Golf

Today, I got up early, dressed quietly, made a cup of coffee, grabbed my golf clubs, went into the garage and loaded them into the car.

When I drove out of the garage it was raining so hard I could hardly see where I was going. There was also a gale blowing. I drove back to the garage and at that point they announced on the radio that the weather would gradually get worse and they were advising people not to go out unless it was really necessary.

I crept back into the house, quietly undressed, and slipped back into bed. I cuddled up to my wife and whispered: "The weather out side is absolutely terrible darling."

She sleepily replied, "Is it? Can you believe my stupid husband has gone golfing in that?"

Olny srmat poelpe can raed tihs.

i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm.
Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh?

Yaeh, and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!

Indy Chefs' Association Meeting

The November meeting of the American Culinary Federation
Greater Indianapolis Chapter
will be held at 6:00 p.m. on Monday, November 5, 2007 at:

The Garrison
Ft. Benjamin Harrison
6002 N. Post Road
Indianapolis, IN 46216

The host chef is Chef Jim Roberts

Educational session will include information on Chefs’ Certification

Cost: Active Member or Guest - $10.00
Junior Member or Guest - $ 5.00

RSVP: 317-543-9592

For ACF membership information, Contact the
ACF Greater Indianapolis Chapter
1259 Easton Point Dr.
Greenwood, IN 46142
317-882-7998
Or e-mail
Acf.indianapolis@ameritech.net

Or join online at

http://www.acfchefs.org/

Anthony Bourdain on Line Cooking

WHAT MOST people don't get about professional-level cooking is that it is not at all about the best recipe, the most innovative presentation, the most creative marriage of ingredients, flavors and textures; that, presumably, was all arranged long before you sat down to dinner. Line cooking-the real business of preparing the food you eat-is more about consistency, about mindless, unvarying repetition, the same series of tasks performed over and over and over again in exactly the same way.

The last thing a chef wants in a line cook is an innovator, somebody with ideas of his own who is going to mess around with the chef's recipes and presentations. Chef's require blind, near-fanatical loyalty, a strong back and an automaton-like consistency of execution under battlefield conditions...
...Cooking is a craft, I like to think, and a good cook is a craftsman-not an artist...Practicing your craft in an expert fashion is noble, honest and satisfying. And I'll generally take a stand-up mercenary who takes pride in his professionalism over an artist any day.

When I hear "artist", I think of someone who doesn't think it necessary to show up at work on time...Personally, I'd prefer to eat food that tastes good and is an honest reflection of it's ingredients, than a 3-foot-tall caprice constructed from lemon grass, lawn trimmings, coconuts and red curry. You could lose an eye trying to eat that. When a job applicant starts telling me how Pacific Rim-job cuisine turns him on and inspires him, I see trouble coming...Show up at work on time six months in a row and we'll talk about red curry paste and lemon grass. Until then, I have four words for you: "Shut the fuck up."

-Anthony Bourdain, Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly (2000)

Donations Sought for Food Pantry

The Julian Center operates a food pantry for women and children exiting our shelter. The pantry was started to help women continue to live violence-free lives. We also accept referrals to the food pantry from other social service agencies in Indianapolis.

What kinds of items are needed?

Our clients need the same items you might use in your household. Items commonly requested include:

gift certificates to local groceries for fresh produce, meats, and dairy
boxed pastas
canned pastas
macaroni & cheese
canned fruit
canned tuna/meat
paper products
peanut butter
jelly
cereals
liquid baby formula
boxed easy meals
spaghetti sauce
coffee
baby food
diapers
laundry detergent
bleach
aluminum foil,
waxed paper
plastic wrap
plastic storage bins
toilet paper
cleaning supplies

Where do I drop off my donation?

The Julian Center's food pantry is located in our Shelter at 2021 North Meridian Street (entrance is off the alley behind our Administration Building at 2011 North Meridian Street). We are currently accepting donations of nonperishable items.

How can I organize a food drive?

If you are interested in coordinating a food drive on behalf of The Julian Center, please contact the Volunteer Coordinator at 317.941.2212, before finalizing your volunteer efforts. Our staff will gladly provide you with the latest information on needed items and other groups that are planning similar activities.

For more information on donating to The Julian Center, e-mail us by clicking here.

