Rave Review Dinner

Last night, I tried a new recipe that I found in Family Circle magazine...I don't usually read Family Circle, but the picture of this meal was on the front cover and it drew me in. It was Grilled Buffalo Chicken & Veggie Salad. Yum-o! Plus, the entire meal is only 417 calories...can't beat that!

Here's the recipe:

3 tablespoons Frank's hot sauce
3 tablespoons reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon lemon juice (I used fresh)
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 6 ounces each)
2 medium zucchini, cut in half lengthwise
2 ears of corn (I boiled my corn before placing on grill, just put on grill long enough to char)
1/2 pound cherry tomatoes, halved
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon garlic salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
5 tablespoons basil-infused olive oil (See my note below)

6 cups salad greens

1. Chicken. Mix together hot sauce, broth and lemon juice. Place chicken in a large ziplock bag and add hot sauce mixture. Seal and shake bag to coat chicken. Refrigerate 8 to 24 hours. (I marinated overnight)
2. Heat gas grill to medium-high or prepare charcoal grill with medium-hot coals. Lightly coat rack with oil or cooking spray. Vegetables. Place zucchini and corn on grill and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, turning a few times. Meanwhile, add chicken and grill until internal temperature registers 160 degrees F.
3. Cut kernels from cobs and place in a medium-size bowl; cut zucchini into bite-size pieces and add to bowl. Add tomatoes; season with salt and pepper.
4. Salad & Dressing. Stir balsamic vinegar, mustard, garlic salt and pepper together in a small bowl. Gradually whisk in oil.
5. Dress greens with 3 tablespoons of the dressing. Drizzle remaining dressing over vegetables and serve with chicken.

Ok, now, about that basil infused olive oil....I thought I would be able to find that bottled alongside the regular olive oil, but i was wrong. Upon further investigation, this is something you can make...After reading up on how to do this, I decided against it and just took some fresh basil and chopped it up finely and added it to the dressing and it was still delish. I also made the dressing the night before when I marinated the chicken and I think that helped the flavors of everything meld together. I think this meal will go into a regular rotation on our menu of favorites. Enjoy!! :)

Finally the weekend post...

Well, the weekend is almost upon us and I'm just getting around to posting about last weekend...I don't know why I am so behind on everything this week. Seems I'm walking around in a fog...Anyways, we had a good weekend. Our friends, John, Holly & Maggie Webb came to visit us. On Friday, they arrived and got settled in and we all took off for a sunset cruise...which turned into a sunset anchor, which turned into a sunset tow....We got about 100 feet off the last channel marker and the boat cut out and would not start again...good luck to us and our pocket books on that one--the boat is at the shop now. We are so thankful to have friends like Clint & Audrey Zerbe that piled into their boat as soon as they heard and came and towed us back into Davis Creek. They're the best! :) While we waited for them to arrive, we went ahead as planned and didn't let a little mechanical failure get us down---we grilled beef and veggie kabobs and had some black bean avocado dip and cheese and of course, lots of wine. Everyone took it in stride, even the kids...although, Maggie was a little worried about who was going to save us...ha! :) We got back to the dock and headed on home for the night. The next day was one of the most beautiful beach days we ever could've asked for. Blue skies, nice breeze, just a perfect day! Towards the end of the day, i started feeling a little under the weather, got sick and moved on about my business...there's not time for illness, it's not on my calendar. We had a great tuna dinner and the guys played some cornhole and we called it a night pretty early. On Sunday, the Webbs headed back to South Hill and we all settled in and watched Harry Potter 5 and tried to rest and relax some before getting back to the grind. Shane started Bible school on Monday--he seems to be enjoying it and his time with Grandma. I'm looking forward to 5pm on Friday...we'll kick it in high gear again for this weekend. Shane has a birthday party to go to on Saturday, we're having our parents over for dinner on Saturday night and my sister is visiting this weekend. :) I'm looking forward to seeing the girls--Can't believe it's almost Friday again--I guess that's a good thing!

Me & Big Nutty Mr. Lova :)
Johnny Buck & Rob
Me & Holly
John & Holly
The tow home...thanks Clint!

The kids were with us, but you wouldn't know it from my pics...ha! :)

Stay Tuned!

I am so behind...on everything...I haven't gotten my pics off my camera from the weekend yet, I haven't posted my weekend wrap up yet, I haven't gotten myself together yet and it's Wednesday...ha! I have been taking Shane to Bible School at Salem this week and I have been going to work and I have made sure my family has been fed and bathed...that's about the extent of it...So, hopefully, I'll get my pics off the camera tonight and get back in the swing of things...until then, stay tuned! :)

Pretty Low Key Weekend...

