Bahamas

We finally made it to the Bahamas, only one day late. We had a great time...I had forgotten how beautiful the water was. In our typical fashion, we took hardly any pictures. I keep saying that we will get better about that, but it really is hard when it's just us. We are currently at the airport in the Bahamas waiting on our flight back into Georgia. We head to the Ritz at Lake Oconee for a couple of days (Chris has an outing to play). On Monday we drive to Charlotte, which I'm so excited for! My sister and brother-in-law live in Charlotte, and later in the week my other sisters, mom, and grandmother will be coming into town. It should be a very fun week!

This is the view from our balcony at Atlantis.
I'll upload the rest (meaning 3 other pics later...internet is slow).

I should be on a plane right now...

I should be on a plane right now...instead we are sitting at Starbucks in Atlanta. This is what happens when you don't do enough research before traveling. Apparently you can't get into the Bahamas by air with a passport card...only by land or sea. Chris is working hard trying to find a solution, along with a few other people. I can bet you that this will never happen again! Maybe by this time tomorrow we will be on a plane to the Bahamas. Otherwise, we are swimming (or we could take a boat).

Another fun day at home!

Last night, I was able to cook dinner for some friends. I cooked one of Chris' favorites...roast chicken. I also made potatoes and broccolini (not Chris' favorite). The chicken and potato recipes are both my own, and unfortunately, I don't measure anything. I can give a general idea for the recipe...they don't require much work!

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Both the chicken and the potatoes will go in the oven...
For the chicken:
3 chicken breasts-bone in, skin on (I say 3 because I've only ever see them sold in packages of 3, and they are HUGE, so usually you can feed more than one person with one piece)
Kosher Salt
Garlic Powder
Cayenne Pepper

First, the worst part, clean and trim up the chicken. Then season both sides with the salt, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper. You really need a heavy hand with the salt. It makes the chicken taste so much better in the end! Heat corn oil in a cast iron skillet (or any oven proof pan) on medium heat. Once hot, put the chicken in skin side down. You will want to get the skin really crispy here. It may take some maneuvering to get all parts of the skin crispy. It usually takes about 10-15 minutes for this...remember this is not where you cook the chicken, just getting the skin crisp! After the skin in crisp, flip the chicken (skin side up), and baste the chicken in the oil and juices that have cooked out. Put the chicken in the oven for about 30 minutes (depending on the size). Baste the chicken frequently to keep the skin crisp and the chicken juicy!

Crispy Potatoes
1-1 1/2 lb small red potatoes
Kosher Salt
Olive Oil
Bread Crumbs (Panko works great)
Ms. Dash Extra Spicy (optional, but if you don't use it, substitute another spice)

Wash and dry potatoes. Chop potatoes into bite size pieces. Place in a big bowl. Pour enough olive oil to coat the potatoes, then add salt, Ms. Dash, and bread crumbs. I always use my hands to mix and cover the potatoes in the spices, but feel free to use a spoon! When the potatoes are coated, spread out on a baking sheet, and put into the oven for about 30-45 minutes. At about the halfway point, flip the potatoes. Check that they are soft with a fork before taking them out of the oven.

I can't wait to have a double oven...one day!

For the broccolini, I mince a couple of cloves of garlic and cook that with a couple of tablespoons of butter. When the garlic has cooked for a couple of minutes, I add the broccolini, along with some salt. If you like the broccolini more firm, put a lid on the pan and take it off the heat, letting it sit for a few minutes. If you want it softer, keep in on the heat for a few minutes.

I can't believe I didn't take a picture of the finished product! I think I was just too excited about eating to remember!

Chris and I

Elizabeth and I

Elizabeth and Calvin

It was just another wonderful day cooking and hanging out with friends! We leave for the Bahamas tomorrow...I am beyond excited! Even though it is 11:30, and I have 2 more loads of laundry to do and also pack for 6 weeks on the road. Oh yeah...and drive to Atlanta. It's going to be a long day!

Happy Easter!

I woke up to this picture from my sister this morning...I always love getting pictures of my nephew! Just wish we could all be hanging out today. Hope everyone has a wonderful day today!

How did I get so lucky?

Tonight, I just got to sit back and relax while Chris cooked dinner. We had breakfast for dinner...pancakes and bacon. It was yummy!

Chris told me that you have to be precise when baking...

Dinner was great! I'm sure that he loved me in the kitchen taking pictures of him working. It's always nice to let someone else do the cooking!

Back home...

We are back home now after a fun week in Hilton Head. We get a few extra days at home before we head back out onto the road. Since we are rarely home, I'm glad for the extra days! Hopefully I will get a chance to cook while we are here, but I know that Chris will also want to hit up his favorite restaurants. We head to the Bahamas on Tuesday for vacation, and I am so excited! I know we are constantly on the road, but it's never relaxing!

A departing view from Hilton Head.

So happy to have this waiting for me when we got home today. This is seriously the best Ben & Jerry's flavor. You need to try it!

Great day in Hilton Head

We had a great day at the beach today. The weather was beautiful! Hopefully the entire week will be as great as today. Chris tees off early tomorrow, so we decided to stay in and cook. All of the recipes are below!

This is one of our favorite meals. It takes a little while to prepare...there is a lot of chopping...but it is worth it in the end! I like to make the Tzatziki Sauce in advance because it gets more flavorful when it sits a while. I've tried making the Tzatziki in the food processor and by just chopping and mixing by hand. Chopping and mixing by hand is a lot thicker, which we think is better. If you want a thinner sauce, maybe similar to a salad dressing, try it in the food processor.