Campus Kitchens Project

It’s inconceivable that hunger exists in the agriculturally plentiful, wealthy United States. Over the past few decades, the country has mobilized resources and support to reduce the tragedy of millions of Americans suffering from severe malnutrition—with some people even bordering on starvation. Yet, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported that in 2005, 35.1 million Americans, including 12.4 million children, did not know where their next meal was coming from.

Hunger in America does not exist because of a lack of food. Millions of pounds of edible food are discarded daily by supermarkets, food processors, restaurants, institutions and consumers. Rather, hunger in this country exists because of a quagmire of politics, including inertia to organize the distribution of food outside of federally funded, organized programs; lack of education; avoidance to call attention to the surplus food thrown away; and fear of litigation if food recipients become ill from donated products, despite the Good Samaritan law.

Fortunately, projects supported by private and not-for-profit enterprises, in addition to government-sponsored programs, continue to help wipe out hunger in America. One notably effective response to the hunger problem is the Campus Kitchens Project. A grant from the Sodexho Foundation provided the seed money to launch this project in 2001. The program pairs the DC Central Kitchen model and a concept called “Homerun,” created in 1999 by two Wake Forest University students to engage students in cooking and delivering dinners to community members.

The Sodexho Foundation continues to be a major supporter of the Campus Kitchens Project, a 501c3 organization that shares resources and ideas with the parent organization, DC Central Kitchen, but maintains an independent organizational status. Shondra Jenkins, a communications specialist at Sodexho USA, said the Sodexho Foundation provides $2 million a year in financial grants to support Campus Kitchens and food banks through Second Harvest and Habitat for Humanity. Other companies supporting Campus Kitchens include The UPS Foundation, General Mills, Shaw Pittman LLC, First Baptist Church, Chart-wells USA, Roundy’s Foundation, Timberland and Aramark. Twelve Campus Kitchens operate at 11 colleges (five are Sodexho accounts) and one high school. To date, 12,000 volunteers have delivered more than a half-million meals to community members in need.

Northwestern University has one of the most active and fastest-growing Campus Kitchens projects. During its four years in operation, CKNU’s 1,100 volunteers, who are mostly students, along with foodservice staff, professors, university staff, high school students and community members, have given 21,400 hours of their time to provide 167,000 meals to individuals and agencies in the Evanston, Ill., and Greater Chicago communities, said Kelly Collins, the full-time Campus Kitchens coordinator for CKNU. She and student leader volunteers are trained in HACCP and food safety.

“It took us about 18 months to get the program up and running,” said Paul Komelasky, district manager for Sodexho, who is actively encouraging contract-managed and self-op colleges nationwide to participate. “We developed what has become a standard contract between Sodexho, Northwestern University and Campus Kitchens, which includes objectives and liability responsibilities. Now, it takes a college about six months to start up a program.”

One kitchen on campus serves as the site for volunteers to prepare and assemble meals for distribution to community groups. Food for the meals comes from 12 different locations on campus. Food sold in retail locations is also donated. The operation is managed by Campus Kitchens, not the university’s foodservice.

In addition to providing food and nutrition education to the needy, CKNU has graduated nine trainees from the Culinary Job Training program, four students participated in the Campus Kitchens annual leadership program and two students piloted an assistant coordinator leadership program.

CKNU also received two grants to fund nutrition education and feeding programs for kids during the summer months.

Wiping out hunger in America need not be a pipe dream. As projects such as Campus Kitchens prove, this country has a wealth of resources that can be marshaled to assist communities in need. But the commitment to this problem must be long term and continuous. Assuming all is well or that others are taking enough action to eliminate the problem is a dangerous denial of reality.

Donna Boss is the founder of Boss Enterprises, dlb, a communications and marketing firm in New York.

You're invited!

You are Cordially Invited To Attend

The Line Cooking Exercise

Of

Second Helpings
Culinary Training Class #47

on


WEDNESDAY, October 31, 2007

and

THURSDAY, November 1, 2007

Space is limited and reservations are required.

Seating times each day are:

11:45 am
12:15 pm
12:45 pm


1121 Southeastern Avenue
Indianapolis, IN 46202

RSVP:

(317) 632-2664 ext. 10

Or e-mail to

tiera@secondhelpings.org

[IF]

Ever find yourself in need of some words of inspiration? In my opinion, there are none better:

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
But make allowance for their doubting too,
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream--and not make dreams your master,
If you can think--and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings--nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much,
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And--which is more--you'll be a Man, my son!

