Category: It Pays To Read

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A Great Chef has many Sources & Cookbooks!

one of the secrets that makes a great chef

One of the little secrets I learned a long long time ago was the mark of a great chef… finding the best sources of their ingredients! The other little secret…. if you can’t invent a great idea…. borrow one!

Obviously, in every chef’s secret library are hundreds of cookbooks and with the internet …. the ability to review interesting ideas , recipes and cultural offerings is virtually limitless. Here are three interesting cookbooks from an age gone by that offer some timeless ideas to enhance any modern table.

Helen Corbitt’s Cookbook

“Creative recipes that can be prepared quickly from a few ingredients, from first woman to win food service industry’s Golden Plate Award, and then Director of Restaurants at Neiman-Marcus.”

Her philosophy could be summed up with her often quoted statement that “every woman can cook.”

St. Francis hotel Cookbook ( 1910 or 1919)

“Hirtzler originally published The Hotel St. Francis Cook Book in 1910. Organized as a year’s worth of Breakfast, Luncheon, and Dinner menus with recipes displayed next to each menu, the cookbook served as a scrapbook of St. Francis occasions, as well as a recipe collection”

the Epicurean

“The Epicurean, a Complete Treatise of Analytical and Practical Studies 1894 3,500 recipes from master chef Charles Ranhofer of Delmonico’s, turn-of-the-century America’s best restaurant. Also many techniques known only to professional chefs. Includes 800 illustrations.”

Just as a suggestion, you can find these cookbooks and others at ABEBOOKS.com.

Now cook!

Roger Freberg

NOTE: Quotes from various sources at Abebooks.com

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Similarities … and not Opposites … attract!

the twins?We’ve all heard about how opposite personalities attract.. that has not been my experience. The more similar people are… the more attracted they can be to each other.

What has been rather annoying is that my wife of 35 years keeps throwing a Psychology test or two at me with a wry smile… and the results keep coming back concluding that we are very similar…. very disturbingly similar.

Laura’s Latest effort to shake my confidence in my uniqueness in our duo was a little test that measures two seemingly unrelated cognitive perspectives: the EQ (Empathising Quotient) and the SQ (Systematizing Quotient).

So…the results came in as follows: Laura’s EQ was 51 and mine was 59, Laura’s SQ was 97 and mine was 104.
This is very interesting, but a bit scary… I have always thought she knew what I was thinking. Now, I know she knows HOW I think.
Take the test… and see how much you share with others..

Roger Freberg

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White House Chef

the White House Chef
The book “White House Chef” is a remarkable look into two administrations in a way that few people could visualize… from the epicurean needs of the First families.

Walter Scheib was the executive chef of the White House under two administrations: President Clinton’s and then into President Bush’s Administration.

Chef Walter Scheib may have suffered the affliction many of us do in the presence of celebrities… he was impressed by everything… except — fortunately for him — that which was right before his eyes in the kitchen. To his credit, he modernized everything in his purview…. adding a truly American accent to what, how ,where and why things were served at the White House.

The book never set out to be a ‘kiss and tell’ opus … although there are plenty of those if one wants to read about any administration. However, Chef Scheib’s book provides an excellent insight into a man, his obvious love of his work and his ability to adapt to the changing needs and tastes of those he served.

There are also plenty of ‘stories’ about what happened to Chef Scheib as the top ‘toque’ and WHO was hired next… but politics may have something to do with it as someone wrote that Walter may be remembered in history as “Hillary Clinton’s Chef.”

An enjoyable read on a rainy day!

Roger Freberg

Although it may be a celebrity worship of my own… I was pleased to have an autographed copy… Here’s  Chef Walter Scheib’s Site!

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Temple Grandin, the Farm, Autism and Perseverance

Dr. Temple Grandin and Dr. Laura Freberg
The other night Laura and I went to hear Dr. Temple Grandin of Colorado State University lecture about how to ‘calm animals’ and it seemed like I was once again in a Psychology Class listening to Laura discuss ‘habituation’.

Autographed for LauraDr. Grandin — for those of you who don’t know — is also an authority on autism. She — herself — is autistic. While we were there we bought three of her books. We knew Karla would love the books referencing animals… but her book on Social Relationships seems to have been derived from her own study. Just as many of us try to understand the mind with autism… they are working just as hard to understand us.

Dr. Grandin was the personification of what Laura had always speculated about the ‘engineering-type, highly focused and fiercely logical’ mind of a person with autism. Dr. Grandin was brilliant.

Laura has blogged on the event as well…. a very nice discussion.

It was a very enjoyable evening.

Roger Freberg

Dr. Grandin was kind enough to autograph her books…. as shown above. 

 

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Sweet Romance: Honeymoon Husband

Honeymoon HusandShirley Marks Has followed up on her romance  “Geek to Chic”  with “Honeymoon Husband.”

Now, guys, I know that in your heart many of you although crusty on the outside find a tear or two for a wonderfully romantic story.

My daughters chide me a bit when I pull out some of the sci-fi episodes with severely romantic plots. Star Trek Next Generation’s “Inner Light”, or the original Star Trek “City on the edge of forever” or several of the Stargate episodes where an alternate universe “Carter” is in love with Jack O’Neil. I do have my favorites.

I won’t spoil the plot to Shirley’s book… but let’s just say there is a ‘cad’, a ‘true love’, a ‘misunderstanding’ and a tropical setting. Check it out.

Roger Freberg