Merry Christmas 2007

We have all heard it "Jesus is the reason for the season" forget all the polically correct mumbo jumbo it is ture, Without Jesus there would be no season, these holy days are about Him. All other religions have thier holidays let the christian one be, without Christ there would be no need for Christmas, and what an impact that would have.

Who is Jesus?

JESUS IS

He is the Lord God, El. Jehovah the God who keeps covenant and fulfils promises, the God of strength, Immanuel.
Exodus 34:5-7
5 And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. 6 And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, 7 Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.

He is our advocate.
1 John 2:1
My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:

He is Lord of all.
Hebrews 2:8
8 Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him.

He is the morning star.
Revelation 22:16
16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.

He is the chief corner stone.
Ephesians 2:20
20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;

He is the chief shepherd.
1 Peter 5:4
4 And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.

He is the anointed of God.
Luke 4:18
18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
Isaiah 9:6
6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

He is the dayspring.
Luke 1:78
78 Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us,

He is the head of all.
Ephesians 1:22
22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,

He is the Holy One of God.Mark 1:24
24 Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God.

He is the keeper of salvation.Luke 1:69
69 And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David;

He is the I Am.
John 8:58
58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.

His name is Jesus.
Matthew 1:21
21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.

He is the only King and Lord.
Revelation 19:16
16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

He is the Lamb of God.
John 1:29
29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

He is the Light of the world.
John 8:12
12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

He is the rose and lily.
Song of Solomon 2:1
I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys.

He is the lion of the tribe of Juda.
Revelation 5:5
5 And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.

He is the Lord of all.
Acts 10:36
36 The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all:)

He is the Lord of grace.
Acts 15:11
11 But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.

He is the King of saints.
Revelation 15:3
3 And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.

He is the Christ.
John 1:41
41 He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.

He is the Prince of Life.
Acts 3:15
15 And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses.

He is the Righteous Judge.
2 Timothy 4:8
8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

He is the just Governor.
Matthew 2:6
6 And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.

He is the Lord & Saviour.
2 Peter 2:20
20 For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.

He is the Shepherd and Bishop of our souls.
1 Peter 2:25
25 For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.

He is the Son of God.
John 1:34
34 And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.

He is the Word of God. John 1:1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

He is the Sun of righteousness.
Malachi 4:2
2 But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.

He is the resurrection and the life.
John 11:25
25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:

He is the Comforter giver.
John 14:16
16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;

He is the Word of Life.
1 John 1:1
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;

He is the Alpha & Omega
Revelation 1:8
8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.
He is the faithful and true witness. The Creator of all.
Revelation 3:14
14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;

He has preeminence in all.
Colossians 1:18
18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

He is the head of all principalities and powers.
Colossians 2:10
10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:

Recipes for Christmas Dinner

Christmas Goose

1 goose (12 to 14), left at room temperature 1 hour before cooking
1 medium-size bulb (head)garlic, cut in half
1 small onion, cut in half
1 lemon or small orange, cut in half
¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper
1/3 cup sweet red wine, such as port, sherry or marsala, or apple juice
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/3 cup water
2 cups canned beef broth
1 cup pitted prunes, halved

Place oven rack in lowest position. Heat oven 425 F.

Remove giblets, neck and any excess fat from around goose's body and neck cavities, cutting with a small sharp knife when necessary. Discard fat. Rinse bird inside and out with cool water. Taking care not to stab the flesh, pierce skin all over with a fork; this will help render fat from skin. Cut off wing tips and discard.

Put garlic, onion and lemon halves in body cavity. Tie ends of drumsticks together to close cavity. Rub bird with salt and pepper. Place breast up directly in a roasting pan. Place neck next to goose.

Roast 30 minutes, then place roasting pan on stovetop. Remove fat from pan to a 1-quart heatproof bowl or glass measuring cup; you will remove about 2 cups. Turn bird breast-side down; roast 30 minutes more, remove fat but do not turn bird over. (See Note.)

Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F. Roast goose about 1 ½ hours longer or until thermometer inserted into center of a thigh next to body registers 185 degrees F. Remove bird to a carving board; cover loosely with foil. Discard neck.

Pour pan drippings into a heatproof container and discard when cool. Place roasting pan on burner over medium heat. Add wine and stir with a wooden spoon, scraping up any browned bits. When mixture darkens and becomes syrupy, stir cornstarch into water until blended, then whisk into wine mixture. Boil 1 minute; whisk in broth and stir in prunes. Cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes or until fruit has plumped and sauce is slightly thickened.

Note. This fat is wonderful for frying potatoes (store it in the fridge). But go easy: It is fat, after all.

Easy Bake Stuffing

1 loaf of day old French bread, cut into 3/4-inch cubes (about 10-12 cups)
1 cup walnuts
2 cups each, chopped onion and celery
6 Tbsp butter
1 green apple, peeled, cored, chopped
3/4 cup of currants or raisins or crasins
Several (5 to 10) chopped green olives (martini olives, the ones with the pimento)
Stock from the turkey (1 cup to 2 cups) (can substitute chicken stock)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning or ground sage (to taste)
Salt and freshly ground pepper (to taste)

Toast the walnuts by heating them in a frying pan on medium high heat for a few minutes, stirring until they are slightly browned (not burned) OR put them in the microwave on high until you can smell the aroma of them toasting, about a minute or two. Let them cool while you are toasting the bread, then roughly chop them.

Heat a large sauté pan on medium heat. Melt 3 Tbsp butter in the pan, add the bread cubes, and stir to coat the bread pieces with the melted butter. Then let them toast; only turn them when they have become a little browned on a side.

In a large Dutch oven, sauté chopped onions and celery on medium high heat with the remaining 3 Tbsp butter until cooked through, about 5-10 minutes. Add the bread. Add cooked chopped walnuts. Add chopped green apple, currants, raisins, olives, parsley. Add one cup of the stock from cooking the turkey giblets or chicken stock (enough to keep the stuffing moist while you are cooking it). Add sage, poultry seasoning, salt & pepper.

Cover. Turn heat to low. Cook for an hour or until the apples are cooked through. Check every ten minutes or so and add water or stock as needed while cooking to keep the stuffing moist and keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Sweet Tater Pie

1/2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces
2 large eggs
1/3 cup plus another 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3 Tbsp maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp heavy cream
1 pre-baked pie crust
3 Tbsp butter
1 cup of pecans, half of them lightly chopped, the other half whole

Make the sweet potato purée. In a large saucepan, cover the sweet potato pieces with water and bring to a boil. Simmer for 15 minutes or until the sweet potato pieces are soft when poked with a knife or fork. Drain. Purée in a food processor until smooth. You may need to add back a little liquid (a tablespoon or two of water) to get a smooth consistency. Let cool completely before using.

Prepare the pie. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Place rack at bottom of oven. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, 1/3 cup brown sugar, and maple syrup until smooth. Add the sweet potato purée, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and 3/4 cup of cream. Mix until completely smooth. Pour into cooled crust.

Bake the pie. Bake on lowest rack for 50 minutes, until filling has set. You may want to tent the edges of the pie with aluminum foil to prevent the pie crust edges from burning. Cool on rack for one hour. Then transfer to refrigerator and chill completely.

Make the pecan topping. Melt 3 Tbsp butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add 1/2 cup of brown sugar and cook, stirring, until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add 1 Tbsp cream, and mix in. Add the pecans, mix to coat the pecans with the sugar mixture. Let cool for 1 minute. Pour mixture over cooled pie. Use a rubber spatula to spread topping over the top of the pie. Cool until topping has hardened, about 30 minutes.

