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Archive for August, 2009

Virginia Beach Technology Company in Inc’s Top 500 – Turning Paper Charts into Electronic Records Results in 550 Percent Revenue Increase

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Dad, Brad, Uncle Steven and I were talking about health care policy at dinner and the question of how much money can be saved by using electronic medical records came up. Turns out … a lot.

To celebrate what would have been Julia Child’s 97th birthday, Dan and I went to see the movie “Julie & Julia” Saturday night. It was great fun

I’ve actually never been all that interested in French cooking, so I don’t have any of her books, but we enjoyed the movie. One thing I really liked was how her husband in the movie was so open and demonstrative about how much he was in love with her – assuming that’s all true, it looked like they had a great time together. Definitely worth seeing.

This was almost a contest to see how many items from the garden I could use in a recipe Turns out, a lot!

This is a great recipe if you like eggplant, which, event though I keep trying it, I just don’t really enjoy. The only way I really like to have it is in moussaka, drowning in spiced ground beef and tomato sauce, so I guess I’ll have to make some of that soon, since I have another eggplant given to me by my next-door neighbor.

This is my entry in Grow Your Own, the food blogging event that celebrates foods we grow or raise ourselves and the dishes we make using our homegrown products, started by Andrea of Andrea’s Recipes, and hosted this time by MomGateway. The onion, garlic, tomatoes, basil and parsley came from our garden, while the eggplant was a gift from our neighbor, in return for some of our abundant cucumbers that I gave to her.

Roasted Eggplant and Tomato Pasta

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup Italian salad dressing
1 large eggplant
2 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 pound short pasta, such as penne or rotini (I used radiatore)
Sherry vinegar
2 cups diced tomato
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Salt
1/4 cup shredded or grated Parmesan cheese

Put chicken breasts and Italian dressing in a plastic bag for an hour to marinate.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the eggplant in 1/2 inch cubes. Toss them with 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large bowl . Place them on a roasting pan in a single layer and roast for 25 minutes or until they are soft.

Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat, then cook chicken five minutes on each side, or until cooked through. Remove to a plate, cover with foil, and set aside.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook the pasta according to instructions on the box. Drain.

Heat a large skillet to medium. Pour in the other 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the onion and saute until they are starting to color. Add the garlic, cook for 30 seconds, and then deglaze the pan with a splash of sherry vinegar.

Add the eggplant to the skillet along with the diced tomato, red pepper flakes, and basil. Bring the mixture to a simmer then add the pasta. Toss until the pasta is coated. Season with salt and sprinkle with the parsley and Parmesan cheese.

Slice chicken in 1/4-inch slices and place on top of the pasta. Serve.

My best friend Barbara and I, and sometimes other friends, go out to dinner at a different restaurant almost every Wednesday night; and we buy each other dinner when our birthdays are nearby.

For my birthday this year, we ended up at Gosport Tavern on High Street in Portsmouth. It’s a very nice, fairly new restaurant that specializes in seafood dishes (like many restaurants in our area).

I had the delicious lobster ravioli for dinner that night – OMG – it was really good, and the striped raviolis were beautiful to look at, too I didn’t have my camera, but I did have my cell phone.

This is my contribution to Photo Friday’s weekly photo challenge. This week’s topic is Cameraphone Shot.