Ingredients:

• 4 oz. of smoked salmon
• 2 slices of bread
• 1 egg
• 1 slice of provolone cheese
• basil
• peppter
• onion spice
• butter or nonstick cooking spray
• frying pan
• spatula

Directions:

1. Set the stove heat to medium-high
2. Grease pan with butter or cooking spray
3. When the pan is hot enough, proceed to fry the egg by cracking it and placing the contents in the pan. When the underside is done (give approximately 1 minute, turn over to fry the other side.
4. After frying the egg, rinse the pan because you’ll use it again for the rest of the sanwich
5. Create the sanwich by placing the smoken salmon, egg, and cheese in between two slices of bread
6. Season thoroughly with basil, herbs, pepper, and a bit of onion spice
7. Set the stove on medium heat and grease the pan
8. Place the sanwich in the pan and cook until the cheese is melted. Make sure to turn over every 30 seconds or so to ensure even heat.
9. If you’re feeling extra cheesy, add another slice of cheese on top of the sanwich and heat until melted.
10. (an alternative to heating the sandwich in the pan would be to place it on a panini press)
11. Et voilà! You have a croque mademoiselle!

The dish goes really well with a side salad or chips & guacamole. Bon appetit!

Did you hear me? I don’t think you heard. I said…

PRESIDENT OBAMA JUST SIGNED INTO LAW AMERICA’S FIRST COMPREHENSIVE HEALTHCARE REFORM!

It was a partisan decision, due mainly to the fact that the Republicans just didn’t play their cards right. When trying to compromise, you actually have to compromise instead of demanding it all your way. Anyhoo, no hard feelings. And it passed. Democratically. With a majority. By following the rules. Some people seem to think the rules weren’t followed, but I just wanted to make it clear that it was drawn up, proposed, and voted on. Without gun shots being fired lol

Anyways, there is lots of confusion about this grandiose bill – I’ll admit it is quite large. Yes, it’ll cost over $900 billion. But, here are the immediate benefits that you’ll see from the bill…

• Small businesses will receive significant tax cuts, this year, to help them afford health coverage for all their employees.
• Seniors will receive a rebate to reduce drug costs not yet covered under Medicare.
• Young people will be allowed coverage under their parents’ plan until the age of 26.
• Early retirees will receive help to reduce premium costs.
• Children will be protected against discrimination on the basis of medical history.
• Uninsured Americans with pre-existing conditions can join a special high-risk pool to get the coverage they need, starting in just 90 days.
• Insured Americans will be protected from seeing their insurance revoked when they get sick, or facing restrictive annual limits on the care they receive.
• All Americans will benefit from significant new investments to train primary care doctors, nurses, and public health professionals, and the creation of state-level consumer assistance programs to help all patients understand and defend our new rights.

Contrary to what anyone might have heard, the government is not trying to take over your life. On the contrary, it is simply giving everyone the means with which to afford quality healthcare and ensuring that patients’ rights are protected. The only people I foresee losing out a bit are the insurance companies – but then their greed is what got us here in the first place.

Thank you, President Obama. Thank you, Speaker Pelosi. Thank you to all who supported and voted in favor of the bill. I won’t pretend that it’s without flaw – of course it has some flaws. But so did lots of the legislation passed during the Civil Rights Era. So did the Constitution on its founding. The important thing is that we’ve started the process.

I’m currently living in a country that, amidst all its antiquities, has had universal healthcare for decades. It’s about time America catches up.

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Oh, and let me address the critics…

Please learn more about what you’re opposing before you speak out about it. I literally cannot stand ignorance. I can understand if you’re against this bill because of its addition to our national debt; that is a valid and logical argument. I can also understand if you’re against it because you’re a member of the upper middle class who makes over 6 figures a year and will be taxed to provide benefits to the poor. Again, valid and logical. I can even understand if you’re against it because you work for a healthcare or insurance company and know that they might decide to downsize in order to subsidize costs – valid and logical. All of those oppositions are valid and logical points which can be debated in a healthy forum. In my own personal view, they still don’t trump the need for universal health care. Still, I can be a mature adult and respectfully acknowledge our differences.

