Christian Chefs Newsletter
December 15, 1998

OUTLINE:

Introduction
Christianity in the Kitchen
Survey Results
Pen-Pals
Volunteering
Forum/Message Board
Job Listings
Featured Recipes

This past month we've been working to improve the website and newsletter to make sure everything is current. We also just started a couple more areas of our fellowship. Through the survey, we received feedback from you about all parts of the fellowship. Some of the improvements you recommended have already been implemented, with more on the way. (See "Survey Results" area below.) Because of continuous improvements and changes, our Mission Statement is also continuously changing. (See /mission_statement.html.) We invite you to visit that page so you can have a clearer understanding of everything that is happening within the fellowship. This page provides a brief description of all the areas of the fellowship, with links to more information on how to get involved with any particular part of the program.
Last month we announced that we hoped to be at the new web address of www.ChristianChefs.org by this month. However, we are already signed up to receive the new address and hopefully, within just a few days, we should be there!
This month we have chosen to feature more recipes than usual, since it is the Christmas season. This month's recipes are for turkey, and stuffing, followed by some Czechoslovakian cookies as an appreciation to the holidays.

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CHRISTIANITY IN THE KITCHEN

(Please read Philippians 4:10-19 first.)

If someone asked you to pick the one trait that you feel is lacking in most people (Christian or not) in this industry, what would it be? I asked myself this, and the first thing that came to my mind was contentment. People in our industry are well known for moving around to different positions quite often. The culinary industry also has the reputation of having a fairly quick promotional scale (up to a point). Additionally, other actions of people in the culinary industry seem to indicate a lack of contentment. For example, what is the average time a chef/cook will stay in one restaurant? Gauging from my own personal experience, and from watching others, I'd say that most restaurants average close to 75% turnover every year, or every two years for a real good restaurant. So how is it possible for us to be content with our lives, when it seems that all we ever do is move around to a different restaurant when we get tired of the one we're in, and try to move around to attain different job titles so we can be "successful"?
Before answering this, we need to examine the motives for our actions. Being constantly on the move isn't always bad. Look at Paul. You see him constantly going to different places, letting God's Word be known wherever he went. In Hebrews 13:5-6 (NIV), we're instructed to "Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.' So we say with confidence 'The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?' " The bottom line is, what is the attitude of our heart? If your greatest desire is to do God's will, that's great. As instructed in Matthew 6:34, you shouldn't worry about tomorrow, for you should give 100% control of your life to God. If you do this, you can't go wrong. Problems begin when we desperately try to figure out where God wants us, when all He really wants is for us to be content where we are. God may even allow you to move around fairly often so that you can profess His name, His Word, and His love to even more people. He may even guide you to move so you can learn more about your craft, cooking. Unfortunately, it seems that what I have found is that more often than not, we, as cooks, move most of the time for the purpose of running away from our problems. It may seem to help in the short run, but when we run away from our problems, rather than overcome them, most often the problems multiply. It seems the same old problems occur in the new job. We can spend our entire lives running away, trying to get to the next place, always thinking that "The grass is greener on the other side," which obviously isn't true.
As difficult as it may be for us to comprehend, we need to remember how short this 70 year life is compared to eternity. Nothing done in our own will can be considered righteous, for all should be done according to His will. Contentment can be achieved at any time, as Paul wonderfully demonstrated when he wrote from prison to the Philippians: "I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well-fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength." 4:12-13 (NIV). I challenge you to search your heart; NOT to try to find out what God wants you to do with your life in the future, but to discover how He's working in your life right now.

Ira Krizo

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SURVEY RESULTS

Praise God for His allowing us to start the survey last month! We got absolutely excellent suggestions from you, our readers, for ways to improve the newsletter, website, and the fellowship as a whole. We received several new ideas, as well as suggestions on how to improve existing programs. Through this survey, we also discovered how very diverse the fellowship really is, having members with a wide variety of experience in our industry. As a result of this survey, we have already started making multiple changes and additions to the fellowship, with more to follow in the next few months.
Because of the great response we had, we've decided to keep the survey on the website for a while longer. We'd like more of our members to complete it so that we can improve the fellowship as best we can under His guidance to greater glorify God. If you haven't completed this survey yet, won't you please sacrifice five minutes of your life to fill it out?

Survey:
/7_survey.html

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PEN-PALS

In the survey, one of the key questions we asked was whether or not you were interested in joining our pen-pal program. Almost unanimously, the answer was YES. Therefore, this program has now officially started. All you need to do is fill out the pen-pal subscription form on our website and you'll be automatically added. You'll get to specify exactly what you want to exchange (E-mail, AOL IM's, ICQ, and/or USPS mail). We will try our best to match you with people who have similar interests to yours. This is a great place to make new friends who have the same day-to-day challenges that you have as a Christian in the professional kitchen.

