Biscotti

Biscotti
The word "biscotti" in Italian is the plural form of biscotto, which applies to any type of biscuit, and originates from the medieval Latin word biscoctus, meaning "twice-baked": it defined biscuits baked twice in the oven, so they could be stored for long periods of time, which was particularly useful during journeys and wars. Through Middle French, the word was imported into the English language as "biscuit".
American biscotti are indeed crisp cookies often containing nuts or flavored with anise. Traditionally, biscotti are made by baking cookie dough in two long slabs, cutting these into slices, and reheating them to dry them out. A basic recipe is a mix two parts flour with one part sugar with enough eggs to create a stiff batter. To the mixture baking powder and flavorings such as anise, chocolate, or nuts are added. The slabs are baked once for about twenty-five minutes. They are then cut up into individual cookies and baked again for a shorter period. The longer this second baking is, the harder the cookies will be. In contrast to the Italian version paired with wine, American biscotti more frequently accompany Italian-style coffee- and espresso-based beverages, including cappuccinos and lattes.

Well, I guess you could say that I made my biscotti with nuts, coconut!  Below is my coconut and orange biscotti.  Using desiccated coconut (extremely dried out) and orange oil, extract, and/or peel.  Again, I needed about 300 to 400.  Gone quick.
Below is a simple process of how it's done, first bake is approximately 25 minutes at 350 F, second bake for 15 minutes at 325 F.

Now enjoy with coffee, espresso, tea, hot chocolate, milk...

Stephanie took some of them, melted chocolate chips in the microwave then slathered them on one side with the chocolate and waited for them to cool again.  Try doing this with a lot of chocolate (semi-sweet, dark, milk, or white chocolate) or any other melt-able addition that tastes yummy and dips, drizzle, and/or both for a more 'gourmet/fancy looking' delicious biscotti.

My heart...

There are our lovely Bible study girls from Mama Victoria's orphanage. They came to ship yesterday and we had so much fun. They are so funny and they find humor in EVERYTHING!!! We gave them a tour around the ship and they were most enthralled by the kitchen and the laundry room. They could not get over the idea of putting your clothes in a box, adding soap, walking away, and coming back to clean clothes. They thought it was silly and that we should just do it the right way and scrub our clothes with our hands. They also hated the idea of the kitchen with no open fire.

I wish you could know them, I wish you could hear them laugh and sing. They do both wholeheartedly with smiles that make my heart melt.



Cortu is 16 and has been raised by the Suzanna (Mama Victoria's daughter) and has a wisdom that goes far beyond her years. When she speaks she does so with confidence. She reads the chapter that we study every night for the 7 nights that we are gone and writes down what she learned, then she shares her best insight with the group. I often find myself taking notes when she shares. I love Cortu, and I find myself drawn to her.



Regina is a HAM! She is about 4'8" and has this explosive energy. Anytime there is a camera she is in front of it posing. She is the one out of the group that makes them laugh so hard that they literally fall over. When she was on the ship she used the bathroom and it has a vacuum flush that is quite loud.  Apparently it scared her and she came flying out of the bathroom and proceeded to laugh so hard we thought she might suffocate.



Alice is quiet and a little reserved. She is one of the younger girls and listens intently in Bible study but does not say much. She has a sweet spirit about her.



Mary is a unique blend of being motherly yet very playful. She listens intently when you talk and truly wants to know us. She is conservative but yet is in the middle of the whooping and hollering when they all get riled up (which is often).



Ruth is the seamstress of the orphanage and loves to cook.  She really wants to go to school to be a caterer. Ruth does not say much during Bible study, she usually is catching up on her reading.



Annie is the oldest of the girls and definitely the big sister of the group. She is very sassy and definitely sets the tone for the group. She is taking her entrance exam for nursing school on August 30th. Annie always knows her memory verse perfectly and she contributes with her own life experience, even the hard parts.



Betty is one of the younger girls, she usually doesn't know the memory verse and is a typical teenager that is very chatty. Her energy is contagious and she gives the best hugs.



Gerilyn has been the hardest for me to get to know. She is an observer by nature and doesn't compete for attention like some of the other girls. The more I get to know Gerilyn the more I see her authenticity. She told me yesterday that she wants to be nurse like Jenn, Jeanne, Becky, Sarah and I.

