ingredients:

6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 2 pounds total)
Salt
Ground black pepper
1/2 cup Parmesan Pesto (see recipe below)
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Fresh basil sprigs (optional)

directions:

Place each chicken breast half between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Pound lightly with the flat side of a meat mallet to a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick. Remove plastic wrap. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Spoon a slightly rounded tablespoon of the Parmesan Pesto onto each chicken breast half; spread pesto over chicken. Fold in bottom and sides of each chicken breast half; roll up into a spiral. Secure with wooden toothpicks.
Heat butter and oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add chicken rolls; cook, uncovered, about 20 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink, turning occasionally for even browning. Remove toothpicks.
Transfer to a serving platter. Garnish with basil sprigs, if desired. Makes 6 servings.
Parmesan Pesto: Place 1 cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves, 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, 1/4 cup olive oil, and 1 small clove garlic, halved, in a blender or food processor. Cover and blend or process until smooth, stopping as necessary and scraping side of container. Makes 1/2 to 2/3 cup pesto.

ingredients:

1/2 pound lean ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 15-ounce can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 4-ounce can diced green chili peppers
1 8-ounce carton dairy sour cream or light dairy sour cream
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
8 6-inch corn tortillas
1 10-ounce can enchilada sauce or one 101/2-ounce can tomato puree
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (4 ounces)

directions:

In a large skillet cook the ground beef, onion, chili powder, and cumin until onion is tender and meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir pinto beans and undrained chili peppers into meat mixture; set aside.
In a small mixing bowl stir together sour cream, flour, and garlic powder until combined; set aside.
Place half of the tortillas in the bottom of a lightly greased 2-quart rectangular baking dish, cutting to fit if necessary. Top with half of the meat mixture, half of the sour cream mixture, and half of the enchilada sauce. Repeat layers. Cover dish with plastic wrap; chill in refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
To serve: Preheat oven to 350F. Remove plastic wrap; cover dish with foil. Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until bubbly. Uncover; sprinkle with cheese and bake 5 minutes more. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

ingredients:

1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup purchased pasta sauce
1/2 cup fine dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped if large
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (4 oz.)
1 12-oz. pkg. fresh green beans, trimmed
1 Tbsp. olive oil
Crushed red pepper (optional)

directions:

Preheat oven to 450. Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to boiling. In large bowl combine egg, 1/2 cup of the pasta sauce, bread crumbs, 2 tablespoons of the basil, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add beef and 1/2 cup of the cheese; mix well. Divide beef mixture in four equal portions. Shape each portion in a 5-1/2×2-inch oval. Place on 15×10x1-inch baking pan. Spoon on remaining pasta sauce and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 15 minutes or until internal temperature registers 160 degrees F.
Meanwhile, cook green beans in boiling salted water for 10 minutes. Drain; toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil and red pepper. Serve with meat loaves. Sprinkle all with remaining basil leaves. Serves 4.

There’s been times, I’m so confused
Down my road, will it lead to you?
Just can’t turn and walk away

It’s hard to say what it is I see in you
Wonder if I’ll always be with you
Words can’t say it, I can’t do
enough to prove, it’s all for you

Finally I figured out,
But it took a long long time
Now there’s a turnabout,
Maybe cause I’m tryin’

There’s been times, I’m so confused
Down my road, will it lead to you?
Just can’t turn and walk away

Well it’s hard to say what it is I see in you
Wonder if I’ll always be with you
Words can’t say it, I can’t do
enough to prove, it’s all for you

I’d thought I seen it all,
Cause it’s been a long long time
Oh bothered that we’ll trip and fall,
Wonderin’ if I’m alive
There’s been times, I’m so confused
Down my road, will it lead to you?
I just can’t turn, you walk away

It’s hard to say what it is I see in you
Wonder if I’ll always be with you
Words can’t say, and I can’t do
Enough to prove it’s all for you

Rain comes pourin’ down,
Fallin’ from blue skies
Words give out a sound,
comin’ from your eyes

Finally I figured out,
But it took a long long time
Oh now there’s a turnabout,
Maybe cause I’m tryin’

There’s been times, I’m so confused
Down my road, will it lead to you?
Just can’t turn, you walk away

Its hard to say what it is I see in you
Wonder if I’ll always be with you
Words can’t say, I can’t do
Enough to prove it’s all for you

