NO MORE CALLING CARDS

I was in the business meet this evening. The meet was attended by top chefs of the country. There was an election of officers and a small feast for all chefs that attended the event. After the meeting, chefs talk to one another and exchanged numbers by giving calling cards.

One chef, asked for my personal calling card because he wanted to discuss more about the upcoming catering event in the city. I checked my wallet, sad to say, no more calling cards left to give to this chef that was asking for my calling card. Having a calling card is very important because you can easily give it to the person you wanted to have your number. I just said to the chef that i will call him rather than he calling me. I really have to reprint my calling card so that I can easily converse with other chefs around me.

BEEF BRISKET RECIPE

BEEF BRISKET RECIPE

Ingredients

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon ground black pepper

1 tablespoon white sugar

1 tablespoon seasoned salt

1 (4 pound) beef brisket

1 1/2 cups beef broth

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Combine the chili powder, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, sugar, and seasoning salt in a medium bowl, and blend thoroughly. Apply rub to surface of brisket.

Cook brisket, uncovered, in preheated oven for 1 hour. Remove from oven and add beef broth to roasting pan.

Lower oven temperature to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C), cover roasting pan tightly with foil, and cook 3 more hours. Let brisket rest 30 minutes before slicing.

INCORPORATING NEW TASTE AND FLAVOR

I attended the chef meeting this morning. Instead on focusing on the meeting, my mind was floating with ideas of incorporating new taste and flavor to my list of menu in the restaurant. I don't like stereotype recipes that are commonly found in recipe books. I want change and that would mean incorporating new blends to add more flavor to the recipes that I cook in the restaurant.

Its still a plan yet. I haven't consulted my assistant chefs in the restaurant. I assume they will like the new taste and flavor that I will incorporate soon. I am thinking of incorporating Thai dishes because many people who visits my restaurant want something hot in their tongue and not just the sweet and salty tastes. There is no problem incorporating Thai dishes because I have a cooking degree in Thailand. I enrolled there just to learn how to cook Thai dishes.

CUCUMBER-STRAWBERRY SALAD WITH ALMONDS AND MINT

CUCUMBER-STRAWBERRY SALAD WITH ALMONDS AND MINT

Ingredients

* 1/3 cup slivered almonds
* 2 tablespoons seedless strawberry preserves or strawberry jam
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
* 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
* 3 cups diced English (seedless) cucumber
* 1 cup sliced fresh strawberries (or frozen, thawed strawberries, halved)
* 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper
* Lettuce leaves for serving, such as Romaine, or red leaf lettuce

Directions

1. Place almonds in a small, dry skillet and set pan over medium heat. Cook 3 to 5 minutes, until almonds are golden brown, shaking the pan frequently to prevent burning. Set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the preserves, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and Dijon mustard. Add the cucumber, strawberries, mint and toasted almonds and toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Serve inside lettuce leaves or over chopped lettuce.

RESTAURANT RENOVATION

My current restaurant is already 20 years old. this location used to be our family's restaurant before i took over the place to manage my own restaurant. When I started operating, I never made any major renovation to the restaurant because i felt that everything was in place for and the only thing I have to consider is when to start. The kitchen area for example still has the old flooring that was used by our family restaurant before. The walls are still the same. Maybe I was just afraid to make changes because of the cost of renovation. But since I have managed the operation well and business is doing good, a restaurant renovation is a must for me. I met Steve John,a rep who works for a Floor company told me that the place that I have is perfect but the floor should be renovated to look good. The old tiles are already dull to look at and the shine of the tiles is no longer there. According to Steve John, the entire floor renovation will took a couple of weeks before the place can be used again.

I already instructed my chefs in the restaurant to start packing up all the recipe books because we will be moving temporarily until the floor renovation will be complete. I also place a sign out the restaurant informing the customers that the dining area is located in the next hall of the restaurant. I just want to make sure that my customers won't be confuse with the location of the restaurant. The restaurant needs a fresh look and the flooring is the start of achieving the fresh look that i wanted for my restaurant.

PORK CHOP STEAK WITH KETCHUP

This is a simple recipe that is very nice to have when friends are in the house. The good thing about this recipe is that it easy to cook and even the newest cooker can easily make this without a problem at all. The ingredients:

1/2 kilo Pork Chop

2 tbsp salt

4 tbsp garlic, chopped

3 tbsp sesame oil

ketchup

Cooking Procedure:

1. Marinate pork chop with salt and garlic for about 30 minutes.

2. Grill pork chop until desired side is achieved. Wipe the olive oil on both sides to add flavor to the pork chop.

3. Remove the grill and chop in desired sizes. Serve with ketchup.