Dad's Lemon Pepper Chicken

My dad has made Lemon Pepper Chicken for years.

I can't remember a birthday growing up,

that I didn't request for him to make it for dinner!

After I moved away and started to cook more variety,

I asked him for the recipe and only slightly modified it!

Keep reading to see how this tasty chicken is made.

The Goods:

Chicken

Lemon Juice

Olive Oil

Worcestershire Sauce

Fresh Pepper

Garlic

Garlic Salt

Salt

Fresh Thyme

Squeeze your lemons to get fresh lemon juice.

I recently got a lemon squeezer and don't know how I lived without.

It makes getting fresh lemon, lime or even orange juice so easy! 

It took me three lemons to get 1/2 cup of juice.

Add everything except the chicken to the juice.

And then mix until everything is incorporated.

You can use whatever chicken you'd like.

Boneless, bone in - it really doesn't matter.

I've had it on all, but I prefer boneless breasts.

Add a little bit of marinade to a container with a lid,

add your chicken and then the rest of the marinade.

Secure lid tightly and marinate a few hours or overnight.

Grill your chicken until cooked fully.

Then serve with a yummy side or two and enjoy!!!

And if possible - dine outside with a yummy cocktail!

Dad's Lemon Pepper Chicken 

About 1 Pound Chicken

1/2 Cup Fresh Lemon Juice

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

1 Teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce

2 Cloves Garlic - minced

1/2 Teaspoon Fresh Ground Pepper

1/2 Teaspoon Garlic Salt

1/4 Teaspoon Salt

1 Teaspoon Fresh Thyme

1. Juice lemons until you have 1/2 a cup of juice.
2. Add everything else, except the chicken, and combine well.
3. Put marinade and chicken in a container with a lid.
4. Refrigerate for at least a few hours, or overnight.
5. Grill until chicken is cooked fully.
6. Serve and enjoy!!

Spring Quinoa Salad

I'm a BIG fan of quinoa and recipes that use the super grain.

By far, my favorite way to eat it is salad form.

You can see past recipes I've shared here, here and here!

Quite often I bring some version of quinoa salad to work for lunch.

In fact, my coworkers have caught on to my love of quinoa salad

and one even shared a link with me that she thought I'd like.

While browsing the link the next day,

I quickly realized I already had one of the links bookmarked!

I already had plans to make it and had forgotten!

Because of my awesome coworker, I was reminded of this recipe!

I found my Asian Quinoa Salad Recipe on Two Peas & Their Pod,

so I had a feeling I'd really enjoy another recipe from them too!

The Goods:

Cooked Quinoa

Asparagus

Peas

Avocado

Olive Oil

Honey

Lemon Juice

Basil

Garlic

Salt

Pepper

First step - make your lemon basil dressing.

In a deep bowl or jar, combine the following:

olive oil, lemon juice, honey, garlic, basil, salt and pepper.

Whisk or shake to combine.

Next wash and cut your asparagus into 1-inch pieces.

Heat olive oil to medium, then add the asparagus and lemon juice.

Cook for about 5 minutes - until asparagus is tender.

Add your peas, stir and cook an additional 2 minutes.

While the asparagus and peas are cooking, chop up your basil.

Now the fun begins - adding and mixing everything together!

In a large bowl, combine the quinoa, asparagus and peas, then toss.

Now add the dressing and basil, then mix again until well coated.

The original recipe called for adding the avocado before tossing,

but since I was going to be enjoying this for the next few days,

I decided to add diced avocado right before eating!

Now the only thing left is to dig in and enjoy!!!

Spring Quinoa Salad

Adapted from Two Peas & The Pod's Recipe!

For the dressing:
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice
1 Teaspoon Honey
1 Clove Garlic - Minced
1 Tablespoon Basil - Chopped
Salt and Pepper to taste

For the salad:
2 Cups Water
1 Cup Quinoa
2 Teaspoons Olive Oil
15 Spears Asparagus - cut into 1-inch pieces
1 Tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice
1 Cup Frozen Peas
1 to 2 Avocados
1/4 Cup Basil - Chopped
Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Cook your quinoa according to package directions. Once cooked, fluff with a fork and set aside.
2. In a deep bowl or jar, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, honey, garlic, basil, salt and pepper. Whisk or shake to combine.
3. Heat olive oil to medium, then add the asparagus and lemon juice. Cook for about 5 minutes - until asparagus is tender.
4. Add your peas, stir and cook an additional 2 minutes.
5. In a large bowl, combine the quinoa, asparagus and peas, then toss.
6. Pour the dressing over the quinoa mixture, add the chopped basil and then mix again until well coated.
7. Right before serving/eating, add fresh chopped avocado.

Mini Turkey Meatloaves

Growing up I remember my mom making meatloaf countless times.

It's not a meal I've eaten regularly as an adult,

but I recently had a craving for some that wouldn't go away!

So what'd I do?

I gave her a call and asked for her recipe of course!

I made a few small changes, but it still tasted like I remember as a child.

The Goods:

Ground Turkey

Shredded Wheat

Milk

Onion

Egg

Fresh Herbs

Salt

Pepper

Dump everything in a big bowl and mix it up.

I used my hands (clean of course!) because they make the best tools.

And because that's how my mom did it when I was little.

Once mixed well, transfer to your baking dish.

I wanted mini loaves, but use whatever dish you desire!

Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven and brush tops with ketchup.

Return to the oven and bake 20 to 25 more minutes.

No one ever said that meatloaf was a pretty meal,

but man does it sure taste great!

Comfort food at it's finest, people!

Serve warm with some yummy sides.

I chose mashed sweet potatoes and roasted broccoli - YUM!

