Mustard and Herb Marinated Chicken

While the parentals were here, we grilled.

Look at my sweet hubby. The only time he gets involved with food! I guess he feels that it's a part of his man duties. Unless we're making cookies. He likes to help with that.

As you can see on the plate, there's a potato wedge. Don't worry, I got a lot more once I saw how fast they were going.

This chicken is super moist, juicy, and tender. And very tasty. I wanted to get more pictures, but with the all the excitement I barely remembered to snap a picture of my plate. Until someone mentioned, "Hey, aren't you going to take a picture of that?"

That's right familia. I am!

And of you too. :)

The original recipe is used to make kebobs. I don't have skewers yet so I used whole chicken breasts. I poured all the ingredients into two resealable plastic bags and turned the bags around several times, making sure to coat all the chicken with the marinade. I placed the bags into a bowl and marinated them overnight in the fridge. 

Source: adapted from This Is So Good...

2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup basil, chopped fine
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds chicken breasts

In two large gallon size resealable bags, pour in the first nine ingredients (mustard through pepper).  Add the chicken breasts, and make sure to coat all of the pieces.  Cover and place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight.

I've bombarded you with things to serve up at your next grill party. And speaking of... has anything caught your eye for the 4th? 

Roasted Potato Wedges with Red Ranch Dressing

A few weeks ago I was curled up on the couch watching Down with the Neelys (don't you love them? I can't get enough of their sweet relationship). They were grilling up all kinds of things in the kitchen, but it was the potato wedges that caught my eye.

I've already made these about five times since then. They're currently my favorite version of french fries. I like that they're fat- I'm not a fan of thin, skinny fries. Call me a weirdo, what can I say. But what really makes them so unbelieveably good and delicious I want to eat them all day everyday is this dripping sauce.

It's not related to the Down with the Neelys episode. I found this baby in a Everyday with Rachael Ray magazine (a note to all who knock her, this is good, try it!!). I made it for the fam on their first night here and it was gone in two seconds flat. Okay, maybe not that quick, but it had certainly disappeared before I was even done with my corn on the cob.

For the Potato Wedges
Source: loosely adapted from Down Home with the Neelys

4 russet potatoes, scrubbed well
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon paprika
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place a rimmed sheet tray into the oven and preheat oven to 450 degrees F. 

Slice each potato into 6 wedges. Add the potato wedges to a pot of cold salted water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until the potatoes are barely tender, but a knife can be pushed through with just a slight resistance, about 6 minutes. Drain potatoes and add to a large mixing bowl. Drizzle potatoes with olive oil and toss with paprika, salt, and pepper.

Carefully remove the hot sheet tray from the oven and quickly add the seasoned potatoes to them. You want the pan to stay as hot as possible. This will help to crisp up the potatoes while they roast. Place the sheet pan back into the oven and roast until golden and crisp, 20 to 25 minutes, flipping 1/2 way through the cooking time.

Cook's Note: Be careful not to overcook the potatoes when boiling. You don't want them to fall apart when you roast them. Heating your sheet tray in the oven will promote crispness in your potatoes wedges. The potatoes start sizzling and crisping up as soon as they hit the hot pan.

For the Ranch Dressing
Source: Everyday with Rachael Ray

1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup organic or low-sodium ketchup
1 large clove garlic, grated or pasted
3 -4 tbsp, finely chopped mixed fresh herbs, such as chives and parsley
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Salt and coarse black pepper
Hot sauce, to taste (omitted)

In a small bowl, combine 1/2 cup each buttermilk and sour cream, the ketchup and garlic, herbs, and lemon juice; season with salt, pepper and hot sauce to taste.

What's your favorite cooking show? I watch Giada, Rachael, Emeril, and the Neelys.