Finally, a little time to breathe and relax! Friday night, we met up with Rob's Aunt Sally and his parents and had dinner at Southwind. It was delicious as usual! I just love that place and I think I speak for the rest of my family when I say that. Saturday, Rhonda & Abigail came over and hung out on the beach with us. We had a grand time listening to tunes, having lunch and playing in the water. Mid afternoon we headed back up to the house, me, a little crispy from too much sun. We took showers and headed over to Rob's parents for dinner with Aunt Sally. I made Shane's favorite spaghetti and meatballs...not a good summertime meal, but it's what he wanted, so I did it. After dinner, we headed back over to our house and watched the third installment of Harry Potter---a great movie. Shane fell asleep about an hour into it so he missed most of it. Somehow Rob & I managed to stay awake to finish it. Sunday was a day of chore catch up--I helped Shane clean his room--he was actually a really big help in getting it done and it looks totally fabulous (ok, maybe ghetto fabulous) in there now. Rob got a lot of outdoor chores done and also fixed the headlights on my car. It no longer looks like my car has glaucoma....ha! We had a great dinner and watched the fourth installment of Harry Potter, then headed to bed...now, it's back to the grind!

Sport For Shorts...

Shane is participating in a program through the YMCA this summer called Sports for Shorts. It's for ages 3-5 and it's held on Tuesday evening from 5:30-6:30 pm. They take two weeks at a time to go over a different sport. The first two weeks focused on soccer, which he was familiar with, then last week, they started kickball. As I sat and watched, I had forgotten how much fun kickball was---I am now going to purchase a ball for us to play with at home--it took all I had to keep myself planted on the ground and just watch...I wanted to jump up and run and kick the ball and round the bases, but I refrained...I must mention how hilarious it is to watch someone attempt to teach the fundamentals of this game to kids aged 3-5...Shane was up and the ball was served to him, he kicked it, and just stood there---Coach Brandon said RUN! RUN! RUN!---then, 20 little kids all ran over to first base....ha! Coach Brandon then says JUST SHANE! JUST SHANE! Then a bunch of confused little faces turned to him as to say, but you just said run...ha! It was adorable and they had a great time. Shane loves it so far and I can't wait to see what other sports they do. Oh to be 4 again! :)

Boat, Beach, Boat...

That's how Shane described this weekends events...there were some other things rolled in there, but that about sums it up. On Friday night, we went to see Cars 2. LOVED IT! I love the spy theme it had going on--we all enjoyed it very much! Saturday, we met up with Nancy and Rebecca and headed out on the Half Moon for a day of fishing. What a great day! Shane caught more than anyone--they were all very small croakers and spot, but it was fun reeling them in, no matter what they were. We got back in and Rob put up the badminton net and we played a little bit in the front yard...laughing until we about peed our pants! Ha! It had been a while since any of us played badminton and it was obvious from our skills, or lack thereof...Marty came after he got off work and we enjoyed a FABULOUS prime rib that Rob had smoked on his charcoal grill. DELISH! :) We were definitely on island time all weekend--we ate dinner around 9:30pm on Saturday night--I had no concept of time throughout the entire long weekend. On Sunday, we got up and I headed to Rappahannock General Hospital to visit my brother Walter, who has been having some serious intestinal issues. He's now on the mend and back at home--know he's glad some of that! After returning from my visit, we headed over to the beach with Megan & Madalyn and their clan. A great day full of sun, sand, and salt air. After the beach, we headed up to Pine Hall to Nanny's house for a picnic and fireworks. Mathews put on another great fireworks display this year. On Monday, we headed back out in the Half Moon, just the three of us--We rode up to the North River and Ware River--territories that we had not yet explored. The homes along these rivers are spectacular! I enjoyed the tour and the boat ride was awesome. On the way back, we stopped the boat and watched the dolphins swim right along side us. It was such a majestic sight--they are so playful and were SO close to the boat--Shane really enjoyed it. After heading back to our familiar waters, we anchored off on a sandbar, fired up the grill and cooked some hot dogs, then Rob & Shane jumped in for a swim in the fish water (as Shane calls it). We had a special visitor come by, the Half Moon 2! What a gorgeous boat!! And how much fun to run into them on the water...they stopped to visit and let us admire their new vessel. The Zerbe Family came over in their boat and anchored next to us and enjoyed the free day off with us. Early evening was upon us, so we headed home--grilled up some steaks for dinner and soon after hit the sack!

Happy 4th!

Can you believe it's July and Independence Day is upon us?? I sure can't...Shane's swimming lessons came to a close this week. He enjoyed it and got a good report. He's now able to advance to the next level. Now, we're all gearing up for the long weekend. We have a lot going on. Tonight, we're going to see Cars 2 after work. Shane is beside himself; he's so excited! Tomorrow, Nancy and Rebecca are coming over and Rob is taking us out on the boat fishing. Then, Nancy and Marty will be coming over for dinner. Sunday, Megan & Madalyn and their men will be joining us for a beach day, which will be followed by dinner and fireworks at Nanny's house. Monday is bringing a family boating day, which I am looking SO forward to--I don't think we've spent time out there together since Memorial Day. I'll post an update and hopefully some pics on Tuesday. Everyone be safe and have a great long weekend!