Mini Turkey Meatloaves

1 1/4 Pound Ground Turkey

1 Cup Shredded Wheat

1 Medium Onion - diced

1 1/4 Cups Milk

1 Egg

1 Teaspoon Salt

1/4 Teaspoon Pepper

Fresh Herbs to your liking

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Add all ingredients to a large bowl and mix well. 
3. Transfer mixture to your greased baking dish(es) and bake for about 20 minutes.
4. Remove from oven and bush top of loaves with ketchup.
5. Return to the oven and bake 20 to 25 more minutes.

March Garden Update

When I originally started this blog,

it was mainly about documenting my garden.

I wanted to be able to look back to see how things grew.

I've only posted about my garden a few times recently.

You can read the most recent post here.

Or one from last Fall (yes that long ago!!) here.

Over time, my blog has evolved quite a bit.

Sadly, the garden posts got less and less frequent.

But that's hopefully changing starting today!!!

I recently decided to implement something new on my blog.

I will be posting about certain topics at specific times each month.

And every LAST DAY of the month will be about the garden.

So without saying much more - here is March's Garden Update!!

Let me start of with my AWESOME herb garden!

I recently did a DIY project and am so happy with the outcome.

Check back very soon for a complete post all about the chalkboard pots.

This jalapeno plant is going strong.

It survived the little winter that Southern California had

and already has a bunch of new growth!

My lemon tree!

I'm SO excited for the first one.

And I think I'm going to get to pick it any day now.

And can we talk about all the new growth?

C'monnnnnnnnnnnnn lemon!!!!

Oh hello GIANT Christmas tree!

Flowers that currently only have buds, no actual flowers.

More flowers with just buds.

Exciting update, I know!

Oh yay - actual flowers finally!!!

Poppies, Snap Dragons and Marigolds.

Oh and even MORE flowers!!!

Like I said at the beginning of this post, 

I will be blogging about garden updates 

every last day of each month.

It may not be a complete update each month,

but it will be about something in the garden.

So keep coming back to see what I have growing.

Well HELLO Garden!

A few posts ago, I said I may blog about the garden soon, but that I wouldn't hold your breath.

Well - for those of you who did hold your breath, the time is FINALLY here!

It's nothing big, it's nothing too exciting, but I thought it was about time I gave you a little look into what's going on in my balcony garden!

The poor little lime tree.

It's doing well, but looks so bare since it's lost all it's leave and I went crazy pruning it!

And holy wow - look at the Christmas tree!

This thing just keeps growing and growing and growingggggggg.

Oh and lookie there - the raspberry plant may very well come back this year!

I'd love to get some actual raspberries this year though...

My fresh herbs are doing SO well.

I can't believe it either because I sorta neglected them the last few months

I know I've said it before, and I'll say it a million more times, 

but I LOVE having fresh herbs to cook with.

The newest additions - two hanging planters with ranunculus.

Keep your eye out for updates on these AND hopefully more new additions to the garden soon! 

The geranium that just keeps growing. 

I neglect this baby like crazy over the last year or so, but I still haven't killed it!

And my poinsettia from Christmas time is doing great too!

I don't know if I've ever had one this long and I'm excited to see how long I am able to keep it living. 

While this isn't a very exciting update, I have hopes for the future!

My parents got me all new window box liners and I cannot wait to put them in and get some flowers growing. I could easily buy some flowers because the weather is already nice enough, but I am actually attempting to grow my own using a seedling kit my brother gave me a few years back. So far, I have a few sprouts but nothing worth photographing just yet. Stay tuned though!!

Sunday Night Dinner: Take 31 - Part 1

Another Sunday Night Dinner post, but this one is Part 1 of 2 for the meal! Keep your eyes posted for Part 2! Until then, let me tell you about tonight's amazing dinner!!

Yesterday, while I was planning out my meals for the week I decided I was going to make some homemade pesto and make Pesto Grilled Chicken for dinner tonight and to enjoy a few more times this week! With the chicken, I would have Herbed Basmati Rice and Grilled Peppers and Onions. YUM!!!

I pretty much just ate this meal, but I'm getting hungry again just thinking about it... Go make this meal and see how delicious it is for yourself! 

Sunday Night Dinner: Take 29

Another Sunday night, and once again...another yummy Sunday night dinner! Tonight, I got to enjoy the company of my girlfriend Alison and catch up on our busy lives. It was a great evening and I look forward to more nights like tonight in the near future!

We started with some fresh watermelon juice and had some tasty olives too! Soon after, she was digging into the Soft Pretzels I made last night! They're so good, even after freezing. And the main course was just as good - salmon with herb garlic butter, roasted brussels sprouts and herbed basmati rice. YUM! We both were stuffed and completely satisfied!!

Fall Garden Guests

Fall just began and I've been decorating my place like crazy! The fun doesn't stop inside though - I made sure to spread the festiveness to my balcony as well. And THAT is where the Garden Guests come in...

Halloween just isn't the same without a spooky black crow and that brings me to the first visitor. This scary looking guy that's really harmless hangs out by the flowers and looks over at everything.

The second and last visitor is a giant vampire bat that's scary on it's own but get's scarier at night with creepy red flashing eyes!

While we're talking about the garden, let's do a quick update on a few of the wonderful things I've got growin'!

The herbs are pretty much all thriving and I'm hoping they continue to do well for awhile, but I'm scared that the cooler weather is going to kill most of them. I'll be sure to make use of them while I still have them!

This little corner of plants is doing so well and is growing like crazy! There are a few plants in there that are begging for bigger containers. Hopefully I have a little time soon! 

Look how big this Christmas Tree is getting!!!
HUGE!!!!!!

The lime tree is doing amazing and I am loving the pretty much endless supply of limes I have at the moment. 

Lastly, the climbing Jasmine is climbing like crazy, but isn't flowering. I miss their wonderful smell and hope it returns! If not - they still look pretty!!!