Creamy Goat Cheese and Arugula over warm Penne Pasta

I had the day off and decided to fix dinner tonight!! I also wanted to shop, and I shopped WAY too long to fix anything major! I was also craving Arugula so I decided to search for recipes! Anyway, I came across  a few recipes for this goat cheese and arugula pasta, so I looked at a few to get some ideas and I turned the recipe  into my own as I always do! The ingredients were pricey but the pasta was refreshingly light yet delightfully filling, jam packed with flavors of all sorts and the big plus–it was QUICK. A 15 minute meal here! You can add a meat to it, artichokes, onion etc. This will be served again and again!

Creamy Goat Cheese and Arugula over warm Penne Pasta

    5 Oz  Herb goat cheese

    1 cup of cubed cherry tomatoes

    2 ½ cups coarsely chopped Arugula

    3 cloves of Garlic minced

    1/4 cup of olive oil

    1/4 cup of sliced kalamata olives

     9 Oz Penne Pasta

     3 slices of bacon fried.  

    Salt and Pepper to taste

Cook your Penne.

Heat olive oil, then saute the minced garlic cloves in the oil for about 30-45 seconds and set aside.

In a large bowl combine the Arugula, half of the goat cheese (crumbled ) the tomatoes and the olives.

 When the pasta is done, drain and pour into the olive oil and garlic mixture. Pour the mixture into the bowl and crumble the bacon and the rest of the goat cheese on top, salt and pepper then stir and enjoy! A VERY yummy meal!!             

                                     

Caramelized Tomato Carprese Salad Crostini w/Balsamic Reduction

Nate and I decided to serve ourselves up a yummy 3 course meal! Initially, it was intended to be a four course meal, but after all of this deliciousness there was no room nor interest in dessert! This is how our meal began!

Caramelized Tomato Carprese Salad Crostini w/Balsamic Reduction

1 french baguette

1 pd. fresh mini-mozzarella balls

1 pd fresh cherry tomatoes

1 bunch fresh basil

1 cup balsamic vinegar

salt, pepper and olive oil

1. cut the baguette into 1/2 inch thick pieces. brush with olive oil and bake at 400 until just getting brown. remove from oven and cool.

2. put the 1 cup of balsamic into a sauce pan and cook on Med heat until reduced by half.

3. Pre-heat BROILER to high(about 500degrees). cut the cherry tomatoes in half and lay on a baking sheet. drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Broil for 10-15 mins, checking frequently. Take them out when they start to bubble and are charred around the edges.

4. slice the mini mozzarella balls into thin slices. Cut the basil into thin strips(chiffinade)

5. lay the tomatoes and cheese on the toast, alternating back and forth(cheese, tomato, cheese, tomato ect). sprinkle with the chiffinade basil and drizzle with balsamic reduction!

And The finished product...

Bacon Wrapped Scallops on top of Arugula Salad w/ Lemon Vinaigrette

Bacon wrapped Scallops on an arugula salad w/ lemon vinaigrette 

4-5 large Sea scallops
1 pd bacon(center cut with 40% less fat is great for this)
1 bunch arugula
1 red bell pepper
1 lemon
salt, pepper and olive oil

1. wash your scallops and pat dry with paper towel. Take off any abductor muscles still attached(they are edible, but tough)

2. Take your CENTER CUT bacon(this is important because it is sliced thinner, so the bacon can crisp and the scallop wont be over cooked). Cut it in half and then wrap it around your scallop. I did 1 around the outside circumference, and 1 around the flat side. Total bacon coverage. Hold it together with toothpicks

3. Sear your bacon wrapped scallops on MED heat, ON ALL SIDES, until bacon is crispy. The scallop should be done when the bacon is done.

4. Add lemon juice, salt and pepper into a bowl then slowly whisk in olive oil until the dressing is thick. Toss arugula and thinly sliced red bell pepper in vinaigrette

5. Serve scallop on bed of salad with lemon wedges as garnish

                                        

                                          

                                                                                    

"C'est la vie" with Lisa Marie: Feed the Homeless!!!

"C'est la vie" with Lisa Marie: Feed the Homeless!!!: " I must start out by saying that my family has been homeless, so I know first hand how it feels to be homeless. I've volunteered ..."

XoXo~Lisa Marie

Feed the Homeless!!!

