What I Wouldn't Give….

Have you ever said those words or at least thought them to yourself? 
I sure have! What I wouldn't give to….(fill in the blank)…TO HAVE A BIGGER HOUSE, TO BE ABLE TO TRAVEL, TO LOSE THE WEIGHT I WANT TO LOSE, TO HAVE A THRIVING SHOP, FOR MY CHILDREN TO ALL BE SUCCESSFUL AND HEALTHY AND HAPPY, TO OWN A CONVERTIBLE….(OK…that one is a stretch!) If you know me then you know I don't like messy hair! I love the thought of a convertible but I could never truly own one.
 And I am most certain that Jim is thrilled to hear this! 

But you do get my drift don't you?

 Life sure throws us some curve balls and I for one am having a difficult time wrapping my arms around this one…this time!

Each day I wake up and find that one of my children, or my grandchild, or my niece or nephew or sister or brother or me or Jim has been thrown that curve ball.

 They seem to be coming faster and faster these days but thankfully, and so far….most of them are simply a nuisance…something to get in the way of "our dreams" and "our plans". This is when I must trust…this is when I cry out loud to the Lord…and sometimes scream out loud…Lord, not my will but yours….Lord, help me to truly mean that prayer…Lord, show us the way!

 I told Holly just last night that there is no better place to be than in the palm of His hand…I pray that I will continue to mean that and to be able to live it out with His strength.
Thank you, Lord, for this time in our lives! Thank You that my children are all healthy and happy for the most part and that they love You! Thank You that we know You have our lives completely planned out! Help me to trust in that and not fall victim to my own insecurities! 

Next time maybe I will just post the recipe for the new spaghetti dish we made in Highlands for the fourth! But tonight…I would covet your prayers for Layton and Britney coming home from Italy for Layton's surgery and for Holly and Brad as they seek the Lord's will for their lives. I bet God is saying…pray for Carolyn's heart as she deals with all of this! So…I ask your prayers for that!
I love you all for just reading this and for listening to a mom rant for a while…trust me, I've spared you from a lot of it! I truly am thankful for every aspect of my life…but there are times that we don't understand and times we just need to get it off our chest! Tonight was one of those times.

'Summertime….And The Livin Is Easy'

We all know the words to the famous song from 'Porgy and Bess' and sung from the "infamous" Ella Fitzgerald. We've probably thought them in our heads countless times! So, when the heat soars in Alabama and when my kids are all gathered at our house to swim on any given Saturday…we bring out that glorious fruit called watermelon to celebrate summer…and easy living! 

I'm not quite sure when I realized just how much my family loves watermelon but I do believe it was one of the first times that I ever watched Layton devour it! 

I will never forget it! And from that was born our love for "Watermelon Salad!" 

You really MUST try it! 

Watermelon, Gorgonzola Salad with Pepper Jelly Vinaigrette Dressing

1 head red leaf lettuce or 1 box Baby Spring Mix lettuce

3/4 C chopped pecans

1 Cup gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

4 Cups seeded and cubed watermelon

Dressing

1/4 Cup red pepper jelly

1/4 Cup rice wine vinegar

1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice

1 Tablespoon grated onion

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 C canola oil

Toss the salad ingredients together in a bowl or place on individual serving plates. Whisk the first 6 dressing ingredients together and slowly whisk in oil until well blended. 

Top the salad with the dressing. 

If this doesn't make you love watermelon ( and bananas! ) then I don't know what will!

Also, the first thing that I turn to when my House Beautiful Magazine comes each month is that glorious 2 page section on the recipe they feature! This month's issue has the most gorgeous looking salad in it and I can't wait to try it! I will do my best to report back on it! There is nothing better than Heirloom tomatoes, peaches and burrata mozzarella! 

Let me know if you try it first!

Caprese Chicken…Carolyn's Way!

(photo credit to google images)

So, it's been a bit hectic around here this past week…but then again, when isn't it?

We knew we were going to be leaving for Highland's N.C. last week to spend the Fourth of July there with most of our children and I really wanted a good and quick dinner for just the two of us before we left. You see, I knew EXACTLY how much eating out we were about to do once we arrived in Highlands and I was trying to eat a somewhat light dinner the night before! 

( as well as use up some ingredients I already had on hand!) 

Also, Holly wanted me to give her this recipe for the two of them and I knew if I didn't go ahead and write it down it would be forever lost in this fuzzy, old brain of mine! 

Hope you like it! There are some really good shortcuts as well!

Caprese Chicken Carolyn's Way!

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 Cup Italian Salad Dressing ( I used The Olive Garden's)

1 T Italian Herb Seasoning

1 T Grill Mate's Montreal Chicken Seasoning

2 T Olive Oil

*Fresh Mozzarella Cheese

*Oven Roasted Tomatoes

4-6 large fresh basil leaves, chopped

1 T Balsamic Vinegar

Directions

Whisk together the Italian Salad Dressing and both seasonings and pour over cleaned chicken breasts making sure both sides are covered in the marinade. Let marinate 4-6 hours.

When ready to cook turn oven on 425 degrees. 

Heat olive oil in an oven proof skillet. Drain off excess marinade and brown both sides of the chicken breasts and adding a little bit of the marinade as you cook. Cook for about 3-4 minutes on each side. Place skillet in the preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes. Place your tomatoes on top and return to oven and bake 10 more minutes. Place mozzarella cheese on top and return to oven until cheese has melted. Drizzle with the balsamic vinegar when it comes out of the oven. 

Sprinkle with the fresh basil and serve over pasta of choice.

*here are my shortcuts….I bought my roasted tomatoes and my fresh mozzarella at Whole Foods. I sliced the mozzarella since it was already in balls. 
They were doing a demo and we got sucked into it to say the least!

I needed to use some of this up so…Caprese Chicken was invented! You can certainly roast your own tomatoes in the oven but these had the most wonderful flavor I've ever tasted! 
I hope you enjoy! 

Can't wait to hear your thoughts!

p.s. this does serve four so I always send my leftovers home with Miller when he goes back to Auburn!