baked lemon chicken

i thought this was fresh and good - but you have to like lemon, obviously.

(kevin's not a huge fan... now i know.)

i will probably make it again though because it was so simple :)

i could just leave out the lemon and do an herb version. or oranges.

i can tell i'm gonna want this post-baby. after ivy was born, all i kept asking mom to make was "chicken and rice!" haha. perfect comfort food.

recipe from ina garten

1/4 cup olive oil

5 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 cup white wine

zest of 2 lemons

1 T fresh lemon juice

1 1/2 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped

4 boneless chicken breasts, skin on

*i bought bone-in, skin on chicken breasts and had the butcher de-bone them.

3 came in a pack so that's how many i used.

preheat to 400.

Warm the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, add the garlic, and cook for just 1 minute but don't allow the garlic to turn brown. Off the heat, add the white wine, lemon zest, lemon juice, oregano, thyme, and 1 teaspoon salt and pour into a 9 by 12-inch baking dish.

Pat the chicken breasts dry and place them skin side up over the sauce. Brush the chicken breasts with olive oil and sprinkle them liberally with salt and pepper. Cut the lemon in 8 wedges and tuck it among the pieces of chicken.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken breasts, until the chicken is done and the skin is lightly browned. If the chicken isn't browned enough, put it under the broiler for 2 minutes. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and serve hot with the pan juices.

Serve with white rice and hot rolls!

bummer in the summer

this little chick may be outgrowing her nap.

she's looking pretty sassy about it too :)

i texted mom this earth-shattering information and she texted back

"bummer in the summer"

yep, that about sums it up.

love you ivy.

thanks for the extra hours of fun.

i'll try to keep up, i promise!

just bear with me the next few weeks.

thanks sweetheart.

and please give me a smile next time!

coconut-lime berry cake

a light summer-y cake... it's good for breakfast too :)

recipe from everyday food magazine may 2011

1 1/2 sticks butter, room temp

1 3/4 cups flour plus 1 T flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup shredded coconut

1 cup plus 1 T sugar

3 eggs

3/4 cup buttermilk

2 tsp lime zest

2 T fresh lime juice

3 cups mixed berries (strawberries, blackberries, blueberries)

3 T orange juice

preheat to 350.

butter and flour a 9X13 baking dish.

in a large bowl, whisk together 1 3/4 cups flour, baking powder, salt and coconut.

in another large bowl, beat together butter and 1 cup of sugar until light and fluffy.

add eggs one at a time and beat until combined.

with mixer on low, add flour mixture in 3 additions alternating with the buttermilk.

stir in lime zest and juice.

pour batter into prepared dish.

smooth the top with a spatula.

in a small bowl, toss together the berries, 1 T flour, 1 T sugar and orange juice.

scatter berry mixture over cake batter.

bake about 35 minutes, until slightly golden.

let cool 20 minutes before slicing.

serve warm or room temp.

(refrigerate cooled cake, wrapped tightly in plastic, up to 5 days).

enjoy!

grill guy

so kevin's been grilling pretty much every night.

and it never gets old.

in fact, it gets more awesome each time.

i'm thinking about an indoor grill for his bday (hello boston winter!)

because the best part is, he loves it as much as i do.

lamb kebabs {bottom right} from everyday food magazine

1 lb boneless lamb (i bought 3 lamb chops and had the butcher de-bone and cut them into 1-inch pieces... awesome)

2 tsp fresh lemon zest

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 pint grape tomatoes

bunch of fresh mint leaves

s+p

heat grill or grill pan to medium-high.

in a large bowl, combine the lamb, lemon zest and spices. season with s+p and toss to coat.

thread the lamb, tomatoes and mint onto 4 skewers.

grill kebabs, covered, 7-8 minutes for medium, turning occasionally.

serve with lemon wedges and grilled naan!

(i added some baby potatoes too -just boil them a few minutes first)

green rice {top right} from everyday food magazine

1 cup cilantro leaves

1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves

1/4 cup white onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, chopped

1 3/4 cups water

1 cup long grain white rice

1 lime

in a blender, combine all ingredients except the rice and blend til smooth.

season with s+p.

in a medium pot, heat 1 tsp olive oil over medium -high heat. add the rice and stir to coat.

add herb mixture and bring to a boil.

reduce to a simmer, cover and cook about 15 minutes.

remove pan from heat and let sit , covered 5 more minutes.

add a squeeze of fresh lime juice and fluff with a fork.

pork chops {bottom left}

2 boneless thin cut pork chops

brush with olive oil.

season with fresh thyme, ground sage, s+p.

grill em up and serve with grits & peaches.

soooooo good.

enjoy!

morning smoothie

all of these were everyday food inspired -

don't think any of them follow the recipe exactly.

they're just the way i make them.