Carolina-Style Barbecue Chicken

With summer in full swing I have the itch to grill everything. I love our grill and I'm so glad we finally caved in and bought one. So far we've grilled burgers (with a few complications...), corn on the cob, asparagus, chicken breasts, flank steak, and chicken thighs. We're getting better at this thing. And I can actually say "we" because the hubbs is out there with me. :)

These chicken thighs are by far the tastiest thing we've grilled. Not having to marinate these overnight is a huge bonus for me, as I tend not to read through an entire recipe (I'm still working on that) and disappoint myself when I realize the meat needs to be marinated and we won't be able to eat it until the next day. When will I learn...

I had most of these ingredients on hand. I used dijon instead of yellow mustard and omitted the hot sauce. I also halved the recipe, since we used four chicken thighs instead of 8. Our only issue was the cook time- about 20 to 25 minutes, with us checking often to see if they were done.

Source: Food Network 

1/2 cup yellow mustard (I used dijon mustard)
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons mustard powder
2 teaspoons hot sauce (omitted)
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
8 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs (2 to 2 1/4 pounds)

Preheat a grill to medium. Whisk the yellow mustard, vinegar, brown sugar, mustard powder, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste in a bowl. Whisk in the butter.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper, then toss with about one-third of the mustard sauce in a large bowl until coated. Let sit at room temperature, 10 minutes.

Brush the grill grates generously with vegetable oil. Put about 1/4 cup of the remaining mustard sauce in a small bowl for basting and reserve the rest for topping. Grill the chicken, covered, basting occasionally with the sauce, until well marked and a thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 170 degrees F, 10 to 12 minutes per side. Serve the chicken with the reserved mustard sauce.

What are you planning on cooking/baking/grilling for the 4th of July?

Sour Cream Chocolate Cake- It's My Birthday!

Happy Birthday to meeee, Happy Birthday to meee...Yesterday was my birthday, yeah! The fam is here from Miami visiting, so bear with me on the lack of posts this week. I'll try my best to share with you some of the sweet treats I've made for them, starting with my special chocolate birthday cake, that my Dad and I made together.

I didn't have enough sour cream (kind of ridiculous, I know, seeing as it is called a sour cream cake) but we were tired from our long drive home from Chicago and didn't want to go back out to buy one. And I had to have a birthday cake! So we improvised.

We used yogurt.

It was amazing. One of the best I've ever made (with help, thanks Dad!). Super moist, perfect amount of chocolate-ness, I'll make it again and again. And maybe not with a full cup of sour cream. I wonder if that was because of the yogurt?

I'm not including the recipe I used for the frosting because it was...meh. It tasted great, but the consistency was way off, runny and super thin. Still on the search for the perfect frosting!

Source: Daisy Brand.com

3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 (1-oz) squares semi-sweet baking chocolate, melted
2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup warm water
1 cup sour cream (I used 1/2 cup sour cream & 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt)

Heat oven to 350. In a large mixing bowl, beat vegetable oil, egg, and vanilla for 1 minute at medium speed; add sugars and beat 1 minute; add melted chocolate and beat 1 minute.

In a small bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt, then add to chocolate mixture alternately with water, beating well after each addition. Add sour cream and mix well. Pour into two greased and floured 8-inch round pans and bake 30-35 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes, then remove from pans to cool completely before frosting.

Just wait until you see the other cooking tools I got for my birthday... :)

Frozen Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

Hold your horses folks. Summer time has just arrived and it's going to stay for awhile (it better or I'm gonna have problems with mother nature.) I've got the perfect pie for you to make for all your summer cookouts.

This pie is sensational. I'm a huge peanut butter fan, so if you're not, I'm not sure how you'd feel about this pie. It just might convert you though. You'll become a peanut butter worshiper.

But I'm sure you like chocolate, right?! And cream cheese. Whipping cream. Oh and how can I forget....Oreo's. It's got an Oreo crust folks. If you don't like Oreo's then I don't know what to do for you.

