Cheers for Sugar Baby Watermelons

This little sugar baby watermelon was delicious. It arrived the week of the Fourth & unfortunately got "lost" in the back of our fridge. It was "found" Tuesday night, amazing how that happens. Anyway, I suppose it was meant to be because I could not imagine it being any better. It actually changed my opinion of this fruit. We enjoyed it as dessert Tuesday & Wednesday, but by Thursday I got creative & made the little treat to the right.

Super simple - only a few shakes of ice, watermelon pulp, & a jig of citrus vodka. Served in a chilled glass with a twist of lemon. It was nice end to a hot summer day!

Back in the Saddle Again...

Here we go again! I am a lot of things, but a quitter is not one of them. I have to say thank you to my darling friend Jennifer who actually checks my blog frequently & lets me know that I "had to", "need to", and "absolutely MUST" get back to the blog! Now I - a CPA, wife and mommy to 3 pups have a lot on my plate, but my friend Jennifer's plate is in total abundance! She handles it with grace. Therefore I have no excuse - I am back!
If you have a chance, a box of tissues & want reassurance that amazing, traditional families still exist please check out her blog - www.elisvalley-perfectlove.blogspot.com. It is nice to have friends you can actually admire!!!

Now I actually have resources to make this into what I always wanted - a simple, rant free, no-pressure cooking blog. The idea of having a witty repertoire every time I shared a recipe encouraged my avoidance of this blog! So with that being said I am back - hope you enjoy! No witty repertoire guarantee here.
CSA Boxes - Thanks to another dear friend, whom my husband has named Chefie, (aka Katherine) I have developed a jealousy for fresh, local produce. Chefie is an amazing local/organic cook who lives in the Atlanta / Decatur area. Living where she does farmers' markets, butchers & direct from the farm options are in abundance. I was ridiculously jealous of the weekly Community Supports Agriculture (CSA) boxes she received at her home! I was even more jealous of how inventive her cooking was due to the random veggies delivered to her door. OK - long story short I found Grow Alabama. They are a CSA group who now deliver boxes of organic, Alabama grown produce to ME!!! Check them out - www.growalabama.com.
This was our first delivery - silver level. I called the next day and bumped us to the gold level. I have since heard that our first week on the silver level was sparse & a rarity. I now have to agree. On the gold level we have always received more than 10 varieties of items.
Here is our second shipment - so amazing!


Ok - I promised I wouldn't rant, but I have - so if you are actually still reading this - here is our new favorite chicken recipe. I have learned that if you post on a cooking blog you actually have to name your recipes. I am going to go ahead and admit that I am a sentimental kind of gal & even cheesy at times (only when it comes to things like this) - so please don't hold the names of my recipes against me (they all have a meaning). OK without further ado here is the first:

Janna's Chicken (2 servings)
2 banana peppers, seeded and diced
1 vidalia onion (or sweet onion), diced
2 chicken breasts, skinless & boneless, grilled & halved
1 Tsp Olive Oil
1 & 1/2 cups chicken broth, low sodium (separated, use 1 cup in the beginning & 1/2 for the later)
1/2 cup white wine
Dash of Salt & Pepper
Dash of Herbs de Provence
4 slices of Brie Cheese cut in half
Saute the peppers and onions in oil and broth - cook down for 30 minutes - add wine, herbs, salt & pepper and chicken to mix. Bring to a simmer & then top chicken with cheese, allow to melt and serve topped with onions and peppers.