Hummingbird Global Media is doing a series on people and their ministries. They saw fit to include what we're doing and here's the final version:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nN5JSq3gRGU
I'm not sure why they put that 2 minute intro in front. i've skipped head to the 2:00 mark - but then the video seems to have skipped a few times if you do that. I promise that there are no subliminal messages going on - or if there are, they're benign like:
"go to church...."
"tithe! tithe!"
Saturday, October 17, 2020
Video Documentary - ready to view
Saturday, September 5, 2020
Update: 09/2020
Last month I persuaded a couple of regulars to apply for work at Fedex where I started working recently. I don't know how much of difference it made, but I passed their names on to HR through my managers. They both got hired and started orientation last week. As great as that news is, I consider it an even greater achievement that another one of the regulars offered to give them rides so they wouldn't miss their orientation meetings; we've started to build community where people are genuinely concerned about each other's success. I consider this to be a significant milestone.
Thursday, July 9, 2020
Rob
"Rob" is the pseudonym i've assigned to a former regular on Tuesday nights. I've posted about him before. I may not have said this explicitly before, but Rob is one of the main reasons I kept on doing this after I got stabbed. For the next 3-4 months, he assigned himself as my bodyguard at the park and was never more than 5-6 feet away, and even when we spoke, his eyes were always constantly scanning the space behind me. He'd originally returned to LA earlier this year with a goal of showing up on Tuesday nights and driving for Uber. But he took a job back on the road driving a truck since the quarantine hit - he just couldn't get enough work to cover expenses.
I got a call from him earlier this evening and he told me he'd be in town next week, but that he couldn't see me. It turns out that recently his company told him to take over a run for a driver that got sick and needed to be hospitalized. They tested that driver and he came up negative for the coronavirus, so Rob took the driver's cab and finished the delivery. The other driver has since tested positive, and Rob is showing certain symptoms consistent with the coronavirus as well.
Rob is going to get tested on Monday, and to be safe, he's exercising as much discretion as possible in terms of minimizing contact with others.
With my father passing away less than two weeks ago from this, this resonates at a deeper level than it might otherwise. But Rob remains hopeful; he's accepted a new route that would allow him to be in town every week, though not necessarily on Tuesdays. I'm hoping we'll be able to see him back with us from time to time in the future.
I got a call from him earlier this evening and he told me he'd be in town next week, but that he couldn't see me. It turns out that recently his company told him to take over a run for a driver that got sick and needed to be hospitalized. They tested that driver and he came up negative for the coronavirus, so Rob took the driver's cab and finished the delivery. The other driver has since tested positive, and Rob is showing certain symptoms consistent with the coronavirus as well.
Rob is going to get tested on Monday, and to be safe, he's exercising as much discretion as possible in terms of minimizing contact with others.
With my father passing away less than two weeks ago from this, this resonates at a deeper level than it might otherwise. But Rob remains hopeful; he's accepted a new route that would allow him to be in town every week, though not necessarily on Tuesdays. I'm hoping we'll be able to see him back with us from time to time in the future.
Sunday, June 28, 2020
Video documentary
Last week i started filming of a video documentary where what we do on Tuesday will be included in a series documenting various ministries. Hopefully this exposure will lead to drawing more volunteers as well as funding.
We filmed a little of me cooking as well as answering some questions. This week we'll do some surreptitious filming of dinner at the park.
I've been pretty open about a lot of stuff in what's been recorded so far, Hopefully it will come out to its best advantage, but I retain full control over what material is in the video. More on this as it develops.
This could be huge.
We filmed a little of me cooking as well as answering some questions. This week we'll do some surreptitious filming of dinner at the park.
I've been pretty open about a lot of stuff in what's been recorded so far, Hopefully it will come out to its best advantage, but I retain full control over what material is in the video. More on this as it develops.
This could be huge.
Tuesday, May 26, 2020
Jambayala
I made my claypot chicken rice last week and included chinese sausage. Everyone enjoyed it except one person who doesn't eat pork - and there was pork in the chinese sausage. I decided to try a different dish with rice cooked in a mix of cooked chicken and sausage and came up with my take on a quick and easy jambalaya.
What make it relatively quick and easy meal to make for 30+ people was using a food processor, a 10 quart pressure cooker and and 32 cup rice cooker. I combined all the ingredients except the rice in the pressure cooker and cooked it though before adding it to the rice in the rice cooker.