       

  I must start out by saying that my family has been homeless, so I know first hand how it feels to be homeless. I've volunteered overnight several times in a homeless shelter and it hurts me to see hungry people in this world when I eat so well.
          That being said,  I was scrolling through one of my favorite sites, alernet.org and found an article titled: “Outrageous: Three People Arrested for Feeding the Homeless” . I read their article and was angered at the lack of compassion shown by city officials concerning the homeless. I wondered, how could these people be arrested for doing good deeds? I was intrigued  to search for the reasoning behind the arrests. I read another article in the Orlando Sentinel titled: "Three arrested, accused of illegally feeding homeless".  KEY word being ILLEGAL!! They weren't arrested for feeding the homeless, they were arrested for breaking the law, and after these three folks done their good deed, they were arrested; yes the cops waited till all homeless were fed!!!

                                                                 
          After reading both articles,  I TOTALLY agree with the actions of city officials. If you read the second, more detailed, less biased article, you’ll discover that the Organization (Orlando Food Not Bombs) was fully aware that a permit was needed to feed groups larger than 25 people and they planned on intentionally breaking the law openly on their website!!!  This same permit is required for several other festivals held in this same park. This organization was given 2 free permits by the city previously, and according to locals, they left the park A MESS when all was said and done!!
          In my very humble opinion, this incident is NOT about feeding the homeless, it's for the media attention. I'm all for feeding the homeless, and you can, as long as it is not buffet style with a large group gathering around. I can totally understand the reasoning behind permits, if no one got permits, we'd have the wine festival, a field trip and the carnival in the park all on the same day!!!  If the permit is SUCH a big ordeal, they could always go through the park and pass out meals to the homeless that are there, because that is not illegal.  Since when does helping someone constitute breaking the law?? If it was REALLY about feeding the homeless, then why not do it  elsewhere?  It's not where you feed them, it's that they get a full belly right?  WHY must it be in the park?? If this TRULY is about feeding the homeless, then why not get a permit?
          The group says feeding the homeless in the park teaches kids that we have a problem with homeless in America, they are EXACTLY right, helping the homeless is EXTREMELY important, but so is compromise, structure and rules and regulations. If this group focused more on those issues, and less on intentionally defying the law, maybe they could help more people and use extra 750 dollars they spent on bail money on PERMITS to do it LEGALLY!!!! WOW-now that's good old fashioned reasoning there!  So, again, it's not feeding the homeless that is against the law, its organizing a gathering of a large crowd on a playground without a permit. Just because you don’t agree with a law doesn't give you a right to break it. I certainly don’t like where all of my tax dollars are going, but I can’t stop paying taxes! FEED the homeless, but do it a block away..............if its truly about them, and not you.

This being said, I am posting a link, so that everyone of you who reads this can help fight hunger....LEGALLY!! Please click, it may not be much but it's a start!!
All it takes is a CLICK RIGHT HERE to help fight hunger!

OR

XoXo ~Lisa Marie

The Rapture of 2011

    “.....blow the trumpet, warn the people.....”      Ezekiel 33:3      

           
Today is May 20th 2011; the time is currently 9:51pm and it’s a beautiful evening in North Carolina! According to Harold Camping May 21st 2011 at 6pm is “Judgment Day” AKA Rapture!!! All believers and followers of Christ will be taken to heaven, according to the man who also predicted the rapture in 1994 but said updated research made him more certain of Saturday's date.  
            I think the guy is a kook and his followers are too! For instance, Abby Haddad Carson of Middletown, Maryland told Fox News that in 2009 she quit her nursing job and began evangelizing about the end of the world. When asked what if she was wrong, the  mother of three teens who do not share her views replied, "No. I'm not saving for retirement. I'm not saving for college or any of that stuff ... There's no point. The Lord is coming." Wow. Poor kids.

