Merry Christmas!

To Everyone, Merry Christmas 2010!! :)

Chicken Breasts with Tomatoes and Mozzarella

A delicious classy dish that even gives a tasty sauce to be poured on pasta or rice.

Ingredients:
- 4 boneless chicken breasts (700 g)
- 8 tomato slices 1/2cm thick
- shredded Mozzarella
- shredded Gouda
- 1/4 cup hot water
- 3 medium sized garlic cloves chopped
- 1 bay leaf (Laurel)
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp vinegar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- a pinch of sugar
- salt
- pepper
- rosemary
- thyme
- oregano
- basil
- dry parsley
- powder chili


Step 1:
In a bowl, mix the garlic, bay leaf, oil, vinegar, lemon juice, sugar, salt, pepper, rosemary, thyme, oregano, basil, dry parsley and powder chili.

Step 2:
Pour mixture on chicken breasts and marinade for 6 hours minimum or over night.

Step 3:
Put the chicken breasts into a baking dish, pour on them the remaining mixture from the marination and the hot water.

Step 4:
Cover with aluminum foil and put in oven on 225 degrees C (435 degrees F) for  35-40 mins or till the chicken breasts are tender.

Step 5:
Take out from the oven, remove the cover, then put 2 slices of tomatoes on each chicken breast. On the tomatoes put some shredded Gouda and on top of it add some shredded Mozzarella so it covers the Gouda cheese.

Step 6:
Put back in oven without cover on 225 degrees C (435 degress F) for 10-15 mins or till the cheese colors.




Step 7:
It can be served with pasta, rice or vegetables. The sauce in the baking pan can be used to give a nice taste to the pasta or rice.

Bon Appetit! :)

A funny statement said by graduate students' supervisors

The problem with graduate students, in general, is that they have to sleep every few days.

Source: http://slashdot.org/ 

Geek & Poke: Christmas For Geeks

Funny one for Christmas! :D

http://geekandpoke.typepad.com/geekandpoke/2010/12/christmas-for-geeks.html

Sucre à la crème au sirop d'érable - Fudge cream with maple syrup

Sucre à la crème is a French Canadian (Québecois) sweet popular for Christmas time especially when some maple syrup is added to it!

Here is what you will need to have approx. 36 tablets:
- 400 ml cream 35%
- 450 ml (400 g) brown sugar
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 8 tbsp maple syrup (optional: just to add a Canadian/Christmas flavor/sensation to it, but it tastes great without it as well)




Step 1:

In a saucepan (large enough as it rises and becomes almost double when it boils), mix all the ingredients together.






Step 2:
Put on high heat and mix well till you get a color similar to the picture.

Step 3:
Let it boil while still mixing. In the beginning you will get a color similar to the picture.






Step 4:
Lower the heat, almost to medium, and let it boil while stirring from time to time for approx. 20-25 minutes.





Step 5:
Test if it is ready by letting drops fall from the stirring spoon. If the drop freezes/hangs on/from the spoon then your mixture is ready.






Step 6:
Take the mixture off the stove top and using a mixer on high speed, beat the mixture well till it has a consistency similar to the picture. Just don't let it cool because it will become hard and you won't be able to pour it in the pan/mold. 

Step 7:

Have approx. a 20x20 (area around 400 square cm) pan/mold ready with baking paper.







Step 8:
Pour the mixture into the pan/mold while it is still warm.

Step 9:

Flatten the mixture in the pan/mold and let it cool.






Step 10:
After it is completely cooled down, cut it into small squares. The mixture should give around 36 squares.





Enjoy it and Merry Christmas! :)

Geek & Poke: How to handle a NPE

Nice one! :D

http://geekandpoke.typepad.com/geekandpoke/2010/12/geekpokes-list-of-best-practices-today-how-to-handle-a-npe.html