Quick Summary of whats happening these last 3 days!

The day I got here I was met outside by some hootin' and hollerin' (my fan club) mostly just by 'deckie/officer' friends that I already know (ok, so maybe it was only 2 people that recognized me while they were outside loading cargo).  Probably Jan (Dutch pronounced yawn) and Rodrigo (Brazilian) and was greeted inside by a few others that I knew.  Everybody was still very busy getting things done because they moved the ship to downtown Blyth a half hour after I got there...which was nice because where we were was just dock and soot everywhere.

 

I got my loads of paperwork filled out, explained, and/or oriented (the usual hassle that I will skip explaining the rest).  Rob Miller helped carry all my stuff to the room why his wife Denise got my stuff taken care of there at the reception.

 

There was quite a bit of 'catching up', chatting, and meeting new people before I ever got to my room...and then after I saw it I went to explore the kitchen and met a few more people.  I spent quite a bit of time trying to get a vague orientation of how the kitchen/galley was set up and then walked around the ship with various people while they talked and showed me things.  I got to see Isabella (which you have probably saw a picture of on my blog, Jan and Elizabeth's baby girl) and that was a treat because I have only seen her in pictures but know here parents real well.  There is plenty more to talk about on the personal level but let me go on to a general day 'run-down' to catch you up to speed.

 

I stayed up till late on the day I got here, May 2nd.  Thus staying awake for at least 36 hours straight.  Hard to sleep on planes that don't really account for your legs if you are over 5'8" tall?  But that (staying up late) helped me get my sleeping schedule straightened out and I was up early the next morning for devo's and meeting time...I then moved right into lunch which is pretty basic right now.  It is a lot of prepared sandwich meat and cheeses, salad 'stuff', and a fresh made soup right now, later I am not sure what the format will be like.  Dinner was Shrimp fettuccine Alfredo with mixed vegetables.  I made fresh rolls and bread for dinner, both white and wheat.  Audry (lady that is Chief Cook right now) was happy to let me pick what I wanted to do and has been a joy to work with (probably because she lets me do what I want, hahaha!).  Plus she is able to get some sleeping in and hours off since I have been here.  Glen (Chief Steward) and his wife Pam are nice and fun to work with, Peter who will be taking over Glens position later is great too (I already knew him from the IOC).  As far as I can tell right now its just Audry, Pam (Glen's wife), and I doing the cooking and/or meals with some people working in Pantry/Dining room.  But right now the count is low, 160 people?  But you can still see why there's not much room for time off.

 

So Friday morning I was up at 4am making fresh cinnamon rolls just trying to give the crew a 'treat' before getting the ship all ready to sail.  Then we had a big meeting (typical before sailing) safety instructions, rules, prayer, singing, etc...like a devotional, ship sailing instructions, and the latest 'word' on anything rolled all into one.

 

Used the mixed veggies from dinner night before and left over Alfredo sauce to make a cream of vegetable (went over quite well, it was all gone) just adding in some chicken stock and seasoning to finish it off.  I did a chicken breast (that was brined), stir-fried rice, and vegetable for dinner with a nice Thai Peanut Sauce.  That went well too...having to finish off the meal with some mashed potatoes after the rice disappeared.  I must say that in between getting some much deserved rest Audry did the stir-fried rice and vegetables...I am not trying take all the credit, I have just been enjoying being able to do the meals and menu's.  I will not officially come as Chief Cook till January...I am just helping out for the Maiden Voyage this time.

 

The kitchen has some great new equipment but it is quite a change because it is separated out more (not sure if I like it) and the new equipment takes some different pan sizes than I am used to cooking with,  For example:  Those big sheet trays that fit in most 'restaurant' style or commercial ovens do not fit inside of these.  For some reason we have a 'Blast Chiller' but somehow its not quite working right yet.  The ovens are pretty cool, cook by baking, steaming, or combination of both AND the rack that is in the oven rolls out of the oven unit, so like maybe after cooking ten pans of meat you could roll it all straight to the cooler at once, or prepare all the meat at once and roll it right into the oven door close it (which seals) and start cooking...and of course all methods of cooking are convection (or to put it simpler; has fans to circulate the hot air or steam in it).

