Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Celebrations!

Over John's graduation weekend, we also got to celebrate Mother's day! We were so blessed to be able to spend the weekend with BOTH of our mothers :)
Here are pics from all the card/gift opening :)



I made John a scrapbook full of pictures and memories over the last 2 years....






Mother's Day! 




Our sweet mothers and their gifts!


Monogrammed vases :)






It was such a memorable time - thank you to our families for making the trip to North Carolina!
We love you!


Saturday, May 26, 2012

Pan-Roasted Chicken

When our family was in town for John's graduation, I wanted to put together an easy and quick dinner to have on our last evening at home.  After filling our bellies with amazing and decadent food all weekend, I decided to go a healthier route with chicken and veggies.

This dish was SO simple, and tasted great!  The recipe calls for bone-in chicken, but I already had boneless chicken breasts, so I just used those.  But either would work.
I would definitely make this again - it's perfect for a healthy weeknight dinner!  
(Serve with rice, bread, or a salad!)


Pan-Roasted Chicken with Vegetables

Ingredients:

6 tablespoons olive oil
2 lemons, 1 thinly sliced, 1 juiced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3/4 lb trimmed green beans
8 small red potatoes quartered
4 chicken breasts (with or without bone)

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 450°F. Coat a large baking dish or cast-iron skillet with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Arrange the lemon slices in a single layer in the bottom of the dish or skillet.

2.  In a large bowl, combine the remaining oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper; add the green beans and toss to coat. Using a slotted spoon or tongs, remove the green beans and arrange them on top of the lemon slices. 

3.  Add the potatoes to the same olive-oil mixture and toss to coat. Using a slotted spoon or tongs, 
arrange the potatoes along the inside edge of the dish or skillet on top of the green beans. 






4.  Place the chicken in the same bowl with the olive-oil mixture and coat thoroughly. Place the chicken, skin-side up, in the dish or skillet. Pour any of the remaining olive-oil mixture over the chicken.







5.  Roast for 50 minutes. Remove the chicken from the dish or skillet. Place the beans and potatoes back in oven for 10 minutes more or until the potatoes are tender. Place a chicken breast on each of 4 serving plates; divide the green beans and potatoes equally. Serve warm.





Enjoy!

XOXO

Friday, May 25, 2012

Graduation Day!

Warning: Picture Overload.
Warning number 2: Proud Wife Alert.

I'm a little behind on my posting, but it's been a whirlwind of a month for us!  Graduation weekend was a couple of weeks ago, but I'm just getting around to putting up pictures!

It was an AMAZING weekend, and I could not have been more proud of my husband on his BIG day!  I honestly can't believe that our time at Duke has come to an end.  It has been such an incredible journey, and I am so thankful for the many wonderful memories and friendships that we made.

Graduation day was glorious - beautiful weather, an amazing ceremony in the Cameron Indoor Stadium (where the Duke Blue Devil Basketball team plays), and we had both sets of parents here to celebrate!






My parents!




Duke MBA graduation program!



Class of 2012


He DID IT!
(and if I may brag - he was in the top 10% of his class!!)




John and Russell - friends for 20 years!




:)







Reception at the Business School











It was an unforgettable weekend! 
CONGRATS JOHN!  I am SO proud of you!