Keep It Chocolate- Coming January 2014

Blog Update

I have fallen a bit behind on my posts.  Unfortunatley I have not been able to post the budget dinners that I had orginally planned on before Thankgiving.  I am still planning on doing this at some point but it may need to wait a few weeks as we (Freda & I) are working on another exciting food venture right now.  More details to come soon!!!

World Revival Conference 2013

I bless The Lord and give all honor and glory to Him for all the wonderful inspiration and ability He has bestowed upon us for the ideas and food set ups for this weekend. Here is part of the set ups from Sunday's service.

World Revival Conference- Saturday

World Revival Conference 2013

Bless The Lord for the great team He put together and for the inspiration and abilities He has given us for the food and setup for the conference without His leading and guiding we would have gotten no where. All honor and Glory to Jesus Christ!!!

Friday Evening

World Revival Conference

Preparation for the 2013 World Revival Conference.

Produce Purchase for World Revival Conference

Upcoming Blog Topics

Below is a list of upcoming blog topics that I am planning on posting along with time frames.

Week of November 3 2013: I will be sharing our journey as part of a group of people prepare a feast for the World Revival Conference that is sponsored by Ministries of Wayne Weaver Inc. and is hosted at Oasis Tabernacle in Sugarcreek, OH.

Sometime between November 11 and Thanksgiving I will be posting dinner ideas that I call cooking on a budget. I like a challenge so I will be seeing what I can cook for a family of four under $10.00.  I am currently planning on doing a weeks worth of posts for this topic.

After Thanksgiving and around the holidays I will be posting holiday cooking ideas some traditional and some out of the box.

I am always willing to share ideas and open to any ideas you may have send any emails to kevinyoderfoodie@gmail.com.

Testimony Jesus Cares About Every Little Detail in My life

This is a none food related post but I really need to share this testimony of Jesus' caring of every little detail in our life.

For the past 3 days we have had issues with my Durango battery. Every time I wanted to start it, it had to be jumped either by battery charger or car to car jump. This morning at 7:15 I decided to check the Durango to see if I need to take Andrea to school. Turned the key and it went click click click. It was dead again.  So I took Andrea to school and went to work all day.

I decided to give up and change the battery since I had no other choice but I knew I wouldn't be at home all evening.  So I called my dad on the way to my 4:30 meeting and ask him if he could change the battery since Freda needed a vehicle tonight.  He said he would take care of it for me.

At 9:30pm once I was on the way home from my meeting I called my dad to ask him if he fixed the Durango. He proceeded to tell me that there is nothing wrong with my vehicle. He got in and started the Durango without any issues he let it run and that the battery is fine.

So immediately I tried to figure out what I had done wrong and what may have changed that it works tonight but didn't this morning even though no one had done anything with it all day. Nothing should have changed. Why did Jesus fix my vehicle now and not 2 days ago. I was quickly reminded of a conversation I had with a coworker who ask me what I did to deserve the list of trials that had already come my way this week in which I replied I have decided that it is a trial that Jesus has for me to trust Him in whatever comes my way especially when I comes to my finances.

Once I gave up and left it up to Him, He could work. Praise The Lord it also included in fixing my vehicle.

I PRAISE MY JESUS FOR LOVING ME ENOUGH TO CARE ABOUT ME IN EVERY WAY POSSIBLE EVEN MY VEHICLES. THANK YOU JESUS.

Healthy Alternatives

I recently found out that I am diabetic so I had to make some changes to my diet and way of cooking. I am looking forward to the new healthier me and way of cooking. Below is the first major make over of classic garlic mashed potatoes. They look like mashed potatoes, taste like mashed potatoes, feel like mashed potatoes but it is not mashed potatoes. It is cauliflower. I do believe it will be a favorite in our house instead of mashed potatoes.

Seafood Night on Vacation

Homemade Pasta

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Hollandaise Sauce- Don't Be Afraid

Hollandaise only seems scary to make because it requires timing and lots love, 2 eggs yolks, 1/2 tablespoon of lemon, 1/4 cup butter, a whisk and a double boiler. It can add a punch of favor to eggs, steaks, and many other dishes.

Who I Am and Why I Do What I Do.

Upon coming home from our trip to Cleveland this weekend, I had numerous people comment on the fact that I post pictures and comments of food on social media sites. I am going to share with you some of my back ground and why I do what I do.

