Saving Dreams

Calling all Firehouse Chefs...

Everyone knows firefighters make Great Chefs! Here is your chance to show off your skills and be named FDI's Top Chef!

ENTER YOUR RECIPE BEFORE MARCH 15, 2014. FDI   Staff will select the winning recipe and award the winner with the following:

* Film crew will come to your fire station and you will cook!!

* All Recipe Ingredients and Supplies needed will be provided by FD International, Inc.

* Featured on website and other promotional 

   materials/sites

* Embroidered FDI Top Chef Hat

* Bragging rights to all your fellow firefighters! 

 There is only one rule; you must be in the fire service to enter! 

Email recipes to our office: michele@fd-intl.com

Please be sure to include your contact information and department. 

Firefighter's Prayer

American Red Cross

The American Red Cross is an amazing organization that helps everyone involved in a disaster. They are always looking for volunteers and donations in order to continue to aide in disasters. Each year, the American Red Cross immediately responds to about 70,000 natural and man-made disasters in the U.S., ranging from fires to hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, hazardous materials spills, transportation accidents and explosions.

People count on the Red Cross to help them in their darkest hour. In turn, the support of donors makes it possible for the Red Cross to fulfill its humanitarian mission. We are deeply grateful for the generosity of individuals, corporations and foundations who invest in the Red Cross.

To find out more about American Red Cross disaster services programs at work, please visit The Red Cross Disaster Online Newsroom, Flickr, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube,Linkedin and Social Vibe.

The Red Cross also feeds emergency workers like fire fighters and police, handles inquiries from concerned family members outside the disaster area, provides blood and blood products to disaster victims, and helps them access other available resources.

Interested in making a donation or finding out more about the American Red Cross.
 Click Here:  https://www.redcross.org/quickdonate/index.jsp.

Hello! I am the second chick on the blog!! Let me introduce myself, I am Michele, mother of two boys and married to the love if my life, Ben for over fifteen years. 

Helping others has been an important part of the journey of my life. Whether it is planning class parties, raising money for cancer or putting together an auction for various charities, I enjoy seeing results and making a difference. My experience and education is in the education field, insurance and risk management with an influence in marketing and sales. Which has brought me to the position I hold now with FD International, Inc.

I enjoy playing and watching sports, mostly the ones my boys (ages 12 & 10) play. My goals include running two to three races a year and one day do the 3-day for my father. Cancer has touched too many in my life and hopefully one day a cure will be found. Staying fit and healthy plays an important role in life however you should always enjoy life, too.

Baking and entertaining is one of my favorite past times. Enjoy having family and friends over for the holidays and weekends. Spending time with those you love is very important.

My blogs will be fun and also touch on experiences in the fire service, tips and issues facing the industry. 

Stay tuned and thank you.

-Michele

Sweet Cilantro Cornbread

The second part of my unforgettable corn chowder meal was the Cilantro Cornbread. Delicious!!!

Ingredients:
3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup sour cream
2 Tbs. olive oil
2 Tbs. cream
1 egg
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Steps:
1. Pre-heat your oven to 425 degrees. Line the bottom of an 8-inch round cake pan with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk the dry ingredients to combine.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk the wet ingredients and cilantro until smooth and creamy.
4. Add the wet ingredients into the dry and stir just until you have a stiff batter.
5. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and even out.
6. Place in the oven and bake 25 minutes.
7. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan 5 minutes.
8. Remove the cornbread to a wire rack and cool until ready to serve.

Corn Chowder Recipe...

After my stay in San Marcos, Texas, for the TFCA Executive Conference, I came home dreaming about the most amazing chowder I have ever eaten. Here is the recipe; I hope you enjoy this as much as I did.

Ingredients

1 Tbsp unsalted butter

1 strip of bacon or 1 teaspoon of bacon fat (substitute 1/2 Tbsp of butter for vegetarian option)

1/2 large yellow onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)

1/2 large carrot, chopped (about 1/3 cup)

1/2 celery stalk, chopped (about 1/3 cup)

3 ears of sweet corn, kernels removed from the cobs (about 2 cups), cobs reserved (see steps for taking corn off the cob)

1 bay leaf

3 1/2 cups milk, whole or low fat

1 medium Yukon Gold potato, or Russet, peeled and diced

1/4 red bell pepper, chopped (about 1/4 cup)

Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

METHOD

1 In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the bacon strip (skip this step for vegetarian option, just add more butter) and fry until the bacon renders its fat, but doesn't begin to brown, 3 or 4 minutes. Add the onion and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes, until soft. Add the carrot and celery and cook for 4 or 5 more minutes.

2 Break the corn cobs in half and add them to the saucepan. Add the milk and bay leaf. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a bare simmer. Cover the pot and cook for 30 minutes. Make sure the heat is as low as can be and still maintain a gentle simmer (on our stove we had to use the "warm" setting) to prevent scalding the milk on the bottom of the pan.