The first time I made this I was blown away. Although, I'm not gonna lie, I was pretty upset with how the crust turned out. It.was.stuck.to.the.pie.plate! There I was chiseling at the pie plate in front of guests, reminding myself of that when-you-invite-guests-over cordial rule- don't make something new! I'm not sure if I baked the crust for too long (even though I followed the recipe) or if the pie was still too frozen (I was able to cut through the filling just fine) but something was off. I was able to scrape the crust off with a fork and serve it alongside the pie filling so it still had the same effect as if the crust was actually attached to the slice. This time around I baked it for less time and while it was easier for the crust to come off the pie plate, it still wasn't sticking to the filling as much as I would have liked. Oh well. Don't let that discourage you from making this. It will still be just as scrumptiously peanut buttery wonderful.

Next time I might try a different method. Maybe even go so far as to buy a pre-made crust. Shudder.

Source: Tracey's Culinary Adventures

Crust
1 3/4 cups chocolate cookie crumbs
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
pinch salt

Filling
6 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/4 cups peanut butter (smooth, not natural or chunky)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups heavy cream

Garnish
1 oz semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 tablespoons peanut butter

To make the crust: Preheat oven to 350 F.  Combine the cookie crumbs, brown sugar and salt in a medium bowl.  Add the butter and toss with a fork until all of the crumbs are moistened (the mixture will be quite wet).  Press into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate.  Refrigerate for about 15 minutes so the crust is firm, then bake until set, about 8-10 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the filling: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and salt on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.   Mix in the peanut butter and vanilla.  (If you don't have a second bowl for your stand mixer either transfer the cream cheese mixture to another bowl and wash the first, or do the next step with a hand mixer.)  Switch to the whisk attachment on your mixer and beat the heavy cream until you have soft peaks.  Take about 1/3 of the whipped cream and stir it into the cream cheese mixture to lighten it.  Use a rubber spatula to gently fold in the remaining 2/3 of the whipped cream.  Transfer the filling to the cooled crust and spread in an even layer.  Freeze uncovered for at least 4 hours or up to 1 day covered with plastic wrap.

To garnish the pie: Put the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl and heat in 30 second bursts at 50% power, stirring in between each burst.  Continue until the chocolate is melted and smooth.  Transfer to a resealable plastic bag and snip a tiny bit off the corner.  Hold the bag over the pie and drizzle the melted chocolate in a zig-zag pattern.  Put the peanut butter in a small saucepan set over low heat and melt it, stirring frequently.  Add the melted peanut butter to a resealable plastic bag, snip off a corner and drizzle over the pie.  Let stand for about 10 minutes to set.

Remove the pie from the freezer about 10-15 minutes before you are ready to serve.  If you have trouble cutting it, running your knife under warm water will help.

Dark Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake

I've never made a coffee cake before.

When I scanned the ingredient list for this recipe I was confused. Where was the coffee! I didn't know that coffee cakes don't actually have coffee in them. Did you know this? I've learned so much from having this blog (like the time I discovered a substitute for buttermilk).

So, I did what any human being would do when they are perplexed by something. I googled.

Coffee cakes are usually served at breakfast. With coffee. Yayyy we're all learning now.

Unless you already knew this. And I've just been living under a rock. A cooking rock. 

So yes. This cake is scrumptious. The hubby ate a piece in two bites and declared it the best breakfast ever. I wouldn't go that far, but it is really, really good.

Source: Two Peas & Their Pod

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
2 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips (I used dark chocolate)

Cinnamon Sugar Topping/Filling:
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan and set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set dry ingredients aside.

Using an electric mixer, cream together the butter and 1 cup sugar until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add in the eggs, one at a time, beat until smooth. Beat in the sour cream and vanilla extract. Mix until well combined.

Slowly add in the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. In a small bowl, make the cinnamon sugar topping/filling. Stir together sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Pour half the batter into the prepared cake pan and sprinkle with half the cinnamon-sugar and half the chocolate chips. Spoon the remaining batter over the filling, spreading gently. Sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon-sugar and chocolate chips.

Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Cool to room temperature and serve.

I've got my first sunburn of the season, from my day at the water park yesterday. I forgot how much they hurt! What kind of summer activities have you been doing?

Menu Plan Monday

This is going to be a crazy, action packed week! School ends on Wednesday, meaning all sorts of end-of-the-year activities are going on. Water park on Monday, field day on Tuesday, and a half day on Wednesday. I have a feeling I'm going to be pretty tired but hopefully I'll be able to enjoy it all.

Then, on Thursday, my parents are coming into town! They've only been to Michigan once since we moved here and I'm really excited to show them around. We're hitting up Chicago at the end of the week to celebrate my birthday (yayyy) and check out the city. To say I'm excited would be an understatement.

So why am I bothering to menu plan, you ask? Well, in all honesty it will be one less thing to worry about this week, and I do better with a plan. Of course, these ideas might not all happen, but at least I'll have something to fall back on.

Pork Tenderloin with Feta Couscous
Chicken Milanese with Tomatoes
Pork Medallions with Cranberry Sauce
Marinated Grilled Chicken with Corn on the Cob
CHICAGO!

I actually remembered to take pictures of what we had for dinner last night. Grilled chicken thighs with cauliflower mac and cheese. Good stuff. Hopefully I'll be able to share that with you soon! Oh, and, I got another early birthday present:

Apparently my love for cooking/baking is no secret. :)

Have a wonderful week!

Strawberry Popsicles

Remember when I showed you these?

Well, I love them.

I sat outside one hot afternoon after work and devoured one. Totally did the job of cooling me down and providing me a healthy, practically no calorie snack (not like they're all going to be like that, I'm trying these next).

For my first attempt at popsicle making, I went with something easy. Puree strawberries and add lemon juice. There's no way you can screw that up folks! Strawberries are finally in season and are going for great prices in grocery stores. Grab yourself a carton and buy popsicle molds, if you haven't already!

Source: slight adapted from Two Peas & Their Pod
Makes 4 Popsicles

1 carton strawberries, rinsed and hull removed
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Slice the strawberries and put them into a medium bowl. Add the sugar and stir until all of the strawberries are coated in sugar. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Remove strawberries from the refrigerator and put them into a blender of food processor. Add the lemon juice and puree until smooth. Pour mixture into popsicle molds. Put molds in the freezer until popsicles are frozen, at least 3-4 hours.

When popsicles are frozen, remove from freezer. Let sit out for a few minutes before removing them from the molds. You can also run a little hot water over the molds to help them pop out.

What summer treats have you been enjoying?

Crunchy Honey Chicken

I've been a bad blogger. I have so much to share with you and I've been forgetting to do one very important thing...take pictures. I'm a food blogger. Take pictures of food makes me giddy. I love to share with you all the good things, delicious things, fattening sweet things I make. What is wrong with me!? I must be getting too excited about all these new things (especially anything cooked on the grill), that I'm forgetting to snap a picture before we eat it. Those strawberry nutella muffins I made last weekend...all gone, without a snap. The chicken I grilled last Sunday...gobbled up without a moment's hesitation. And the grilled bread I made to go along with it, with olive oil, tomatoes, and provolone cheese...sigh. No deal.

I guess this means I'm just gonna have to make it all again then, doesn't it?

Oh the torture!

Here's something I did take pictures of, like the good, responsible food blogger I am.

Crunchy chicken! We all like crunchy things, right?

You can never go wrong with something from Jessica's blog. This was exactly what I was in the mood for the day I made it (which was a while ago, oops...) Something sweet and crunchy (I love crunchy) with a little Asian flair. Gourmet Chinese food, in my own home. I grabbed all the frozen veggies I had on hand to make this. Jessica's recipe calls for sugar snap peas and red peppers. I didn't have either on hand but I definitely want to make this again, true to the original. The whole dish is sweet, without being overly sweet, and very filling. I discovered that I love jasmine rice after making this. And that we go through lots of honey in this house...