Tzatziki Sauce
1 cucumber
1 c plain Greek yogurt
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp dill
1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp Emeril Essense

Peel, seed, and finely chop the cucumber.
Mince garlic clove.
Put cucumber, garlic, and the rest of the ingredients in a bowl and stir together. Refrigerate.

Recipe Source: Kicked Up Tzatziki Sauce by Emeril

Next, prepare the marinade for the chicken, which will also be the dressing for the salad. Just to warn you, this is a very lemon-y dressing. It tastes very good on the chicken, but use sparingly on your salad.

Lemon Marinade/Dressing
1 lemon, zested and juiced
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/2 c extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp fresh oregano, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced

Zest and juice lemon. Add minced garlic and oregano. Add red wine vinegar. Whisk in olive oil.
*This does separate quickly, so you pretty much have to whisk it right before you use it.*

Recipe Source: Rachel Ray

Next, you will marinate the chicken. You will need about 1 1/2 pounds of chicken breast tenders. Salt and pepper the chicken, and then pour half of the marinade on top. Turn the chicken to make sure it is covered, and then refrigerate while you prepare the salad.

Salad
Romaine Lettuce
Tomatoes
Cucumber
Kalamata Olives
Red Onion
Feta Cheese

I'm not putting how much you need of each ingredient for the salad because I know that some people may like a lot of one thing and a little of another. These are the basic ingredients, and you can add or take any of them away. Chop everything into bite size pieces, and toss together. I don't like to add the dressing to the big bowl of salad...just let everyone serve themselves. Like I said, the dressing can be pretty strong.

Heat a grill pan (or a frying pan) to about medium heat. The chicken marinade has olive oil in it, but I add just a little to the pan to help prevent sticking. The chicken breast tenders don't take very long to cook, so after the first batch is done, it goes by pretty quickly. When the chicken is almost done, throw some pita or Naan in the oven (about 400 degrees for 10 minutes). We've tried both pita and Naan (a type of flatbread), and we prefer the Naan. Most grocery stores have it in the bakery section.

Like I said, it is a pretty time consuming meal. It really is worth it, so try it out!

Recipe Source: Rachel Ray

Ice Cream

So the homemade ice-cream minus the ice-cream maker was a hit. I made two different batches. They were both chocolate, only one had slightly more chocolate. They were both very good, but Chris and I both liked the batch with more chocolate. For some reason, it was much more creamy. I really had no clue what to expect when I decided to try this recipe, but I was pleasantly surprised. It was very easy to make and very tasty. The overall consensus was that it didn't really taste like ice-cream. I don't really know how to describe it. It was sweet and creamy with a little kick (maybe from the sour cream). If you don't like sour cream, don't let it deter you from trying this recipe. It doesn't taste like sour cream, it just gives it a little kick.

I found the recipe at another blog (fly through our window). It's such a great blog, and you should definitely check it out! Here is the link to the ice-cream recipe: Homemade Ice Cream. For the batch that I made with more chocolate, I added about 10 tablespoons of chocolate syrup.

Spinach Carbonara

Last night was the second time that I made Spinach Carbonara, and once again, I really enjoyed it! It is very easy to make, and it's also pretty quick. If you ask me, that's always a good combination.

Salt
1/2 lb of bacon cut into chunks
1 lb spinach fettuccine
1 whole egg, plus 2 egg yolks (room temperature)
1 c Parmesan cheese
2 tsp black pepper
Fresh spinach (to add at the end)
1/2 c reserved pasta cooking water

Bring salted water to a boil for pasta. Cook pasta according to package.

Cook bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove the bacon from the pan, and reserve the bacon grease.

Whisk eggs, cheese, and pepper together in a bowl.

Add 1/2 cup of reserved pasta cooking water to the egg mixture. Turn skillet back to low to heat the pan a little. When pasta is cooked, drain it add it to the skillet along with the bacon.

While tossing, add the egg mixture to the pasta until coated. If the pasta seems too dry, add more reserved liquid. Toss in spinach leaves at the end.
(Chris isn't a fan of cooked spinach, so I don't usually add a lot to my pasta, but you can add as much as you would like!) Unfortunately, I have no pictures of the finished product to add right now...

Enjoy!

Pasta recipe source: Claire's Spinach Carbonara Recipe

One more thing.

I forgot to share this in the last post. We were at home last week, and weeks at home are always good. I was able to hang out with my sister and nephew, which was so much fun! I don't get to see my family enough!

Chris was also able to go paddle boarding when we were at home. This was his first time out this year, so he was excited. I still haven't gone out yet. I'm hoping that one day soon I will stop being a wuss and get out there!

I'm HORRIBLE at this.

I'm not very good at keeping this blog up to date! This is my first post since February, I believe. We are currently in Hilton Head, South Carolina for The Heritage. When we got to the house we are staying at this week, we were greeted by an interesting statue...

Staying at houses is always fun for me because I get the chance to cook, which is one of my favorite things to do! Last night I made Spinach Carbonara...so easy and awesome. Today, I'm trying out a recipe for homemade ice-cream minus the ice-cream maker. We will see how it goes. If it gets a seal of approval from Chris, I'll share the recipe.

Until the ice cream is ready, I will just be enjoying this beautiful weather. Hoping for a trip to the beach tomorrow!