Where's the park?

Simple enough question right? Simple enough if a child asks you, or a family out for a bike ride, or a guy with his dog and a ball. But what if you are asked by a man with torn up jeans, worn out shoes and layers of filthy sweaters on his back? I was out taking my dogs for a walk tonight and as we rounded the corner between country pastures and suburbia I ran into this man.

I generally feel pretty safe while walking my dogs in my neighborhood. I never go after dark, keep my eyes peeled for anything strange, turn my iPod on low enough so that I can still hear what is going on around me. When the weather is nice there are always kids out playing, people washing their cars or mowing their lawns. Houses are kept up and the neighborhood is pleasant. I would also like to think that the almost 200 pounds of dog that I have with me would detour most ill-wishers.

I responded to the man's question with "Which park are you looking for?" "Any park." was his response. Any park. Now why is he looking for just any park? What is he planning to do in that park? Sleep for the night? Smoke whatever he had stuffed inside the crinkled up rolling paper in his left hand? Kidnap a child? Gaze at the sunset? I couldn't be sure what he wanted in the park so I pointed down the street and said "If you keep walking that way, you'll run into a park". He thanked me and as I turned to walk in the opposite direction, he stopped and smiled and said "You have beautiful dogs". I thanked him and kept walking. I didn't point him in the direction of the park. In fact, I sent him in the furthest direction from the park.

What did this man do to me that I was allowed to judge him by his ratty clothes? I'm pretty sure his day was shittier than mine yet I sent him in the wrong direction and watched him shuffle across the street in his already worn out shoes. Maybe he was supposed to meet someone at the park who was going to give him a place to stay for the night. Maybe he was going to meet his grandkids to play in the park before it got dark. Maybe he was just a normal guy whose washing machine broke and whose dog ate his new Air Jordan's. But maybe, just maybe, he was a child molester. Part of me feels really bad for sending that guy on a journey to nowhere but part of me feels like I did the right thing. What would you have done?

When I got home I received a call from a friend with some surprising news. She found out from an old co-worker that someone we used to spend a lot of time with (back in my other life but I'll save that for a different post) had passed away. He didn't just pass, in fact this coming January will be 2 years. We hadn't seen him in quite a few years but we have talked about him in a general "Have you heard from him" or "What's he up to these days" kind of way. We never found the answers to those questions but never in a million years did it cross our minds that he was dead. We don't know much about what happened but it sounds like he made some bad choices and his life took a turn for the worst. How does that happen? I guess I know how it happens, I've seen it happen first hand with people that I love. But, why does it have to happen? What happened to him that changed the fun, happy guy we once knew into a guy that has now been dead for almost 2 years? What happened to the guy I saw wandering the streets of my neighborhood tonight? What happened to that guy to make him wear clothes that looked like he hadn't washed them in weeks? Did his dog really eat his Air Jordan's? I'm guessing not. In another life I bet he had clean clothes, a house to live in, and maybe a couple of dogs of his own. I know our friend had a better life. So why does this happen?

WFD?

Almost everyday Brett or I will ask the other "what's for dinner tonight?". We cook at home almost every night and will often plan a menu for 2-3 days at a time. When we don't have something planned I'm notorious for pulling meat out of the freezer, digging around in the pantry or the fridge and, voila, dinner is made! On days that I can plan ahead I turn to one of my favorite culinary inspirations (other than my mom of course), FoodNetwork.com. I am not good at following recipes which is why I will never claim to be a baker in any of my posts. I usually browse the net for something that sounds good, jot down a few quick notes about the recipe and head to the store. I won't actually use the recipe while I'm cooking but I might reference it if I'm using a new spice that I want to make sure I'm not using to much of. I usually just wing it and everything turns out great. I've decided to start a recurring post called "WFD?" (aka What's for Dinner?) where I post a recipe that I've tried or something that sounds good to me. I can't always promise that it will include detailed instructions like the recipe below but I'll try my best :)

On Friday I was planning for the weekend menu and came across a recipe from Giada that sounded delish! I made this last night and I have to say, it was the best thing I've made in a really long time so I thought I would share it with you for my first WFD? post.

Chicken with Mustard Mascarpone Marsala Sauce
About 4 servings, Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, each breast cut crosswise into 3 pieces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
5 tablespoons butter, divided
3/4 cup chopped onion (I used red onion)
1 pound cremini mushrooms, sliced (I used 8oz button mushrooms, 8oz baby bellas)
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 cup dry Marsala wine
1 cup (8 ounces) mascarpone cheese
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves, plus whole sprigs, for garnish
12 ounces dried fettuccine

Directions
Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over high heat. Add the chicken and cook just until brown, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate and cool slightly. (Make sure the chicken is still raw in the middle). Start boiling water for your pasta.

While the chicken cools, melt 2 tablespoons (I used 3-4 TBS) of butter to the same skillet over medium-high heat, then add the onion and saute until tender, about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and garlic and saute until the mushrooms are tender and the juices evaporate, about 12 minutes. Add the wine and simmer until it is reduced by half, about 4 minutes. Stir in the mascarpone and mustard. Cut the chicken breasts crosswise into 1/3-inch-thick slices. Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the skillet. Simmer, uncovered, over medium-low heat until the chicken is just cooked through and the sauce thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chopped parsley. Season the sauce, to taste, with salt and pepper. (Taste it before you start adding seasoning, I didn't have to add anything to mine).

Once water is boiling, add the fettuccine and cook until al dente, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Drain. Toss the fettuccine with 3 tablespoons of butter and season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Swirl the fettuccine onto serving plates. Spoon the chicken mixture over top. Garnish with parsley sprigs and serve.

I would love to hear what you think about this recipe so please leave me a comment if you try it!