 

BUT everything is new or fairly new (yes, even including some of the sinks and stainless steel walls).  So there are systems to work out and put in place,routines, more stuff from the Anastasis coming on, etc...

 

I spent some time in our four freezers, coolers, and dry storage areas down below in the ship getting supplies and trying to 'size up' the organization and placement of stores for future reference (makes work easier too) so I won't be running around for more days than I have to looking for everything.

 

In between all this we had some fire, boat, and other assorted drills...sailing off from Blyth...and several pre-warnings on the fire system from units in the galley (there are still some issues to work out in the galley fire sensors/detectors)...and earlier this evening they played a movie in the international lounge tonight (forgot what it was, didn't go see it because I was trying to do some blogging/email).

 

Ahhh, really to much to type at this point, and I am severely tired...

 

I forgot how much I miss sailing and how much it makes me sleep good...but I have to say I miss my wife more!

 

Oh yeah, just for point of reference I am 7 hours ahead of central time in the U.S. so if its 1pm your time in the Central Time Zone, then it is 8pm for me.  I think my blog times are still posting at Central Time Zone too...so figure out when I wrote this!

--
...cook, chef, culinary sponge, traveler, volunteer, missionary.

http://tyroneandstephanie.com

Tasty Snack! (and a few to-go tips)

A lot of times people make things out to be harder than what they are...like guacamole. I personally only need 2 ingredients (and maybe a third) to get down and dirty with a bag of tortilla chips. And yes, this will be American style fast food.

This should also be relatively cheap.

Believe it or not, where I am you can stop by Chili's (at the to-go door and park right by the door) walk in and get a bag of fresh tortilla chips and salsa for $2.39. I like them a lot. They are thin, light, and crispy (also there are directions on the bag to heat them up if so desired)...then swing by the grocery store.

Usually the grocery store will have those hass avocado that are almost to ripe and are going to go bad quick so they are selling for about 50 cents a piece. Getcha one or two.



Then kick on down an aisle or two, (because I know if you are trying this you ain't got it yet, that's right AIN'T!) and pick yourself up a bottle of Cholula! Best Hot Sauce ever, ranks right up there in my top three, which I change the number one around depending on my taste buds.

So here it is:

1 Hass Avocado

2 or 3 shots of Cholula

Mix to consistency of guacamole texture you like...

(possible addition would be a clove of Garlic)

That's it! Eat bag of chips with salsa & guacamole. If you use a couple of Avocado's you can feed a small group of people.

Just a favorite tasty snack of my own...

Tip: When I don't want to cook, or take the time of going thru the motions of eating out we start looking at using these 'pick-ups' that have now been offered by many different Restaurants like Chili's. Scour the menu's online, call or make order online, pick up on way home and eat in the comfort of your own home without wasting all that time...save money on the tip too.

Try eating Ala Carte and ordering only what you want and use condiments or 'extras' from home. For example I hate getting the mandatory 'beans & rice' with every dinner item on the Mexican menu. So I usually order from the appetizers a lot, or piece by piece...comes out cheaper and drinks are usually already cold in my refrigerator. (Haven't you noticed drinks are now almost $2 unless its water? And watch out, they may give you bottled.)

You don't have to be a cheapo, just get what you want without being forced to take it all.

The Day After (Easter)

Were you part of the faithful that went to church on Easter? Or are you the faithful that only go to church for special occasions which puts Easter high on your to-do list every year: go to church on Easter(note to self). Better yet, do you attend regularly? I won't say what regularly is because that in it self can cause a controversial debate.

But anyway, that is not the point. I want to know how many of you ate the 'standard' or traditional meal? You know....Ham? Or what? Usually if you aren't eating Ham you are going out to eat, right? I'm sure of it. Nobody cooks anymore, or at least not what they want when they want. They are peer pressured into the same old meals every year unless they go out to eat and escape the scrutiny.