         According to theologists and those who’ve studied the Bible, the bible says NOONE knows when that day will come; It will come like a thief in the night!  How could anyone put any merit into another bogus prediction after all of his previous predictions turned out to be BOGUS even if he does promise without a DOUBT that this is it?! This man attended college for engineering and has no formal education on interpreting the bible first of all, Secondly, numerology that has NO biblical basis, is his justification for coming up with the date for Judgment day since there is no date in the Bible! Last, but CERTAINLY not least, according to CNN news tonight, he made Eighty Million dollars between 2005-2009 and Eighteen  MILLION dollars in 2009 ALONE from donations for his false predictions. Business Genius?? I’d say so!!  Why not, since he’s going to hell anyway, according to the Bible for being a false prophet, why not profit from false predictions??                                                                                                                                                                           

OBAMA didn't Literally kill Bin Ladin

               September 11, 2001. I was playing one of my favorite games Canasta on yahoo and I saw someone say “A building exploded in New York” in the chat forum. I turned on the news and was in complete and total awe at what was occurring in the United States of America! The Twin Towers    were the target of terrorism and went down in flames along with most people in it; nearly 3000 individuals. I will never forget the feeling that consumed me for weeks afterwards; I cried at the tragedy facing us, the fear of the unknown for the families who lost loved ones, and the families who were yet to find out.

          May 1st 2011, I am in my living room and my uncle calls to tell me to turn on the news; that the United States Armed Forces finally brought Osama Bin Laden to justice via death! I will never. NEVER forget that day either. It brought emotions back not felt since that September 11th morning back in 01!  I was and AM proud to be an American! It took almost ten long years and more money than ever, but we, AMERICA did it.

 On Facebook that night celebrations were abundant, and Osama took over social media! 'Thank yous' to Soldiers posted her and 'Im a proud American' posted there; it was amazing that for a mere 2 hours there was nothing but positive posts announcing America’s accomplishment! I was so proud of the unity!! Honestly, it gave me the goose bumps!   

    May 2nd 2011. I see posts (from 10 out of 400) from a few friends saying REPOSTED!!!!~ "Let's be clear on this: OBAMA did NOT kill Bin Laden, an American soldier (who Obama just a few weeks ago was debating on whether or not to PAY), did. Obama just happened to be the one in office when our soldiers finally found OBL and took him out. This is NOT an Obama victory, but an AMERICAN victory!! PLZ REPOST IF YOU AGREE!!!".  What a bunch bull?!?
          
    First of all, can we  not be proud that we accomplished a mission we set out to accomplish instead of pointing fingers??? While  Obama was campaigning for presidency, he stated that his intention was to get our troops out of Iraq and into Afghanistan to get Osama, same orders Bush put into play–Dead or alive. He fulfills his promise (which is rare in politics) and gets no credit?? The tax dollars, the blood sweat and tears from the Armed forces and their families and all of the research and decision making that went into this mission finally paid off!!! This is one of the most notorious terrorists ever to come into contact with the United States of America and we finally, as a team, brought this guy down and all one has to say is “Obama didn’t pull the trigger”!?!? If you feel that way, why not keep it to yourself during a victory such as this?
          
    Secondly, Obama never said that “HE” killed Osama, he gave credit to EVERYONE currently involved and those involved in the past including President Bush as he should have. We are THE UNITED states for a reason!!  I wonder, who would we blame if the mission had failed? Bush? The Navy Seal? You’d blame the man in charge. Which, I am not an expert on the matter or anything, but the last I heard, the President of the United States of America, is commander in chief! I also know  He didn’t pull the trigger, but he DID give permission for another American to do so. It’s like saying that the marines or the army had nothing to do with it just because it was a Navy Seal who shot the gun. Its like saying that the coach of a football team gets no credit for a teams wins or losses.

            AND last, but certainly not least, Obama, ALONE was not responsible for pay freezes which did NOT occur, it was because congress could not agree on a budget plan!!!!! I wont dwell on what didn’t happen though, since it’s trivial. All I’m saying is, you DO NOT have to like the man, but please give the man credit for whatever it is he did to make this mission go right!!! I feel like I should end this blog with a status update from my Facebook page!  
  

“Thanks to our Military who sacrificed more than anyone along, with your families to bring this man to justice, THANK YOU SOO MUCH!! :) I've witnessed what you give up to do what you do and its SO VERY selfless of you!! Wow. Also, Thanks to our President, the commander in chief of our armed forces, for whatever you've done wrong to make this mission go right!!! Right or wrong THE UNITED States Military (this includes our president for pursuing Osama and for having the guts to carry out this mission) is to thank for bringing this evil man to justice. 10 years of hard work from both parties, and even worse, 3000 lives later. No debating or hating I am darn proud to Be an American!! :) Lets keep our faces forward and prepare for what’s to come though.
Yesterday at 9:56pm (this post was from May 2nd 2011)