an appetizer, a salad and a main dish

here are a few recipes i've discovered lately that are yummy! and really easy...always a requirement in my book. john thought i had slaved over the chicken dish b/c it looked "fancy" to him. try them and enjoy :)

**sorry for all the different fonts...i was cutting and pasting from different places

artichoke dip
1 can artichoke hearts in water or 2 small jars marinated in oil (chopped)
1 block cream cheese
1/2 cup mayo
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese (NOT grated)
garlic salt ( a few dashes)

Preheat oven to 350. Mix ingredients with mixer until well blended. Pour into oven safe dish and cook for 30 minutes. I like it with tortilla chips, pita chips and celery. Just double it for a larger portion. I also try and use lowfat cream cheese, mayo and sour cream.

baby blue salad

Makes 2 servings

• 1 (5-ounce) bag mixed spring salad greens
• 2 ounces crumbled blue cheese
• 1 orange, peeled and sectioned
• 1/2 pint fresh strawberries, quartered
• 1/2 cup Sweet-and-Spicy Pecans (recipe below)
  
• Balsamic Vinaigrette

Toss together first 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Drizzle with 1/2 cup Balsamic Vinaigrette, gently tossing to coat. Serve with remaining vinaigrette.

sweet and spicy pecans
Makes 1 cup

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup warm water
• 1 cup pecan halves
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper

Stir together 1/4 cup sugar and warm water until sugar dissolves. Add pecans; soak 10 minutes. Drain; discard liquid.

Combine 2 tablespoons sugar, chili powder, and red pepper. Add pecans; toss to coat. Place pecans in a single layer on a lightly greased baking sheet.

Bake at 350° for 10 minutes or until golden brown, stirring once.

southern living, february 2006 - our friends the hortons made this for us one time when we had dinner at their house and we both LOVED it!!

parmesan stuffed chicken and melted strawberries

• 3 cups fresh strawberries (halve or quarter if large berries)
• 2 Tbsp. white balsamic vinegar or white wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup strawberry jam
• Sea salt or salt and black pepper
• 6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 3 lb.)
• 3 oz. Parmesan or white cheddar cheese
• 6 large fresh basil leaves
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Snipped fresh basil

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a 3-quart baking dish combine strawberries, vinegar, and jam. Sprinkle salt and pepper; set aside.

2. Cut a horizontal pocket in each chicken breast half by cutting from one side almost, but not through, to the other side. Cut Parmesan cheese in six 3x1/2-inch pieces. Wrap a basil leaf around each piece of cheese; stuff into chicken breast pocket. Secure pockets closed with wooden toothpicks or skewers. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

3. In 12-inch oven-safe skillet cook garlic in oil over medium heat for 30 seconds. Add chicken and cook 5 minutes or until golden brown, turning once. Transfer to oven. Bake, uncovered, 5 minutes. Add baking dish with the strawberry-jam mixture to oven. Bake 10 to 13 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink (170 degrees F) and the berries are softened and jam mixture has thickened. Serve chicken with melted strawberries. Sprinkle with basil. Makes 6 servings.

Better Homes and Gardens, May 2009

caroline's 4K program

marching in for the program

saying the pledge of allegiance - 4K in front, 5K in the back

singing "a might fortress is our God", every verse!

she grinned and cut her eyes to us during the whole thing! :)

she was one of the elves in the little play they did

me and my sweet baby with the rose she gave me after her program

caroline's end of the year program was last friday and it was adorable! the 4K and 5K classes, a whopping grand total of 15 kids, have been practicing so hard and were excited to show us the fruits of their labor. caroline has been very secretive about it all...she would sing songs and then tell me not to listen. i think she knew every single song and line for everyone. she was pumped! caroline grinned and bobbed her little head during the whole thing. i'm biased, but she was so cute it almost made me cry. at the end, all the children had a red rose to give to their mom since it was right before mother's day :) her school has been such a blessing and encouragement. she loves it and so do we!

whistler trip, canada part 2

shannon falls provincial park

the falls

some views from our hike

it was a VERY steep hike

we hiked along the lake

a beautiful view along the sea to sky highway to whistler

the view from our room in whistler

skiing!!!

another park on our drive back to vancouver

another park and some more falls...can you tell we loved the parks!!???

brandywine falls

it was a loooooong way down!

our drive to whistler was absolutely gorgeous!! we drove along the "sea to sky" highway and enjoyed some of the most beautiful scenery i've ever seen. mountains and water everywhere. there were several provinical parks and waterfalls along the way. we took our time and stopped to see each one and hike. we made it to whistler and then spent the next two days skiing and just enjoying being together. our hotel had a big breakfast included so we would load up in the am and skip lunch to ski longer and eat a big dinner. nothing better than sitting by the fire with your hubby after a beautiful day of skiing and enjoying some adult beverages :) whistler is top notch and i would recommend it to any ski lovers!!! we are looking forward to coming back one day and staying longer:)

vancouver, canada trip - part 1

view from stanley park (think central park), downtown vancouver

lion's gate bridge

stanley park trees

there was an aquarium in the park

beluga whale

more trees

our first delicious meal at rodney's oyster house

granville island - yummy seafood, huge market, shops, etc...

the best fish tacos at a place on the water called "go fish"!!

biking around stanley park, downton vancouver behind us

a view from under the lion's gate bridge

john's buddy and fellow resident jason

another pic while we were biking

lynn canyon park

a view from on the bridge looking down

along our hike

absolutely beautiful!

jason and another resident krisha

eating at another yummy restaurant - japanese tapas

another beautiful park

a very big tree at lighthouse park

john had a meeting in vancouver, canada so i tagged along and we enjoyed 10 days just the two of us!! it was quite possibly the most wonderful trip we've taken. we had such an amazing time together. it didn't hurt that vancouver is an awesome, beautiful city with so many great sites to see (it's the site for the 2010 winter olympics). it is surrounded by water and mountains. the weather was perfect the entire time and we spent every day exploring outside and enjoying diverse, yummy food, mostly seafood. after john's meeting was over, we drove 2 hours to whistler to ski for a couple of days!