Chicken Marsala

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Here's a recipe for Chicken Marsala. I've made it a few times and everyone really enjoys it!

4 chicken breasts, boneless & skinless
1/2 cup flour
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Dried oregano to taste
4 Tbsp oil
4 Tbsp butter or margarine
2 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 cup Marsala wine

Pound the chicken breasts between sheets of plastic wrap until they are about 1/4" thickness. Combine flour, salt, pepper and oregano in a mixing bowl. Dredge chicken pieces in the flour, shaking off any excess. Heat oil and butter in a skillet over medium heat. Cook chicken breasts on medium heat for about 2 minutes on the first side, until lightly browned. Turn breasts over to cook other side, then add mushrooms to skillet. Cook breasts about 2 more minutes, until both sides are lightly browned. Continue to stir mushrooms. Add Marsala wine around chicken pieces. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes. Serve and enjoy.

- Julie

Can You Guess What Week This Is?

The baby is now between two and three inches long and weighs up to half an ounce. The eyes and ears are moving closer to occupy their final positions on the face. The baby's kidneys are secreting urine into the bladder and the nerve cells are multiplying at an excellent rate. The brain's structure is same as it would be during his/her birth and the reflex movements are also on an increase.

You Really Should Get Out More

It seems that living abroad gives expats greater creativity in problem solving, according to new research published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

In an experiment, researchers gave subjects a box of tacks, a candle, and some matches. The subjects were asked to fix the candle to the wall in such a way that, when it was lit, no wax would drip onto the floor. Sixty percent of expats could solve the problem, versus 42 percent of those who'd never lived abroad. (Can you solve it?)

Another experiment asked subjects to draw an alien creature. Those who hadn't lived abroad returned fairly ordinary creatures which closely resembled Earthbound lifeforms. Those who had lived abroad -- well, see for yourself.

It’s not just that more creative people are predisposed to living overseas; the study’s authors isolated personality traits known to be associated with creativity, and controlled for their presence or absence in their subjects. It’s the process of adapting to a new culture that seems to drive the creativity boost.

So the question is, am I more clever now than I was two years ago?

The Day that Pain Died

Here's an interesting article, "The Day Pain Died," about the first medical operation to use anesthetic.

The gist is that anesthesia itself was hardly new in the 19th century, but that a moral objection prevented it's use. Why? Because pain was considered an integral and necessary part of life, and the removal of pain was the work of either a crank or a profiteer, interested only in encouraging their patients' base and cowardly instincts.

Interesting read, as long as you don't let all of the religion-bashing bother you.