Monday and all is good ...

Good Monday afternoon to everyone out there.  Hope all is well with your world and you are enjoying your day.

Today we took our CA107 mid-term and we found out our grade before we left for the day and ..... I passed!  Yea team!  Just one more written exam for CA108 and then the Practicals.  The practicals will be a surprise as I think it will be something like a "mystery basket" and we have to use all of the ingredients in the basket.  I would like to think that I am pretty good when it comes to making surprises with something strange but I guess that only the test will tell.  I will keep you updated on that one ... maybe even with pictures and all.

In March of 1999 I was working at the then Standard Federal Bank in Troy, MI.  After I was there for a short time it became ABM AMBRO and now it is Bank of America.  Anyhow when I worked there I was also taking in side printing job and when the bank found out they had me start putting out a News Letter.  James Sands was in charge then ... a very nice man I remember to work for.  The first week that I worked there I was so scared that I broke out in all of this awful, runny, water hives and I ended up going to the hospital and taking the first week, as sick leave, at Standard Federal Bank off to recover from being scared to death.  It did get better though and after a while it wasn't that scary at all.  Where I am going with this is that I found one of the News Letters that I published for the Bank and when I was reading it I came across an article that I wrote for the letter about "Celery".

It is so strange ... even way back then did I know that I was going to be doing something in the field of food?  Here is what the article said:

Celery - Food Of The Month

It's the star of hors d'oeuvres, the dieter's delight, and a stew's best friend.  Celery is particularly prized for its crunch and for what it doesn't have:  calories.  There are only seven calories in the entire stock.

So much for its traditional profile, but there's big news today about this formerly common veggie.  Researchers have discovered that a compound in celery helps to keep blood pressure in check.  Scientists at the University of Chicago have shown that 3-n-butylphthalide can lower blood pressure by 12 - 14 percent.  They contend that eating four stocks a day can lower blood cholesterol by as much as 14 percent.  

How's that good news?  Bring a few stalks of celery to work for break time or lunch, and you can lower your blood pressure and blood cholesterol levels.

Anti-cancer properties.

Celery has other important traits.  It boasts a group of anti-cancer compounds that defuse carcinogens, especially those in cigarette smoke.  Researchers say a diet that includes plenty of raw celery may also protest against stomach cancer.

Lots of high protein spreads (like peanut butter) taste great on celery.  Try this great chicken mixture:  Blend ground almonds and cooked chicken, vinegar, a bit of olive oil and garlic powder.

For special luncheon, mix salmon, cream cheese, lemon juice, horseradish, paprika and pecans.  Spread it on celery.

For an herb liver spread, mix chicken livers with onions, garlic, savory and thyme together with a little olive oil and a hard cooked egg.

So, I guess that this was a trip back in time ... wow. 

I hope that this information was helpful ... it did make me think about what I have been thinking about for all of these years ... mostly the same thing.  I guess in one way or another I always wanted to be in the cooking field and now here I am ... dreams do come true.

Have a really great afternoon and I will check in again tomorrow with news on the continuing mid-terms and how I am doing.  Take care for now 1HappyChef.  :)