12 cups long grain rice
6 chicken thighs (about 4-5 lbs), skin included
2 lbs. Louisiana style sausage
6 roma tomatoes
2 large yellow onions
6 anaheim peppers
6 jalapeno peppers
1 bunch of celery
1 oz paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon oregano
You need to have celery/onion/peppers as part of your flavor base. Cajun spices typically include paprika, oregano, garlic, red pepper, among other spices.
Run vegetables through a food processor and pulse to a fine dice. Slice sausage into bite sized pieces.
Place all non-rice ingredients in your pressure cooker, seal cooker and cook about 15 minutes.
Remove chicken thighs and debone & chop meat into bitesize pieces. Return meat and bones to mixture.
You will have a great deal of liquid in the mixture. You want a ratio of about 2 parts liquid to 1 part rice. With 12 cups of rice, that'll be about 24 cups of liquid. Add water as needed to approximate 24 cups of liquid in the mixture and transfer mixture to rice cooker. Add rice, stir thoroughly, and start rice cooker.
That's pretty much it.
What make it relatively quick and easy meal to make for 30+ people was using a food processor, a 10 quart pressure cooker and and 32 cup rice cooker. I combined all the ingredients except the rice in the pressure cooker and cooked it though before adding it to the rice in the rice cooker.
12 cups long grain rice
6 chicken thighs (about 4-5 lbs), skin included
2 lbs. Louisiana style sausage
6 roma tomatoes
2 large yellow onions
6 anaheim peppers
6 jalapeno peppers
1 bunch of celery
1 oz paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon oregano
You need to have celery/onion/peppers as part of your flavor base. Cajun spices typically include paprika, oregano, garlic, red pepper, among other spices.
Run vegetables through a food processor and pulse to a fine dice. Slice sausage into bite sized pieces.
Place all non-rice ingredients in your pressure cooker, seal cooker and cook about 15 minutes.
Remove chicken thighs and debone & chop meat into bitesize pieces. Return meat and bones to mixture.
You will have a great deal of liquid in the mixture. You want a ratio of about 2 parts liquid to 1 part rice. With 12 cups of rice, that'll be about 24 cups of liquid. Add water as needed to approximate 24 cups of liquid in the mixture and transfer mixture to rice cooker. Add rice, stir thoroughly, and start rice cooker.
That's pretty much it.
Wednesday, April 29, 2020
Sad eyes
In a couple of days, I'll be moving out. Due to the quarantine, my roommates, who are both freelance musicians, had all of their booked gigs cancelled/postponed pretty much through the end of the year. Rather than accrue months of unpaid rent, they elected to give notice and move in with friends/family who can take them in. I had no choice but to give notice as well, and with no job and limited funds, it looks like I'll be prevailing on friends until I can start back to work or find a new job. Fortunately, I've been offered space to store my belongings during this sojourn. Still, I've gone through my stuff and have elected to leave some stuff behind, most of it knick knacks and souvenirs accumulated over the years.
Despite this (or perhaps more so because of it) I remain committed to getting a meal to Central Park every Tuesday since there's no one else serving a meal in the area (shout out to former roommate "D" who's offered to let me cook at his place - on his front porch - social distancing, you know). Apparently some folks travel out to Hollywood for a meal during the week because it's the only one they know of on that day of the week.
This week, I showed up at the park, got set up and starting serving meals. Most of the people now are regulars, but we're starting to get some new faces. One such person came after I'd served all the regulars. She said something to the effect that because of how we were helping, we were going to be blessed by God. We stuck up a conversation, and suddenly she asked how I was doing. I said I was OK, and she immediately replied: "You have sad eyes."
I was caught off guard. As I reflect on this, I can see that I've been attempting to motor my way through - I've slept in my car before - and I'm prepared to do it again, but clearly this has and will continue to affect me emotionally. I can't be in denial about this. But another part of me is responding to something I'm not sure I can articulate fully at this point. Having people comment on my emotional state in a caring way, is not part of my normal experience as I tend to keep people at arm's length. And having experienced it in the context of helping others adds a few more shades of gray I'm trying to differentiate. They say that caring is something you do where you and others both grow in the process. I guess this is how it's going to be for me.
Despite this (or perhaps more so because of it) I remain committed to getting a meal to Central Park every Tuesday since there's no one else serving a meal in the area (shout out to former roommate "D" who's offered to let me cook at his place - on his front porch - social distancing, you know). Apparently some folks travel out to Hollywood for a meal during the week because it's the only one they know of on that day of the week.
