Candace

I had the privilege of taking

Candace's senior photos.

She is a adorable lady

with an easy laugh that

will put anyone at ease.

Blessings,

Hope

Dan's Grilled Chicken

My hubby came home from

work the other day talking

about 'Dan's grilled chicken'.

Dan, his co-worker, brought some

delicious, grilled chicken to work and let

Josh try it. He said all it had on it was 
soy sauce and Greek seasoning.

I said, "that's all."

And he said, "yes, we should try it."

Well, this is the second time we've

tried it and it sure is delicious.

I'm not a plan-ahead kind

of cook (if you haven't noticed).

I usually dream up what I'm going

to fix for dinner on the way home

from work and then stop by

the grocery store if I need something.

So, with that being said, I can't

plan ahead to marinate chicken,

unless it's Sunday lunch.

So this recipe is the one for me.

Prepared in 15 minutes. This can't be beat.

Where's the recipe?

There's none!

Well, kinda.

While grilling chicken, drizzle with soy sauce and
sprinkle Greek seasoning on each side.

Enjoy,

Hope

Baked Flounder

I got home a little later this evening

so I quick pulled some flounder

fillets from the freezer.

I have been wanting to try
out some Panko bread crumbs
I had bought and decided
flounder was the perfect choice.

Coat fish in flour, then dip in egg wash and coat in crumbs.

 Place on a greased cookie sheet and broil at 400 for 20 -22 minutes. 

Until fish flakes easily with a fork. 

(My fish was partly frozen so adjust your time

accordingly to how thawed out your fish is.)

Hubby says it's the best fish I've made yet.

Thank you Panko Italian style bread crumbs. Your the bomb.

 Top with tater sauce.

I made mine by mixing together mayo, relish and some

pickled, hot peppers. It was just what the flounder needed.

Duke says, "Hello and wishes you a happy Monday."

Blessings,

Hope

Bread Sticks

Well, Josh is sick so I let him

pick out his choice of soup for dinner.

I gave him a cook book to look
through and then he requested the
Bacon & Corn Chowder off my blog.

I decided to whip up some bread sticks

while his soup was simmering.

 Mix up dough and let raise for 20 minutes.

Spread on a greased tray.

Top with butter, spices and Parmesan cheese.

 Bake at 400 for 15 minutes. Then cut into bread sticks.

Ready to be enjoyed with soup.

Bread Sticks

1 cup warm water

1 Tbsp. yeast

1 Tbsp. honey

1 Tbsp. oil

2 1/2 cups of flour

1 tsp. salt

2 Tbsp. butter, melted

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. thyme

1/4 tsp. oregano

1/8 tsp. salt

a few shakes of pepper

fresh grated Parmesan cheese

Whisk together warm water, yeast, honey and oil.

In another bowl combine flour and salt.

Make a well in the middle and pour in yeast mixture.

Mix together with a fork until combined.

Knead lightly with our hands and form a ball.

Cover and let rise 20 minutes.

Spray cookie sheet and spread out dough.

Mix together garlic powder, thyme, oregano, salt and pepper.

Brush with butter and sprinkle with seasonings.

Top with Parmesan cheese.

Let raise a little longer. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes.

Cut into bread sticks and serve warm.

I've been enjoying my irises.

Me and my dear Grandma's. They are both very special to me.

My Grandma Mandell, the one of the left, just lost

her sister to cancer. It seems like so many of

her loved ones have been taken by this awful disease.

She lost her husband to cancer and also a special

friend, Jacob, a few months ago.

She is a quiet lady who never complains-

a woman of God indeed. 

Lift her up in prayer if you think about it.

Blessings,

Hope

All American

This evening we worked in our yard.

So for dinner we had hamburgers, fries and slaw.

An all American meal for real.

 Spray your tray with olive on and lay on potato wedges and onions.

Spray the top with olive oil and sprinkle lightly 
with Cajun seasoning and pepper.

