The Dressing
on my recipes page

This isn't really a recipe but I thought I would share this delicious meal we enjoyed last week when my family came over for dinner. It was one of those days I knew I was having people over and had nothing at home to make. I left school at 4, ran to the grocery store and had dinner on the table by 6:15. It's really simple, nutritious and still delicious. Like I said, it doesn't involve much preparation or mixing or chopping or dicing.

Here's what was on the menu-

Italian Grilled Chicken

Grilled Zucchini and Squash

Spring Mix Salad with a Homemade Vinaigrette

Grilled Bread

Chocolate, Chocolate Cake

The only recipe I'll be posting on my Recipes page is for the Vinaigrette. I'll do that tomorrow!

Here's what we're starting with...the bread, the veggies and greens. I marinade my chicken in a really super special marinade..it's called....Italian Dressing. I know that it's so simple and plain but I love it and again, it was easy. I let it marinade for at least an hour.

This is random and pointless but I thought I would share...this is Bobby's milk. We had purchased it from Walmart four days before I took this picture...Notice the expiration date

March 25, 2011

This is my milk. I prefer organic milk. Bobby claims "They add all kinds of weird junk to that and it tastes weird."....Yeah...he said that. Anyway, I bought this milk 2 weeks before I took this picture and it doesn't expire until April 29th! I thought it was really ironic that organic milk lasts longer. It turns out it has to do with the process they use to preserve it. I know, no one cares but me but in case anyone else was wondering....

Back to dinner! Cut up your squash and zucchini. I cut usually cut it into 6 equal pieces. You have to be careful because you never want it to get overcooked or mushy on the grill.

Like so...then drizzle on some EVOO and salt and pepper and toss.

I would typically recommending making your own French bread since it's a fairly simple process as well, but there was no time today! And I've never been dissappointed with Kroger's bakery.

Grab a handful of grape tomatoes and cut them in half. Toss them with the baby spring mix and some feta cheese...This dressing is SOOO GOOD and really low in calories. Sorry for the poor picture quality.

That's a lot of food. I was cooking for 6 and Bobby and I had leftovers for lunch the next day.

I love grilling.

The bread was super simple. I cut it up and soak up the extra EVOO, salt and pepper from the squash then grill it. Did you know you can even grill SALAD!? My friend, Mike Sommesi, made it once for Bobby and me. It was heavenly. Maybe I can convince him to make a special post on here. He's a chef though, none of this silly cooking that I do!!

Pull everything off of the grill...

Set the table....and enjoy.

And don't forget dessert!

Chocolate Chocolate Cake
on my recipes page!

NEW BEDROOM FURNITURE! HALLELUJAH!!!!
I was a little surprised and caught off guard when Bobby said we were ready to buy new bedroom furniture...All those days of not allowing myself to go inside HomeGoods has FINALLY paid off. And it feels good!

Bedroom BEFORE
(This pictures is a little....a lot embarrassing. If we had made the bed and put away the folded clothes it would have helped, but I was looking for dramatic effect.)

Bedroom AFTER

Bedroom BEFORE

Bedroom AFTER
(We still have to hang the mirror!)

Bedroom BEFORE

Bedroom AFTER

I am not a decorator by ANY MEANS....But the house looks a lot better than it did. I don't have any before pictures of the living room but we moved everything around and added a few touches that have made it look so much better. If you've been over before...you know what I mean.

The next home improvement post will be (fingerscrossed) our new bricked in patio. Bobby and I are going to do it ourselves...yikes! It should be interesting. I hope that you will learn from the mistakes that I imagine we WILL make.

Garlic Shrimp and Veggies

Garlic Shrimp and Veggies

Check it out on my recipes page!

Spring is in the Air

I DO LOVE SPRING! There are so many wonderful things about spring. My tulips, ranunculus and hyacinth are all beginning to bloom. The grass is getting greener with every day. The trees are regaining their leaves and the Dogwood trees are in full bloom. I have also noticed the produce in the grocery store is getting bigger, brighter and more abundant. Pretty soon the Hendersonville Farmer's Market will be open for business. Bobby and I go every Saturday morning to load up on tomatoes, squash, and zucchini. Occasionally we branch out and try something we have never had before, like spaghetti squash. Here's a few pictures I have taken over the past few days that make me so excited about spring!

We grill just about every day in the spring and summer! I don't know what we would do if we didn't have a grill!! This was dinner on Friday evening. Grilled strip steak, grilled asparagus, grilled zucchini and squash, grilled bread and spinach salad! I may have gotten a little too excited and fixed way too much food...ooops... Welcome spring!!
I have these little flowers all over my desk at school. The girls pick the flowers and give them to me after recess. I love kindergarten!
This is a tribute to the landscaping we will be doing soon....We're still trying to figure out what plants Riggins will and will not eat! (He REALLY likes to eat ranunculus!)
Speaking of the little devil....
We are also doing a lot of updates and spring cleaning. I'll have a post to show you soon of some before and after pics of our house!! We've been making big improvements!
I should have taken some before pictures of the awful light fixtures out by our garage. They were a very tarnished and dated gold that was chipping. These were on sale for $30 at Lowe's! It's amazing how much a few little updates can change the look of a house.
My tulips! They bloomed on Sunday, the first day of Spring!!
The buds on my hydrangea bush...
Some more tulips, because I love them so much!
So this may be a stretch...this photo represents babies!! (This is a pic from a shower Lindsey and I did last spring) I am very excited for so many dear friends who are expecting this spring! So many precious showers and gifts. I have 2 friends expecting THIS WEEK!!!

This represents the teaching part of my life. We get to look at so many wonderful spring things at school. We'll take nature walks and listen to birds. I've even had a few students bring in flowers from their garden at home. Here's a cookie that shouted SPRING to me, although it didn't help me fit into my spring shorts!

In addition to all things grilled, Bobby and I really enjoy eating salads once it warms up. Out with the soups and stews and in with the leafy greens! I have a lot of great salads I plan on sharing on the blog soon!

I planted a ton of Romaine lettuce seeds in my starters...When I left for Spring Break, I failed to tell Bobby to bring the seedlings in at night or to water them....so they are struggling. Not sure if they are going to make it. I'll keep you posted!

That's it for now! I have so many recipes I had intended to post and never did from last summer. I may pull some out to share this week! That's all for now :)

Charleston, SC - Day 3
Check it out on my travel page!