makin' plans: here goes nothing!

One year ago, I was a (technically) single, broke, unemployed college student in my final month of school. I was just counting down the days until graduation and I couldn't wait to begin the next chapter. After graduation in May, I hit the ground running! By Thanksgiving, I was an engaged, financially independent, employed young woman counting down the days until my wedding - and once again, I can't wait to begin the next chapter. I really wanted to start this blog to document this time in my life since I just recently realized how quickly it is flying by. I am going to write about my ~~boring~~ life, yummy recipes, couponing tips, wedding plans, and fun things Payton and I are experiencing as almost-newlyweds! Feel free to join me or ignore me... but here goes nothing! I'll start my first blog with a DELICIOUS recipe we made last night, followed by a photo montage of my favorite 2012 moments and the start to 2013 - AKA the craziest, best year of my life!

Skinny Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo:
http://www.celebrations.com/content/skinny-chicken-broccoli-alfredo

The oven-roasted broccoli is KEY in this dish! Here's how I do mine:

-preheat oven to 400 degrees
-chop up 2-3 heads fresh broccoli
-toss with olive oil, salt & pepper (or McCormick's Vegetable Medley seasoning is great, too)
-place broccoli on rimmed baking sheet
-bake for about 10 minutes - I usually just eyeball it - and then flip broccoli so both sides brown
-bake for another 10 minutes (again, I just use my best judgement)
This is one of our favorite things to eat as a side dish as well. The flavor is awesome!

For the chicken, I pound out 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts so they are even (if you get them from Harris Teeter, 3 is too many in this dish because they are so big). I pour a little olive oil in a pan, sprinkle the chicken breasts with Camp Mix (a delicious seasoning found at the Meat House) and brown it up. I am grill challenged, so this works just as well when Payton isn't home.

Make the broccoli and the chicken before hand so they are ready to go. One of the best (and most obvious, you would think) things I've learned in my cooking adventures is to prep before you start - it makes the biggest difference.

Enjoy!

Undergraduate Research Project - Freshwater Turtle Population Study in Raleigh, NC (this is a female yellow bellied slider)