/penpal.html

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VOLUNTEERING

In the survey, many people also expressed an interest in volunteering. Because of this, we made a "Volunteering" page on the website, which includes information on how you can get involved with us and tells some of the areas that we are currently needing help in. Some of these areas are: writing in our newsletter, helping with the snail-mail (USPS) newsletter, helping with web graphics and design, and getting our name out to the public. We're looking for people who feel led by God to help us in writing a variety of columns in the newsletter. We currently need an experienced person to write the "Learning Subject of the Month" article which will be featured next month, and various people to write the "Christianity in the Kitchen" articles each month. In this column, we'd like to have a few writers who can rotate on a monthly basis. Fairly soon we will be including some testimonies from Christians of their experiences in professional kitchens. We would welcome your e-mails of these.
These (and more on the webpage below) are a few of the visions that God has placed on our hearts to begin soon. If you have any other ideas for new programs or ways to improve existing ones, please e-mail them to us. We'd appreciate your ideas for new programs even if you cannot volunteer the time to help get them started.

/volunteering.html

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FORUM / MESSAGE BOARD

This program has been in existence for quite some time now, allowing a variety of options, including posting recipes and other culinary tips. We also plan to have an entire recipe database within our website soon. In our "Question and Answer" category, we welcome you to post messages regarding any culinary OR theological questions you may have. There is also a "Job listings" category. (More information below.) Finally, there is our "General" category. This is where postings that don't fit into the other categories are welcome. This includes such things as testimonies and other topics for discussion. If you have any difficulty in entering into the forum, please e-mail us for assistance.

/ubbcgi/Ultimate.cgi?action=intro

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JOB LISTINGS

There are a number of available job postings in the forum. (See above.) The five job listings posted in the forum have been there for a while, but all are still open with the addition of the below opportunity. All the requirements, locations, and contact names and addresses are also listed there. Whenever NEW jobs for Christian cooks and chefs are posted, they will be brought to your attention here in the newsletter. Since the last newsletter we have had one job posting, which follows:

Location: Northern California JH Ranch
Dates: June 1, 1999 through August 30, 1999
Position: Chef/Ranch Cook
Size: Various for 100-300 per day
Contact JHranch@aol.com or 1-800-242-1224

Forums Page:
/ubbcgi/Ultimate.cgi?action=intro

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FEATURED RECIPES

ROAST TURKEY with MAPLE HERB BUTTER and GRAVY
Yield: 12 Servings

Ingredients for Turkey
2 cups / .5 L. - apple cider
1/3 cup / 85 ml. - pure maple syrup
2 T. / 30 ml. - fresh thyme, chopped (or 2 teaspoons dried)
2 T. / 30 ml. - fresh marjoram, chopped (or 2 teaspoons dried)
1 1/2 tsp. / 8 ml. - lemon peel, grated
3/4 cup / 170 ml. butter, or 1 1/2 sticks (room temperature)
1 - ea. 14-lb. / 6.3 Kg turkey, neck and giblets reserved
2 cups / .5 L. - onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups / 370 ml. - celery with leaves, chopped
1 cup 250 ml. - carrot, coarsely chopped
2 cups / .5 L. - canned low-salt chicken broth

Ingredients for Gravy
3 cups / .75 L. - (about) canned low-salt chicken broth
3 T. / 45 ml. - all purpose flour
1 tsp. / 5 ml. - fresh thyme, chopped (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
1 small - bay leaf
2 T. / 30 ml. - apple brandy, optional
2 T. / 30 ml. - chopped fresh thyme or 2 teaspoons

Instructions:
Sauce:
Boil apple cider and maple syrup in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat until reduces to 1/2 cup, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Mix in half of chopped thyme, half of marjoram and 1 1/2 tsp. lemon peel. Add butter and whisk until melted. Season generously with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until cold, about 2 hours. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Keep refrigerated.)

Turkey:
Position rack in lowest third of oven and preheat to 375 degrees. Pat turkey dry with paper towels. Place turkey on rack set in large roasting pan. Slide hand under skin of turkey breast to loosen skin. Rub 1/2 cup maple butter over breast under skin. If stuffing turkey, spoon stuffing into main cavity. Rub 1/4 cup maple butter over outside of turkey. Reserve remaining maple butter for gravy. Tie legs together loosely to hold shape of turkey. Arrange onion, celery, carrot and reserved turkey neck and giblets around turkey in pan. Sprinkle vegetables with remaining 1 T. thyme and remaining 1 T. marjoram. Pour 2 cups broth into pan.