Some who are close to me, or at least think they have reasonable evidence to say they 'know' me could tell you that I loathe (OK, maybe that's too strong a word) doing the 'usual' thing for meals on Holidays.

My friend Gary and his family went out for pizza! My wife says that her family does a big seafood dinner every year at Christmas. Now that sounds good! One year we (my family-mom & dad, sister & her family and such) grilled Lamb Shanks on an outdoor grill (we can do that in the South) with various other non-traditional side dishes for Thanksgiving.

This past (yesterday) Easter we had an Angel Hair Pasta with ingredients like: black label bacon (Pancetta was not available), shrimp, diced tomato, fresh garlic, butter, extra virgin olive oil, white wine, mushrooms, spinach, Parmesan cheese and of course select herbs and spices.

My wife said it was the best ever (Angel Hair pasta that she had). I must agree even if it borders on arrogance. Easter dinner...what was yours?

Tell me, I'm interested - leave a comment.

Celebrity Chefs (make them go away!)

[I must admit that I fell for this April Fools joke. The article in Food Art was a joke, and I should be chuckled at just for not really paying attention to the names used in the article which clearly have food connotation/reference in them...but I must still add, that my attitude about it is the same, and I believe that these kind of people are still out there. So I would almost label this a 'prophetic' telling of whats to come next in this industry]

In the March 2007 Food Art issue titled, Idol Hour was enough information, assumptions, and predictions to make me sick to my stomach.

As you all know (if you don't you haven't seen an ounce of news in the last 10 years) these 'celebrity chefs' and food 'anything' have been all the (rant &) rave clawing and climbing its way to the top of the 'Media' world. And so has progressed the latest atrocity & horror of well-known(?) Culinary 'schools' contemplating adding a certificate course for 'Celebrity Chefdom' career style.

I use the term 'schools' lightly because one has to question what kind of establishment caters (no pun intended) to the selfish, egotistic, celebrity chef wannabe, ........ notion that they can skip all the years of hard work, dedication, and passion to be called a chef?!?!?! Even if it is for a few dollars to appear on TV as the hottest thing going!

We already have drama and acting schools, leave the acting up to those who do it well!!! You (the culinary schools at large) should not be adding a 'culinary' glorified acting 'celebrity chef' program to your school!!! I would hope doing so would take your 'credentials' credibility down a few notches!

I have worked 15 years (approx.) in the Food/Restaurant/Catering service-business, 5 years in the Beverage Industry, and 5 of those culinary years were spent traveling in Central America, Caribbean, Europe, and Africa with a volunteer mission organization (Mercy Ships) working as the Executive Chef on two of their ships.

I have this tiny blog that mostly just friends and family read, a degree in Computer Information Systems (not culinary) and have received most of my culinary training by apprenticeship, determination, self-education, traveling, experiencing different cultures, and work experience...just to name a few. I have ate 'meat pies' in Scotland and Termites in Honduras. And I am subjected to 'knuckleheads' that want to degrade and lessen the culinary society as a whole? And 'schools' are going to cater to this? Disgraceful.

Please, oh please CIA (Culinary Institute of America) tell me you are not going to participate in this foolish endeavor. Even if it succeeds it will lesson the quality, degrade, and cheapen (how else can I say it?) those of us who cook and live to the passion of all things culinary.

In this article it talks about a few 'celebrity chefs' that are well-known, and/or were the 'first' but I don't know (and have never heard of them before) who they are...I get a much better response out of googling my own name (nickname, blog spot) than I do any of theirs. The only thing that comes up is this article with their name in it! And I have already admitted to being known only within my own family and friends!

Which brings me to food network (I don't even have cable). Since I move around so much with my work my dad tapes the shows I want to watch from food network (thank you Dad!)...and I can tell you they are getting less and less to pick from. Oh, there are still new shows developing all the time but they are starting to come 'cookie cutter' style with any flamboyant charismatic character that remotely is connected with (a piece of) food. And there are some that were able/willing to escape, be bold, or at least realize they deserved better have moved on and brought their audience with them. And rightly so.