Mulled Cider

1/2 gallon of fresh, unfiltered apple cider
1 orange
15 cloves
4 3-inch sticks of cinnamon
15 allspice berries
1 teaspoon of nutmeg
7 pods of cardamon
1/4 cup brown sugar

Pour apple cider into a 3-quart saucepan, cover, turn the heat on medium-high. While cider is heating up, take a vegetable peeler and peel away a couple thick strips of peel from the orange. Press about half of the cloves into the peeled part of the orange. (You can also just quarter the orange and add the slices and cloves separately. I just like seeing the orange bob up and down.) Place orange, orange peel strips, the remaining cloves, and the rest of the ingredients into the sauce pan with the cider. Keep covered and heat the mulled cider mixture to a simmer and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 20 minutes on low heat.

Use a fine mesh sieve to strain the hot mulled cider away from the orange, cloves, and other spices. If you want, you can add a touch of bourbon, brandy, or rum to spike it up a bit. Serve hot. Add a cinnamon stick to each cup if desired.

Makes 8 cups.

Coconut Crusted Basa & More

Okay after many requests for it here is the Chef K’s Coconut Crusted Basa recipe, enjoy.

First things first however, some may not know or had the experience of eating Basa at the restaurants, so a little background. Basa is a type of catfish (Pangasius bocourti) grown in the Mekong river delta of Vietnam. It belongs to the shark catfish family found through out Asia. It is a mild whitefish not as strong in flavour to it’s American cousin, but can be used for all catfish recipes (I even use it for a great beer battered fish & chip) so it is very versatile.

1 avocado
½ cups mayonnaise
½ cup sour cream
½ cup thick coconut cream
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
¼ cup papaya nectar
1 tsp crushed red chilies
3 oz crushed pecans
3 oz shredded coconut
2 cups Panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
6-6 0z Basa Fillets
6 tbsp melted butter

Preheat the oven to 400.
Peel and seed the avocado and place into a food processor, add the remaining ingredients and process into a smooth sauce . Reserve.

Blend the pecans, coconut and Panko together.

Spread the sauce very lightly over the fish fillets, Press into the bread crumb mixture, place on a lightly oiled baking sheets, brush with melted butter and bake for 15 minutes, serve with the remaining sauce on side.

Oven Roasted Basa With Sweet Onion Marmalade
2 pounds sweet Vidalia onions, thinly sliced (about 8 small onions)
2 cups chicken stock or canned broth
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 quart heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
8 - 6 oz Basa fillets
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

To prepare the marmalade, place onions in a large, heavy saucepan and add chicken stock. Cover and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes. Add thyme leaves and cook, uncovered, for about 45 minutes or until onions start to color and liquid is almost evaporated. Add cream and cook until mixture thickens. Add vinegar and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Place basa fillets on a flat surface. Season with salt and pepper. Spread 1 tablespoon of the onion marmalade over each fillet. Starting with the smaller tail end, tightly roll fillets and secure with toothpicks. Arrange rolled fillets in a shallow baking dish several inches apart. Top each with 1 tablespoon of marmalade.

Bake for 10 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes. Place 3 tablespoons of marmalade on each warmed serving plate and top with the cooked fillets. Remove toothpicks before serving with a Raisin Almond rice pilaff.

Creole Basa Cakes
1Lb. Basa fillets
6 tablespoons Butter
¾ cup Flour
2 cups milk
½ teaspoon Salt
1 tbsp Chef K’s Cajun seasonings
1½ cups Bell pepper, finely chopped
½ cup Green onions, finely chopped
½ teaspoon Tabasco
1½ cups Fresh breadcrumbs

Broil or grill the Basa fillets -- over medium-high heat, about 5 minutes per side, or until flesh flakes with fork. Allow fillets to cool.
Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan. Add the flour. Stir constantly for 2 to 3 minutes, while the roux bubbles. Add the milk slowly, continuing to stir until the cream sauce is thick, 10 to 12 minutes, add the seasonings and mix well

Flake the catfish fillets into a bowl. Add the cream sauce and the remaining ingredients, mixing thoroughly. Use the fish mixture immediately or refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Using a large spoon, make cakes with the fix mixture and coat them completely with more fresh breadcrumbs. Using a heavy skillet, saute the patties gently in 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter, until they are browned. Keep warm while you continue cooking the cakes, adding more oil and butter as needed.

I’ll be back this week with our Christmas recipes.