This week, I showed up at the park, got set up and starting serving meals. Most of the people now are regulars, but we're starting to get some new faces. One such person came after I'd served all the regulars. She said something to the effect that because of how we were helping, we were going to be blessed by God. We stuck up a conversation, and suddenly she asked how I was doing. I said I was OK, and she immediately replied: "You have sad eyes."
I was caught off guard. As I reflect on this, I can see that I've been attempting to motor my way through - I've slept in my car before - and I'm prepared to do it again, but clearly this has and will continue to affect me emotionally. I can't be in denial about this. But another part of me is responding to something I'm not sure I can articulate fully at this point. Having people comment on my emotional state in a caring way, is not part of my normal experience as I tend to keep people at arm's length. And having experienced it in the context of helping others adds a few more shades of gray I'm trying to differentiate. They say that caring is something you do where you and others both grow in the process. I guess this is how it's going to be for me.
Tuesday, January 14, 2020
Recipe: The BK version of chicken claypot rice
Tonight's meal was very well received; I adapted a recipe for one of my favorite dishes: chinese claypot rice with mushrooms and bok choy.
Recipes vary: some call for the rice to be cooked and ingredients added later. I decided to go with combining all the ingredients allowing the flavors to meld and infuse the rice. I also deviated a bit with the inclusion of miso; I saw it included in a recipe from the now defunct luckypeach website.
The ingredients are as follows: (NOTE: i eyeball everything, proportions are relative.)
8 cup rice
4 lbs boneless dark chicken meat (but you can use regular chicken thighs)
(optional) 4-6 chinese sausages, sliced diagonally into bite sized pieces
4 oz dried slivered shiitake mushrooms (available at most asian supermarkets - you can whole dried mushrooms, but this saves prep time, and pre-cut mushrooms are much more affordable. You can substitute any other type of mushroom, but shiitakes have a unique taste and texture. Some places sell fresh shiitakes, but shiitakes are unique in how well they retain their flavor when dried.)
oyster sauce - sorry but this is essential it comes in bottles that are the same shape as glass ketchup bottles, available at any chinese supermarket.
miso (i typically have brown miso in the fridge, along with another container with half miso, half butter that i sometimes use in place of butter. it's really good.)
rice wine- you can substitute cooking sherry, i suppose.
garlic -about 4 cloves minced, to taste
a large white onion, diced
bok choy, about 2 lbs. that seems like a lot, but it's not.
corn starch - about 1/4 cup
sesame oil
Some of what I do is optional, but I believe each of these steps contributes to the flavor.
- If you have dried mushrooms, soak them in warm water for about a half hour. Drain the mushrooms, but retain all the soaking liquid - there's flavor there that should not be wasted.
- Put about half the dry rice in the rice pot, enough to cover the bottom. This allows a crust to form on the bottom as the rice cooks. Purists will object to my not washing the rice. I can live with that.
- Sear the chicken. Usually the fat on the chicken is sufficient, but add oil as needed. The browning adds flavor, but more importantly, it works like the technique of japanese tataki in that searing the outside firms it up and makes it easier to cut into bite size pieces compared to cutting raw boneless chicken. If you elect to use whole chicken thighs, you can leave them whole (one thigh per serving) or use kitchen shears to cut off bite size pieces, and place the chicken and bones to the rice pot. If you just put raw sliced chicken in the pot, it will still be good, just not completely fantastic.
Add oyster sauce & miso (about 1/4 cup each) a splash of rice wine and 4 minced garlic cloves, salt & sugar to taste. Some folks like to add sesame oil here, I find that the fragrance cooks off and prefer to add it later.
- (optional) - if there's a fair amount of fat left in the pan, add the remaining (dry) rice to it and stir over medium heat. The rice should change color slightly reflecting the absorbing of the fat as well as a little bit of browning of the rice. A small detail, but I think you can taste the difference. Either way, add the remaining rice to the pot. This should effectively bury the other ingredients
- (optional) - sauteing the diced onion in the pan used to sear the chicken - especially if you haven't browned the rice, this effectively deglazes the pan, loosening the browned bits which you then add to the pot. Otherwise, simply add the onion to the pot.
-Wash/clean the bok choy and cut into 2" lengths, stalks and leaves. Place on top of the other ingredients.
- I normally use a ratio of 3:2 liquid to rice. For this recipe I account for the amount of moisture in the bok choy and add 8 cups of water to the pot. If you have the soaking liquid from the shiitakes, include this. You may need to adjust this depending on your ingredients and your cooking pot.
- Use the "white rice setting" (if there is one), and start the rice cooker.
