Poetry Saturday . . . Linnet

I heard a linnet through the trees,
jauntily, upon the breeze;
a joyous burst of gilded song
that pierced my heart, sweet and long,
and shivered on the air.



All fell still to hear the notes
that dipped and soared and seemed to float;
leaf and bough reached reverently,
grassed raised their heads to see
the psalm ascending there.



I know why angels leave their berth,
I know where Heaven kisses earth . . .
beyond the stand of low limed larch,
beneath the forest's fragrant arch,
to bless the linnet fair.
~Rachel Wallace-Oberle

Oh can there be any more beautiful sound on earth than that of a bird's song. I have not heard a linnet to my knowledge, but now I am on a quest to find out what one sounds like . . . having been inspired by these words to do so. I am sure it is quite heavenly. It boggles the mind to think of all the beautiful and wondrous things there are on this earth . . . right from the largest thing down to the smallest thing, all fitting together in perfect harmony . . . and yet there are still people who think it all an accident and who don't believe in a God.

We are going to go off on a little escape today. The sun is shining and it is supposed to be fair all day. It's supposed to rain quite heavily tomorrow (which is good, the garden's need it), so we thought to take advantage of the good weather and just go out. It's not warm enough for the seaside and there will be a north easterly wind blowing, so we will stay away from those areas, but somewhere in land and beautiful will do just fine!

Here's a tasty way to cook chicken breasts that will have them all oohing and ahhing. I love chicken breasts. They're so adaptable and you can put just about anything with them. They are the perfect canvas to paint a meal upon!



*Cheesy Tomato and Basil Chicken*
Serves 6
Printable Recipe

Deliciously tender and moist chicken topped with a scrumptious mixture of tasty tomato sauce, cheese and crumbs, and then baked!

6 medium sized boneless skinless chicken breasts

For the Sauce:
3 TBS butter
1/3 cup chopped onion
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
2 medium (2 cups) tomatoes, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 TBS dried basil leaves
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

For the topping:
8 (3/4-ounce) slices Provolone Cheese
3/4 cup fresh breadcrumbs
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 TBS butter, melted


Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in 13x9-inch baking pan in the heated oven (4 to 6 minutes).

Combine all the remaining sauce ingredients in medium bowl. Set aside. Place the chicken into the baking pan, turning to coat with the butter. Spoon the sauce mixture over top of the chicken. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink inside.

Stack the cheese slices. Cut into thin strips, and then coarsely chop. Set aside.

Combine the breadcrumbs, parsley and butter in small bowl. Sprinkle the chicken with chopped cheese, and then sprinkle with the topping mixture. Continue baking for 5 to 10 minutes or until the chicken is fork tender and the bread crumbs are lightly browned.



Baking in The English Kitchen today, some delicious Lemon Meringue Cupcakes!