In order to capture everything I need to go back, way back to the time I was six or seven years old. At this time I was a small Amish boy my parents took a part-time job doing janitorial work at a local restaurant and we were often there when the place was still open and I was intrigued by everything. By the amount of food coming out of the kitchen and by everything that went on in the kitchen but being the age I had I hadn’t developed any passion for cooking yet, that was still to come.  Being that I have no sisters and just one brother I would love to help my mother in the kitchen.  Unfortunately, in the Amish culture of living you don’t normally get too much variety of cooking, so I learned comfort food fried chicken, mashed potatoes, stuffing, noodles, meat loaf and lots and lots of butter.  These foods are not in any way bad but I wanted different. I wanted to make food that you don’t normally see in the Amish community but again with my young age I was limited to learning to cook what my mother taught me. Which I will forever be grateful for these lessons.  

At a young age I started helping out at a local restaurant on the weekends cleaning off tables and washing dishes.  I helped out for some time and one morning I came to work and my boss had fired the line cook and was in need of someone to fill his place, so I was ask if I would want to help out.  So I was moved from dishes to cooking and I was excited.  This excitement was short lived as I was the morning cook and breakfast was quite stressful for a young inexperienced guy like me.  So I requested to be moved to evening or and the kitchen preparing food and prepping for services. I remained here for some time before I left the restaurant completely.  Little did I know at this time that the Lord would bring the passion of cooking back to me one day. 

At this point I was living at home with my parents and brother and had started a new job completely off the subject of cooking, had nothing to do with cooking in any way shape or form.  I started cooking at home, once a week I would cook dinner for our family.  Being that I was not a traditionalist when I came to cooking I had to go out of what I was taught and try new things and yes there were times when things were inedible. Just ask my parents and brother.  I do recall one instance the first time I tried to make bruschetta, I must have toasted the bread too long because my bother chipped a tooth on it. At the time I didn’t think it was funny but looking back it was a learning curve and now I sit back and laugh about it.   

Let’s move forward a few years, I got married at the age of 21 to my wife Freda, I still did some cooking but not as much as I used too.  Coming from the Amish culture have a husband that cooks was a bit unconventional for Freda but she learned to love the idea that she didn’t always need to cook and that I did some of it.  As time moved on I did less and less cooking once a week went to occasional as my job was demanding more and more of my time.  I was promoted to a new position in the company I worked for.  I left the production department and starting selling indoor furniture on a retail level.  After doing this for some time I was promoted to the Financial Controller position in the company and became the in house accountant.  This job demanded a lot more time as I was still selling furniture part-time as well.  Not only did this take away from my cooking but also my family as I threw everything I had into this job. 

Up until this point in my life I was still Amish but my wife and I decided to leave the Amish way of life and move on, which we did in the spring of 2007.  We started attending a church about 26 miles from our home in Millersburg, Ohio. You may ask why is this relevant to cooking? Keep reading you will find out.  I was still cooking from time to time I went in phases some time I cooked more than others but I still liked to cook and to eat good food.

 As time went on and in the teaching and attending of this church the Lord started changing my life around and through a series of teaching that was held at our church by Pastor Wayne Weaver I received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, some may be familiar with this some may not however the Bible talks about it in numerous occasions including all the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) and Acts and 1 Corinthians.  The most known quote comes out of Matthew 3:11 ¹ “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. This changed my life in so many ways, ways that I didn’t even know about.  When this happened the Lord led me into places in my life that changed my way if thinking and changed dreams I had and changed me as a person.  Some of you looking in from the outside may not understand this however keep reading so that you get a clear picture of what I do what I do. 

It had seemed like I had lost my passion for food for a time period of, I would say 1-2 years I did very little cooking, almost none.  I starting questioning the Lord why, why didn’t have any hobbies, why didn’t I have any skills, it seemed that the only thing I did was work, church and family.  Looking back now I see why, but that is another story.  I did nothing for fun or very little it got frustrating because the people around me all had hobbies and passions and things they were good at, things they did for fun.  Not me.  I kept plugging away at life being content where I was for the most part work, church and family.  I would still dabble in cooking but nothing serious nothing passionate.  Then something happened our church bought a new location and moved to the town we were living in. In conjunction with this move our Pastor, Wayne Weaver was given a vision for a fall conference as a dedication for the church.  This event was the Feast of Celebrations.  My wife and I volunteered to help in the event.

We along with 10 other people spent countless hours preparing for the event.  Pastor Wayne had giving us a direction that he wanted us to head in but left the rest to the group to prepare and plan.  Without going into too much detail the event was awesome and it ministered unto everyone that partook in it.  Some of you may have seen pictures via social media or may even have been there and experienced the ministry that the Lord gave though that event.  During this whole event and seeing how it ministered to people and how people were blessed by it awoke a passion out of my life that I can only say the Lord put it there.  This passion has continued to grow and flourish in new directions and paths that I look at and say it is only possible because the Lord has set it in order. 