Roast turkey 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Cover entire turkey loosely with heavy-duty foil and roast until meat inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 180 degrees or until juices run clear when thickest part of thigh is pierced with skewer. Baste occasionally with pan juices, about 2 hours 25 minutes for unstuffed turkey or 2 hours 55 minutes for stuffed turkey. Transfer turkey to platter. Tent turkey with aluminum foil and let stand 30 minutes; reserve mixture in pan for gravy.

Make gravy:
Strain pan juices into large measuring cup, pressing on solids with back of spoon. Spoon fat from pan juices. Add enough chicken broth to pan juices to measure 3 cups. Transfer liquid to heavy medium saucepan and bring to boil. Mix 3 T. reserved maple butter and flour in small bowl to form smooth paste. Whisk paste into broth mixture. Add chopped fresh thyme and bay leaf. Boil until reduces to sauce consistency, whisking occasionally, about 10 minutes. Mix in apple brandy, if desired. Season gravy to taste with salt and pepper. Brush turkey with any remaining maple butter and serve with gravy.

********** RECIPE ENDS ********

NEW ENGLAND SAUSAGE, APPLE and DRIED CRANBERRY STUFFING
Yield: 14 Servings

Ingredients:
1 lb. / 455 gm. - tart green apples, peeled, cored
2 cups / .5 L. - celery, chopped with leaves
4 tsp. / 20 ml. - poultry seasoning
4 tsp. / 20 ml. - fresh rosemary, chopped
2/3 cup / 170 ml. - fresh parsley, chopped
3 eggs - beaten to blend
1 1/3 cups / 330 ml. - canned low-salt chicken, about
1.5 lb. / 680 gm. white bread, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1 lb. / 455 gm. - sweet Italian sausages, casings
6 ea. - sliced leeks (white and pale green parts)
1 cup / 250 ml. - dried cranberries (about 4 ounces)

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Divide bread cubes between 2 large baking sheets. Bake until slightly dry, about 15 minutes. Cool completely.

Saute sausages in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat until cooked through, crumbling coarsely with back of spoon, about 10 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer sausage to large bowl. Pour off any drippings from skillet. Melt butter in same skillet over medium-high heat. Add leeks, apples, celery, and poultry seasoning to skillet; saute until leeks soften, about 8 minutes. Mix in dried cranberries and rosemary. Add mixture to sausage, then mix in bread and parsley. Season stuffing to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.) Mix eggs into stuffing.

To bake stuffing in turkey: Fill main turkey cavity with stuffing. Mix enough chicken broth into remaining stuffing to moisten (about 3/4 to 1 cup chicken broth, depending on amount of remaining stuffing). Spoon remaining stuffing into buttered baking dish. Cover with buttered aluminum foil. Bake stuffing in dish alongside turkey until heated through, about 45 minutes. Uncover stuffing and bake until top is golden brown, about 15 minutes.

To bake all stuffing in pan: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter 15x10x2-inch baking dish. Mix 1 1/3 cups broth into stuffing. Transfer to prepared dish. Cover with buttered foil and bake until heated through, about 45 minutes. Uncover and bake until top is golden brown, about 15 minutes.

These two recipes submitted by
G.M.

********** RECIPE ENDS ********

CZECHOSLOVAKIAN COOKIES
Yield: 30 bars
Work Time: 25 minutes plus cooling
Total Time: 1 hour 10 to 15 minutes plus cooling

Ingredients:
1 cup / 250 ml. - butter (2 sticks), softened (do not use margarine)
1 cup / 250 ml. - sugar
2 large - egg yolks
2 cups / .5 L. - all-purpose flour
pinch - salt
1 cup / 250 ml. - walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup / 125 ml. - strawberry preserves

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9" by 9" metal baking pan.

2. In large bowl, with mixer at low speed, beat butter and sugar until mixed, occasionally scraping bowl with rubber spatula. Increase speed to high; beat until light and fluffy.

3. With mixer at low speed, beat in egg yolks until well combined, constantly scraping bowl with rubber spatula. Add flour and salt and beat until blended, occasionally scraping bowl. With spoon, stir in walnuts.

4. With lightly floured hands, pat half of dough evenly into bottom of pan. Spread strawberry preserves over dough. With lightly floured hands, pinch off 3/4-inch pieces from remaining dough and drop over preserves; do not pat down.

5. Bake 45 to 50 minutes until golden. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. When cool, cut into 3 strips, then cut each strip crosswise into 10 pieces.

Each bar: About 130 calories, 2 g protein, 11 g carbohydrate, 9 g total fat (4 g saturated), 31 mg cholesterol, 70 mg sodium.

Recipe submitted by
Scott Brewer
missonnr@aol.com

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God Bless,
Ira Krizo, Director
Christian Chefs Fellowship
ChristChef@aol.com

(soon to be http://www.ChristianChefs.org)
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Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. -1 Cor 10:31 ESV

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