wife (tyroneandstephanie.com) where we both post thoughts and opinions on our days whether they be personal or work related. So I find myself split wanting to post this material over at the other blog because really thats what I do…but then I think, no, I need to have different new material. Wait. I don’t have anything new. Or - Wait, I don’t have time to post new material to each blog.

What also fuels these thoughts is the decision for our organization to start putting everything on a ‘navigator’ of sorts, so our organization is connected worldwide (using confluence) where now everyone looks at that for my weekly menu. Except of course for you outside folks that cannot ’see’ our international ‘confluence‘ website.

We also use it to update the FAQS (frequently asked questions) or just to share internal information about our departments that are not open for the general public.

SO these things really defeat the purpose of 50% of this blog now, and another percentage of it can be carried by my other blog (you know Rants, Raves, Reviews, and general knowledge of my day to day).

Yes, I am sure as some of you know it takes time and effort to keep more than one blog rolling with fresh material. I’ll keep you posted.

So in case you are confused, I shut down AFM menu and I imported all my posts from the AFM menu to this blog, tyrone and stephanie, so now I will just continue to post my 'mind' and relative other life or culinary adventures.  It just makes it so much easier for me and I can keep Stephanie from taking over!

You will find a lot of new posts here that came from the AFM menu blog, and probably pictures too...and I also kept the menu page in case you still want to see what's for dinner. (in the PAGES links)

rest

Baby Greg went to meet Jesus last night at 6:45pm. He has fought a long, hard battle here on the Africa Mercy. He had his surgery about 5 weeks ago and has had good days and bad days, but he kept trying. He had a very hard time breathing and he would kick and flail is noodle like limbs. But last night he had enough and without drama he left this world and went to be with Jesus, to rest.... finally.

Marion is Baby Greg's Mama. She used to live with her parents until her dad kicked her mom out of their house and married another woman. The new wife made Marion and her siblings move out of the house. Their community came to talk to the father and he agreed to let them move back in and he paid for them to go to school.

Marion got pregnant and her dad was furious. He said some very powerful words that are believed to be a curse. He told her that she will never hold her own children in her arms. She gave birth to twins but they both died. Marion got pregnant again and had beautiful Baby Greg, but he had a large mass on on his neck and now he rests in the arms of Jesus.

When I saw Marion she was obviously wrecked to the core of her being, All I could think of was You are not alone.

In John 14 in the Message Jesus says it so eloquently . "I'm leaving you well and whole. That's my parting gift to you. Peace. I don't leave you the way you're used to being left- felling abandoned, bereft. So don't be upset. Don't be distraught. " You are not alone.

You Are Not Alone

Sometimes you get so weary

You run to forget

Keep yourself so busy

Anything to cover up that

Sometimes life just don't make sense

And the reason for your running

Is a longing to be known

Someone who says your life is worth it

Someone captured by your heart

Someone you gave up on long ago

You are not alone

You are not alone

His love is all around

And He holds you even now

You are not alone

He will not leave you orphaned

That's a promise He has made

When others leave you empty

When the world has left you broken

Still He will not walk away

So come and lay down all your questions

Lay down your striving to be free

He has loved you since you've breathed

He will love you for forever

Really what more do you need

--Kate Hurley

Get your swirl on!

Cinnamon Swirl Bread, delicious with coffee...toasted and spread with real butter.

It takes a coating of cinnamon and sugar (I like 2/3 brown to 1/3 white sugar) to the flattened dough, a triple fold over on to itself...then smash it flat (I don't use the rolling pin, just my hands) and then another coating of the cinnamon & sugar, then just protocol the dough up like you were making cinnamon rolls.  And roll it as tight as you can get it before dropping it into the bread pan.

When folding and rolling use thin coats of cinnamon & sugar with no butter to get great looking (& tasting) results without your bread 'separating' while slicing after you are done cooling it from baking in the oven.

