Gnomeo and Juliet

Everyone who knows me, knows I have a soft spot for the garden gnome. Which is a little ridulous being that I make my living designing classy gardens! haha But what can I say, they make me smile!

So Molly, my Mom and I had a lady date...dinner and a movie....a gnomey movie!!!

We we lucky to find the movie theather promotional board so we stopped to take a few pictures. SO many reasons iphones come in handy! ; )













My favorites were the little mossy garden bunnies that traveled in a pack! I want them!!!!

I'll be back soon

Sorry I have been gone so long, it is hard to find time for blogging! : ( BUT I am going to try and make some time this week, so there should be some new recipes, new parties and new adventures up soon! : )

In the meantime enjoy some peonies from last spring. Yay peonies!!!!

Lemony Chicken Saltimbocca from 'For the Love of Cooking'

I was looking around on one of the cooking blogs I like, and saw this yummy looking chicken dish. I knew right away, I wanted to give it a try! I pretty much followed the recipe exact. It was pretty easy, so I suggest you give it a try too!



Lemony Chicken Saltimbocca
From 'For the Love of Cooking'(click links above for orginial recipe and website)

3 boneless and skinless chicken breasts, pounded thin
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
9 fresh sage leaves
6 slices of prosciutto
3 tsp olive oil (divided)
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp cornstarch
Fresh parsley, chopped
Lemon wedges (optional)

Place the chicken breasts between two pieces of wax paper. Flatten the chicken to 1/2 inch thick with a mallet. Season both sides of the flattened chicken then place three sage leaves on each breast. Wrap two pieces of prosciutto on each chicken breast.

(I didn't have any wax paper or a mallet, so I kind of pounded them with a big spoon. Not sure if that counts haha)


Heat 3 teaspoons of olive a skillet over medium high heat. Once the pan and oil are hot, add the chicken and cook for 3 minutes until golden brown; flip the chicken over and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes or until the chicken is done. Let the meat sit aside on a platter to rest.

The chicken I made took a lot longer to cook than the recipe stated, I would say at least 20 min. And instead of adding more oil and the pan dried out, I added chicken stock.

Combine the chicken broth, lemon juice, and cornstarch together in a small bowl and whisk until well combined. Place the skillet over medium high heat then add the lemon juice mixture to the pan and bring to a boil. Cook for 1 minute or until slightly thickened, stirring constantly.





Drizzle the sauce over each chicken breast. Serve immediately. Enjoy

Best Ornament EVER!!!

So remember when I shared with you the last minute super sale ornaments I got at Macy's? Well I didn't share you with the BEST ONE!!!

(I couldn't since I also got one for two of my most loyal blog followers, and until they opened their presents, I couldn't spoil the surprise!)

HELLO GNOME!!! You look so great on my tree!!!!

Happy Girl

Goodbye old orange Envy

HELLO NEW IPHONE4!!!!!!!!!!!!

It is a rare day, that I own the most up to date technology! And I am excited about it! Yay Iphone! Welcome to 2011 Megan!

White Bean and Turkey Chili

So me and Giada are getting tighter. I tried another recipe of hers and it was a huge success. I am already thinking about making it again. On my quest to find healthy, filling and produce filled dishes, I decided to give a white bean and chicken/turkey recipe a try...After hunting down a few recipes I decided to go with Giada's from www. foodnetwork.com.

It was so good!

White Bean and Chicken Chili (or Turkey!)

courtsey of Giada De Laurentiis from www.foodnetwork.com
click link for orginial recipe (click title)

Ingredients2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 pounds ground chicken

I used Lean Turkey, and not as much, I just used 1 package
1 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon fennel seedsI skipped the fennel, yuck fennel!

1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons chili powder
3 tablespoons flour
2 (15-ounce cans) cannellini or other white beans, rinsed and drained
1 bunch (about 1 pound) Swiss chard, stems removed, leaves chopped into 1-inch pieces
11/2 cups frozen corn, thawed

I also added a whole zuccini and a can of whole tomatos, both chopped up small

ADD MORE VEGGIES!4 cups low-sodium chicken stock
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Freshly ground black pepper for seasoning
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

DirectionsIn a large heavy-bottomed saucepan or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the ground chicken, 1 teaspoon salt, cumin, fennel seeds, oregano, and chili powder. Cook, stirring frequently, until the chicken is cooked through, about 8 minutes. Stir the flour into the chicken mixture.



Add the beans, Swiss chard, corn, and chicken stock. Bring the mixture to a simmer, scraping up the brown bits that cling to the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Simmer for 55-60 minutes until the liquid has reduced by about half and the chili has thickened. Add the red pepper flakes and simmer for another 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

I let it sit on the stove for a few hours once it was cooked. That gave it time to kind of set together and look more like chili (aka mush). : )

Ladle the chili into serving bowls. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley.

Oh I added the parsely to the actual chili while I was cooking, since I heart fresh parsely.

I didn't get a good picture of the finished product! Ill be sure to get it next time though! : )

New Years Eve - Welcome 2011

In the spirit of catching up, I figured I would post my new years pictures. Me and some of my lady friends headed to the c-i-t-y! We got super dressed up, had a quick dinner and caught the train to the big apple!





We took those bike cabs to the party, which was a bit of a disaster. Super fun, but super expensive. I seem to need to learn that lesson over and over again...Find out how much something will cost BEFORE you do it! eck!





We went to a casino night party. It was a good time. A bit interesting...but a good time. : )







Happy New Years!!! Welcome 2011!!!

Can you say ICE?

Playing Catch Up

I know I have not been good at updating my blog. : ( I have been busy, and I have been sick.

But today I have some time, so I am going to work on getting a few blog posts done. In the mean time, please enjoy some pictures of the snow we have been having (umm like a few inches every few days!!!!) and of some lovely white tulips in a lovely silver pitcher I just got! : )