Recently I've added a bread knifeI bought at a trade show because the Truck Spare Parts Cross Shaft salesman made me think I couldn't live without it, and a box of baking tubes. Once I gotthe tubes home, I decided they would be way too much trouble to clean if I actually used them, so they stayed in the box. They didn't pass the practical test, but maybe someone who entertains will think it's worth the effort to have heart-shaped bread!With the holidays coming up, this is a great time to startmaking the rounds and setting up your own regifting center.Doesn't it seem crazy to go buy gifts when you haveresources right there in your own home? It's never agood idea to increase your credit card balance forgift giving, but this year when we have need to be concernedabout the economy, it is the perfect time to cut back andbe more sensible.
If you exchange gifts with a group offriends, suggest a white elephant gift, where everyoneis regifting! My very dearest friends and I have made an agreement not tobuy each other gifts anymore. We realize that ourfriendship is more valuable than anything we could purchase,so we make the time to have a special birthday lunch orChristmas brunch to catch up on our lives. Years from now wewon't remember what someone bought us, but we will remember thekindness they showed to us. Ralph Waldo Emerson had it rightwhen he penned, "The greatest gift is a portion of thyself."Ingredients 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut in half 1 large zucchini1 large yellow squash2 Portobello mushrooms2 red bell peppers1 fennel bulb2 heads of endive4 cloves garlic, chopped fine1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped fine1/2 cup fresh basil, shredded1 Tbsp. dried oregano or 2 tsp fresh and chopped fine1/4 cup olive oil1 head red leaf lettuce, chicory, or escarole Salt and fresh groundblack pepper to taste  Instructions: Preheat grill. Cut zucchini and yellow squash in half.  
Cuteach half into wide flat planks about 1/8 inches thick. Remove stems frommushrooms and slice to same thickness as squashes. Remove stem, core, seeds,and ribs from peppers and cut to the same width as squash planks. Cut fennelbulbs into eighths or sixteenths, keeping root-end on to help hold slicestogether. Cut endive in half lengthwise. Toss vegetables together with about 2tsp. of salt, a couple pinches of ground black pepper, oregano, oil, andgarlic.  Pound chicken between pieces of plastic wraps to uniformthickness, and season both sides of each breast with salt and pepper. Placechicken on grill and cook a few minutes per side. The meat should releaseeasily from the grill when ready. In a separate area spread vegetables out ongrill, working in batches if necessary.  While vegetables cook, rinse and pat dry fresh greensand chop into bite-sized pieces. Mound greens on plates beside Chicken and grilledVegetables. Season with salt and pepper. Serve.