He is ABLE

Elizabeth is a 60 year old woman who is devoted to Jesus with her whole heart. She noticed a lump on the right side of her neck 4 years ago and it continued to grow and grow. Her family brought her to the ship on Thursday and was seen by our general surgeon Dr. Bruce. She was diagnosed with a large thyroid mass that would be risky to remove. The mass has invaded her neck and forced her trachea (wind pipe) to the side causing a problem when trying to secure an airway for surgery.

As Elizabeth walked down the hallway this mass is all you can see. It looks like she has tennis balls stuck underneath the skin of her neck. Her husband, son and daughter was with her and they are an obviously close family. When they talk they look the other in the eyes and smile.

Just looking at Elizabeth even an untrained eye could see that doing this surgery could be life threatening but life changing if she survived. Dr. Bruce had "The Talk" with Elizabeth and her family. He told them that she might die because of the surgery and would definitely die if she did not have the surgery. He told them that if the surgery was successful that it would not because of his best efforts but because of Dr. Jesus' healing power. Her husband responded to the grim news by saying " I want her to have the surgery. I believe HE IS ABLE and He alone can heal her. If she does not live then she will go home to Jesus." Dr. Bruce agreed to do the surgery.

Elizabeth went into surgery on Friday afternoon and there was a buzz around the ship. The nurses were all anxious to see how Elizabeth would come out. Dr. Bruce and Dr. Bob along with Dr. Nigel and anasthesia team performed a cut down to intubate her through her neck, they then debulked the tumor, tried furiously to stop the bleeding of this vascular (bloody) mass, then they placed a permanent tracheostomy so she can breathe on her own.  She received 4 units of blood from crew members (our blood bank) and was transferred to the ICU. Her blood pressure dropped and her hemaglobin (blood count) was 5 (her normal is 9-11) so she was given 3 more units and was on a ventalator to assist her in breathing.

I received report in the ICU on Saturday morning and was busy from the start. She began to bleed out of her surgical incision but was controlled quickly. At the begining of the shift she was drowsy but later she perked up and was breathing fine on her own. I took her off the ventilator and later she even had some ensure to drink.

Elizabeth is full of gratitude and love. She reaches up to give give me hugs and she holds my hand when I near.  My favorite moment was when i showed her a mirror for the first time. She smiled her one tooth grin and lifted her hands up to praise the Lord. The translator said she was saying "Thanks God".

Saturday afternoon her husband, son, and daughter came to visit. The looks their faces were priceless. Her husband was so ecxtatic that he turned around in circles and said "Thanks God". I gave him an update and he said " I knew that God was going to take way this problem. It has giving her a hard time, but I knew my God was able to take this away. He is able, He is able."

This morning I went down stairs to see Elizabeth and she was sitting up in a chair with her feet propped up like the queen of the ward. All I could think was, God you did it again, another miracle, another life saved, another family touched, You are able.

On Baking

Eddie, the baker, is on vacation for the next two weeks...and this being the volunteer organization it is, well, I guess I'll be covering that position the next two weeks as well as mine.

We are down a few people in the galley but a few more are coming in. Although you lose a lot in transition because of the experience that just left and the new training that needs to be done for new crew.

I fully expect to enjoy myself baking though...I'll be taking pictures and discussing technique when I get a chance.

It

Have you ever had a conversation and all of a sudden things clicked in you head? The kind when you say "I get it. I finally get it."

When I was 19 I felt the Lord call me to be a nurse with Mercy Ships in Africa. I had such clear direction from the Lord which helped me get through some large obstacles along the way. I felt like I had this carrot in front of my face the whole time urging me to continue on the journey to get to my destination.

When I arrived I went through the honeymoon phase then passed into the hostility phase that they warn you about. But the third phase, home, eluded me. I have been here 6  months and have been waiting to feel this amazing sense of home and it never came. I have been stuck in this rut wondering when the feeling of fulfillment or the sense of home was going to come flooding in.

I was talking to some friends on Monday and one of them asked if we had ever been called by God to a certain place to serve. They both had agreed that they had never felt or heard a calling to specific place. This caused a feeling of shame to rush over me. They are both content where they are and I who have felt very called to exactly where I am have been struggling fiercely. We continued to talk and Becky said "Have been looking for the feeling of this is it?". My answer was yes and at that moment it clicked. Being in Africa on Mercy Ships is not going to fulfill me. I know that sounds obvious but it took so long to get to that place. It took me going deeper in my relationship with the Lord and then being able to hear to the Lord's gentle voice saying "I AM IT."

