Christmas 2013

New Orleans, LA

Chicken Teriyaki Pineapple Pizza

I've made this pizza a zillion times and it always comes out a little differently. Sometimes pineapple-y, sometimes teriyaki-y. But it's always delicious! 

I'm a cheater. I use pre-made, store bought Stonefire flatbreads. But hey, they are tasty and make my life that much easier! 

I put a flatbread in the oven at 425 while I cook the chicken. Then I add sliced pineapple (with some of the juices) and teriyaki to the chicken, and pour it all over the flatbread once it is just turning brown around the edges. I sliced some mozzarella over the pizza and put it back in the oven until cheese was melted. As with everything, I snuck some spinach in there too :) 

I've said it so many times this week, but gahh this weather has been amazing!! I am so ready for the day that Pippin has her very own backyard. She LOVES the outdoors! 

She had so much fun scaring all the ducks away. I'm not sure if she wanted to PLAY with them or EAT them, but it was adorable either way! 

An afternoon on the Trace

Another day of perfect outdoors weather! I don't want to waste a minute of it before the nasty cold winter arrives. Pip and I spent the afternoon exploring trails and parks on the Natchez Trace.. We both got a heck of a workout! 

She looks so serious even when she's frolicking! 

Beautiful day!

Yesterday was absolutely gorgeous! The sun was out and it was just warm enough to take Pip for a long walk on the trail. She loves being outside! 

She was on the hunt for birds and squirrels. 

Oops! I've been seen! 

That tiny dot to the left of the trail up ahead is a baby deer! Pip was pretty excited about this. 

Sniffing out the trail... No sign of the deer though. 

I tried to get her to pose with a Santa doll my mom has at her house.. This did not go smoothly-

...so close! 

That will do.. :)

Breakfast Bowl

I love mornings! I'm not very social this early in the day, but I love waking up early and being able to enjoy my breakfast and coffee before the day begins. 

I made a "breakfast bowl" this morning, which is basically a way for me to use up my expiring produce. 

I coated a ramekin with EVOO, covered the bottom with spinach, cracked two eggs into the mix, and topped with grape tomatoes and salt and pepper. 

I let it cook on 400 until the top was just starting to brown around the edges and bubble just a little. I'm really not sure how long it was in there (I'm really bad about that..) but maybe 15? 20 mins?

And of course, I had to add my favorite greenery of all time. Avocado toxicity will probably be the death of me! 

I am a morning person, but my dog.. Is not a morning dog. She wakes up about an hour after I do, eats her breakfast, then suns until it's time for our walk. Then it's pretty much nap time until bed time. 

Sick of being sick

It's been over a week and I am STILL sick. Something's gotta give soon..

I did feel well enough for breakfast for the first time in a few days. Scrambled egg wrap.. Simple enough for a stuffy head and upset stomach. 

I saw a recipe for an artichoke grilled cheese sandwich (on Pinterest of course). I don't want to completely shock my system at the moment, so I put all the ingredients- EVOO, spinach, artichoke hearts, mozzarella- on a tortilla and added a little balsamic vinaigrette. Very tasty! 

I am sick of being sick.. I thank the creator of NyQuil and hot showers for helping me live through this crud. Also, it's a good thing Pip likes to sleep a lot, because we have been doing some serious napping lately. 

Creamy Chicken Avocado

After days of being sick, I finally made a "real" meal instead of settling for NyQuil and veggie chips. I couldn't think of a catchy name for this one, but it's basically chicken pot pie on an avocado- minus the "pie" part. 

I cooked half a cup of diced Tyson chicken breast, then added about a third of a cup of mixed veggies and half a cup of cream of chicken to the pan. Once it was warm, I poured it over a sliced avocado. Voila. Delicious. 

Also, Pip is the most adorable BT. Ever.