But there is still a special place in my heart for those who have stayed and persevered, and those are the ones that my dad still video tapes for me and sends them along so I can amuse myself and maybe learn something. Its kind of like the sitcom, learning, and comedy TV for us cooks/foodies.

I love the title Chef, and I believe I have earned that accomplishment but I almost cringe when someone addresses me with that title because 'our' whole society has elevated it to a dream of not becoming an actual Chef, but a 'celebrity chef'.

In LaRousse Gastronomique here is quoted the first sentence for the definition of Chef: CHEF A person who prepares food as an occupation in a restaurant, private house, or hotel.

Now this book is touted by many a chef, cook, foodies...alike to be one of THE Bibles of epicurean proportions...but society has manipulated the Chef title to be a title of arrogance and pedigree.

What school did you got to? What? No culinary degree...uh, no...the closest culinary school (I think) to me was over 4 hours away (and of NO particular note, actually I think it is now defunct) when I started my (legal) career of cooking at age 16 at the A&W Restaurant (yes, Root beer! We still made our own syrup then, It was not bought in a box). Besides, cooking an egg on an engine in basic auto mechanics class was the closest you were going to get to culinary class at high school/tech school choices.

But that's OK, just call me Tyrone, tyronebcookin, or bcookin for short. I don't need a title, I got the passion, creativity, and determination to pursue my goals. Which are probably surprisingly different than you may imagine. (http://tyroneandstephanie.com/ read introduction page).

Ah yes, back to the article. Well much can be said but with a quote like this:

"If the Institute had had this program when I went to school there," Speed said, raising the glass divider in the limousine bound for a television studio for his appearance on the Charlie Rose Show, "I could have shaved five years off this process. Five years of cooking—what a waste."

A thirty year old chef that says five years of cooking was a waste; implying that if culinary school had a program to boost him to celebrity status he wouldn't have needed to cook all that time.

I need to check my blood pressure, be back in a second...

What more should I say to convinve you I have a valid point?

Special Thanks to:
Bob Del Grosso
Michael Ruhlman

Pop-n-Fresh Donuts?

To get started I microwaved some white and milk chocolate chips (bought from any grocery store) until they were smooth. See the two bowls in the picture? We will use this to dip the donuts in later. I used an electric stove and a non-stick pan (I am sure it can be any pan) on medium heat for about 20 - 30 minutes before I got started. Tada! Yep, that's right! Here is the donut dough that I am using (CANNED BISCUITS!)...it usually comes 4 cans to a pack at around $1.50 (for the 4 pack package, so that means a possible 40 donuts for $1.50!).
Now we just rub our fingers together in a circular pattern until we have a hole in the middle. Do about five of these at a time then just keep them held on your fingers. Do more than that if you get the hang of it and can fry them with enough time to flip them without burning any.

Look at the following pictures below to see a 'tester' being fried up first. Because if you at least do one you will know if your oil temp is going to work for you. (and this way we don't have to get all technical taking temperatures and such). I could count between seven and ten and flip them and that usually worked out good for me.



Now that you know how to adjust to the way your oil is cooking the donuts, we can do 5 at a time! (or more if you can!)

As you have seen in my pictures either a slotted 'fish' spatula or a pair of tongs work out nicely for these donuts. Then we can drain them on some paper towels. Note: If you just want to shake some cinnamon sugar on them fresh from the oil that topping works out nicely too...and a little less calorie intake! hahaha! But hey, your making DONUTS so who is counting anyway?!?!

Now lets dip the donuts and eat them fresh, or wait to the following day and the chocolate will have set harder.


Eat them fresh is what I suggest, but a few seconds in the microwave will soften the donut and the chocolate again. Mmmm, delicious! So how much did those homemade 40 donuts cost you?