Minced Beef - what's in it?

I was under the impression and education of books and colleagues that minced beef was just the English term for what North Americans call ground beef.  But lately, my intrigue in figuring out why my minced beef seems to be so strange to cook, stay pink in the center, and not quite taste exactly like any ground or minced beef I have ever tasted has led me to ask you, the reader, what's in your minced beef?

Here's what's in mine ~

*Beef, water, (ok so far) breadcrumbs, soy, salt, fermented rice (WHAT?!), pepper

Breaking Free

Bendu is a rare gem. She is sassy, funny, wise, and witty. I wish every one of you could have the privilege of knowing her. I wish you could see her smile when we tease her or the look she gives me when I sneak a piece of chocolate without offering her some. She has been through so much but still is full of life or shall I say spunk.

We think she might have had a seizure that night and knocked over a lantern she was using to read, which may have been the culprit for the flames that engulfed Bendu. She has received some surgery on her burns and will come back in August for more.

I have spent many hours just chatting with her. She asked me one time if I had any books she could read while she was in the hospital. I brought her "Breaking Free" by Beth Moore. Yesterday before Bendu went home, I asked her what she is learning from the book. She flipped to a list of the chapters and pointed to the chapter entitled "Learning to Trust God in the hard times." She then told me that it will be hard going home but she will trust God.

Pizza!

I thought this post worthy of copying over to this blog from AFM menu, plus it might inspire you to try and make your own pizza at home

Well, we have finally done it!  We have the cheese, extra pans, time, and oven space all at the same time so now we can finally get a 'Pizza! Day' underway...

Last Friday night we had pizza on the menu and I made sure I had enough crusts not to run out!  We make our own crust and par-bake them beforehand, freeze them till we need them, then pull them just hours before we use them.

Another excellent way to try and get that 'pizza oven' quality crust is to take & make the par-baked crusts into a pizza by adding sauce and all the toppings you want then use a peel, tray, or rack to slide your pre-made pizzas into the oven.  But don't put them on pans!  Cook them directly on the racks of a preheated oven...makes for a great crispy and chewy crust. (if you do try this at home, the caution I would give is to put a tray under the pizza on a lower rack if cheese melting off the side is in danger of falling on your heating element, it will smoke and possibly catch fire)

If you have steam wells or heated chafing dish holders (or more commonly known as a buffet line) we cut the pizzas and slid them on the chafing dish lids.  Because then you can put the sliced pizzas directly over the heat source without making the pizza soggy (This tends to happen when putting them in chafing dishes).  Another good tip is to slide the pizza off of the peel, tray, and/or rack (after taking it out of the oven) slide it straight onto your stainless steel table, and quickly cut it with a cheap round wheel cutter, then slide it back on the lid.  You can use a cutting board if you want, because I know some would argue dulling the pizza cutter or damaging the table (its stainless steel commercial quality, you aren't going to damage this table.  We clean/disinfect the table before getting started and at the rate, we cut and slide pizzas back on the lids you're going to have a hard time with that cutting board staying in place or slowing down the 'flow' of the work.  Plus we have found cutting fresh pizza on the table with a cheap round pizza cutter has the highest success of a 'full' cutting at 'top' speeds. (I recommend using the cutting board at home)

Pizzas done in 10 minutes at 350 Fahrenheit. (the only additional caution I can think of doing this at home is if you do have the heating element that is visible at the bottom of the oven then check and make sure this doesn't burn the bottom of your crust before the 10 minutes expire, if you have a pizza stone then you probably don't need these tips)

The way we come up with these creative ideas that work is by thinking beyond 'this is how we used to do it' and/or  'we can't do it because we don't have the proper equipment ...you would be amazed how much we do with what we have.  And each one on our Galley team has contributed to ideas that have become possible.

A couple of delicious pictures for you to think about...