Cinnamon Rolls, Cinnamon Buns, Sticky Buns

Whatever you like to call them, just make sure there good & fresh preferably.

I make cinnamon rolls freestyle.  That means I make the dough, a cinnamon-sugar mix (just to clarify I like to use 2/3 brown sugar and 1/3 white sugar and as much or little cinnamon as you like, no cinnamon creates caramel tasting rolls/buns), and melt some butter then just start making them!

This site from King Arthur Flour has good pictures and recipes for doing them at home, I do them in bulk, you know 300 or 400 at a time!

King Arthur Blog - Cinnamon Rolls

I don't use flour to form, roll, or flatten the dough.  Just a little oil or no-stick spray on my hands.  Then I beat the dough down after it has risen double in size.  Smash it out (flatten it) with your hands until it resembles a rectangle.  Pour a little melted butter and squeegee it all around the rectangle then sprinkle your cinnamon & sugar mixture around on top of that.  Yes, it will be messy but who cares?  Its a cinnamon roll!!!

Roll it up and start cutting your cinnamon rolls out of it... Make sure to roll them real tight but don't worry about how much the mess on your hands is sticking to the dough.  That's trivial.

If you want to be more precise (but why?  The dough is going to swell and rise again so who cares if the cinnamon roll is not perfectly round?) you can use thread or floss to slide under the log of rolled-up dough then pull the strings together on top until it cuts everything between the circle of string.  (kind of like choking somebody from behind with rope on a scary movie except that you carry all the way thru with pulling the string till the formed cinnamon roll pops off the end of the log!).

They make them pretty close to the way I do, using a soft white bread dough recipe.  Where they use milk to spread on the dough for the cinnamon-sugar mixture I use melted butter, which makes it more caramel-y. (yeah, that's not a real word)

Use parchment paper for easier clean-up in your pan, pyrex, or glassware.  Yes, it's available in your 'home' size at the grocery store along the same aisle as plastic wrap and foil.

Well here are pictures of the ones I make, hope they make you hungry and inspire you to try your own.  Quit buying those ones at the grocery store and get over your fear of yeast!

This chafing dish - 2.5" steam table pan holds approximately 24 rolls, I made about 15 of these pans.  None came back.



As you can see there is a good color on the cinnamon roll sides and easy cleanup with the parchment paper



Pull one out to reveal the soft bread and see the dough has cooked



Do you want to keep that thick rich creamy white look to your glaze?  Add in some cream cheese to your basic powdered sugar, milk, vanilla extract recipe.

Another trick is to NOT glaze them but put pecans (or nuts of your choice) in the bottom of the pan before putting cinnamon rolls in, then after baking flip them over on a plate or tray and have pecan covered sticky buns with the caramel tasting syrup running over the 'bottom' now turned top.

These are from scratch cinnamon rolls folks, please, please do not go trying to make a 'diet' or non-fat version of these or making them with wheat flour, there are CINNAMON ROLLS for crying out loud!

*(actually besides the butter that adheres to the cinnamon-sugar mixture -which is also substituted by milk sometimes- and maybe a small amount of oil in the bread dough, there is no fat just loads of sugar in the icing!)

Dr. Gary Parker

Cardiff, Wales / July 2008 / Dr. Gary Parker, Africa Mercy Chief Medical Officer and maxillofacial surgeon, presented the opening lecture at the British Association of Oral and Maxillo Facial Surgeons annual scientific meeting in Cardiff, Wales, earlier this month

Dr. Gary was also interviewed for the BBC Radio Wales program "All Things Considered" this week (Sunday 20 July at 8.30am, repeated on Wednesday 23 July at 6.30pm), by Roy Jenkins.

The broadcast is available online for the remainder of this week:

Podcast  (download it and play it on your computer or iPod/mp3 player)

Dr. Gary is the most humble man I have ever met and has restored the lives of many by doing life-changing surgery. This is a great interview because you really get a glimpse of how kind and wonderful he is. He is really like this even in an emergency. Enjoy. (by Stephanie)

Dr. Gary at Community Meeting

Dr. Gary and Don Stephens

Dr. Gary is in surgery

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.