I’ve had very little time to do any writing. Summer is insanely busy for us and this year has proven that the trend is very much still intact. We’ve had some fun travel, first over Memorial Day weekend we went to Rehoboth Beach in Delaware with a group of friends. There were 8 of us and we had such a great time! Then mid-June we traveled to MI for my god-daughter’s high school graduation (and a dr visit for me… more on that later), then we spent 6 days in norther Michigan at the Boyne Mountain Resort. That trip was pure bliss! We had amazing family time and played golf almost every day! It was wonderfully relaxing! If you follow my instastories, you saw the pics and how wonderful both trips were.
As July rolled in, we had our annual July 4th party where 79 attended and had a fantastic and safe time! We are so blessed. The same day as the party, we also had our first house guests of the season arrive. When all is said and done, we will have guests with us for 7 weeks straight (not all the same ones!) Needless to say, it doesn’t leave much time for blogging, but I have been taking photos of what I’ve been making and will share them with you here!
I love this recipe.. it’s the Chickpea “Tuna” Salad from Inspiralized & Beyond. SO. AMAZING. You cannot tell it’s not tuna! I’ve blogged about this before and I will continue to make this one because it never disappoints. I also use Maille Old Style Whole Grain Dijon Mustard in this recipe and it contributes to the texture.
This recipe was Grilled Salmon with Artichoke Tapenade, Lemon Grilled Zucchini from Against All Grain and Roasted Corn with Chimichurri Butter that we made from The Fresh20.
This was Bruschetta & Zucchini Linguine with Grilled Chicken. I did this for a demo for a Pampered Chef virtual party that I did. This is another great recipe for sumer. If your garden is overrun with basil, zucchini and tomatoes, this will become a go-to. Pair it with grilled chicken with the Sweet Basil Rub.
This is another recipe I’ve made more than once. I have a habit of not repeated recipes as there are so many I want to try! This is the Sesame Orange Slow Cooker Chicken from Against All Grain with Cauliflower Rice. The kitchen smells amazing as this cooks and it just melts in your mouth. It’s also quick and easy!
This lovely dinner came from The Fresh 20… Teriyaki Salmon with Broccoli Rice. It was so pretty and perfect for a warm summer evening.
The weekend after July 4th, our neighbors invited us over for a party. A friend of mine on Facebook made this version of a Pineapple Upside Down Cake and when I saw it, I jut HAD to duplicate it! I ended up making it twice that weekend for two different events! Isn’t it pretty?
We had some of Bill’s extended family over for swimming and a cookout so I made this one from Celebrations! It’s on the Father’s Day menu… Grilled Tri-Tip and Veggies. This platter was licked clean!
After my most recent doctor visit, I am focusing more and more on what I put into my body. It’s so hard. I sit and eat salad while I watch others eating cheesy lasagna (that I made!) But I know it’s better for me to eat what I’m eating and possibly I can venture back into the cheesy wheat-filled world again at some point.
The recipe above is Coconut Green Curry from Inspiralized.com. The word that comes to mind for me on this dish is *lovely*. It’s delicate and flavorful and comes together incredibly fast. If you’re a coconut curry fan, be sure to put this into your rotation.
The next day I repurposed it for lunch adding some grill chicken tenderloins. I had them in my refrigerator and needed to use them up. I couldn’t get enough of this recipe!
Last night I made Thai Quinoa and Zucchini Noodle Salad from Inspiralized.com. Another perfect recipe! It has a mild kick from the Sriracha and the peanut sauce has just the right consistency.
For a few years I’ve been wanting to Cook A Book. Now, as some of you know, I work at a financial planning firm in addition to my Pampered Chef business and writing this blog. Now worries, I am not doing anything illegal! I will be cooking my way through a cookbook in the Julie & Julia way. I am not going to put a time limit on the completion… I’m just going to do it as I go. At the moment, I working through the Inspiralized Vegan Meal Plan. When I finish it, I will move on to cooking through Inspiralized & Beyond!
As a result of my most recent dr visit, a thyroidectomy is in my near future. A gluten-free and dairy-free diet is essential until I have the surgery and depending the results, I may or may not venture back into eating gluten and dairy in very limited ways. I had been hesitant to commit to cooking a book because there are so many recipes that I can’t have. So my plan is to start with the ones I can make without any modifications and go from there.
So for the time being, I’m putting writing my own recipes on hold because I just don’t have the time it deserves to do so. I’m disappointed but thinking of fitting that in was stressing me out and that’s definitely not something I can afford to do. Of course, I will be blogging about what I’m making and sharing pictures. Be sure to follow me on Instagram as I will be posting the pics there as I make them and blogging here a recap each week.
Thanks for reading and following my blog! Can’t wait to share my new journey with you too!
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Lemon Pepper Chicken & Lentil Salad
The Egg in a Nest is known by several other names: bullseye eggs, eggs in a frame, egg in a hole, gashouse eggs, gasthaus eggs, hole in one, one-eyed Jack, one-eyed Pete, pirate’s eye, popeye, and spit in the ocean. I had no idea there were so many names!