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Saint Nick and Chef Mike

Today we celebrate a couple of gentlemen who aren’t what they started out as, but our lives wouldn’t be the same without either of them as they were or as they are today.

Saint Nicholas Day

The historical Saint Nicholas was the Bishop of Myra and is famous for his generosity and ferocious faith. Over the centuries, he has been hodgepodged into the composite character we know today as Santa Claus.

In remembrance of his kindness to the three daughters, it’s customary to leave gifts in children’s shoes on the Feast of Saint Nicholas. In our house, we typically fill a shoe with gold coin candy and sneak in a couple of actual gold-colored dollar coins (Sacagawea, Native American or Presidential).

Nicholas was a devout believer and acted on his faith. His example is certainly one we should seek to emulate. He was charitable to a fault. He tended to the needs of any of his neighbors who were ill or in need of financial assistance.

However, there is one act that didn’t serve him too well in his own lifetime and that we should probably dial down a couple dozen notches before following his example. His confrontation with Bishop Arius at the Council of Nicea cost him the title of bishop and got him locked up. It all worked out in the end, though.

Miraculous visits in jail don’t hold the weight the used to, so it’s best if you don’t get yourself locked up for decking a heretic!

National Microwave Oven Day

The radiation left over from the Big Bang is the same as that in your microwave oven but very much less powerful. It would heat your pizza only to minus 271.3*C – not much good for defrosting the pizza, let alone cooking it. ~Stephen Hawking

So, what’s this business about Chef Mike?

On an episode of Kitchen Nightmares, one of the restauranteurs being helped by Chef Gordon Ramsay said they would warm up food in the microwave. They referred to it as “Give it to Chef Mike“.

*** WARNING – UNCENSORED HARSH LANGUAGE – WARNING ***

*** WARNING – UNCENSORED HARSH LANGUAGE – WARNING ***

People see microwave cooking as lazy or at least a shortcut, but hey, that’s what it was designed for!

In the latter days of WWII, the introduction of radar as a tool of war and of transport led to the discovery of its usefulness as a quick heating source.

Raytheon engineer, Percy Spencer, noticed that exposure to radar waves was causing a chocolate bar in his pocket to melt. Needless to say, it wasn’t doing his anatomy any favors. He began experimenting with the technology and in 1945, Raytheon submitted a patent for what would become the microwave oven.

The first microwave oven was introduced as the “Radarange” in 1947, but it was not released commercially until 1955. Even into the 60s and 70s, the appliance was costly and still slow to be adopted. Popularity grew in the 70s, but the widespread purchase of microwave ovens really kicked in during the 80s as the price and quality grew.

The variety of microwave-specific dishes and techniques for cooking have blossomed, leading to the widespread use of this kitchen convenience. There are oodles of microwave recipes.

Particularly useful at this busy time of the year, one can quickly heat up delicious leftovers or even prepare a single, exquisite chocolate chip cookie in one minute! You won’t be able to make a Smoking Bishop in the microwave, but some things are worth the wait and extra effort.