3 Discard the cobs, the bacon strip, and the bay leaf. Raise the heat, add the potatoes, red pepper, 1 teaspoon of salt, fresh ground pepper to taste, bring to a simmer and reduce the heat to maintain a simmer for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are almost fork tender.

4 Raise the heat, add the corn kernels and the thyme. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 5 minutes.

Serves 4.

FD International, Inc. is on it's way to the Texas Fire Chief's Association Executive Conference in San Marcos, Texas. http://tfcaconference.org/   This is one of my first big event with this wonderful company and I cannot wait to show off the wonderful things that we do. We have a long drive and a long day of setup, but I am confident that this will all be well worth it. I am so lucky to be surrounded by such amazing, intelligent, and talented people. Come by our booth and outside demonstration to see what we are all about. We can't wait to meet you!
-Jodie

Savory Garlic Marinated      Steaks

Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 15 Minutes Ready In: 1 Day 30 Minutes Servings: 2

"This beautiful marinade adds an exquisite flavor to these already tender steaks. The final result will be so tender and juicy, it will melt in your mouth."

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar 1/4 cup soy sauce 3 tablespoons minced garlic 2 tablespoons honey 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 teaspoons ground black pepper

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 1 teaspoon onion powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke flavoring 1 pinch cayenne pepper 2 (1/2 pound) rib-eye steaks

DIRECTIONS:

1.	In a medium bowl, mix the vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, honey, olive oil, ground black pepper, Worcestershire sauce, onion powder, salt, liquid smoke, and cayenne pepper.
2.	Place steaks in a shallow glass dish with the marinade, and turn to coat. For optimum flavor, rub the liquid into the meat. Cover, and marinate in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days.
3.	Preheat grill for medium-high to high heat.
4.	Lightly oil the grill grate. Grill steaks 7 minutes per side, or to desired doneness. Discard leftover marinade.

Country Breakfast Casserole Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 50 Minutes Ready In: 1 Hour 15 Minutes Servings: 8

"A one-dish casserole with all of your breakfast favorites: sausage, gravy, eggs, cheese, and toast."

INGREDIENTS:

1 (16 ounce) package breakfast sausage 1 chopped green onion 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese 6 eggs, lightly beaten 1 cup water

1/2 cup milk 1 (2.64 ounce) package country gravy mix 6 slices bread, cut into 1 inch cubes 2 tablespoons melted butter (optional) paprika to taste (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease an 11x8 inch baking dish.
2.	Brown sausage in a large skillet; drain fat.
3.	Combine sausage with green onion and spread evenly across the bottom of the baking dish. Top with shredded cheese. Whisk together eggs, water, milk, and gravy mix; add mixture to baking dish. Arrange bread squares evenly on top. If desired, drizzle melted butter over bread, and sprinkle with paprika.
4.	Bake 40 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Set aside 10 minutes before serving.

     A Little Information on the New Orleans Fire Department

In April 1829, a group of men took the first serious step to organize a first class Volunteer Fire Department in New Orleans. For 62 years these volunteers were known as the Firemen's Charitable Association (FCA), until December 15, 1891 when the first paid fire-fighting force, the New Orleans Fire Department came into existence.

The leader of the FCA, Chief Engineer Thomas O'Connor remained in  his position to become the first Chief of the New Orleans Fire Department, bridging the transition, and continuing to lead it for the next twenty years.  The present fire department is deeply rooted in the city of New Orleans and in the saga of the old Volunteers.

Henri Buckman was selected as the foreman and first chartered member of the company. Buckman was also present when the New Orleans Fire Department went into service in 1891. Because of his 62 years of devoted, efficient service to the FCA, Henri Buckman was officially declared the father of the Fire Service in New Orleans.

On February 17, 1892 at 9 pm the first fire fought by the paid New Orleans Fire Department occurred at the corner of Canal and Bourbon Street. Kinked hose lines delayed the attack on the fire which extended to the next building. As at all major fires, a large crowd gathered, among them many volunteer firemen, who pitched in to help out their comrades-in-arms. Leaping over the restraining lines, they straightened the kinked hoses, enabling the fire at A.W. Schwartz' General Store to be extinguished. 

I wanted to start by sharing a little about myself. I am a 30 year old Cajun woman from Louisiana. I am married with two wonderful children. I am heavily involved with the PTO at my son's elementary school. I also am very involved with my children's sports and extracurricular activities.  I moved to the great state of Texas seven years ago, and have been enjoying country life ever since. I have a huge passion for baking; it makes me happy to watch people smile whenever they taste something that I have created. I also have a huge passion for History. I will be posting about upcoming events/activities with FD International, Inc., recipes for you to use at the firehouse or at home, history of fire departments around the United States, and breaking news/interesting stories. I hope you enjoy reading and following me, as much as I think I will enjoy creating this blog. 

-Jodie