Apple Corer used for Pineapple?

I want to give credit where credit is due. One of my Team Leaders (cooking teams) Ernest, from Ghana, showed me how he likes to use an apple corer (is corer a word? guess so, spell check didn't catch it).

The handled apple corer which only 'drills' out the core (but doesn't slice) has many application so it has been deemed a multi-tasker and thus gets respect among my kitchen tools. But one of those 'fancy' handled corers that helps pre-slice the actual fruit? Seemed like a waste of time and space considering my knife skills. And even some of you may feel you can slice pineapple rings faster than using a fancy apple corer...but it still doesn't take away from the fact it was a pretty ingenious idea!

From slices to tidbits...turn this one into Cooks Illustrated tips and techniques!

Culinary Challenge pt 2 (extended w/pics)

If you are trying to catch up with exactly whats going on you can click here Culinary Challenge pt 1 , Culinary Challenge pt 2 is a poll so you can vote for the contestants after they prepared their 'Big Meal' for the crew...

Tatyana (without sidekick this time) came in and made sure the cooking team knew what she wanted so when I showed up the team didn't really need me that much (and she took the advice of the judges and toasted and cooked her Almonds into the rice) Tatyana was also able to get her pasta and cabbage dish done in addition the the regular meal she planned.

Mark and Peggy got their yogurt done ahead of time for the sauce (which made Peggy happy because Mark [ahem] had a little accident with the yogurt in pt1) and they managed to make the Pita bread for the humus...so I mostly helped get some salads ready while the cooking team helped them execute the rest of the meal.

Our cooking team (which was the same one for both contestants) helped get their meat prepped ahead of time which saved a lot of extra time and work when creating the dinners on Saturday and Sunday.

Here are some pictures from Saturday & Sunday & please remember to cast your vote!

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Culinary Challenge Part 2!

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[Check out the comments and see what others are saying]

Men's Club

A-Ward is full of men. Sometimes that can be a little overwhelming but not this time. these guys are considerate and funny and they all are friends. They all have been here a long time and have grown very close to each other and the nurses. We have had to create boundaries with one of them to eliminate the marriage proposals and Liberian catcalls, but now they are set and followed by all.

They all have their own story, some of whom want to share it and some don't. One day they started talking about the war. They got very upset and started yelling at one man saying he was a Sergeant in the rebel army, it was very intense.

In the wee hours of the morning, you will hear praying. "The Reverand" prays for everyone on the ward and all of the nurses. What a blessing!!!!

The Mama's

This week I have the pleasure of working night shift. And I will try my hardest not to turn into dragon lady. It is not natural to stay up all night and sleep during the day... therefore I get a bit cranky. Sorry-o Tyrone.

On my night shifts I have 10 patients, alot of them under the age of 3. I have 2 kids that had their palate repaired and are just miserable. Their poor mama's. These babies are totally inconsolable and refuse to be put down. My friends Jennifer (in Tyler) would have to sleep in  a rocking chair when her baby was sick. These mamas have their babies strapped to their backs in a lapa (a piece of fabric tied around the waste to hold the baby to the mam's back). When the baby finally falls asleep the mama will lay down on her stomach with the baby still strapped to her back. When the baby wakes up, which they are bound to do (very frequently and very loudly) the mama gets up and bounces them back to sleep.

These babies also hate to eat. Their mama's force feed them the Pediasure  and cereal while they scream. I am always afraid the food will go down the wrong pipe and they will aspirate, but it is impossible to get them to eat otherwise, and these mama's are VERY insistent that the force feeding should happen through out the night. Of course this causes the rest of the babies to join in on the screaming and it becomes the cool thing to do.

At 5 am the mama's wake up their peacefully sleeping child to bathe them, not sure why 5am is the chosen hour, but it is very popular. All of the babies and children are bathed and lots of screaming fills the ward.

The parenting is very different here. Sometimes we are shocked by what the parents do and often we have to tell them "You can not beat your child here."  But most of the mama's we have on the ward now are from Sierra Leone and are very attentive and loving to their children. I am not saying the Liberian Mama's don't love their kids they just show it differently.