- If you haven't done anything with the pot since you seared the chicken, here's your last chance to take advantage of this flavor source (and also if you forgot to use the soaking liquid from the mushrooms) - place about 4 cups cool water/soaking liquid into the pan, along with 1/4 cup of cornstarch and a tablespoon of soy sauce (mainly for color). Dissolve the corn starch thoroughly (no lumps), then bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring and loosening anything left stuck to the pan. Add the gravy (& sesame oil to taste) to the rice pot after the rice has finished cooking, stir thoroughly, Let sit for a few minutes, then enjoy.
Recipes vary: some call for the rice to be cooked and ingredients added later. I decided to go with combining all the ingredients allowing the flavors to meld and infuse the rice. I also deviated a bit with the inclusion of miso; I saw it included in a recipe from the now defunct luckypeach website.
The ingredients are as follows: (NOTE: i eyeball everything, proportions are relative.)
8 cup rice
4 lbs boneless dark chicken meat (but you can use regular chicken thighs)
(optional) 4-6 chinese sausages, sliced diagonally into bite sized pieces
4 oz dried slivered shiitake mushrooms (available at most asian supermarkets - you can whole dried mushrooms, but this saves prep time, and pre-cut mushrooms are much more affordable. You can substitute any other type of mushroom, but shiitakes have a unique taste and texture. Some places sell fresh shiitakes, but shiitakes are unique in how well they retain their flavor when dried.)
oyster sauce - sorry but this is essential it comes in bottles that are the same shape as glass ketchup bottles, available at any chinese supermarket.
miso (i typically have brown miso in the fridge, along with another container with half miso, half butter that i sometimes use in place of butter. it's really good.)
rice wine- you can substitute cooking sherry, i suppose.
garlic -about 4 cloves minced, to taste
a large white onion, diced
bok choy, about 2 lbs. that seems like a lot, but it's not.
corn starch - about 1/4 cup
sesame oil
Some of what I do is optional, but I believe each of these steps contributes to the flavor.
- If you have dried mushrooms, soak them in warm water for about a half hour. Drain the mushrooms, but retain all the soaking liquid - there's flavor there that should not be wasted.
- Put about half the dry rice in the rice pot, enough to cover the bottom. This allows a crust to form on the bottom as the rice cooks. Purists will object to my not washing the rice. I can live with that.
- Sear the chicken. Usually the fat on the chicken is sufficient, but add oil as needed. The browning adds flavor, but more importantly, it works like the technique of japanese tataki in that searing the outside firms it up and makes it easier to cut into bite size pieces compared to cutting raw boneless chicken. If you elect to use whole chicken thighs, you can leave them whole (one thigh per serving) or use kitchen shears to cut off bite size pieces, and place the chicken and bones to the rice pot. If you just put raw sliced chicken in the pot, it will still be good, just not completely fantastic.
Add oyster sauce & miso (about 1/4 cup each) a splash of rice wine and 4 minced garlic cloves, salt & sugar to taste. Some folks like to add sesame oil here, I find that the fragrance cooks off and prefer to add it later.
- (optional) - if there's a fair amount of fat left in the pan, add the remaining (dry) rice to it and stir over medium heat. The rice should change color slightly reflecting the absorbing of the fat as well as a little bit of browning of the rice. A small detail, but I think you can taste the difference. Either way, add the remaining rice to the pot. This should effectively bury the other ingredients
- (optional) - sauteing the diced onion in the pan used to sear the chicken - especially if you haven't browned the rice, this effectively deglazes the pan, loosening the browned bits which you then add to the pot. Otherwise, simply add the onion to the pot.
-Wash/clean the bok choy and cut into 2" lengths, stalks and leaves. Place on top of the other ingredients.
- I normally use a ratio of 3:2 liquid to rice. For this recipe I account for the amount of moisture in the bok choy and add 8 cups of water to the pot. If you have the soaking liquid from the shiitakes, include this. You may need to adjust this depending on your ingredients and your cooking pot.
- Use the "white rice setting" (if there is one), and start the rice cooker.
- If you haven't done anything with the pot since you seared the chicken, here's your last chance to take advantage of this flavor source (and also if you forgot to use the soaking liquid from the mushrooms) - place about 4 cups cool water/soaking liquid into the pan, along with 1/4 cup of cornstarch and a tablespoon of soy sauce (mainly for color). Dissolve the corn starch thoroughly (no lumps), then bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring and loosening anything left stuck to the pan. Add the gravy (& sesame oil to taste) to the rice pot after the rice has finished cooking, stir thoroughly, Let sit for a few minutes, then enjoy.
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