Happy New Year!  I hope your new year is off to a great start.  I’m sorry I’ve been out of touch for so long, but I’ve been working on something big that’s been taking up allllll my time.  Drumroll….

I got a new job and Adam and I are in the process of packing up our lives and moving to Austin, Tx!  I could not be more excited for this new chapter, but I must say leaving my old company, with which I’ve worked for over eight years has been very bittersweet. So… we have a couple more days here in San Diego, surrounded by boxes and I thought I’d take the opportunity to put together my list of 14 in 14… 14 things I want to do in 2014.  I think rather than making one big resolution, I’ll try to accomplish 14 things – some big, some small – but all list worthy.  So…

1. Start a new job
2. Move to Austin, TX
3. Blog at least 3x a week (I mean, c’mon.)
4. Talk to my mom on the phone every other day
5. Plan a BIG international travel trip
6. Get Gidget groomed more regularly (gurl be lookin’ ridic sometimes…)
7. Go skydiving
8. Begin the home buying process
9. Make a new best friend at work
10. Go FULL Paleo for one month
11. Go to a food blogger/healthy living conference
12. Go hiking/Barton Springs-ing with Adam
13. SECRET (I gotta have a couple of these)
14. SECRET (for reallllll)

I have a bunch of yummy recipes to share that I’ll post on my road trip out to Austin in a couple days.  Send good thoughts and please share any spots I should look  at stopping on my way out from San Diego to Austin!

So, I’m insane and this weekend I spent the better part of Sunday decorating the house for… (wait for it)… Christmas. Yep.  I just love how festive and cozy the house feels with all the little lights, the tree, the candles… the smells.  I go back to the East Coast for work and family so early in December that I feel like I deserve the extra couple weeks on the front end, since I’m going to miss out at the end of December. Naw’ Mean?

I took Adam with me to get a tree and some ornaments and we almost left with a Santa toilet bowl cover.  I left him alone for 32 seconds and by the time I’d found him again, he had a gigantic bow for the front of his car, a Christmas-themed soap dispenser and the toilet bowl cover. And he’s Jewish.  Who knew he had such a warm place in his heart for the bearded fat man with the reindeer sleigh??

Two out three of those decorations went back on the shelf and the huge bow is now adorning the top of our tree (thanks to this month’s Better Homes and Gardens for the inspo). I’m SUCH a Scrooge.

I made a healthy dinner casserole tonight that I threw out, it was soooo bland (I hate when a new recipe just falls on its face!).  So, instead of wasting your time with that, I thought I might share some holiday trends that I’m loving this year in case you need some inspiration, when you start your decorating (like a normal person, AFTER Thanksgiving):

Unconventional Trees:

No room for a big tree (or want to add a tree to smaller room or office?)

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 Make your room glow even in the mid afternoon with shimmering gold garland and accents

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A great girly tree for a man-free home

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Unconventional tree toppers- Obviously, I’m a big fan of the bow this year, it’s cheap and it really “ties the room together” – muwahaha, get it??

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DIY Decorations:

What a crafty little way to Deck The Halls? (step-by-step instructions and custom print-outs at the link below)

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DIY done elegantly

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Spell it out

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The Next Level of Table Decorations

Utilize your chandelier & an elegant color scheme to create a moment at your table

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Or if you don’t have a chandelier – make one!

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Get crafty with your place settings

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You don’t have to spend a ton of cookie dough to take your home to the next level.  I hope this helps inspire you a bit.  What are some of your favorite trends this year???

Last Saturday, I went to HomeGoods (my heaven) and they are currently focused on kitchen essentials, given the upcoming holidays and all those big dinners that come with them.  When I walked in, I got a little weak in the knees.  And after slapping myself out of thinking I needed a self-spinning ice cream cone holder,  I snagged a new knife set (and then I sliced off a good chunk of my thumb a day later), as well as a little set of individual sized pizza stones.  I’ve been wanting to do a make-your-own pizza night for a while, but it loses a little something without the stone.  These little 8 inch individual sizes are so fun – but if you have a big one, just have each person pick a side and top it as you want.

