Male nurses who cook

Nurses Men

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I suppose you're wondering why I've asked you all here. Table saws, scratching, sports all aside, I am wondering if there is any interest in the fine culinary arts. Particularly those peculiar to the bachelor.

I once lived on a case of Waverly Wafers, a Restaurant sized container of soy based imitation bacon bits (less than 1/2 of 1% sodium benzoate added as preservitive) a jar of peanut butter and a dozen eggs for nearly 2 weeks. I bought the eggs and white label peanut butter, and the other contributed by a friend. Endless variations...eggs ala Waverly, Bacon, egg and peanut butter on Waverly, you imagine.

Being half 'White trash' I expanded my horizons over time as the money started coming in. My quest is twofold....

1) What do you consider some of your dubious culinary triumphs?

2.) How can we get the Food Channel to sponsor a 'Male nurse cooks with Rachael Ray' contest? After all, "Chef" has been a male dominated profession, and "Nursing" a female dominated field for all these years. Perhaps the twain shall meet. Or better yet, an 'eating on a dollar 30 cents a day' episode. Leftovers are fair game. Imagine Rachael relishing a curled hunk of cold pizza fresh out of the box in the fridge with the orange congealed grease on the top, washed down with a warm Coke, or half a can of flat beer from last night.

Give me your feedback.

Specializes in Rodeo Nursing (Neuro).

Hi,

You mention drive thru. Is it just my age that I cannot tolerate drive thru? Even the Colonel's image as I pass KFC makes my stomach turn. Entering any city of size is a rolling nightmare of chain restaurant marquees. Being a northerner, when I visit home a yearly trip to White Castle is the exception. I find it better to go hungry, for which dear wife criticizes me, but she just doesn't understand.

Mentioning the milk...I have a great book Food FAQs which really covers substitutions well, like how to make your own baking powder from what you have at home and such. It has saved me numerous trips to the store.

"A first rate soup is better than a second rate painting" A. Maslow

Well, you would think nurses, of all people, would be conscientious about maintaining their health, and a diet of McCrap is certainly not consistent with life. I'm 48, and blithely racing toward a gastric and/or coronary bypass, but I do try to make real food as often as I can, and I fully intend to do better, as soon as I graduate. Of course, it's all too easy to fall into eating garbage at work, too, but I think I can reasonably lose 50 pounds by the time I'm 50. I'll have a lot more time to bike and hike, and more money for fresh fruits and veggies.

Meanwhile, I'm living like a college kid (except for the fun) and hoping I can hold it together a little longer.

Well, you would think nurses, of all people, would be conscientious about maintaining their health, and a diet of McCrap is certainly not consistent with life.

I'm certainly not criticizing you for fast food intake. It's become part of the American culture. Almost seems that chains like TGI Fridays and Chilis want to try to make their burgers and fries like the evil clown's, just a bit different and more expensive.

Crazy world, ain't it? I know a guy who predicts 'one world government' will come about as a result of the hamburger without a shot being fired, what with foreign franchising, et.c. and he lays down a pretty thought provoking argument on it.

Ronald Mc Donald is the antichrist....

Hello

I have a passion for real Chai, not that impersonator from the bookstores. Lemme post it. First remember everything must be of the highest quality I recommend a good health food/organic store. Believe it or not, the spices are fresher and cheaper, usually sold in bulk. And the sugar,if you want it, get unprocessed, brown or turbinado. Tea should be black, Darjelling, English or Irish Breakfast works real well.

OK:

1.Real vanilla extract, organic, preferably with a vanilla bean cut into lengths and soaking in the bottle for a day or more.

