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Name: Anthony PaternosterPlace of employment: Erie VA Medi-
cal CenterOccupation: InformationTechnology
(IT) SpecialistTypical work day: My typical work
day is never typical. I provide cus-tomersupportfordesktopandlaptopcomputerusersthroughouttheentireVA Medical Center. It is a dynamic
andfast-pacedjobthatmakeseachdayspecialandunique.However,everydayisalwaysfocusedonthecustomer and our veterans.
Favorite part of job: I love being part of an organi-zation with the focused mission of honoring veter-ans with quality health-care service and being partof the largest integrated health-care system in theUnited States. I also like the work I do in helpingpeoplewiththeirtechnologychallengesandImustsay it is great actually using the skills I learned atFortis-Erie.
Education: Computer Information Systems/Net-working—associatedegreeinSpecializedBusiness
Why Fortis-Erie? I decided to change my careerpath somewhat later in my life. I had served in theAirForceandalreadyhadanassociatedegreeinFi-nance before I enrolled at Fortis-Erie. InformationTechnology proved to be the right program for meandFortis-Eriewastheperfectfit.Solidinstruction,experienced instructors and great career servicesmade it all work.
How Fortis prepared you to be successful: Fortis-Eriereallypreparedmetobeanemployedandsuccess-ful graduate. My experience at Fortis-Erie was in-strumental in me hitting the ground running aftergraduation and has allowed me to be a three-timewinneroftheErieVAMedicalCenterCustomerSer-vice Award. I am proud of such awards and I amproud to be a graduate of Fortis-Erie.
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writtenformat.Besuretoincludeyourname,school,grade and teacher’s name with your submission.
Career Corner
Activity: Why is someone a success?
Preparing to be out on your owncan be fun and exciting, but it alsomeans taking on new financial re-sponsibilities. The decisions youmake now about how you manageyour money can affect your ability toget credit, insurance, a place to liveand even a job.
Developing a budget
The first step toward taking con-trol of your financial situation is todoarealisticevaluationofhowmuchmoney you take in and how muchmoney you spend. Start by listingyour income from all sources. Then,list your “fixed” expenses — thosethat are the same each month — likerent, car payments and insurancepremiums. Next, list the expensesthatvary—likeentertainment,recre-ation and clothing. Writing down allyour expenses, even those that seeminsignificant,isahelpfulwaytotrackyourspendingpatterns,identifynec-essary expenses and prioritize therest.Thegoalistomakesureyoucanmake ends meet on the basics: hous-ing, food, health care and insurance.
Yourpubliclibraryandbookstoreshave information about budgetingandmoneymanagementtechniques.In addition, computer software pro-grams can be useful tools for devel-opingandmaintainingabudget,bal-ancing your checkbook and creatingplans to save money. In today’s ErieTimes-News,lookthroughthefollow-ing sections to learn how to use thenewspaperasyoursourceforbudgetplanning.
A place to live: Find the apartmentlistings.Chooseaplacetoliveandre-cordthemonthlyrentonyourbudgetsheet.
Groceries: Find the food ads. Es-timate the amount of food you willneed each week and then multiplythe cost by four to estimate yourmonthly expense. Remember to addin costs for non-food items, too, likeshampoo,soap,toothpaste,andlaun-
dry detergent.Eating out: Findarestaurantadand
deductthecostofdinnerfortwoplusa 20 percent tip.
Transportation: Find the GoErieWheels section and find a new orused car you’d like to buy. Onceyou’vechosenacar,add6percentforinterest cost and divide it to be paidoverfouryearstoestimateamonthlypayment.
Other expenses: Considerautoinsur-ance,gasoline,utilities(forexample,gas and electric, telephone, cable),cell phone, renter’s insurance, col-legetuition,clothes,haircuts,charity,a vacation, your daily cup of coffeeandmaybelonger-termsavingstobuyahome.Addareasonableamounttoyour expenses for these items.
What’s your bottom line? Do youhave any money left at the end of themonth?Ifnot,whatexpensescanyou
reduce or eliminate? Is there a wayto increase your income?
Paying with plastic
Credit card: You can use a creditcard to buy things and pay for themover time. But remember, buyingwith credit is a loan — you have topay the money back. And some is-suers charge an annual fee for theircards. And if you don’t pay your billon time or in full when it’s due, youwill owe a finance charge — the dol-lar amount you pay to use credit.The finance charge depends in partonyouroutstandingbalanceandtheannual percentage rate (APR).
Charge card: If you use a chargecard, you must pay the balance infulleachtimeyougetyourstatement.
Debit card: This card allows youto make purchases by accessing themoneyinyourcheckingorsavingsac-count electronically.
Fine print: Whenapplyingforcreditcards, it’s important to shop around.Fees, interest rates, finance chargesand benefits can vary greatly amongcard issuers. And, in some cases,credit cards might seem like greatdeals until you read the fine printand disclosures.
Whether you shop online, by tele-phone or by mail, a credit card canmake buying many things much eas-ier. But when you use a credit card,it’s important to keep track of yourspending. Incidental and impulsepurchases add up. When the billcomes,youhavetopaywhatyouowe.Owingmorethanyoucanaffordtore-pay can damage your credit rating.Keeping good records can prevent alot of headaches, especially if thereare inaccuracies on your monthlystatement. If you notice a problem,report it promptly to the companythat issued the card. Usually the in-structions for disputing a charge areonyourmonthlystatement.Ifyouuseyour credit card to order by mail, bytelephoneoronline,keepcopiesandprintoutswithdetailsaboutthetrans-action.
First things first: Develop a budgetBy THE FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION
THINKSTOCK
Developing and sticking to a budgetcan help you keep track of yourfinances, so there are few or nosurprises.