Make this. You won't be disappointed!

Source: How Sweet It Is

1 pound thinly sliced, boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 egg whites
1/3 cup cornstarch (or flour – for dredging)
1 cup broccoli florets
1/2 red pepper, thinly sliced
a handful of sugar snap peas (about 3/4 cup)
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 cup honey
salt and pepper to taste

Prepare and slice all veggies – feel free to add whatever you would like. In 2 separate bowls, add the egg whites (lightly beaten) and the cornstarch or flour. (The cornstarch will yield a “crispier” chicken). Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add veggies with a sprinkle of salt and pepper and saute for about 5 minutes, until softened. Add in soy sauce and garlic and stir so veggies are coated, about 60 seconds. Remove from skillet and set aside in a bowl.
 
Cut chicken into 1-inch pieces and season with salt and pepper. Heat the same skillet (or you can use a different one, I just use the same to make it easier) over medium-high heat and add remaining olive oil. Dip chicken pieces in egg whites and then lightly dredge in cornstarch. Add to the skillet and let brown for 2-3 minutes, then flip. Continue with remaining chicken pieces, and do so in batches if needed.

Once chicken is cooked, add veggies back in the skillet. Add honey and thoroughly mix to combine. Taste and season with salt, pepper, additional honey or soy sauce. Serve with rice.

Berry Chocolate Fools & Menu Plan Monday

I've got lots to share with you folks. This woman has been busy whipping things up. Waffles, grilled chicken, steak, muffins, popsicles...how I love summer cooking. And the fact that I have a grill. And a waffle maker. And popsicle molds.

And...

I won my first giveaway!!

SO excited. I don't have any kind of cookie, cupcake, or cake decorating set. I can't wait to use this stuff!

Anywho. Today. I'm sharing a simple, yet elegant, dessert.

You may have also seen it here. I gushed enough about the pork chops we had that night, now I'll gush about the dessert!

That night, I wanted a small dessert that two people could share. I didn't want to bake up a full pie or cake that would sit in the kitchen mocking me, calling me to eat the rest. The Food Network magazine has a great section for easy, small, quick desserts. I flipped through some past issues and found this.

I'm not kidding when I say this is ridiculously easy. First, you'll need to pour some whipping cream in a bowl with confectioner's sugar. Beat like you normally would to get whipped cream. Melt some chocolate and swirl that in with the whipped cream. Find some bowls, add several spoonfuls of the chocolate whipped cream, and top it off with strawberries, blueberries...any fruit you like really. It is lip-smacking delicious! Haha. :)

Source: Food Network 

1 quart quartered strawberries
a handful of blueberries
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons confectioners sugar
2 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

Toss strawberries with 2 tablespoons granulated sugar in a bowl. Beat heavy cream with 2 confectioners sugar until soft peaks form. Melt semisweet chocolate in the microwave and cool slightly; fold into the whipped cream. Layer the cream and berries in glasses/bowls.


It is also Menu Plan Monday! I have a fairly simple menu this week as the hubby won't be home for dinner several nights. It'll be me and Sandy. :)

Marinated Chicken with Roasted Asparagus & Tomatoes
Sweet and Sour Chicken
Grilled Chicken Wraps
Gorgonzola, Pecan, and Cranberry Chicken Salad
Classic Mac and Cheese

Have a great week!

Weekend Eats & Treats

This was a grab-your-camera, don't-eat-yet kind of weekend.

 We went out to celebrate our anniversary on Friday night at a "gourmet" Cuban restaurant. 

I was craving a mojito!

 I had the pork medallions with what was referred to as a Caribbean sauce.

Oh My. It was to die for. I purposely didn't eat all of it so I could have some for lunch the next day. :) And because I wanted dessert...