--Rudyard Kipling

Creole Creamy Succotash

Here's a recipe I created based on a Cajun dish called Corn Maque Choux.


8 oz. Andouille Sausage*
2 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
1 ea. Medium Yellow Onion, diced
1 ea. Red Bell Pepper, diced
1 ea. Green Bell Pepper, diced
3 ribs Celery, diced
2 Tbsp Garlic, minced
2 cups Yellow Corn Kernels
2 cups Baby Lima Beans
1 cup Cut Okra
1 cup White Wine
1 Qt Heavy Cream
1 Tbsp Creole Seasoning
2 tsp Dried Thyme
2 tsp Dried Oregano
1 tsp Black Pepper
1 tsp Cayenne Pepper
1 Tbsp Kosher Salt


Remove the casing from the Andouille sausage and dice the sausage. The diced pieces of sausage should be approximately the size of the lima beans. Melt the butter in a large heavy bottom pan and brown the diced sausage.

Add the onion, red and green peppers, celery, garlic, corn, lima beans, and okra to the pan. Sweat the vegetables until the onions are translucent, but do not allow vegetables to brown.

Add the white wine, Creole seasoning, thyme, and oregano and cook until the wine is reduced by 2/3. Add the heavy cream and cook until the vegetables are tender and the cream is reduced by 1/2.

Season to taste with salt, black pepper, and cayenne.

Serves eight (8) as a side dish, or four (4) as a main dish served over white rice.

* If Andouille is not available, a quality hot smoked sausage may be substituted.

Hunger in America

America’s Second Harvest (A2H), the nation’s largest network of emergency food providers, conducted a study in 2005 for the nation’s food bank network. The study was based on completed in-person interviews with 52,878 clients served by the A2H National Network, as well as on completed questionnaires from 31,342 A2H agencies. The study summarized below focuses mainly on emergency food providers and their clients who are supplied with food and other services by members of the A2H Network. Here, emergency food providers are defined to include food pantries, soup kitchens, and emergency shelters serving short-term residents.

Below I've selected some of the major results from the study. I think you will find many of these results very interesting.

• The A2H system served an estimated 24 to 27 million unduplicated people annually. This includes 22 to 25 million pantry users, 1.2 to 1.4 million kitchen users, and 0.8 million shelter users (Table 4.2.1).• Approximately 4.5 million different people receive emergency food assistance from the A2H system in any given week.

• 36.4% of the members of households served by the A2H National Network are children under 18 years old.

• 8% of the members of households are children age 0 to 5 years.

• 10% of the members of households are elderly.

• About 40% of clients are non-Hispanic white; 38% are non-Hispanic black, and the rest are from other racial groups. 17% are Hispanic.

• 36% of households include at least one employed adult.

• 68% have incomes below the official federal poverty level.

• 12% are homeless.

• 42% of clients served by the A2H National Network report having to choose between paying for food and paying for utilities or heating fuel.

• 35% had to choose between paying for food and paying their rent or mortgage.

• 32% had to choose between paying for food and paying for medicine or medical care.

• 35% of client households served by the A2H National Network are receiving Food Stamp Program benefits; however, it is likely that many more are eligible.

• Among households with children ages 0-3 years, 51% participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).

• Among households with school-age children, 62% and 51%, respectively, participate in the federal school lunch and school breakfast programs.

• 29% of households served by the A2H National Network report having at least one household member in poor health.

• 92% of adult clients said they were either “very satisfied” or “somewhat satisfied” with the amount of food they received from their A2H provider; 93% were satisfied with the quality of the food they received.

WHAT KINDS OF ORGANIZATIONS OPERATE EMERGENCY FOOD PROGRAMS OF THE A2H NATIONAL NETWORK?

• 74% of pantries, 65% of kitchens, and 43% of shelters are run by faith-based agencies affiliated with churches, mosques, synagogues, and other religious organizations.

• At the agency level, 69% of agencies with pantry, kitchen, or shelter and 56% of all agencies including those with other programs are faith-based.

• Private nonprofit organizations with no religious affiliation make up a large share of other types of agencies.

• 65% of pantries, 61% of kitchens, and 52% of shelters of the A2H National Network reported that there had been an increase since 2001 in the number of clients who come to their emergency food program sites.

WHERE DO THESE AGENCIES OBTAIN THEIR FOOD?