1 - everyday smoothie

cup of strawberries & bananas (i use frozen)

oj (enough to cover)

old fashioned oats (a big spoonful. supposedly, this keeps you full longer)

honey (a good squeeze)

ice

blend til smooth.

2 - pineapple banana smoothie

1 can crushed pineapple (8 ounces)

banana

3/4 cup vanilla yogurt

ice

blend til smooth. sprinkle with nutmeg.

3- chocolate banana smoothie

1 pack carnation chocolate instant breakfast (love this when i'm pregnant. turns out my mother-in-law did too... weird)

banana

milk (1/2 cup)

ice

blend til smooth.

4-blueberry parfait smoothie

cup of blueberries

cup of ice

1/2 cup yogurt (i use vanilla)

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup oj

spoonful of honey

blend til smooth. top with granola.

these all serve 1 1/2 :)

enjoy!

ps. my mother-in-law has the cutest napkins!

yesterday

they visited the aquarium. i visited the salon. it was a good morning!

ps. i love instagram!

popsicle

she only eats orange. ok!

instagram

both of my bro-in-laws told me about instagram thinking i'd like it.

it's the coolest!

here's us this morning on the beach (ivy's eating breakfast).

that's a starfish she's got, thanks to kevin's expert catching.

i'm 36 weeks today!

baby stats:

5 lbs, 10 ounces

38th%

hearbeat 128

any boy/girl predictions!?

chocolate chip oatmeal bars

a perfect afternoon snack!

this recipe is from kendall back in st. andrews. she pulled some of these out of her freezer after dinner one night and they were so good. it's more in the snack department rather than a super sweet dessert. i think they'd be good with peanut butter or coconut mixed in too.

ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted

2 eggs

1 tsp or so pure vanilla

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 cups flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

pinch of salt

pinch of cinnamon (opt)

2 cups quick-cooking oats

1 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

Preheat to 350. Grease 9X13.

In a large bowl, whisk together melted butter, eggs, vanilla and sugars.

In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, oats, chocolate chips and nuts.

Pour flour mixture into wet ingredients and stir all together.

Spread evenly into baking dish and bake for 25 minutes.

Let cool and cut into bars.

(These came out pretty thick, so it might work even better on a thinner baking sheet, and reduce the cooking time. They freeze really well too!)

Enjoy!

happy 4th!

4th of julys at the beach are the best! i think this is my third or fourth one at folly - and many more than that for kevin (with funny pics to prove it, see one below). we had nancy's family over, kevin grilled and it was a nice, laid back evening. ivy's tucked in and we're headed to the porch for the best part - fireworks!! happy 4th y'all!

cherry dump cake

recipe from leigh peveto

1- 15 ounce can crushed pineapple, drained

1- 20 ounce can cherry pie filling

yellow cake mix

1 1/2 sticks butter, melted

1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat to 350.

In a glass 9x13 baking dish, evenly dump drained pineapple, then pie filling, then dry cake mix.

Drizzle with melted butter and sprinkle with pecans.

Bake for 1 hour and let cool a little.

Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Enjoy!

kevin & craig

folly beach 1994

clean clean

ivy loves to clean. windows, tables, any little mess in the kitchen (we're talking like even a tiny drop of ketchup) it's "uh-oh mama! mess! clean clean." she is going to love cleaning our new baby. just like she loves watching staples and esther have their diapers changed and taking a bath. and she's only one! imagine how awesome this is going to be when she's like 8. hopefully it'll last.

anyway, she cracked me up yesterday when we came in from the beach and she wanted to clean her bucket of toys. it took 20 minutes (she was very thorough) but it was so cute. she lined them all along the picnic table to dry, then clapped and washed herself off. funny girl.

beach bums

i hereby declare

kevin, myself and ivy james

official beach bums of folly beach

til labor day 2011.

happy 8 months esther!