6-8 dried allspice berries

6-8 black peppercorns

1/4 tsp whole cloves

1/8 tsp cardamom seed

stick cinnamon 1.5 sticks about 3 inches worth

Crush the spices in a mortar, add 4-5 1/8" pieces fresh ginger root, peeled, and add to 1 cup boiling water on the stove. May add a 1.5 inch piece vanilla bean. Simmer (don't boil) for 1/2 hour uncovered. [You will want to put on Christmas music when you smell the house]. Then add 1.5 cups milk, return to simmer, leaving uncovered for 15 more minutes, then add loose tea 1-2 tablespoons and simmer 15 more minutes. You have to watch this stuff that you don't burn milk or anything, and stir fairly often. You may find a skin on the top but it will come out in strainer.

Strain this ambrosia into a vessel, add sugar to taste and a bit of vanilla extract if desired. If spices are too strong for your palate, add a little water or milk and reheat briefly. This is the classic way.

You may omit the milk altogether, simply substituting water after the initial infusion. Also some like to add a touch of anise or fennel or both to the spice melange. It imparts a licorice flavor.

If God made anything better, he kept it himself.....

I drank a lot of chai with chapati (a fried bread very similar to a tortilla), a queen cake (scones?) or "biscuits" (shortbread or sugar cookies) while living in Kenya. Tea is one of Kenya's major exports along with coffee and cut flowers. Milk is always included and it is very fatty, usually coming from the cow that same morning. The tea is a very strong black tea. The island of Zanzibar off the coast of Tanzania is a major producer of cloves and both countries produce sugarcane and process it into raw sugar. Nothing more was added there but nothing more was needed! Add to that the British colonial influence of tea at 10 and 2 and you had an interesting and tasty blend of many cultures and enough calories to carry you to your next meal. Yum!

Marc

tea is one of kenya's major exports along with coffee and cut flowers. milk is always included and it is very fatty, usually coming from the cow that same morning. the tea is a very strong black tea...edit

marc

thanks for the input

i thought milk was the most traditional, but not absolutely essential. i must have had "americanized" chai. next, i'll be seeing mcchai.

i much prefer it with the milk and no anise. i see why some people say to use half & half if the milk you use is fresh out of the cow. it's worth the time it takes to do it right, though. did i get the tea varieties right?

Reproduced by permission of Karl Childers © 1996

..."got any buiskits in there?" Biscuits

4 biscuits Hot or cold, mmm, I reckon it don't matter none

Mustard

Spread mustard on them biskits much as you want. Ummm hummm. Good to eat while you're a-waitin' for the po-lice to pick you up after you kill Doyle.

French Fried Pataters

I like them French fried pataters down at the Frosty Freeze.

A big order of them French fried pataters at the Frosty Freeze

Mustard

Cover 'em with mustard.

Potted meat and sody crackers

Potted meat from the Dollar store

Sody crackers

Spread the potted meat on the sody crackers.

Make sure there ain't no lips or p*ckers in there...mmmm hmmmm

"Some folks call it a sling blade, I call it a Kaiser blade, mmmm.

CENTER]

thanks for the input

i thought milk was the most traditional, but not absolutely essential. i must have had "americanized" chai. next, i'll be seeing mcchai.

i much prefer it with the milk and no anise. i see why some people say to use half & half if the milk you use is fresh out of the cow. it's worth the time it takes to do it right, though. did i get the tea varieties right?

absolutely you want to use black tea. i'm sure chai was introduced into kenya when the indians came to build the railroads inland from the coast and it probably has local variations around the world depending on what spices are available.

Absolutely you want to use black tea. I'm sure chai was introduced into Kenya when the Indians came to build the railroads inland from the coast and it probably has local variations around the world depending on what spices are available.

So what were you doing in Kenya? Missionary work? Not to get off the subject, but I had wanted to do some work with Mercy Ships, only to find out that I would have to pay passage and support myself on no salary. That kind of knocked me out of the running after getting skinned by previous wife in the past. So, I do some work at a free clinic to make up for it.

It must be wonderful to experience different cultures.

