Nature is the art of God - LA NATURA E L'ARTE DI DIO
Dante Alighieri

For Bacon-Lovers Only

Honey Glazed Chicken and Bacon Bites

Stuffed Zucchini    ...ps... there's bacon in this too! =)


This dinner was so delicious! The zucchini was something completely different from my usual preparation and created some major excitement in my mouth from its blend of veggies, cheese, and of course: BACON! And the chicken. Too. Perfect. It was like an explosion of flavors, and only has THREE ingredients in the glaze! The chicken was moist while the bacon crisped up nicely and had great texture. I could not believe how much I liked it because, believe it or not, I'm not much of a bacon fan... blasphemous, I know. =) I made this dinner more to make my husband (King of all Bacon-Lovers) happy, and wound up being delightfully surprised. Also, if you use foil to line the baking pan for the chicken, the clean-up is nearly non-existent and makes for an even more perfect meal.


On a completely different note, I have been working on some of my photography and wanted to share with you some of the beauty and unique-ness of where I live:

          Found in front of an antique shop in Beaufort, NC

Bench in Beaufort, NC

Cemetary fence in Beaufort, NC

Being different is a beautiful thing =)



In Desperate Times

So for some reason when 3:30 rolled around this afternoon, my husband and I realized we were both SO hungry! I needed a quick mid-afternoon dinner FAST, so here is what I came up with...


Easy Wine Chicken
- 1 Package Chicken Tenderloins (about 10 oz)
- Grated Parmesan Cheese (to taste) ..... I used about 1/4 Cups
- Oregano (to taste) ..... about 1 Tablespoon
- Salt and Pepper (to taste) ..... about 1/4 Teaspoon of each
- 3 Tablespoons Corntarch
- 3/4 Cups Red Cooking Wine
- 1/4 Cups Sherry Cooking Wine
- 1/4 Cups Half and Half
- 3 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil for shallow frying (I know it doesn't seem like much, but it gets the job done without adding too many calories) :)
                          
 *Serves 2

Start oil heating in a skillet on medium heat. In a small bowl, combine parmesan cheese, oregano, salt and pepper. Place cornstarch in a separate small bowl. Coat the chicken, covering first with cheese and seasonings, followed by an outer layer of cornstarch (this will allow chicken to crisp up in the skillet).

Once oil is heated, place the chicken in the skillet and brown on each side, a couple minutes per side. Add both cooking wines and half and half. Bring to a simmer and allow chicken to finish cooking through. Remove chicken and continue simmering the liquids until it thickens slightly, approximately 10 minutes. Cover chicken with sauce and enjoy!

*I also cooked mushrooms in a separate pot with the same sauce ingredients, so it is similar to chicken marsala minus the marsala wine. :)

Unfortunately, I was unable to snap a picture of this dinner because it was eaten too quickly. Even so, I hope this dinner is simple enough for anyone to throw together on a busy night and delicious enough to become a regular dish in your family's home. :)

Confessions of a "Bread-aholic"

If there was just one food that I could eat for the rest of my life, I would want it to be bread. There is nothing more tempting than the smell of fresh baked bread, and smothering it in jam makes it impossible to resist! My new favorite bread recipe comes from Betty Crocker and is entitled "Rich Egg Bread."

-3 to 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
-1/4 cup sugar
-1 1/2 teaspoons salt
-1 package regular or quick active dry yeast
-1 cup very warm water (120 degrees F)
-2 tablespoons vegetable oil
-1 large egg
-butter melted, if desired
            *1 loaf

 In large bowl, mix 1 1/2 cups of the flour, the sugar, salt and yeast. Add warm water and oil. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed 1 minute, scraping bowl frequently. Beat on medium speed 1 minute. Add egg; beat until smooth. P.S. I doubled my recipe...erego two eggs :)

Stir in enough remaining flour to make dough easy to handle.



Place dough on lightly floured surface. Knead about 10 minutes or until dough is smooth and springy. Grease large bowl and place dough in bowl, turning to grease all sides. Cover and let rise in warm place about 1 hour. Dough is ready if indentation remains when touched.

Flatten dough with hands or rolling pin into rectangle, then roll up tightly to form a log shape. Pinch edges to seal. Place loaf, seam side down, in greased loaf pan. Cover and let rise until doubled in size; approximately 1 hour.

Heat oven to 375. Bake 30-35 minutes or until loaf is deep golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped. Remove from pan to wire rack. Brush loaf with butter; cool.

The smell of this bread as it's baking will have you checking the oven repeatedly as you anxiously wait for it to finish. I promise. :)

So pretty with the butter melted on top...plus tasty! The worst part about this bread is how quickly it disappears...within an hour of these two loaves coming out of the oven, this is what remained:

I suppose this wouldn't be too terrible, except that in my house it's just myself and my husband... what can I say? We are bread-aholics! 
Try this delicious recipe and it just might become your addiction as well. :)

The Start of Something Wonderful...

I decided to create this blog in the hopes that as I write and post photos of different crafts that I attempt or recipes that I sample, other people will be inspired to try new things. I will take no credit for the majority of ideas that I post, because I see this blog as more of an accumulation of other peoples' genius. I am endorsed by no one, and so in throwing out name brands or websites or cookbooks that I like, I am simply saying what worked for me. I am so excited to use this blog as a way to tell others about some of the fun things life has to offer. I am an amateur at everything I love---photography, cooking, baking, sewing, painting, crafting, etc...so this website is for the "everyday" man or woman. The person who is on a budget. The person who has to follow a recipe to make an edible meal. And yes, even for the people who consider sewing to be an activity of great danger. (I have bled on several occasions, and I'm not proud of it!)

Now, to tell a little bit more about myself...
I LOVE food. I believe that anything worth eating should be so good that it is "moan-inducing."

Like a peanut butter and jelly cupcake, for example! This is possibly the BEST cupcake I have ever eaten...and I made it with my mother-in-law! (We are thinking of opening up our own cup-cakery...but more on that another time). :)

I also believe that there is incredible beauty to be found everywhere, and through photography that beauty can be shared with people all around the world. I want to showcase all that I see and find beautiful through my camera lens, so hopefully through my pictures you will gain a better understanding of my life and what I'm all about. :)

Lastly, doing crafts has become my new obsession. I have so much fun creating something usable from something that I would in past years have tossed out with the trash. Most of my ideas are found via Pinterest or some other internet site, but I'll be sure to provide the necessary links for more pictures and thorough instructions.

Click HERE to see scarf instructions...

What a wonderful life this is...so full of delightful opportunities. Be sure to always make the most of it, and do what you love. :)