However, please do not speak so loudly against the bill claiming things like “the government is trying to control our lives”, “Obama is a marxist”, and “diminishment of Freedom of Speech is next”. (all of those were quotes by the way) Honestly, where do you get these ideas? It really is pure ignorance. The same things were said during the Civil Rights Movement. Grow up. It’s okay to be against something, but find valid reasons and carefully examine your motives. Perhaps you’re in the wrong country? Because I thought we lived in one that wanted the best for all its citizens. Okay, I might be getting a little harsh, but if you have such radical ideas about this bill, you are ignorant. Read, please.

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Watch this video with Vicki Kennedy’s (Sen. Ted Kennedy’s widow) reaction to the bill:

[http://news.yahoo.com/video/health-15749655/vicki-kennedy-on-health-care-reform-18767442]

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http://lavoyageusebon.wordpress.com/2010/02/06/kentucky-fried-en-francais/

We’ve all seen it: romantic walks on the beach, thoughtful presents from a lover, an attraction so strong the two can’t bear to be apart…

But have we all experienced it? I mean, do these things really exist on the level that movies and books will lead us to believe?

Recently, I was reading an article online and was caught by a “recommended article” that claimed to provide the key to a successful relationship. Curious to see what the “experts” recommend, I clicked on the link. What I found were a lot of good points, but no guided answers. Yes, honesty is important. No, you shouldn’t cheat. Of course, it’s important that you and your partner both know what you want and expect from the relationship.

Mumbo jumbo, maybe. But my curiosity was peaked. I was determined to find some satisfactory key to the perfect relationship. Instead, I just found more articles relaying the same information. What really drew my attention was one article detailing how to maintain a healthy long-distance relationships.

The key?

Romantic gestures:

A present for every week you’re apart, sexy voicemail messages, doing the same things in different cities then discussing the experiences, sending care packages, and planning dates to name a few

Upon reading, it sounds nice. Cute, definitely romantic. But a thought struck me – do people really do this stuff? Is it really worth all that effort?

Don’t get me wrong, I love romance just as much as the next girl, but some things are just not realistic.  I don’t mean to bash those who might actually make those sweeping gestures, but to me that’s just what they are – GESTURES. The key to a healthy relationship – long distance or otherwise – does not lie in gestures or declarations of love.

The key is to simply live. And live joyfully.

Too often, people get concerned with the little things or get tied up in someone who doesn’t allow them the fullness of live which everyone should come to expect. If you just live with an intent to be happy, all else falls into place. You might find that the one you’re with isn’t for you, or you might realize that someone else you know is. Either way, keep joyful living as your focus and I promise you can never go wrong.

And yes, thoughtfulness still goes a long way :)

This 7.0 earthquake is not the only disaster the country has known. Currently, the per capita GDP for citizens hangs around $500 a person, and nearly 78% of people live on less than $2 a day. Some estimate the death toll to be around 100,000 in a country of 9,000,000 residents. It seems unusually cruel that so many will lose their lives as a result of this natural disaster. All I can say is that hopefully, this has brought attention to the region and its people, and soon the country can begin anew.

What can you do to help?

There are many organizations working together to provide aid. Below is a comprehensive list of the organizations…

• UNICEF – http://unicefusa.org
• American Red Cross – www.redcross.org
• Save the Children – http://savethechildren.org
• Wyclef Jean - text “Yele” to 501501 to donate $5
• US Department of State – www.state.gov

The Department of State also has a number to call for those inquiring after family members and loved ones – 1-888-407-4747

Read the following Yahoo! article for additional insight into the situation – http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/cb_haiti_earthquake

At Breakfast at Tiffany’s it is always our goal to keep you informed and give you information that you can use. Usually, the purpose is to lighten your day and make life a little more “savory”. The news about the disaster in Haiti, however, is not savory in the least. But there is a lot that we can do. Go, research, and give aid.

Port Au Prince after earthquake

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Editor’s Comments

All over Twitter and Facebook, people are showing their support. #pray for Haiti is a trending topic on Twitter and everywhere you can find information on how to give aid. My first thought upon seeing all this ranged from sorrow and dread to anger about the hypocrisy of it all. Haiti as a country and a people has been in trouble for quite some time now. As you read above, many people live on less than $2 a day. In a country blessed with so many rich resources and a determined spirit (Haiti was the site of the first successful slave revolt http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haitian_Revolution ), it’s dumbfounding how poverty and despair could be so prevalent. The US government has long turned a blind eye to the situation, even refusing entrance to those who try to escape from the ravaged country. To many, Haiti was left for destruction.

Although the earthquake is disastrous and many lives have been lost, I am hopeful that this will bring attention to the needs of the people in the country.