AnthonyPaternoster
FOOD
We weren’t sure if thisslightly sweet, slightly sa-vory, very Italian pear tart
worked best at brunch oras a dessert. And then werealized it doesn’t mat-ter. Our favorite items foreither occasion often arethose treats that straddle
the line a little, and thistartdeliversthatperfectly.
Not a fan of pine nuts?Almondsliversorchoppedmacadamia nuts would begreat, too.
By ALISON LADMANAssociated Press
1 cup half-and-half2 tablespoons minced fresh
lemon verbena3⁄4 cup sugar, divided1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted
butter, room temperature1⁄4 teaspoon kosher salt2 teaspoons vanilla extract22⁄3 cups all-purpose flour3 pears, peeled, cored and
sliced2 egg yolks1⁄4 cup pine nuts (optional)
1. Heat the oven to 350degrees.
2. In a small saucepanover medium heat, bringthe half-and-half andlemon verbena to asimmer. Cover, removefrom the heat and setaside to steep.
3. Meanwhile, in amedium bowl use anelectric mixer to beattogether 1⁄2 cup of thesugar, the butter, saltand vanilla. Add the
flour and mix until adough just comestogether. It should stillbe a little crumbly.Press 3⁄4 of the doughinto a 9-inch tart panwith a removablebottom, being sure tospread it up the sides ofthe pan. Reserve theremaining dough.
4. Poke the bottom ofthe crust all over with afork, then place it on abaking sheet. Bake for20 minutes, or untilgolden brown. Removefrom the oven andarrange the pear slicesover the bottom. Leavethe oven on.
5. In a medium bowl,whisk together the eggyolks and remaining 1⁄4cup of sugar untilsmooth. Whisk in thelemon-verbena-infusedhalf-and-half. Pour the
mixture over the pearsin the crust. Crumblethe remaining doughover the top, along withthe pine nuts, if using.
6. Return the tart tothe oven and bake for 30minutes, or until thefilling is set, the pearsare tender and thetopping is golden.
7. Allow to coolslightly before removingfrom the pan. Servewarm or at roomtemperature.
Makes 12 servings▀Per serving: 340
calories, 170 caloriesfrom fat (50 percent oftotal calories), 19 gramsfat (11 grams saturated,0.5 gram trans fats), 85milligrams cholesterol,40 grams carbohydrate,3 grams fiber, 15 gramssugar, 4 grams protein,55 milligrams sodium
1⁄2 cup extra-virgin olive oil1⁄2 cup fresh rosemary leaves1⁄4 cup freshly squeezed
lemon juice10 cloves garlic, thinly
sliced1 lemon, peel and seeds
removed, pith and pulpchopped
Kosher salt and freshlyground black pepper, totaste
About 31⁄2 pounds chicken,cut into 8 or 9 pieces1. In a large bowl,
combine olive oil,rosemary, lemon juice,
garlic, lemon and saltand pepper to taste.
2. Select a ceramic orglass baking dish justlarge enough to holdchicken in a single layer.Brush about 1⁄4 ofmarinade across bottomof baking dish. Arrangechicken, meaty side up,over marinade, thenpour remainingmarinade over chicken.Cover with plastic wrapand refrigerate for 1 to12 hours.
3. When ready to
cook, preheat oven to475 degrees. Removeplastic wrap, turnchicken over, spoon anyexcess marinade overchicken and roast for 15minutes. Remove fromoven, turn chicken over(so chicken is meaty sideup) and roast for anadditional 15 to 25minutes, until chicken iscooked through andbrowned.
4. Remove from ovenand serve with rice,potatoes or butterednoodles.
Makes 4 servings
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Savory pear tart delish
PEAR TART
When the menu at ourhouse called for chicken,one of Mom’s rituals in-voked a well-worn Corn-ingware casserole, a canof Campbell’s cream ofchicken soup and an enve-lope of Lipton onion soup.Another required dredg-ing pieces in crushedcornflakes—orwasitRiceKrispies? — and baking.
Don’t judge. It was the1970s, after all. Our ward-robes were similarly ap-palling.
Fast-forward severaldecades. How did I sur-viveallthoseyearswithoutwhat has become my go-tochicken dinner recipe?
It hails from a Saveurmagazine cookbook, andit’s one of the reasons why“The New Comfort Food:Home Cooking FromAround the World” imme-diately became the type oftrustworthytitlethatisthebackbone of every kitchenlibrary.
Since it was publishedin 2011, the book has cer-tainly sparked plenty ofhappy moments in ourkitchen.
Talk about the epitomeof an easy yet utterly sat-
isfying supper. Prep timeis less than 15 minutes,and once the chicken is inthe oven, the air becomesredolent with garlic andcitrus, teasingtheappetiteof anyone within sniffingdistance.
I’m continually amazedhowthealchemyofjustfiveingredients — OK, seven,if you count the salt andpepper — have the powerto become something ex-traordinary,particularlyonanordinaryTuesdaynight.One taste and it’s easy toseewhylemon,garlic,rose-maryandoliveoilaresuch
bedrock Italian flavors,and how they can humblyyet completely transformplain-old chicken intosomething remarkable.
The original formulacalls for a whole chicken,cut into eight pieces. I’veprepared it that way, buttrial and error have takenme in all kinds of success-ful directions, usually inresponse to purchasingwhatever’s on sale. I’vetried drumsticks, a wingsfun-pack, boneless andskinlessbreasts.Younameit, and I’ve never been dis-appointed.
Chicken recipe a delightBy RICK NELSONMcClatchy Newspapers
LEMONY ROAST CHICKEN
McCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS
4D | Erie Times-News | GoErie.com | Wednesday, September 24, 2014
