Marinated Chicken Breasts stuffed with Sage and Mozzarella

4 slices of mozzarella cheese
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
A handful of fresh sage leaves
4 tsp butter room temp.
1 clove of garlic
1 tsp. of cayenne pepper
A bottle of Chardonnay (see wine-of-the-week)
1 onion

Marinade:
Good quality extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves of garlic (crushed)
2 lemons (Juice of 1 lemon, rind of 2 lemons)
1 tsp. sea salt-freshly cracked black pepper (preferred) if not, ground black pepper will suffice

1) Butterfly the chicken breasts (you can also buy the breasts fillet-saves time): With a sharp knife, butterfly the breast in half horizontally from the thickest part of each breast to within a 1/2 inch of the other side. Open the breast like a book and place on it between sheets of plastic wrap. Pound the breast lightly with a cleaver or knife to even out the thickness

2) Marinade the chicken breast: In a medium zip lock bag add the chicken, salt/pepper, olive oil, crushed garlic,lemon juice and grated lemon rind. Make sure the air is sealed to get the marinade juices mixed in the chicken. Keep refrigerated for at least an hour.

3) Prepare the sage butter: With a fork, mix together the butter, cayenne pepper, 1-2 sage leaves (chopped up), and garlic in a small bowl. Mix well and form a log onto a waxed paper or saran wrap. Set aside in the fridge until ready to use.

4) Take the chicken out of the bag and discard the marinade. place the chicken on a plate and pat dry with a paper towel. Lay 1 slice of mozzarella cheese and 2 sage leaves on one side of the open flattened chicken breast and close (you may want to insert a few toothpicks to seal the breast, but it’s not really necessary. Sprinkle sea salt, black pepper and grated lemon rind on both sides of the chicken breast.

5) pre-heat the oven to 350 deg. and heat a pan or skillet on medium-high, add 2 tbsps. of olive oil to the pan. Place the chicken (presentation side down) and sear for 5 min. Remove from heat and carefully remove the chicken and place on a lined baking pan in the oven to complete the cooking process. (5-10 mins.) Be sure not to over cook the chicken. Check for doneness of the chicken by cutting the centre of the breast (no pink=good). Take the chicken out of the oven and cover with foil. Heat the frying pan and de-glaze with a generous splash of Chardonnay a handful of chopped onions and add a knob of the sage butter. Stir and remove from heat.

*This dish is good with chive garlic mashed potatoes or pasta. Place a knob of sage butter on the chicken breast and with the extra butter, toss it into cooked pasta or add to potatoes. Garnish with fresh chopped sage and Voila!

Wine of the Week: 20 Bees Chardonnay. This Chardonnay is unoaked and has a gentle hint of honey and apricot on the palette, it finishes with a burst of citrus. Uncomplicated smooth and not too dry.

For advertisers and those who fear change, this may be good news for you. We have seen many things go into oblivion: The 8-track, Beta video cassettes (yes I’m old enough to remember those), cassette tapes, walkmans, letters that are actually handwritten and several other sentimental items that fazed in and out of our lives. Television on the other hand is evolving and is nowhere near its mortality.With the introduction of You Tube, not to mention the billion dollar industry of internet and mobile advertising, television is facing a big challenge. New technology such as the DVR or PVR could change the way consumers behave. There are several other platforms advertisers can reach consumers in a society already filled with clutter. So what does this mean for advertisers? Is this a foreshadowing of the demise of traditional television ads. I think it is. This does not mean however that television is not an effective medium for advertisers. In fact the opposite is true.  Television still remains a dominant ad platform because of its ability to reach the consumers more quickly and efficiently than the other forms of digital media. That being said, consumers want to be inspired and emotionally engaged rather than being coerced and persuaded. Sometimes a little disturbance is necessary (take a look at the WSIB ad campaigns for example).We should see a new form of advertising–one that embraces the new technology and adds value to television. So advertisers, convince me not to change the channel, entertain me, intrigue me. If your work has me talking to my colleagues around the water cooler, and I can actually remember the product or message, then it’s a job well done. As a huge fan of television ads, I am looking forward to seeing the new Superbowl ads. Unfortunately, most of the ads will not be aired on Canadian television, but thanks to You Tube I have the luxury of accessing what I didn’t see on TV. Let’s go N.Y. Giants! 

It It is a beautiful, bright and snowy Sunday afternoon. And after perusing through my fellow colleague’s blogs and poking my facebook buddies, I’ve decided that enough is enough–it’s time to start blogging. For the last few weeks I have been procrastinating in fear of not having good material on the blogosphere. After all this is now worldwide and in the eyes of the public. So with a thesaurus, dictionary, Caps and Spelling booklet, and the CP Style handbook clenched in my arms, I can’t count how many times I’ve been hitting the delete button and re-typing my sentences. This is perhaps the most challenging task I’ve experienced in a while. We get critiqued on projects for work or school, but this is potentially exposing myself to a world that may not be as diplomatic. Am I being too paranoid here?So after several days of reflecting and brainstorming, I have created Cafe Ole–A blog about music, food, lifestyle, and of course, things to talk about over a cafe au lait. Look out for: Weekly recipes, music news, trends in advertising, marketing and communications and my “wine of the week” feature. Enjoy!