• Food banks are by far the single most important source of food for the agencies, accounting for 74% of the food distributed by pantries, 49% of the food distributed by kitchens, and 42% of the food distributed by shelters.

• Other important sources of food include religious organizations, government, and direct purchases from wholesalers and retailers.

• 69% of pantries, 49% of kitchens, and 46% of shelters receive food from government commodity programs.

VOLUNTEERS ARE EXTREMELY IMPORTANT IN THE A2H NETWORK

• As many as 90% of pantries, 86% of kitchens, and 71% of shelters in the A2H National Network use volunteers.

• Many programs rely entirely on volunteers; 66% of pantry programs and 40% of kitchens have no paid staff at all.

You can see the full results of the study by clickling on this link.

Second Helpings News....

I want to share some great news with you. Last evening, Second Helpings was honored at the 3rd Annual Indiana Entrepreneurial Awards of Distinction (presented by the Kelley School of Business at IU – the Johnson Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation).

We knew we were a Finalist in the Social Enterprise category and we were thrilled to learn that we are a 2007 Winner! We were among some the best and brightest entrepreneurs within the state of Indiana and it is wonderful to have Second Helpings recognized in this way.

A special thanks goes out to all of you who help make Second Helpings a winner everyday. I know that some of you who read this blog may never have actually been to our facility on Southeastern Avenue here in Indianapolis. If you're reading this and you haven't see our building and the work we do first hand, here's an open invitation to you. Give me a call at (317) 632-2664 extension 19 and tell me you've seen the blog and would like a tour and I'll set you up!

Help the Men of Indianapolis Suit Up!

The Men of Indianapolis need our help! On November 17, 2007 Suit Up! will be hosting a suit drive to benefit men with gaining access to business clothes and professional services. It is our goal to provide gently used men’s clothing, confidence and career development support. Suit Up is a new organization that is taking the initiative to assist men in their effort to gain employment in Indianapolis.

When to donate: Saturday November, 17, 2007 from 9am to 2pm.

Where to donate: Forest Manor Multi Service Center 5603 E. 38th Street, Indianapolis, Indiana 46218

What to donate: A stylish, classy, suit, blazer or slacks that you would lend to a friend if he was going to an interview – we are looking for suits and jackets that empower men and make them feel confident!

Please bring the item or items on hangers.

Our goal at Suit Up! is to provide men with not only clothing, but with workshops on résumé writing, interviewing skills, and the necessary tools to succeed upon entering the workforce.

Suit Up! understands that if a man doesn’t have a job, he can’t afford a suit. But, without a suit, he can’t get a job! Your suit, shirt and financial contributions will make an immeasurable impact on our ability to reach men who have the ability to succeed, but need the clothes, confidence and career support to do so.

Please tell everyone you know about the Suit Up! Initiative. Donating one suit will help a man Suit Up!

Depression and Black Women....

Nothing funny this time. I just read the piece below by Tamara E. Holmes at the Black Enterprise web site and thought it was worth sharing here:

Mental health advocates are calling on the business community to confront depression among employees; not just in a bid to improve employees' lives but as a way to improve the business' bottom line. Unfortunately, depression disproportionately affects black women.

According to DepressionIsReal.org, depression among black women is almost 50% higher than it is among white women. And of black women suffering from depression, only 7% receive treatment. This is compared to 20% of white women.

These statistics have community leaders urging African Americans who think they are depressed to seek help by contacting a mental health professional. Last month, a panel discussion sponsored by the Congressional Black Caucus and the Depression is Real Coalition, an alliance of mental health advocates, highlighted the impact of depression on African American women.

Signs of depression include a significant change in one's mood over an extended period of time, typically for more than two weeks, says Altha J. Stewart, M.D., president of the American Psychiatric Foundation.

Other signs are lack of energy, changes in appetite, withdrawal from social events, and changes in sleeping patterns.

Depression is a business problem because "employees that are depressed have a higher rate of absenteeism, and they have low productivity, so it indirectly costs corporations," says Angie Burks, a lecturer with Indiana University-Bloomington's Kelley School of Business who has done extensive research on the topic.

Burks cites a 2006 study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry that found that a depressed worker costs employers $4,426 in indirect costs annually. "Companies encourage employees to get mammograms and get blood pressure tests but they don't encourage mental health screening," she says. "If they did it would save [businesses] a lot of money."

