🗞Newsletter Issue # 39 - Leave the world in a better condition than how you found it.
October 24, 2024
🗞Newsletter 🗞
Hey there & welcome back!
This week we took the boys to the Zoo because it was the last warm weekend for the year. To our surprise there was also a Halloween event there that Ian loved, so 2 birds with 1 stone I guess. 😂
This week has been very busy and productive for me. I have a been working very hard putting together my knife skills course, which I am very excited for because production is almost done. I will share updates when it’s almost complete.
Ok, this is what I have lined up for us this week:
🎃 Ingredient Spotlight - Pumpkin Spice
🔪 Shopping & Kitchen Tip - Spices
🍂 My Pumpkin Spice Recipe
📚 Kitchen Story
👨🏻🍳 Q&A with The Euge
🫃🏻 My Week As A Father
🔪 Kitchen Tips & Ingredient Spotlight 🍂
Ingredient of the Week: Pumpkin Spice
Shopping Tip:
When shopping for pumpkin spice. Make sure to check the ingredient list to make sure it contains natural spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, and cloves.
Avoid artificial additives like natural flavours, artificial pumpkin flavour, maltodextrin, silicon dioxide and artificial colours. (e.g. Yellow 5, Red 40)
Fun fact: There's No Actual Pumpkin in Pumpkin Spice! 😱
The blend we know and love today is a combination of spices traditionally used to flavour pumpkin pie (obviously), which is how it got its name. Pumpkin spice was commercialized in the late 20th century when brands began selling pre-mixed blends for easy seasonal baking. It became an autumn icon. 🍂🍁
👨🏻🍳 Kitchen Tip of the Week 👨🏻🍳
How to Level Up Your Spice Mixes
Toasting whole spices in a pan releases their essential oils, intensifying both aroma and flavour. It's an easy technique that unlocks the full potential of your spices. 🫕
How to Do It:
Heat a small skillet over medium heat. No oil.
Add your whole spices.
Shake the pan to allow the spices to move around for about 1–2 minutes, or until the spices become fragrant. Once you can really smell the aroma, they’re ready.
Transfer the spices to a metal bowl and let them cool before grinding or using in your dish.
Once ground, you can keep in an air tight container for a few months.
The difference in flavour is night and day—trust me! ❤️
Kitchen Gadget Of The Week
The Spice Grinder If you're looking to grind your whole spices like a chef, this is the spice grinder that professionals use. Nothing fancy, and it's affordable.
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Recipe Of The Week
👨🏻🍳 Stories From The Kitchen 👨🏻🍳
This is a story about how the tough, often unkind kitchen culture shaped my approach to mistakes, pushing me to be more encouraging and supportive, both in the kitchen and as a new parent. ❤️
In kitchens, it’s common to see a culture that’s anything but encouraging, at least in the ones I’ve worked in. Instead of positive reinforcement, it often felt like a playground where the main form of communication was just trash-talking. I guess it’s just the way things always have been. 🤬
I remember this one time when I was working at a restaurant, and I tried to make pumpkin pie for the first time ever. It was a disaster. Not only did I fail miserably, but my coworkers made sure I knew it. It was one of those moments where everyone seems to enjoy watching you crash and burn.
I didn’t know back then that if you use fresh pumpkin, you actually need to cook it down first. Fresh pumpkin has a high water content, and if you don’t cook it, the pie filling turns into a watery mess and it kind of bland. Cooking the pumpkin removes the excess water and concentrates the flavour, which is key before you mix it with cream, eggs, sugar, and all the other ingredients. 🧐
So, I learned the hard way. Making pies, especially pumpkin pies, is a long process. You have to make the pie shell first, which needs refrigeration to set properly. Then there’s the pumpkin itself—a tough vegetable to prep because it’s large and hard. You have to cook out the pumpkin puree for a long time, let it cool, and only then can you start making the filling. It was an arduous mistake that dragged on. 😫
The worst part? Not just the fact that I messed up, but that my coworkers ridiculed me for it. It’s like rubbing salt into a wound. In my experience, many kitchens are like that. It’s not enough that you make a mistake—you also have to endure the ridicule from your peers, sometimes even from the sous chefs or head chef, before you’re allowed to move on. It's the normal process and that’s just the kitchen culture. 😣
Because of experiences like that, I sometimes still feel insecure when cooking for others (which I am getting better at breaking). I fear not just the judgment of the person eating the food, but also the potential ridicule from those around me. I think this kind of environment is how many cooks and chefs are trained because the industry is tough and unforgiving. It’s not for everyone and the culture is what makes a lot of us leave the industry. 👋
Since then, My pumpkin pie recipe is solid. But I’ve also made it a point to be different. When someone makes a mistake, especially for the first time, I don’t pile on. Instead, I try to be encouraging, even if they mess up multiple times. I believe it’s important to ensure the next generation is trained to be better than us. 🏔
That’s exactly how I’m trying to raise my boys—to be better than me, to show compassion in the face of mistakes, and to lift others up rather than tear them down. To leave the world in a better condition than how you found it. ❤️
🙋🏻♂️ Q&A With The Euge 🤔
Question from a reader:
My parents leave food out in pots and reheat it the next day. Is it bad to leave food out even if you plan to reheat it the next day?