This event was about 8 months ago and since then I have had countless opportunities to partake in some of the best foods I have ever had and ever tasted.  I could go on and on about doors the Lord has open and opportunities He has given me.  I can only bless the Lord for these.  So as I go throughout my days and travels I will be posting pictures of good food and food that I have made.  Not to make you hungry but to share with you the blessings that the Lord has given to me.  I once read a quote in a restaurant it said “Food is Essential to Life, Therefore, Make it Good.” S. Truett Cathy.  Ever since I read this quote I think about it every time I eat something good. Along with the scripture verse from Colossians 3:23   And whatsoever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;.  Think about this thought for a moment.  You can make or break a person’s experience by the quality, goodness and presentation of your food so let’s strive to make it the best.  Think about a good experience you had and think about a bad experience you had and now think about how that affected you good or bad.

For those of you that do not know me.  I currently am still working as the in house accountant for the same company, however with the help of the Lord I have been able to find the balance of work, church, family and food.  Food has become my resting place, my place to unwind after a day in the office, it is a way that I can give to people what God has given to me.  I believe it is a resting place because it was established by my Lord Jesus Christ.  I am looking forward and greatly anticipating where the Lord will lead me in the future and where this passion He gave me will take me, my wife Freda and our two lovely daughters Andrea and Allison.  All the Glory goes to the Lord Jesus Christ, without Him I would have no passion for food.

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.⁶ In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths Proverbs 3:5-6⁵

Corned Beef 6 days later

Homemade Corned Beef- Step 1

Brine The Beef Brisket

Filet Mignon on a SolaireGrill

Hard Boiled Eggs

How do you eat your hard boiled eggs?

Grilled Chicken- Tender Juicy Delicious

Tips for Grilling Juicy Chicken.  Marinade the Chicken in Golden Italian Dressing by Hartville Kitchen.  This dressing is thick and creamy and clings to the chicken, add a pinch of Kosher Salt to your marinade.  Marinade your chicken overnight and then throw it on a Solaire Grill.  Do not overcook the chicken rather undercook it and put it in a pan and bake it covered for a few minutes to preserve the juices in the chicken.

Cilantro Lime Chicken

Fresh Baked Bread

Tip: Butter Sauce for Pasta

If you are looking for a great alternative to heavy tomato sauces for pasta use a butter sauce.  The base of the sauce is butter and a splash of white wine.  Be sure to make sure the alcohol is cooked off  before you add your other ingredients as you do not want the sauce to taste of strong wine.  After the butter and wine have reduced a bit you can add any seasons you like.  I recommend adding a squeeze of lemon juice, fresh of course, and a dash of salt, pepper, tarragon and a pinch of garlic salt or powder.  Just before you pour it over your pasta add some freshly grated parmesan and asiago cheese. I would not recommend adding mozzarella cheese with this sauce as mozzarella is very heavy and does well with tomato based sauces.  Do not add any oil to your sauce as it will cause the pasta to become greasy.

Favorite Eats

I ate at The Rail in Akron, OH for the first time and I can guarantee it will but be the last. I had the 7th Heaven Burger and the Truffle Fries. WOW. I highly recommend this place to anyone.

Chicken and Biscuits with Bacon

Two buttermilk biscuits, hand breaded fried chicken, two strips of bacon, a slice of cheddar cheese, a big scoop of sausage gravy, and 2 eggs over easy, topped with hot sauce. This is a recreation of a dish from The Hamilton in Washington DC.

Everything is Better With Bacon

Bacon can be baked, pan fried, deep fried, sugar coated to make candy and even chocolate dipped and it is always good.#

Indoor Herb Garden- Additions

Indoor Herb Garden- Week 3

Left to Right: Sweet Basil, Flat Leaf Parsley, Cilantro.

Pop Overs

One of the best breads I have ever sunk my teeth into. Recipe is from BLT Steak in Washington DC.

Favorite Eats

Anyone from Washington DC or traveling to or thru Washington DC I highly recommend stopping in at The Source by Wolfgang Puck. Everything was great but the Crab Cakes were the best.

I would also recommend the filet mignon. It was one of the best I have ever had.

Tip: Leftover Rice

Great way to use leftover rice. Add flour, eggs, spices and panko bread crumbs and make deep fried rice balls. Theses are served with a Chimichurri sauce and pickled onions and peppers.      