Good Question

Steve, over at Round The Chuckbox Observations of Life and Faith from a Camp Cook (also linked here under culinary minds) has a wonderful blog and I think I am just going to use HIS self descriptive text for it -

For 37 years I've had two culinary careers -- one that paid the bills and the other imagined. Growing up in Fresno in the 1960s, I attended Camp San Joaquin in Sequoia National Forest. To me the cook and his assistant had the best job. Where else could I pursuit my passion for cooking and my love of the mountains at the same time, I reasoned? With retirement nearing, ambition may soon turn to gold, Lord willing.

Great insights, personal views, and some great recipes from another 'foodie' & cook...check it out.

ANYWAYS, Steve asks a good question:

Hi: What do you run for breakfast and lunch (and night meals?).

Well let me explain first that the menu shown on the 'menu' page is always the Evening Dinner or Supper listng.

Dinner (or the Lunch meal), is usually a homemade soup, meat and cheeses cut for sandwiches, and different fresh veggies and fruits with the salad 'bar'. Leftovers from the night before are 're-packaged' as a new dish or just heated up (some foods just don't re-package well)...if there are not a lot of 'hot'foods left from the day before we default to the above mentioned items. Meaning that hot foods (excluding soup) are only a bonus for lunch but are not guaranteed.

Breakfast is usually 'do it yourself' Mon-Fri which can include several different things: several different cereals, breads, oatmeal, jams, jellies, yogurt...but also we have cold cuts, cheeses, and a few other options for teams that work off ship during the day can 'bag' a lunch. Although the Europeans (and others) also eat these things for breakfast. There are toasters, juice, coffee, tea, hot water...all the condiments you could think of. The set-up for this is done by the Dining Room staff/crew every day.

Saturday breakfast is usually pancake day that is ran by volunteers who come make the pancakes.

Sunday breakfast is usually the above Mon-Fri with the addition of scrambled eggs, bacon/ham/corn beef hash (pick one) and sometimes other things like surprise cinnamon rolls or things like that.

The breakfast meal is done like this because of the nature of the job. Cooks (or the whole galley crew) work from 8am to 7am (or there about, give or take an hour) just to produce all the meals during lunch and supper, then a massive clean-up of the galley at the end of the day...so a hot breakfast everyday made by our crew would pretty much be 'out of the question' without trying to run a morning crew which we don't have 'bed allotments' for...plus its hard to have full staff when you rely on being fully volunteer.

On a further note, Saturday and Sunday you must pack your lunch at breakfast time because we do not cook lunch those two days. Saturday the galley crew still works but the first part of the day is reserved for cleaning and then on to cooking supper (evening dinner). Sunday its up early to cook a 'hot' breakfast, then a quick clean-up of the galley then on to church or back to bed (depends on how you feel inclined) then back again after 1pm to start dinner/supper.

May sound hectic or weird, but it works good...and has been for years.

Recovery

When babies wake up from surgery the reaction is universal. They are mad, confused, and hungry. As soon as the child even starts to wake up we get the mom to come and comfort/ feed her baby. Sometimes the child just screams and screams after mom is there, after they have been fed, and after they have had pain medicine. So we have to become creative and try to figure out why they are so upset. Sometimes they are just plain obstinate and want to scream. Other times they are just uncomfortable and will only be satisfied in a lappa on their mom's back. So we grab a surgical drape and mama uses it as a lappa. Her child suddenly stops crying as they are being bounced around, close to the oxygen saturation machine of course. Us nurses are happy that the screaming has finally stopped.

Off the ship... For the weekend

We spent Friday afternoon to Sunday afternoon at a guest house on the beach. The house itself is very bare-bones, but it has running water and electricity and air conditioning in the bedrooms in the mornings and in the evenings. The house is hostel style. There are 7 rooms and most of them were full this weekend. All of the other guests worked for other NGOs and are very interesting people.

The house is right across the street from the beach so we were back and forth, weather permitting. Tyrone and I spent the whole weekend just relaxing, reading, listening to music, and enjoying each other's company. It was wonderful.