I was a Peace Corps Volunteer from '95 - '97. It is a wonderful experience. I really miss it but was also glad to come home when I was done. I hadn't seen my family for over 2 years. Most "real" jobs overseas either pay you enough to come home every 6 months or provide that as part of the job. I would love to be a Peace Corps nurse and have the volunteers and staff as my patients but they only hire nurse practitioners, PAs and MDs.

Sorry you got skinned by your former wife. Sounds painful!

... edit...

Sorry you got skinned by your former wife. Sounds painful!

Actually, glad to be shut of her. Noncompliant bipolar, then I find out she started the bisexual thing. Then I felt guilty about it. Compound that with a firestarting, bedwetting,animal abusing brat (classic triad, they'll start finding bodies one of these days) that she wouldn't do anything about, I found myself either working as much as possible, sometimes 45+ days in a row, or insidiously but steadily starting to have a few too many to face (or not face it) it all at home. And one's as bad as the other. Then she shows up at the hearing all decked out fancying herself (honest to God) to be the woman in "Fatal Attraction". Even changes her E-mail to whatever the character's name was. Scary...

That was my big lesson in trying to change/help someone. The "Dear wife" I have now Is God's gift, saw me at my lowest, gave me back my self esteem, and is one of the finest human beings on the face of the earth. A 5 foot dynamo with a Christian attitude, and a great fidelity. Everything Proverbs says a good wife is. Somehow I managed to spit in a mule's eye and came up with a mint julep. Life's funny that way....

"The secret of life is honesty and fair-dealing. If you can fake that, you've got it made"....Groucho Marx

Specializes in Case Management, Life Care Planning.

I'm a guy nurse (or a nurse who's a guy) and I love to cook. More main course kind of things as I'm not too hot with pastries or desserts. I work as a case manager and wind up talking about food with a number of the clients I work with.

Anybody have a good recipe for pad thai. I love thai food (when it's not flaming hot) and pad thai is one of my favorites but I haven't found a really good recipe for it. If you've got one, share it.

Great thread guys!

Wednesday Thai Chicken

Makes 3-4 servings

2 lb skinless boneless thick, whole chicken breasts washed and patted.

Hot Thai Or-gin-nut Sauce: All fresh ingredients!!!! Combine:

1/4 cup orange juice

1/4 cup cocoanut milk fresh from the cocoanut (optional)

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

Several pieces bruised lemon zest, and a bit of juice

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1/4 tsp. sesame oil (optional)

1 cup beer or chicken stock

1 tbsp. peanut butter thinned out with the soy and vinegar

4-5 good grinds fresh course black pepper

1/4 tsp. basil

1 tsp. soy sauce

1 teaspoon basalmic vinegar

1/2 tablespoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 Tbsp. (to start) hot sauce, Tuong Ot Sriracha brand is best.

( If desired, may add 1/2 tsp fish sauce or scant 1/8" anchovy paste instead of fish sauce)

Garnish:

Fresh bean sprouts washed

3-4 tablespoon crushed peanuts

Liberal coorifice torn fresh spinach leaves

Julienne 1 cucumber, 3 carrots, 4 scallions

Lemon rind twists.

(Make plenty, it offsets the hot flavor, keep in cold water & hint of lemon juice until serving)

Cooking:

Marinade in sauce an hour to overnight hour in fridge, it just gets better. Grill chicken low to med. heat, 2-3 breasts each on 2 metal skewers for ease of turning, suspended across 2 bricks. Cook over orange pekoe tea and hickory or pecan wood chips well soaked Baste with marinade occasionally. Boil Thai noodles or rice stick as directed near end of grilling. Grill to golden color, moist, but done. Cut chicken into ¾ " slices against the grain, serve atop noodles sprinkle all with peanuts. Presentation is with veggies & lemon twists decoratively around the plate. Alternate bites of hot food with cool veggies and lemon twists to clear the palate. Keep the hot sauce handy, and it may need salt. Eat with white Reisling or Piniot Nior wine.

Or Thunderbird if you can find a good vintage week.

Give her some wine and red roses before, and a foot massage later.

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