NOW Its St. Patrick's Day, Belly Fat, AIG

Now, today, really is St. Patrick's Day and I assume the Chicago River will be dyed green and people will be wearing green clothing to work in many places. It must take a lot of dye I imagine because that is a very dark green. I Googled, they use 40 lbs of food colouring to keep it green for a few hours. Of course they may have done it on Sunday, I am not sure. There is a video on YouTube click here which tells you all about it. The fountain at the White House was also died green this morning. The idea was proposed by Michelle Obama as they come from Chicago so its a nod to the festivities there. On GMA they showed pictures and mentioned that, through his mother, Obama is something like 3.4% Irish. So precise. The hosts on GMA and the local news broadcasts were, unsurprisingly, wearing green and they had a corned beef and cabbage pizza!!!!!!! It is also the birthday of both Matt's youngest daughter and her husband, so Happy Birthday to the pair of you. There is a big row going on in the States at the moment. The government having given $165 Million to AIG (a big insurance company) they, AIG, are now paying out over $1.5 M to their top executives in bonuses. AIG says they are contractually obliged to make these payments. Obama is hopping mad as are lots of people in the States. These bonuses are going to the same people that ran AIG into the ground. There doesn't seem to be a lot that can be done about it though. By the way, having made Bobotie again, we have both decided we prefer it with lamb. A much better flavour. However, bearing in mind the noise made by our female guest when lamb was mentioned, we obviously chose beef. There turned out to be enough left over for supper for Matt and I for two days but although we enjoyed it, we have had enough for a while. Same with the Milk Tert although I wouldn't be sorry to have more of it left. I really like that. According to Real Age, there are certain foods which fight belly fat which is supposed to be the most dangerous place to have fat. The foods are apples, pears, tea, chocolate, broad beans, onions, leeks and sweet peppers. With that in mind, they have an Eating Well recipe which contains apples and leeks which I thought sounded pretty good. No picture of the recipe, the picture shown is just sautéed apples and leeks. Sauté of Chicken with Apples & Leeks From EatingWell Magazine September/October 1996 Fragrant with flavors of fall, this easy chicken sauté turns a weeknight supper into a special occasion. Makes 4 servings 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (1-1 1/4 pounds), trimmed 3 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided 1/4 teaspoon salt Freshly ground pepper to taste 2 large leeks, white parts only, washed and cut into julienne strips (2 cups) 2 large cloves garlic, minced 1 tablespoon sugar 2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary or 1/2 teaspoon dried 1/4 cup cider vinegar 2 firm tart apples, such as York or Granny Smith, peeled, cored and thinly sliced 1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth 1. Place chicken breasts between 2 sheets of plastic wrap. Use a rolling pin or a small heavy pot to pound them to a thickness of 1/2 inch. 2. Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and add to the pan. Cook until browned on both sides, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and keep warm. 3. Reduce the heat to low. Add the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil and leeks. Cook, stirring, until the leeks are soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, sugar and rosemary and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes more. Increase the heat to medium-high, stir in vinegar and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated. 4. Add apples and broth and cook, stirring once or twice, until the apples are tender, about 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and return the chicken and any juices to the pan. Simmer gently until the chicken is heated through. Serve immediately. Have a great day.