and she's off

approximately 13 days ago one of my best friends informed me that she would be leaving virginia to move to california and wanted me to drive with her out to the golden state. i have always wanted to drive cross country and always regretted i didn't do it after college. i assumed i would have to wait until i was retired to get the opportunity again. but here i am, leaving saturday, to start our 2,642 mile trek cross country to fullerton, california.

stina is my free spirit friend and has left it in my hands to plan our entire route. i'm not sure this was the best idea, considering we leave in 5 days and i only have 3 stops planned - memphis, tennessee (to see the neelys for some bbq), tucson, arizona (to see her dad) and san diego (to see the ocean and rooney).

however, i do have some things figured out:

1. snacks for the car ride (come on, you knew that was the first thing i was going to plan)
2. mandatory photo ops at every state sign
3. my attire (gonna go for cotton dresses and knit sweaters)
4. cheesy songs i must download to sing along - windows down (think tom petty, free falling)

looking at that list, i might need you to pray for us. or maybe just give us suggestions on must-see cities or attractions along the way?

(photo credit - vi.sualize.us)

salt, schmalt. who needs sodium: lemon, caper and rosemary chicken

the other night one of my good friends, kim, was coming over to cotton top for dinner. she's on a low sodium diet so i had to plan my meal accordingly.  in lieu of salt, i used lots of fresh flavors like rosemary, garlic and lemon to brighten up the dish. i got the original recipe from giada, but ended up substituting salmon for chicken because it's what we had in the freezer already.

ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup evoo
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves, minced
garlic powder (didn't really measure this - just sprinkled on top of chicken lightly)
8 lemon slices (about 2 lemons)
1/4 cup lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
1/2 cup dry white wine
4 teaspoons capers
pepper
4 pieces of aluminum foil

directions:
preheat oven to 350 degrees.

brush top and bottom of chicken breasts with evoo and season with pepper, garlic powder and rosemary. place each piece of seasoned chicken on a piece of foil large enough to fold over and seal. top each piece of chicken with 2 lemon slices, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of wine, and 1 teaspoon of capers. wrap up chicken tightly in the foil packets. place the foil packets on small cookie sheet and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, depending on how thick the chicken is. serve in the foil packets.

i served this chicken along side my favorite garlic green beans (i actually added lemon zest/juice as well) and some grilled pita bread. we used the pita to soak up the leftover juices in the foil packets. for the pita - all you need to do is brush one side with evoo, minced fresh rosemary and pepper. i grilled for about 2-3 minutes per side and served hot!

a mexican marriage

days like today i very much want to have my very own mexican fiesta someday.  nothing says happy marriage like donkeys, pinatas, little men playing little guitars, and silver metal lanterns. ole!

(photo credits - stylemepretty.com and margaret singer)

happy birthday, lobsters

call it coincidence, call it fate, call it mind boggling, friends. but the two lobsters in us sisses' lives were born within 24 hours of one another. different years, but you get the point.  we couldn't let this day pass without a shout out to our red-clawed mates.

reasons why we love lobster # 1

• she's the only one who can actually make brother laugh out loud
• she teaches autistic preschoolers - yello, that's enough to make you want to hug her
• she's never afraid to speak her mind
• her dance moves would put nicole scherzinger to shame
• she's a very loyal lob
• her bob is always so perfect and blonde
• she always answers the phone, no matter what
• her favorite pastime is snuggling with daddy (no, not her daddy)

reasons why we love lobster # 2

• you're the scooby to my do
• you're the buns to my honey
• you're the sweet to my heart
• you're the shine to my sun
• you're the dream to my boat
• you're the super to my star
• you're the twinkle to my toes
• you're my mate to my soul
• and now you know it.

happy birthday again...hope your wishes come true.