Well it’s hard to say what it is I see in you
Wonder if I’ll always be with you
Words can’t say, I can’t do
enough to prove, it’s all for you

Hard to say
Hard to say, it’s all for you

Unwritten – Natasha Bedingfield

I am unwritten, can’t read my mind, I’m undefined
I’m just beginning, the pen’s in my hand, ending unplanned
Staring at the blank page before you
Open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find

Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your inhibitions
Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten Oh, oh, oh

Ingredients:
(Chicken)
1 small onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 can (15 ounces) tomato sauce
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) stewed tomatoes
1 teaspoon each dried basil, thyme and oregano
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon salt-free garlic and herb seasoning
2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Hot cooked spaghetti

(Bread)
1/2 cup softened unsalted butter
6 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary leaves
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon fresh oregano leaves
1 loaf sourdough country white bread

Instructions:

(Chicken)
In a saucepan, saute onion and garlic in oil until tender; add the tomato sauce, tomatoes, herbs and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, place the milk, flour and egg in separate shallow bowls. In another bowl, combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese and herb seasoning. Dip chicken in milk; roll in flour. Dip in egg, then coat with crumb mixture.
In a skillet, brown chicken in butter over medium heat until golden brown and juices run clear. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Cover and cook 3-4 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Serve over spaghetti; top with tomato sauce. Yield: 2 servings.

(Bread)
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Oil the inside of the bowl of a mini food processor. Add the softened butter, garlic, cheese and herbs. Pulse until well combined.

Slice the bread into 1-inch thick slices. You will need 12 to 16 slices.

Spread the butter mixture onto 1 side of each bread slice. Arrange slices, butter side up and bake in the oven until lightly toasted, about 5 to 8 minutes.

Roll to Me – Del Amitri

Look around your world pretty baby
Is it everything you hoped itd be
The wrong guy, the wrong situation
The right time to roll to me

Look into your heart pretty baby,
Is it aching with some nameless need.
Is there something wrong and you cant put your finger on it
Right then, roll to me

And I dont think I have ever seen a soul so in despair
So if you want to talk the night through
Guess who will be there?

So dont try to deny it pretty baby,
Youve been down so long you can hardly see
When the engines stalled and it wont stop raining
Its the right time to roll to me

Look around your world pretty baby
Is it everything you hoped itd be
The wrong guy, the wrong situation
The right time to roll to me

I tripped across this video today… The song is ‘Rivers of My Soul’ ! Way cool…

The Ingredients:

3 Tbs butter

2 minced garlic cloves

3Tbs lemon juice

Instructions:

Steam brocolli until tender but firm, about 7 minutes.  Melt butter in a large skillet add the garlic and saute for 1 minute.  Add cooked broccoli, lemon juice and slat and pepper to taste.  Cook briefly to combine.

(If in case you feel I directed this specifically towards you, rest assured I’m sending a link to this post to everyone I know.  If I have your email address, you’re getting one…. believe me.)

I am responsible for my own happiness.  Like it or not, you are responsible for your own happiness as well.  Do not look to me to do or say something that will make you happy, because it is not my job to provide happiness to anyone but myself.  Frankly, it is not within my power to do so anyways.   

I don’t mean that coldly, or to suggest I am anything other than the fun-loving, compassionate, sensitive guy I’ve always been, but with roughly 20 years left on this planet, making sure you are happy is not my priority.

My personal manifesto holds that I will never consciously try to hurt you or cause you pain or sadness, but it is bound to happen.  That is why I encourage all of you to look inside yourselves and find your own path to happiness.  Where your road parallels mine, let’s travel together.  Where they diverge, let’s go our seperate ways towards happiness with a warm handshake or embrace and no hard feelings.

Should your happiness involve trying to force yourself into my life in a negative fashion, well, I feel very sorry for you.  What a sad existence you must have to waste your beautiful life hurting others.  Personally, I believe that you will be re-paid in spades for such things, but that’s just my belief.  What you give to the universe is what the universe will return to you.  Like attracts like.

So if my search for personal satisfaction, emotional growth and happiness has offended or hurt you, I’m sorry.  I hope you can find something good in your own life to fill that pained spot with pleasant thoughts and move on.  Don’t count on me to rectify it for you.  Your happiness is your life’s work.  As for me, it’s off to work myself.

Wishing you all, all the best in love, luck, and happiness…