Excuse the crappy pictures. This restaurant had horrible lighting!

The hubby had arepas filled with goat cheese. I nearly ate half of his too. SO GOOD. I love goat cheese.

We also got a side of tostones (fried plantains). These bring me back home.

For dessert we got churros, which is basically fried dough rolled in lots and lots of sugar. With chocolate dipping sauce!

Let's pause for a love moment. Yay. 

Saturday morning I made WAFFLES. With the new waffle maker my Mom sent to me two weeks early for my birthday! Thanks Mom! Love it!

I also bought these on Saturday. Popsicle molds!!! From Target.

For dinner we grilled steak, corn on the cob, and roasted potato wedges. Mmmm.

And then we made smores, using the grill. It worked eventually!

The end, for now. I didn't tell you about today. I made strawberry nutella muffins, strawberry popsicles, and it's still not dinner time!

What did you cook/bake this weekend?

Pork Chops with Fresh Berry Compote

Oh my was this good. So good that I just had to share this with you today. Nevermind the back load of posts I already had lined up. You know how I get excited.

Celebrations are great. They usually involve food, (at least all of mine do) and our anniversary was no exception. I saw this in Rachael Ray's magazine a few weeks back and didn't think it worthy has an anniversary dinner, but I'm SO glad I decided to make it. It really does look fancy all plated up.

It's delicious, mouthwatering...it's borderline dessert! I almost feel like I can't have it often because I'll weigh 400 pounds. But it's fruit, right? Therefore it's healthy, making this a very healthy dinner. Even my side was healthy, quinoa with lemon and parsley. Also very good. But that's another post...

It's like blueberry syrup. But better. And so easy. Ready in less than five minutes. Thank goodness it's practically berry season. You can make this sauce all the time! I swear it goes with almost anything, vanilla ice cream, waffles, french toast, pancakes...although, omit the onions, that might be a little weird.

Source: Everyday with Rachael Ray

5 tbsp. EVOO
1 small red onion, thinly sliced (I used a shallot)
1 pt. blueberries (I used half my container of blueberries)
2 tbsp. sugar
1 lemon, zested and juiced
3 sprigs thyme (I used dried)
Salt and pepper
4 bone-in, 1/2-inch-thick pork chops (I used pork tenderloin medallions)

Don’t wash blueberries more than 1 day ahead of using or they may mold.

Preheat a grill. Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, heat 1 tbsp. EVOO over medium-low heat; add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the blueberries, sugar, lemon juice, thyme sprigs and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Simmer until the blueberries have released their juices and the compote has thickened, about 5 minutes. Discard the thyme sprigs and keep the sauce warm.

Brush the pork chops with 2 tbsp. EVOO and season with salt and pepper. Grill, turning once, for 8 to 10 minutes for medium; remove from the grill and let stand.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, prepare the couscous according to package directions. Fluff with a fork, then stir in the parsley, lemon zest and remaining 2 tbsp. EVOO. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon the couscous onto plates. Add the chops and any juices and spoon the berry compote on top.


I made only a few changes. I didn't use bone-in pork chops (I sliced up a pork tenderloin) and I didn't grill them. I pan seared them and instead of using a red onion, I used a shallot that I had on hand. I'm curious to see if there is a difference with grilling the chops, I'll try that next time. 

What dishes scream "fancy" to you? When do you like to serve them?

I love you for who I am when I'm with you...

Three years ago today I married my best friend.

In an old church with stained glass windows, dark wooden benches, and red carpet.

We walked down the aisle as man and wife, ready to conquer the world together.

In all cheesiness, it was the happiest day of my life.

Tonight we celebrated with our second love.

Food.

Pork Chops with Fresh Berry Compote

I think this might be my new favorite dinner.

Berry Chocolate Fools

Fresh whipped cream with chocolate, strawberries, blueberries, sugar, and cinnamon

Scrumptious. Delicious. Exquisite. Can everyday be our anniversary...