Another study, funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, looked at the effect of depression treatment. After screening workers for depression, researchers found that those who received enhanced therapy and medication to treat the depression were more likely to still be employed after 12 months and worked on average two more hours a week than those who did not receive more pronounced care for depression.

"Depression is not just an emotional or personal health problem," says Philip Wang, M.D., one of the study researchers. "It also impacts people's productivity at work."

While there's no shortage of statistics on depression's impact, many people don't seek treatment because of the stigma associated with it, says Stewart. Though depression is a medical problem, it "is commonly seen as a weakness or character flaw and for some people for whom religion plays a major part in their lives, it's even attributed to a lack of faith or a lack of enough faith," says Stewart.

Employers are also recognizing depression's costs. According to a survey conducted by the Partnership for Workplace Mental Health and the human resources professional trade publication Employee Benefit News, employers rated mental illness as the health issue with the biggest effect on indirect company costs.

The American Psychiatric Foundation regularly points out examples of companies that are proactive in helping employees deal with mental health issues in its newsletter Mental HealthWorks, co-published with the American Psychiatric Association. One such company, San Ramon, California-based Chevron Corp., includes in its benefits package a mental health/substance abuse plan that covers 90% of outpatient costs and offers access to therapists for such personal needs as relationship counseling.

Business leaders can play a major role in removing the stigma attached to depression and motivating depressed employees to seek help, Stewart says. "Given that most change of significance starts at the top, management has to be very clear with human resources and with supervisors that we must be proactive in both recognizing the signs of depression and ensuring that those who are suffering with depression have access to appropriate treatment."

Web resources:
Partnership for Workplace Mental Health
American Psychiatric Foundation
Depression is Real Coalition
National Institute of Mental Health

The Darwin Awards....

Yes, it's that magical time of year again when the Darwin Awards are bestowed, honoring the least evolved among us. Here is the glorious winner:

1. When his 38-caliber revolver failed to fire at his intended victim during a hold-up in Long Beach, California, would-be robber James Elliot did something that can only inspire wonder. He peered down the barrel and tried the trigger again. This time it worked.

And now, the honorable mentions:

2. The chef at a hotel in Switzerland lost a finger in a meat-cutting machine and, after a little shopping around, submitted claim to his insurance company. The company expecting negligence sent out one of its men to have a look for himself. He tried the machine and he also lost a finger .The chef's claim was approved.

3. A man who shoveled snow for an hour to clear a space for his car during a blizzard in Chicago returned with his vehicle to find a woman had taken the space. Understandably, he shot her.

4. After stopping for drinks at an illegal bar, a Zimbabwean the bus driver found that the 20 mental patients he was supposed to be transporting from Harare to Bulawayo had escaped. Not wanting to admit his incompetence, the driver went to a nearby bus stop and offered everyone waiting there a freeride. He then delivered the passengers to the mental hospital, telling the staff that the patients were very excitable and prone to bizarre fantasies. The deception wasn't discovered for 3 days.

5. An American teenager was in the hospital recovering from serious head wounds received from an oncoming train. When asked how he received the injuries, the lad told police that he was simply trying to see how close he could get his head to a moving train before he was hit.

6. A man walked into a Louisiana Circle-K, put a $20 bill on the counter, and asked for change. When the clerk opened the cash drawer, the man pulled a gun and asked for all the cash in the register, which the clerk promptly provided. The man took the cash from the clerk and fled, leaving the $20 bill on the counter. The total amount of cash he got from the drawer...$15

7. Seems an Arkansas guy wanted some beer pretty badly. He decided that he'd just throw a cinder block through a liquor store window, grab some booze, and run. So he lifted the cinder block and heaved it over his head at the window. The cinder block bounced back and hit the would-be thief on the head, knocking him unconscious. The liquor store window was made of Plexiglas. The whole event was caught on videotape.

8. As a female shopper exited a New York convenience store, a man grabbed her purse and ran. The clerk called 911 immediately, and the woman was able to give them a detailed description of the snatcher. Within minutes, the police apprehended the snatcher. They put him in the car and drove back to the store. The thief was then taken out of the car and told to stand there for a positive ID. To which he replied, "Yes, officer, that's her. That's the lady I stole the purse from."

