Childhood Obesity, George's Birthday, Snow.

There was a segment on Good Morning America about childhood obesity, in fact the other day, they were talking to the First Lady, Michelle Obama, who is very involved in this whole scene and recently kicked off an initiative called Let's Move. This morning they were talking about the lack of exercise in schools these days; apparently a lot of American schools (I don't know about other countries) no longer have curriculums which include games and/or gymnastics. Admittedly I hated them when I was at school, but at this point in time, with so many kids who are morbidly obese, I think a sports curriculum is a must. Why don't they have them any more you ask? Because of money. In the US (again I don't know about other countries) they are spending billions on wars and billions on disaster relief around the world which leaves very little to spend on schools in their own country. Wrong. A big mistake. If they don't do something serious about childhood obesity, it is going to cost millions if not billions to care for them medically as adults, and many of them won't live very long anyway. Obesity leads to heart diseases, diabetes, thromboses and I don't know what else. I personally believe that the US should forget all these wars in countries which have been fighting for years and bring their troops home asap. All they are achieving is hatred on the part of the people in the countries where they are fighting. Leave 'em alone and let 'em get on with it. Help your own children instead.

It was quite funny on GMA this morning, it was George Stephanopoulos' birthday and there was lots of kidding including his wife, Alexandra Wentworth, dressed up as Diane Sawyer which was a hoot. There is a video clip. Then they presented him with a chocolate/coffee ice cream cake. I would think his wife would be the life and soul of any party, she certainly got George blushing. There is a hilarious piece of video at http://abcnews.go.com/gma showing George blowing out his candles.

The US is getting pounded with snow again today. They are accumulating record numbers in total snowfalls and as one friend in Philadelphia says, 'its getting old'. There are still thousands without power from the last storm and they are expecting many more to lose power today because the snow is so wet and heavy it breaks tree limbs and downs power lines. We had some snow last night, but not much for us at all. I guess its Murphy's Law that BC isn't getting snow when they want it and the east is getting it and don't want it. Of course some people are loving it and making the most of the snow games whether it be snowball fights or cross country skiing.

I mentioned yesterday that I watched Emeril Lagasse on Good Morning America making the following chicken dish. It was intended for Valentine's Day. I personally wasn't keen on the idea of this for Valentine's, but the dish itself seemed good, so I made it for supper last night and it was good, we both enjoyed it although I still wouldn't cook it for Valentine's Day. I must say it is extremely simple to make so long as you have all the ingredients handy. I didn't have fresh tarragon which was a pity so I used dried but I never use dried parsley, in my opinion it doesn't taste of very much at all. I also found the sauce didn't thicken as it should and had to add a little cornstarch mixed with water.

Sautéed Chicken Breasts with Dijon Herb Sauce Emeril Lagasse

4 6- to 8-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp freshly ground white pepper 2 Tbs olive oil 2 Tbs chopped shallot 1 cup dry white wine 1 Tbs Dijon mustard 1/2 cup heavy cream 1 tsp chopped fresh tarragon 1 tsp chopped fresh parsley 1. Season the chicken on both sides with the salt and white pepper. Heat the olive oil in a 12-inch sauté pan over medium-high heat. Place the chicken in the pan, and cook until golden, about 4 minutes per side 2. Increase the heat to high, add the shallot and white wine, and cook for 4 minutes. Remove the chicken and set it aside on a serving plate. 3. Whisk the mustard and heavy cream into the pan, and bring the sauce to a boil. Then reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 2 minutes, until thickened and bubbly. 4. Add the tarragon and parsley, and remove from the heat. Spoon the sauce over the chicken, and serve immediately. Servings: 4 Have a great day