A Romantic Dinner for Two

I met someone really nice recently, and last night (1/27/10) I had him over for dinner and a movie.

I wracked my brain trying to think of the perfect thing to serve. It had to be lite, it had to be delicious, and it had to be easy to make. It took a while, going over and through every cook book in my somewhat extensive collection, but fortunately, I found it just in the nick of time.

My choice? Broiled Chicken, wrapped in prosciutto, served with roasted green beans, and potatoes with mushrooms.

We had a wonderful evening and he seemed to really like the food a lot, so, I've decided to share it all with you as an extra "Recipe of the Month".

"Broiled Prosciutto-Wrapped Chicken with Roasted Green Beans and Mushrooms with Potatoes"

• 8 ounces, fresh green beans, stem ends removed
• 4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil (E.V.O.O.)
• Salt & pepper
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
• 6 thin slices of prosciutto
• 2 lemon wedges, for serving
• 1/2 lb small, redskin potatoes
• 1/2 lb bulk mushrooms
• 1 tblspn extra virgin olive oil (E.V.O.O.)
• 1 clove minced garlic

1. Set your oven (or toaster oven) on broil.
2. Line a baking sheet (or the small rimmed baking sheet) with aluminum foil (makes for an easier clean-up. Remember, no "unsafe-cooking").
3. Toss the green beans with 2 teaspoons of the E.V.O.O. and season with salt and pepper in a small bowl and then arrange on one side of your foil lined baking sheet.
4. Season the chicken with a little salt and pepper, then wrap with the prosciutto.
5. Place the chicken (seam side down) on the same foil lined baking sheet and rub with the remaining 2 teaspoons of E.V.O.O.
6. In a separate bowl cube your 1/2 lb of small, red skin potatoes and mushrooms (stems removed*) and drizzle with 1 tblspn of E.V.O.O.
7. Add 1 clove of minced garlic and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.
8. Toss to evenly coat the mushrooms and potatoes before placing them on the baking dish with your prosciutto-wrapped chicken and green beans.
9. Broil till chicken is opaque throughout. About 15 to 20 minutes.
10. When done, transfer the portions to two separate plates and serve with the lemon wedges.

I would like to add that this is a very versatile dinner to make. If you want to serve it for a group of four, just double the amounts. If you want to make it just for yourself, cut the amounts in half. It's just that easy. The temperature and cooking time remain the same. It's just that simple.

Well, that's all for now. I hope you're all doing well. Remember, as always, eat and enjoy.

AT&T, Say it Ain't So!

A friend told me recently that AT&T supported the "Yes on 8" campaign. If this is true, I cannot and will not continue to remain a shareholder regardless of how satisfied I am with AT&T's stock performance.

I've sent an e-mail to the investor relations department of AT&T, and if they tell me they did indeed support Prop Hate, I will sell my position and invest my money elsewhere.

You Gotta Love the Hypocrites

Before I begin, I should tell you all how I was brought up in a religious household. Church every Sunday, two cousins in the choir, bake sales and socials throughout the year, and while I personally have not read the whole bible cover to cover, many of my relatives have, so I know as much, if not more, than your average, right wing, conservative bigot.

Now, yesterday, while I was waiting in line at the credit union to make my car loan payment, I saw one guy had tattooed on his arm "Leviticus 18:22". This is the chapter and verse the assholes of the world use to deny gay people their civil rights and basic human dignity. The dumb ass was displaying his hypocrisy for the whole world to see, and it drove me up a F***ING wall.

Why do I call him a hypocrite? Because if he had read just a little bit further along in the same book, he would have come across Leviticus 19:28 which is basically "Thou shalt not have a tattoo on thy skin".

Just one more example of the people who oppress us not living up to or living by the very Bible they use to condemn us.

God love 'em.