The Daily Dish - January 27, 2010

Here is an excellent quick, easy, tasty recipe. Great fall/winter dish.

20 Minute Chicken Minestrone

Put all this stuff in a large saucepan …

~ 4 cups water
~ 4 14.5 oz cans of diced tomatoes (the ones with garlic/onions, or Italian seasoned)
~ 3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
~ 3-4 cups uncooked rotini pasta
~ 2 envelopes of the Good Seasons Italian dressing mix
~ Seasonings. I use a little crushed red pepper, basil, oregano, garlic salt, and cracked pepper.

Bring it all to a boil. Then add roughly 4-5 cups of vegetables. I chopped up some mushrooms, green peppers, and carrots. (An easier, quicker alternative would be to add frozen vegetables. If you do that, add em in the beginning with the other stuff.)

Once you add the veggies, just let it simmer on medium heat for about ten minutes.

Ladle into bowls, top with a little grated parmesan cheese. Serve with some crusty bread. Eat.

I am not a big soup guy. To me, soup is an appetizer, not a meal. This is a meal. Feeds a family of four two nights in a row … and it’s even better the second day. All the ingredients cost $16-$17. For two feasts.

Quote of the day …

“Good leadership consists of showing average people how to do the work of superior people.”~ John D. Rockefeller

Market …

Big, big day when it comes to the future of the economy of this country. We’ve got a Fed announcement on monetary policy coming at 2:15 PM and the President’s State of the Union address at 9:00 PM. Between the two, we’ll find out a lot about the next steps of the US government in their quest to speed up the economic “recovery”, which is creeping along at a snail’s pace right now.

With the Fed announcement, there is little drama as to what they are going to with rates. They are going to keep them at the historically low levels, just as they have for the last several meetings. But that’s where the lack of drama ends. Investors will have their eyes and ears peeled for any potential changes in the wording of the Fed’s statement, for their thoughts on the economic “recovery”, clues as to when they may start raising the overnight lending rates, and also whether or not it will stick to the plan to end a $1.25 trillion program of mortgage-debt purchases in March. The Fed’s mortgage purchase plan has almost single-handedly pushed mortgage rates down to their lowest levels ever, which has helped the struggling housing market. Many (most) people fear that if the Fed does pull their money out of the mortgage markets, rates will jump, and any progress made in the housing recovery over the course of the last year will come to a halt.

Not enough drama for you? Big Ben Bernanke is also up for reappointment as Fed Chairman this week. Once thought to be a rubber stamp approval, Big Ben has run into increased opposition from some Senators on Capitol Hill this week. It’s still very likely Bernanke is reappointed. His term ends Sunday. Expect an official reappointment to be approved later this week.

In other market news, bank stocks continue to get hammered in the wake of Obama’s purported crackdowns. Apple stock continues to fly off good earnings and rumors that they are about to release a new revolutionary tablet style computer. And we get data on new home sales at 10 AM this morning.

But all eyes are on The Fed.

News …

~ US Home Loan Demand Slows, Refinancing Down

http://www.cnbc.com/id/35095841

~ Fed Begins Two Day Meeting as Bernanke Vote Looms

http://www.cnbc.com/id/35083061

~ Will Fed Policy Be Affected by Controversy over Bernanke?

http://www.cnbc.com/id/35083576

~ Geithner, NY Fed Defend Actions on AIG Payments

http://www.cnbc.com/id/35090876

~ Fed May Take Chance Ending Debt Purchase Program Won’t Hurt Housing

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=axVV8waG7WMs&pos=1