<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0mNacsCO8PI/S88sny0bGkI/AAAAAAAAAN0/S14MA5-Pllg/s1600/ming+fried+rice+1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0mNacsCO8PI/S88sny0bGkI/AAAAAAAAAN0/S14MA5-Pllg/s320/ming+fried+rice+1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462633935191874114" /></a><br />An unveiling of one of the many reasons that the blog has been a little neglected in recent weeks...  The <a href="http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/food/articles/2010/04/21/celebrity_chefs_and_the_commander_in_chief_are_calling_for_better_school_lunches_but_success_includes_making_children_comfortable_cooking_good_food/">Boston Globe </a>put together an article which continues to shed light on the disastrous state of our national diet and school lunch programs.  The basis of the article is chef Jamie Oliver's notion that every person in the country should have a set of 10 (or so) recipes that they know how to cook.  If this were the case, we, as a nation, would be far less dependent on fast-food, processed foods, and non-nutritious food-like substances.  <br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0mNacsCO8PI/S88soax1b2I/AAAAAAAAAN8/EwfPEqobSQw/s1600/didi%27s+lasagna+1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0mNacsCO8PI/S88soax1b2I/AAAAAAAAAN8/EwfPEqobSQw/s320/didi%27s+lasagna+1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462633945918435170" /></a><br />With this idea in mind, The Boston Globe sought out 10 basic recipes from Boston area chefs.  Some are <a href="http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/food/articles/2010/04/21/recipe_for_butternut_spinach_lasagna/">vegetarian</a>, <a href="http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/food/articles/2010/04/21/recipe_for_flank_steak/">some meat</a>, some <a href="http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/food/articles/2010/04/21/recipe_for_steamed_mussels_with_yucca_fries/">shellfish</a>, others <a href="http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/food/articles/2010/04/21/recipe_for_herb_crusted_halibut/">fish</a>.  These are straight-forward recipes, which run the full gamut of ingredients, and on the whole are fairly healthy.  Besides supporting this idea wholeheartedly, I have a special vested interest in this group of recipes: I tested them all!  Might I say that many are quite delicious.  If you are thinking about eating out tonight or ordering a pizza, maybe you should reconsider.  Choose a recipe - most won't take you longer than 30 minutes to prepare -- and then pat yourself on the back for a job well done while you savor the fruits of your labor.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0mNacsCO8PI/S88so9hRJvI/AAAAAAAAAOE/2PCOMcsUqNQ/s1600/revised+veg+soup+1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 208px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0mNacsCO8PI/S88so9hRJvI/AAAAAAAAAOE/2PCOMcsUqNQ/s320/revised+veg+soup+1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462633955244189426" /></a>