February 04
Oscar de la Hoya's Birthday
 

Oscar (Golden Boy) de la Hoya is the Mexican-American boxer who won a gold medal for the United States Boxing Team at the Barcelona Olympic Games.  He became Ring Magazine's "Fighter of the Year" in 1995 and Ring Magazine's best "Pound for Pound" fighter in the world in 1997. His fights throughout his entire career have generated a total of almost half a billion dollars in sales . De La Hoya defeated over a dozen world champions and has won 6 world titles

In early 2007, De La Hoya signed to defend his title  against Floyd Mayweather, Jr.  The fight sold out in three hours, and was hyped by a twelve city press tour. Ringside seats sold for $2,000. The fight took place on May 5, 2007. De La Hoya pressed the fight early, doing his best when he used his lead left jab, but Mayweather's speed gave him the advantage later in the fight. De La Hoya did rally in the final round, but when the scorecards were announced, Mayweather won by a close split decision
 		  

Oscar de la Hoya

De La Hoya  subsequently made the headlines again when he was featured on the Los Angeles- based photo agency website in a variety of unusual poses allegedly taken by Milana Dravnel, a Russian-born New York City stripper/model, who contends were snapped in a Philadelphia hotel. In one photo, he is outfitted in fishnet stockings and panties and sporting a pair of boxing gloves.  In another photo, he wears a wig and stiletto pumps. Several days later, Dravnel reportedly signed a legal agreement stating that the images had been "altered" by an unnamed third party who stole the pictures from her camera and recanted representatives to advise them her prior statements vouching for the authenticity of the images.
For his May 5, 2007 fight with Floyd Meriwether, De La Hoya's conditioning guru/camp chef, Rob Garcia, discussed the champ's strict prefight diet of a combination of protein, organic and high grain carbohydrates, and a variety of vegetables and fruits  Garcia pointed out that De La Hoya alternates his daily proteins, selecting from his favorites: lamb, chicken, and fish. Since lamb is a favorite of the powerful boxer, here is a recipe for his next birthday party.

 

Rack of Lamb with Panties
 

 
When buying a rack of lamb ask the butcher to "french" the chops (scrape the bones and remove the fat) and for lamb panties to decorate bones of the finished racks. This is an elegant touch that also serves to protect the fingers while eating the racks.
 
Ingredients
 
1 (7 bone) rack of lamb, trimmed and frenched
salt and freshly ground-pepper to taste
 		 2 TB olive oil

   
Instructions
 
  1. Preheat oven to 450º F. Move oven rack to the center position.
  2. Season the rack all over with salt and pepper. Heat 2 TB olive oil in a large heavy oven proof skillet over high heat. Sear rack of lamb for 1 to 2 minutes on all sides. Set aside for a few minutes
  3. Arrange the rack bone side down in the skillet. Roast the lamb in preheated oven for 12 to 18 minutes, depending on the degree of doneness you want. With a meat thermometer, take a reading in the center of the meat after 10 to 12 minutes and remove the meat, or let it cook longer, to your taste.
  4. Remove the aluminum foil from the exposed ribs and put the panties over the bones. Let the lamb rest for about five minutes and slice rack between the bones.