Scenes from the Abode

I told you I was back on my knitting kick...

Here's a little pumpkin hat I did in time for the fall.  For sale on my Etsy site.

I can't believe it is already July and I'm only just having my first caprese.  I used tons of fresh basil from the garden and it was delish!

Purty flowers.

And in other exciting news, I found two new couch pillows (black and white chevron) that I really like.  I like the bold graphic against the floral.  Too bad the dogs think they belong to them...

Back in the Saddle

It's been a couple of months since I worked on my knitting.  When I was at the beach, I finally picked up some yarn and needles and made this sweet little boatneck baby sweater.  I love how the bottom rolls up ever so slightly.  My friend is having a baby girl in August and so the timing of this will work nicely since it should fit about a 6 month old.  The yarn is beautiful and soooo soft.  I wish you could feel it!

Here it is before I pieced it together:

And here is the final project:

Rugs I Want - Amber Interiors

I know I told ya'll I'm in the market for a new rug for our living room...thanks to my beloved dogs.  (Please note that my tone is DRIPPING with sarcasm right now due to the fact that George Washington is on my ever living last nerve).  Don't know if ya'll have heard about Amber Interiors.  I have been following her blog and love her work.  But what I didn't realize until recently is that she also has an online shop.  An online shop with only the most beautiful rugs I've ever seen.  I.want.every.single.one.of.them.NOW.  They are a little out of my price range thanks to the fact that I have to purchase a new rug on a regular basis but I'm putting these on a one day wish list for myself.  Don't you love?

All found in Amber's shop here.

A Beach Chic Room

Happy belated Fourth of July!  I hope everyone had a great holiday.  We spent the week in Topsail Island, NC with my family and had a nice, relaxing time.

Being at the beach just kept me thinking the entire time of how I'd like to decorate a beach house that I hope to have one day (waaaaay down the road).

So, I did a little mood board that I call Beach Chic from my inspiration this week.  Don't you want to come visit?

Baked Stuffed Zucchini

Yes, I know from these last two blog posts it looks like we only eat zucchini.  But, I'm behind in my posts and these were actually made a couple of weeks apart.

Okay, up front I have a confession to make.  I forgot to add the cheese to these bad boys.  But, that said, they were still good!  So, get cookin' with or without the cheese.  I adapted the recipe from here.

First, gut the zucchini.  I used a melon baller and it was surprisingly easy.  I was expecting a hot mess but the raw zucchini held up quite nicely.  After you collect your bowl of zucchini insides, chop it up.

Cook up some crispy bacon and crumble about four slices into the bowl with the zucchini.  Add 1 diced roma tomato, 1/2 finely diced yellow onion, 1 cup reduced fat sour cream and 1 tablespoon of curry powder.  Season with salt and pepper.  Oh yeah, and if you decide to, here is where you'd add the cheese.  Mix everything together and load up into the zucchini shells.

Here they are all loaded and ready to go in the oven.  350 degrees for about 30 minutes.  I broiled them on low for the last three minutes to get some good browning going on.

Nice and bubbly right from the oven!

The guest of honor approves!

We had a birthday dinner for Liz with marinated skirt steak and honey mustard roasted potatoes.

Grilled Zucchini with Mozzarella, Lemon and Dill

I am loving BHG recipes lately! They are super simple but give me great ideas for just a little something different.  This dish was a perfect example - couldn't be easier.  Slice zucchini lengthwise, drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper and place directly on the grill.

Meanwhile, chop up lemon, fresh mozzarella and fresh dill.

Mix the zucchini and dill and mozzarella together and drizzle with lemon juice.  Then...demolish!

Warm Grilled Chicken Salad with Buttermilk Avocado Dressing

Our weekly salad night is turning out to be one of my favorite dinner nights each week.  The dressing inspiration came from a BHG succotash salad recipe.  I tweaked it so I could make sure my husband would eat it.  Our guest was wild about it and made it just two nights later for her family!

What You'll Need:
3-4 chicken breasts
low fat Italian dressing
salt and pepper
1 avocado
buttermilk
2 cloves of garlic
1/4 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp onion powder
salt and pepper to taste
2 ears corn
1-2 heads of butter lettuce
1 cup of blue cheese, crumbled
handful of slivered almonds
1/4 cup diced red onion
1 cup diced tomatoes (I used romas)

What You'll Do:

Marinate the chicken breasts seasoned with salt and pepper in a large ziplock bag with the Italian dressing.  Do this at least overnight if not for two nights.  Grill the chicken.  At the same time, grill the corn.  I pull out the silk but leave the husk on and put the corn right on the grill.  It cooked in the same time the chicken did.

While you have the grill going, set up the salad.  Tear the bib lettuce.  Add in the blue cheese, onion, almonds and tomatoes and set aside.

Make the dressing:
In the blender add the diced avocado, 2 garlic cloves (I diced mine before I tossed them in), buttermilk, dry mustard, onion powder and salt and pepper.  Blend until smooth.

Dress the salad and mix in.

My husband refuses to eat red onions so I had to fix a plate for him separately which is why the dressing isn't mixed in.

In a large bowl for me and my company, I topped everything off with the dressing and then mixed it in (see next pic) and served.

Deelish!