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I just picked up Jesus for President by Shane Claiborne and Chris Haw. I'm a little wary of its hipness factor but here's a sidebox that caught my attention:

It's the beautiful things that get us. Perhaps the greatest seduction is not the ANTI-GOD, but the ALMOST*GOD. Poisonous fruits can look pretty tasty. That's what is so dangerous about ideas like FREEDOM, PEACE, and JUSTICE. They are all seductive qualities, close to the heart of GOD. After all, it's the beautiful things we kill and die for. And it's the beautiful we market, exploit, brand, and counterfeit...

MOST of the ugliness in the human narrative comes from a distorted quest to possess beauty. COVETING begins with appreciating blessings. MURDER begins with a hunger for justice. LUST begins with a recognition of beauty. GLUTTONY begins when our enjoyment of the delectable gifts of GOD starts to consume us. IDOLATRY begins when our seeing a reflection of GOD in something beautiful leads to our thinking that the beautiful image bearer is worthy of WORSHIP.


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And a recipe that E likes that I want to remember before returning Bake until Bubbly to the library:

Chicken Scallopini with Fontain Cheese and Mushrooms (classic Italian-American recipe)
4 boneless chicken breast halves (about 1 3/4 lbs total)
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter (I halved this)
1/2 cup olive oil (also reduced)
3 tablespoons freshly and finely grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs
1/2 lb white button or cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
1/2 lb diced cooked ham (about 1 cup)
1/4 lb shredded fontina cheese

1) Preheat oven to 350 F
2) Place each chicken breast half between two sheets of wax paper and pound them with a mallet or the side of a heavy cleaver (I use a frypan) utnil they are thin scallopini and about 9x6 inches.
3)In a large 12-inch skillet, melt the butter with the olive oil over medium heat. On a sheet of wax paper, mix together the flour, grated Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. In a bowl, beat the eggs. Dredge the chicken scallopini in the flour mixture, tapping off the excess flour, and then dip them in the egg. Working in batches, place the chicken breasts in the skillet and cook until golden, turning once, about 5 minutes a side.
4) Remove the chicken breasts from the skillet and arrange in a 12x9x2-inch baking casserole. In the same skillet, cook the mushrooms, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. One minute before the mushrooms are tender, add the ham. Spoon the mushroom and ham mixture over the scallopini. Sprinkle the fontina cheese over the mushrooms and bake until bubbly, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve immediately.