Answer: Yes it's bad! 🤮
Bacterial Growth Happens Quickly: Food left at room temperature (between 4°C and 60°C) creates a breeding ground for bacteria like E. coli and Salmonella, which can multiply rapidly and increase the risk of food poisoning. 🤢
Toxins and Spores Can Form: Some bacteria, like Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus cereus, produce toxins or spores that survive cooking. Once food is left out, these can grow, and even reheating won’t destroy them, making the food unsafe. 🤮
Moisture-Rich Foods Are Especially Vulnerable: Foods like soups, stews, and meats create the perfect environment for bacteria to thrive, so refrigerating them within 2 hours is crucial. 💪
🫃🏻 My Week As A Father🫃🏻
My wife asked Ian, "what he want to be for Halloween this year". Ian replies, "A Jeep". 🤔😂
(left) Ian jamming out, (middle) my boys playing together, (right) Polar Bear at the zoo
Fears & Insecurities:
I pulled my back again while lifting Ian out of the bath. It’s funny how I get injured from the most nonchalant, little things nowadays, compared to when I’m lifting something heavy or doing real physical work. 🙄
It’s made me realize I need to take better care of myself. I have this insecurity that if I don’t, I won’t have the energy or strength to keep up with my boys when they’re old enough to do real activities that require actual energy. I worry that I’ll be unable to participate in their activities because I’m out of shape or physically broken. 🏃🏻♂️🏋🏻♂️🤾🏻♂️
Joy
Logan is 5 months old now and is cute AF. I wish I could post pictures of his face, but I can’t. But trust me—he’s absolutely adorably cute. Babies really are the best. 👶🏻
Ian does the cutest thing when he’s thinking. If you ask him a question, he’ll sit there with his eyes rolling up toward the sky, tapping his finger on his chin, saying “ummm” and “uhhh,” like he’s deep in thought, just like an adult. It’s super duper cute. 😆
Struggle
I’ve made the mistake of using the phrase “last time” with my son Ian, thinking it would mean this is the final time before we move on to something else. 😩
Now, he says it at least 5–10 times before he’s ready to stop. I think he interprets it as meaning "just a few more minutes," because whenever I tell him it’s time to leave, he responds with "last time, last time" or "one more time." I’m not sure he fully understands what "last time" means. It’s always a bit of a struggle when we have to leave, and the "last time" battle is now a thing I need to deal with. 🙄
Things I’m Learning As A Father
If there’s one thing my son has taught me, it’s the importance of patience. Sometimes, you just need to give your kids a few seconds to think and make their own decisions instead of rushing them. 🤔
For example, when I ask how his day was at daycare, I now pause and give him time to respond, rather than jumping in with suggestions like “Did you play with someone?” or “Did you have a good day?” By allowing him space and being patient, I can see from his body language that he’s actually thinking about it instead of just copying what I say. I want him to have his own thoughts and opinions early on instead of me speaking over him right away. (Trying not to be a helicopter parent) 🚁
😂 Parent Meme 😂
credit to deathbydiapers
❤️ A Note from Eugene:
Thank you so much for reading this week's Newsletter. If you have any feedback for me please feel free to reply to this email or dm me on IG. I take feedback seriously and freely.
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I appreciate you and I hope you have an amazing weekend!
~ Eugene ~
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