Summer relaxation-- even in my kitchen! Another encore recipe- grilled chicken

This recipe is at the bottom of this page! This is my #3 most viewed recipe.

I cannot believe how fast my July vacation is going! My sister-in-law recently sent an email to me that made me laugh. This fully describes why I feel my day flies, but I feel as though I'm not covering enough ground. (I'll post it at the end of this-- I hope it gives you a chuckle).
I will, however, share just a few photos (of the 150 or so I took) of my day in Cambria, CA.

It's a two hour drive for us, South. We chose to drive via Paso Robles (retirement home of my Arabian horse). The summit is incredibly scenic. I had to stop and admire the beautiful Marine Layer in the distance.

Before lunch, we drove to Moonstone Beach. It's beautiful-- but very windy! We were also very hungry.

Cambria is very small, and that's what I love about. I think I could live here. Maybe. It's ridiculously expensive real estate, though...


My husband, good sport that he is, readily agreed to have lunch at "The Tea Cozy". It's a cute little tea house. I absolutely adore having "high tea". I've been to London, several times, and that's always a "must" when I'm there.

Craig says he's reading tea leaves. I'm just happy that a "dude" agreed to come to a tea house that can be a mecca for women, or mothers and daughters. Fortunately, the menu has choices like pasties or heart soups.

The princess in me wants this-- Devonshire cream, strawberry jam, petite fours and finger sandwiches (salmon, cream cheese and cucucumber, please and thank you). $18.00, which I think is a bargain considering what tea house charge in San Francisco.

That Petite Four was exquisite. It was moist and had just enough almond flavor to it-- my favorite.

I have to confess, that since our trip to Cambria, my home cooking has almost come to a screeching halt. I'm serious, and I think my husband is beginning to worry-- er, miss-- finding a new recipe on the dinner table, just about every night! Not to worry-- we're eating! However, with the day running away so fast, I'm resorting to fast grilling of chicken and fresh veggies. I've also been doing (gasp) take-out! This is so not like me. That's what happens when we eat out on vacation. It triggers my need to be served, for a change. Or, is it that this is my birthday month and I'm claiming this as "Me Time".

That's about to change. I've been busy sorting and organizing recipes I want to make, and I've got all the ingredients to do so. I'm committed. Or, maybe not...

There's a soft summer breeze coming through my windows. I can hear the birds chirping (and the neighbor's dogs barking). My neighbors are at work. I've done my daily chores-- you know, laundry and some tidying up. If I get started blogging, and reading other blogs, hours will go back just like that! (snaps fingers).

No. I'm going to take care of errands that I never have time to do. Besides, I have a cake decorating class tonight. Yes, the self-proclaimed "I have no artistic talent" Debby is going to see if she can learn how to use a piping bag to make pretty borders on cakes. I stop, short, of making teddy bears and clowns. That is so not me! But, a pretty flower? I'm going to try. Off I go, making my icing and trying to practice so that I won't look like a clumsy fool in front of 20 other folks.

I can't not post a recipe, though. Isn't that what my blog is all about? It's grilling season-- and I am seeing multiples hits on this recipe, from Giada De Laurentiis, from the show "Everyday Italian" with Food Network. I posted this last April (click here to see it). It's very simple to make and appears to very popular in GOOGLE searches.

I'll be back, soon, with new recipes to share. So far "Stacey Snacks" and "Proud Italian Cook" have tempted me with buying fresh figs for two beautiful recipes they've posted. My friend (well, on television) Ina Garten prompted me to make her grilled butterflied chicken, so I'm logging off and getting busy... as soon I as I can remember where my kitchen is!

Logging off and resisting the urge to surf food blogs,





As promised, here's what I think best describes how my days have been going... right below the viewable/printable recipe:

AAADD KNOW THE SYMPTOMS… PLEASE READ! Thank goodness there's a name for this disorder. Somehow I feel better even though I have it!! Recently, I was diagnosed with A.A.A.D.D. - Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder. This is how it manifests: I decide to water my garden. As I turn on the hose in the driveway, I look over at my car and decide it needs washing. As I start toward the garage, I notice mail on the porch table that I brought up from the mail box earlier. I decide to go through the mail before I wash the car. I lay my car keys on the table, put the junk mail in the garbage can under the table, and notice that the can is full. So, I decide to put the bills back on the table and take out the garbage first. But then I think, since I'm going to be near the mailbox when I take out the garbage anyway, I may as well pay the bills first. I take my check book off the table, and see that there is only one check left. My extra checks are in my desk in the study, so I go inside the house to my desk where I find the can of Pepsi I'd been drinking. I'm going to look for my checks, but first I need to push the Pepsi aside so that I don't accidentally knock it over. The Pepsi is getting warm, and I decide to put it in the refrigerator to keep it cold. I head toward the kitchen with the Pepsi, a vase of flowers on the counter catches my eye -- they need water. I put the Pepsi on the counter and discover my reading glasses that I've been searching for all morning. I decide I better put them back on my desk, but first I'm going to water the flowers. I set the glasses back down on the counter, fill a container with water and suddenly spot the TV remote. Someone left it on the kitchen table. I realize that tonight when we go to watch TV, I'll be looking for the remote, but I won't remember that it's on the kitchen table, so I decide to put it back in the den where it belongs, but first I'll water the flowers. I pour some water in the flowers, but quite a bit of it spills on the floor. So, I set the remote back on the table, get some towels and wipe up the spill. Then, I head down the hall trying to remember what I was planning to do. At the end of the day: the car isn't washed the bills aren't paid there is a warm can of Pepsi sitting on the counter there is still only 1 check in my check book, I can't find the remote, I can't find my glasses, and I don't remember what I did with the car keys. Then, when I try to figure out why nothing got done today, I'm really baffled because I know I was busy all damn day, and I'm really tired. I realize this is a serious problem, and I'll try to get some help for it, but first I'll check my e-mail... Do me a favor. Forward this message to everyone you know, because I don't remember who the hell I've sent it to. Don't laugh -- if this isn't you yet, your day is coming!!