Bake at 400 for 20-30 minutes or until soft inside and crispy outside.

Grill some hamburgers so you have a place for your roasted onions.

Truly delicious.

Blessings,

Hope

Plants

For something a little different

instead of posting about food-

(because I am tired of cooking at this moment)

I am going to post about plants.

House plants are one of my favorite

decorations. I like to decorate mostly

neutral and then add some green

here and there. Whether they are

 real or not I love plants.

So to show you my love for

plants I am going to post some photos of

the plants we have in our home. 

I collect flower pots that are on sale

and then wait for the right plant

to come along. Plants also make great gifts.

Are there any other plant lovers out there?
If so, I'd love to hear from you.

Blessings,

Hope

Washington, D.C.

Josh had been wanting take me to

Washington, D.C. for some time so

we decided to go this weekend.

It was a wonderful trip full

of many beautiful sights,

along with lots and lots of people.

 The new Air and Space Museum.

Josh could have spent all day there.

Historic Georgetown.

Dean and Deluca in Georgetown.

The coolest grocery store I've been in-

also the most expensive.

Sprinkles cupcakes. Delicious.

They have all these cute little cupcake bakeries.

The Capitol.

The Botanical Gardens.

Talk about photography heaven.

 Washington Monument.

 National World War II Memorial.

 Lincoln Memorial.

The White House.

Getting ready for the White House Easter egg hunt to be held today.

 Arlington Cemetery.

The Arlington Amphitheater.

"Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 

'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. 

There you will see him.' Now I have told you."

Matthew 28:7

I am so thankful, He is ALIVE!

Happy Easter,

Hope

Shrimp Alfredo

We are heading away for the weekend 

tomorrow morning so I wanted to fix 

something for dinner that was just 

enough for the two of us.

I hope that when you read my blog you

realize that most recipes are for 2-6 people.

Some things I take for granted-

like you should know that it's just for us.

I usually make a recipe big enough to

feed me and my very hungry husband

for dinner and then enough for both

of our lunches the next day.

 Melt butter in skillet and add garlic clove.

Fry shrimp until pink and curled.

Remove shrimp from skillet.

 Make the sauce and return the shrimp to your skillet.

Simmer until shrimp are hot.

 Serve on a bed of fettuccine.

Shrimp Alfredo

12 or 16 oz. bag of shrimp, peeled and raw

1 Tbsp. butter

1 large garlic clove, crushed

salt and pepper

Sauce

1/4 cup white wine

1 1/2 cups milk

1/2 cup half and half

1 Tbsp. cornstarch

1/4 tsp. basil

1 tsp. lemon juice

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Melt butter in skillet and add garlic clove.

Add shrimp, sprinkle with salt and pepper. 

Cook until pink and curled.

Remove shrimp from skillet.

Add the wine to your pan drippings and reduce to half.

Whisk together milk, half and half and cornstarch.

Add to skillet along with the basil and lemon juice.

Cook until thickened. Add Parmesan cheese.

Stir until melted. Return shrimp to skillet 

and simmer until shrimp are hot.

Taste for salt and sprinkle a little

in if you think it needs it.

Serve over fettuccine.

Enjoy,

Hope

 

Dandelions and Boys

I grabbed my nephews before a party

this evening to try out my camera on them.

Sawyer started out like this...

 Happy and holding his fluffy dandelion.

 Then...

Never open your mouth too far while trying

to blow the pretties off your dandelion.

This is what will happen.

Sweet Austy on his favorite toy at Aunt Hope's.

Good night,

Hope

New Life

Josh and I went a drive Sunday afternoon

and took some photos along the way.

(Don't we sound like old people?)

A local landmark- Massanutten Peak.

I am so thankful for the seasons we

are blessed with and mostly thankful

for the new life we have in Christ!

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; 

the old has gone, the new has come!"

2 Corinthians 5:17

Blessings,

Hope