April 19
Jesse Gregory James's  Birthday
 

Jesse James
 
Jesse worked as a as a bodyguard for several rock bands to save enough money to open a custom-made custom motorcycle and chopper shop called West Coast Choppers in his mother's garage. He had great marketing strategies and promoted his brand by publicizing the names of celebrity clients, including Shaquille O'Neal, Kid Rock, and Keanu Reeves. He used that celebrity marketing strategy tomake himself a reality show celebrity on reality TV with Jesse James is a Dead Man and Monster Garage.

Jesse's celebrity exploded when he married Sandra Bullock in July, 2005 which seemed to  prove the cliché that opposites attract. However, the marriage appear to be working for the first five years,. But in March 2010,  Michelle McGee claimed she had an 11-month affair with James while Bullock was on location filming The Blind Side,  Michelle later explained that they met on MySpace  while James was attracted to her tattoos. James reportedly invited her to his motorcycle shop, where they ended up having sex on his coffin-shaped couch. McGee further claimed  that they had sex up to four times a night twice a week and that she carried on an 11-month-long affair with Jesse James out of "boredom. she told Howard Stern on his Sirius XM radio show . "It was a sexual thing. I also wished it was a relationship — but I wasn't in love with him."

Jesse subsequently admitted the affair and checked into a sexual adduction rehab center. However, it may be that his addiction is to tattoos. Michele McGee was a tattoo model, and he subsequently began a relationship with famed tattoo artist Kat Von D.  Jesse's arms and hands are covered in tattooed flames, stars, and more. After the tit-for-tat couple planned to get married in the summer of 2011, Jesse told People Magazine "You know sometimes the public and press gets it wrong. This is one of those times. 2010 was actually the best year of my life because I fell in love with my best friend. An amazing woman who stood behind me when the world turned their backs," James tells PEOPLE exclusively. "I have never met anyone so kind and loving and committed to making the world a better place every day. My love for her is beyond description. So honored that she said 'yes.' Growing old with her is going to be a fuckn' blast! " But Jesse lost his chance to grow old with Kat when they broke of their engagement in July 2011 allegedly because of the commuting problems in  between Los Angeles, where Von D  was shooting her LA Ink reality show, and James's home outside of Austin, Texas.

So to celebrate Jesse's birthday, we suggest making  Cock-a-Leekie Soup, a classic Scottish soup made with leeks and chicken stock which also serves as a metaphor for the cause of his breakup with America's sweetheart (Sandra, not Kat) and watching him in a DVD of the
Ice Biker episode (2009) of the TV series Jesse James Is a Dead Man.
 

Cock-a-Leekie Soup

Ingredients
 
1 4 lb chicken
6 cups water
2 cups diced carrots
2 cups diced celery
2 cups chopped onion
1 bay leaf
 		 1 TB thyme
3 sprigs parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
1 bay leaf
3 medium leeks, thinly sliced
1/2 cup pearl barley
 
   
Instructions
 
  1. Put the chicken, water, celery, carrots, onion, and bay leaf and in a large pot.
  2. Cover and bring to the boil, then simmer gently for 1 hour or until the chicken is tender.
  3. Remove the chicken from the pan and cool.
  4. Skim off the scum from the top of the soup and add the leeks, barley . thyme, and salt and pepper to taste.
  5. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
  6. Remove the meat from the chicken and chop it into small pieces.
  7. Add the meat to the soup and simmer for a further 5 minutes.
© 2011 Gordon Nary and Tyler Stokes