9. The Ann Arbor News crime column reported that a man walked into a Burger King in Ypsilanti, Michigan at 5 A.M., flashed a gun, and demanded cash. The clerk turned him down because he said he couldn't open the cash register without a food order. When the man ordered onion rings, the clerk said they weren't available for breakfast. The man, frustrated, walked away. (*A 5-STAR STUPIDITY AWARD WINNER)

10. When a man attempted to siphon gasoline from a motor home parked on a Seattle street, he got much more than he bargained for. Police arrived at the scene to find a very sick man curled up next to a motor home near spilled sewage. A police spokesman said that the man admitted to trying to steal gasoline and plugged his siphon hose into the motor home s sewage tank by mistake. The owner of the vehicle declined to press charges saying that it was the best laugh he'd ever had.

Subject: One Day in California....

A man was riding his Harley along a California beach when suddenly the sky clouded above his head and, in a booming voice, the Lord said,"Because you have TRIED to be faithful to me in all ways, I will grant you one wish."

The biker pulled over and said, "Build a bridge to Hawaii so I can ride over anytime I want."

The Lord said, "Your request is materialistic, think of the enormous challenges for that kind of undertaking; the supports required to reach the bottom of the Pacific Ocean and the concrete and steel it would take! It will nearly exhaust several natural resources. I can do it, but it is hard for me to justify your desire for worldly things. "Take a little more time and think of something that could possibly help mankind."

The biker thought about it for a long time. Finally he said, "Lord, I wish that I and all men could understand our wives; I want to know how she feels inside, what she's thinking when she gives me the silent treatment, why she cries, what she means when she says nothing's wrong, and how I can make a woman truly happy."

The Lord replied, "You want two lanes or four on that bridge?

Fantastic No-Knead Bread!

The Midwest has it's own culinary treasures, unfortunately bread doesn't seem to be one of them. My gift to my readers today is this recipe for a simple and fantastic loaf of bread. That a bowl of flour mixed with water and a sprinkle of yeast can result in something this wonderful seems to me to be simply magical.

This requires no special equipment or breadmaking machinery. The recipe is creative in its replacement of the labor intensive kneading process with time.

Time: About 1½ hours plus 14 to 20 hours’ rising.

Here's what you'll need:

- 3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
- ¼ teaspoon instant yeast
- 1¼ teaspoons salt
- Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed.

1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.

2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

Yield: One 1½-pound loaf.

Remember that, when the loaf is hot out of the oven, don't cover it with anything as it cools. You'll end up with a wonderfully chewy French or Italian-like bread with a crunchy crust. A slice or two with a spot of butter and a bowl of a hearty soup or stew is the perfect lunch in Fall and Winter.

Enjoy.

Send a letter to ABC....

On October 27, 2006 Officer Danita Marsh, a Black female Nashville (TN) police officer, was ambushed while sitting in her patrol vehicle trying to assist a domestic violence victim.

That fateful day changed a lot of lives. It changed Danita's Marsh's life forever. She is now paralyzed from the waist down.Officer Marsh, like countless other officers suit up everyday to go out to our city streets to keep the peace, insure decorum, and try to keep our families safe.

Let's show Officer Marsh that we appreciate her and her commitment to service.We are one big extended family. We've asked Extreme Makeover-Home Edition to assist Officer Marsh in achieving her goal that she vowed to walk again.

Show how much you believe in that goal by letting the program's producers know that we want this story of courage and determination to make the show for a newly built house for Danita Marsh and her son, to meet their special needs.

Take a moment to contact ABC and the program's staff and let them know that this is important to you and your family and friends.

I'd like to invite you to lunch....

You are Cordially Invited To Attend

The Buffet Exercise

Of

Second Helpings
Culinary Training Class #47

12:00 NOON on THURSDAY, October 11, 2007



1121 Southeastern Avenue
Indianapolis, IN 46202

Space is limited, so you must

RSVP:

Call (317) 632-2664 ext. 10

Or

e-mail

tiera@secondhelpings.org

Welcome to my blog....

Welcome to my blog. I have no idea how I'll be able to keep this updated but it will be an adventure and I hope you'll check back in from time to time to see what sort of progress I've made.

I have no real mission here; I imagine we will regularly talk about food. I will most probably share some recipes, tell a few stories from my own life and perhaps some stories about my students here at Second Helpings. I will also use this as a way to disseminate some important information that comes across my desk.

Wish me luck, I hope you'll come along for the journey!