Favorite Eats

Wallhouse Coffee is located in Sugarcreek, OH they have the best freshest coffee around.  They buy all their beans green and air roast them to perfection.  Check out their website at www.wallhousecoffee.com.

http://player.vimeo.com/video/28858785

Food - Friends - Fellowship

Sunday evening fellowship at Nate & Lori Hostetler's with Kevin & Crystal and Jason & Amy.

Indoor Herb Garden- Wk 2

Favorite Eats

The best fried chicken bone in and tenders are at Ferraro's Family Restaurant on Raff Rd in Canton. The decor and restaurant are old but the food is great and inexpensive.
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Tip: Homemade Pizza

This post will have a few tips for homemade pizza.

1) Instead of using shortening or cooking spray to grease your pan before putting your pizza crust on it to bake use kosher salt or garlic salt. (Not to much) This will do the same thing but without adding grease to your pizza.

2) Dont have a pizza stone, Don't like soggy crust no problem put you pizza pan on the bottom shelf (not on the rack) on the actual bottom of the oven, directly above the broiler this will crisp up the bottom of your pizza. I do this for approx. 3-5 minutes just before I take the pizza out of the oven. Warning: If you leave it there too long your pizza will burn.

Tip: Food Presentation

Food presentations isn't everything but it has an impact on your perception of a dish. Have you ever heard the phrase "you eat with your eyes"? In general you make a judgment on how good a dish is by how it looks.
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Stuffed French Toasted

Stuffed French Toast w/ Strawberries and Blueberries.

Favorite Eats

Sugar Valley Meats (www.sugarval.qpg.com) in Sugarcreek, OH is my favorite place  to get all my fresh meats.  This is a slab of Filet Mignon I used to to make Beef Wellington.  For the best results always use the best products. 

Tips: Fresh Ingredients

I may seem like to right thing to do in order to save time to use prepared ingredients (frozen or precooked products) however fresh ingredients in general are less expensive and make a better finished product.  I would recommend anyone in or around the Cleveland, OH area to shop for produce or fresh products at West Side Market. (www.westsidemarket.org) Even if you are only visiting for a day it makes for a great experience. If you do not live or visit Cleveland, OH find a super market near you that has a large variety of fresh produce and meats.

Favorite Eats

If you are looking for a great bakery for fresh baked bread or an awesome pastry I highly recommend Bread Head Bakery in Dover, OH.

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Tip: Cooking with Wine

Never cook with a wine that a wouldn't drink. So don't buy a cheap cooking wine and expect to get the same results as you would from a good wine.
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Tip: Juicy Ground Meat Burgers

When preparing ground meat patties for grilling handle the raw meat as little as possible. In other words don't massage/ squash the daylights out of it. This helps the burger stay juicy. While forming your burger take your thumb and make an indentation in the middle of each patty this way it does ball up while cooking. When cooking the burger never take your spatula and squish the burger to flatten it. This removed all the juices out. #

Tip: Tender Chicken

A good method for getting moist and tender chicken is the soak/ marinade it in milk or ice water 12-24 hours before preparing. This process draws any blood out of the chicken and cause the meat to be tender and moist.
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Favorite Eats

When I find a favorite be it a place or a dish I like to share my findings with other people. If you are within driving distance of Sugarcreek, OH and are looking for a pizza shop I highly recommend Park Street Pizza serves the best pizzas I have ever had.

Sunday Morning Food for Thought

1 Corinthians 10:31 (KJV)
Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

Indoor Herb Garden- Week 1

I am all about fresh ingredients so I decided to grow my own indoor herb garden in my home office.  I am going to keep you updated in the progress, who knows maybe you will decide to grow one as well.

Week 1.
Decide what herbs you want. I have basil, cilantro and parsley plant them using seed starter soil or some kind of soil that is light and promotes root growth. Keep soil moist.

Introduction.

Hi, my name is Kevin I grew up and live in a small town in Ohio. Some how some where I became very passionate about food. I believe it is a passion God gave me and I will glorify Jesus with it. Not processed food. Real food made from fresh ingredients. I am an accountant and an amateur chef. When i am not crunching numbers I eat, sleep and think food all the time. Not just eating food but coming up with dishes to try and create for the pleasure of others to eat. Cooking is my way of unwinding, rough stressful days at the office mean my wife, Freda, doesn't need to cook dinner that evening I will not only cook for my wife and wonderful daughters but also for my parents and the rest of my family. I may not update my blog daily but I will try to keep new information pictures, tips and ideas updated as often as possible. If you have any question or want to share tips email me at kevinyoderfoodie@gmail.com.