Seeing Spots

We made it to Friday!  This calls for a celebration :)  

How about some polka dots, pretty balloons, and sparkly nail polish!

Well this week's Fridays Fancies let me do just that.  

1 - Polka Dot Blouse  2 - Colored Skinnies  3 - Leather Sandals
4 - Gold Watch  5 - Nail Polish  6 - Leather Wallet
7 - Sunglasses

Eeek!  Isn't this just a fun outfit!?  It's all centered around this gorgeous polka dot silk blouse, which you may or may not have seen before :)  And I swear I didn't plan it to match with my blog colors!  I guess I kinda like turquoise and pink!  

Hope y'all had a fabulous week, and are geared up for an even better weekend!

I have to admit, hubs and I have ZERO plans, and I'm definitely looking forward that just that.

Relaxing, sleeping in, breakfast brunch in bed, and lots of Netflix.  We are supposed to have amazing weather tomorrow, so we might squeeze in picnic at the park too :)

Check out lots more dotted fashion over at {long distance loving}!

And happy weekend!

(p.s. don't forget to enter my giveaway!  you could win some fab jewelry!)

Lemon Baked Chicken

Do y'all ever get into a cooking rut?  I personally have felt like I've been cooking the same 4-5 weeknight meals for months now.....

tacos, salmon, chicken fingers, spaghetti, repeat.

So, I decided to plop down on the couch and do it the old fashioned way....Cookbooks.  

My embarrassingly large collection of cookbooks helped me find some new and EASY weeknight meals.  

And the shining star of the collection....

Barefoot Contessa's "How Easy Is That?" cookbook.  

(Thank you to my mother-in-law for gifting me with this treasure last year for my birthday!)

Inside, Ina got me drooling over the many delectable dishes, and I started to plan out a new menu for the week.  First up: Lemon Baked Chicken.  

This dish was so easy to prepare, super healthy, and the flavors were outstanding.  John and I love all things lemony, and we absolutely loved this recipe.  Perfect for a weeknight, or when you need to impress company with very short notice :)

Lemon Baked Chicken

via

Ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil

3 tablespoons minced garlic

1/3 cup dry white wine*

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (2 lemons)

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 boneless chicken breasts, skin on (6 to 8 ounces each)

1 lemon

(*I used chicken stock, b/c I didn't want to open a bottle of wine for just a few tablespoons)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Warm the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, add the garlic, and cook for just 1 minute but don't allow the garlic to turn brown. Off the heat, add the white wine, lemon zest, lemon juice, oregano, thyme, and 1 teaspoon salt and pour into a 9 by 12-inch baking dish.

Pat the chicken breasts dry and place them skin side up over the sauce. Brush the chicken breasts with olive oil and sprinkle them liberally with salt and pepper. Cut the lemon in 8 wedges and tuck it among the pieces of chicken.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken breasts, until the chicken is done and the skin is lightly browned. If the chicken isn't browned enough, put it under the broiler for 2 minutes. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and serve hot with the pan juices.

Enjoy!!

(and stay tuned for more recipes from this book - next up, Lamb Chops!)

Giveaway - Lorraine Tyne Jewelry!

Happy Monday!  I know how Mondays are - nobody likes 'em.

So I thought I'd cheer yours up a little :)

How about some pretty jewels to brighten your day?

ayanna necklace - $40

chantilly vintage earrings -$20

coral waterfall necklace -$48

And how about giving some away.....to you?!

I recently received this gorgeous necklace and earrings set from Lorraine Tyne - and I'm in love!

And - one of my readers is going to win their very own necklace/earrings set!

All you have to do is enter below - there are MANY ways to increase your chances!
Good luck!   And be sure to check out Lorraine Tyne for many more gorgeous jewels :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Pretty in Pastels

Happy Friday!  Happy GOOD Friday, that is!  =)

Hope you had a wonderful week - the sun is shining bright this morning, so I'm definitely excited about this week's Friday's Fancies theme.  It's all about candy-colored pastels!  I just am in love with this outfit below - from the floral and stripes, to the peach skinnies and perfect polishes.  

peplum top//coral skinnies//linen scarf//polka-dot wedges//butter polishes
floral bangle//aviator sunnies//lip gloss//monogram necklace//leather handbag

I actually prefer brighter colors on me like bold corals and turquoises, but these light hues are just so gorgeous for spring!  I may just have to scoop up a few of these pastel pretties.....anything to get me out of my black/gray/white rut that I've been in for 5 months :/

I hope you all have a beautiful day!


 ^"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."
Galations 2:20