The results were almost as good as how much fun we had going to the store, picking our ingredients and then trying to figure out what the hell we were doing.  In case you’re looking for inspiration, here’s what we topped ours with… but really there is no wrong answer to the question: How will you top your pizza?

Mine: Chanterelle Mushrooms, Gruyere and Prosciutto Pizza- (fancy, huh??)

*Please excuse my Saturday evening disaster hair*

Ingredients:

• Trader Joe’s Herb Pizza Dough
• Chanterelle Mushrooms (sauteed before topping)
• Red Onion (sauteed before topping)
• Gruyere, shredded
• Prosciutto
• baby heirloom tomatoes, halved
• Pizza sauce

Adam’s: Pepperoni, Sausage, Onions, Bacon with Two Cheeses (Look at that face…)

Ingredients:

• Trader Joe’s Herb Pizza Dough
• 1 sausage, removed from casing (browned before topping pizza)
• pepperoni
• 1 slice of bacon, chopped
• onion, sliced
• green peppers, chopped
• baby heirloom tomatoes, halved
• pepperjack cheese, shredded
• mozzarella cheese, shredded
• Pizza sauce

For both pizzas, we prepared the dough according to the directions.  Preheat the pizza stones in the oven (500 degrees for 20 mins). Dust the stones with cornmeal. Place pizza dough circles on the stones. Top with everything and cook for 12-17 minutes (depending on how thin you can get your crust. We failed miserably at that, and had to cook ours for about 17 minutes)

The dogs brought out their finest (fake) furs for a good old fashion Grey Gardens Halloween – it’s Little Edie and Big Edie!  As you can see, Gidget’s excitement level is off the charts, while the gay man residing inside of Rondo is appreciative that I have FINALLY gotten on-board with his winter wear requests.

Our house is filled with the smell of Crockpot Korean tacos, so stay tuned for that recipe coming soon!!

I think I’m in the running for worst blogger this month.  I’ve gotta say, this has been one of the more hectic months this year, between weddings and parents – I feel like I’ve left Lemons&Lunges at the firehouse in a basket.  If you’re still with me, I promise to buy you a pony for Christmas.

Since I’ve been soooo out of the loop, I thought it might be easier to catch-up with some photos and the recipe I made for Adam’s parents the first night of their visit – Caprese Salmon with Kale Pesto over a Spring Rice.  His stepmom is a FANTASTIC cook, so the pressure was on.  And this one’s a keeper – rave reviews all around.

So here goes:

First, I started out the month getting down and dirty at the Del Mar Mud Run.  It was so fun and so disgusting.  I managed to come up injury-free and repped Team Lemons&Lunges with pride! (I’m probably going to get arrested for this copyrighted photo – but i can’t find it anywhere.)

Then, Adam and I were off to Orlando for my friend’s wedding.  And… we forgot sunglasses:

When in Orlando, you MUST get $25 8.x10 photos of yourselves while doing sports on your birthday:

And then upgrade your rental from compact to convertible…(Only to find the convertible top does not go up, so you get refunded… but still have a GREAT time driving around like two gay men in a parade).

After the trip, it was back to San Diego.  Adam had to miss Dave Chappell (after buying tickets), so I scooped my friend Trish and off we went to a big night on the town.  When we were shown to our seats… in the last row,  I noticed my seat was a little askew, so I notified someone and BINGO, BANGO, BONGO…we were ushered to new seats a few rows from the front, with the security guards and the ushers.  We’re so “in”.  And then we almost got escorted out for taking this picture.

Lastly, our parents came and we did all kinds of touristy stuff – from the Midway (look how cute they all are – new BFF’s forever)…

To Mister A’s, a fantastic restaurant that sits on the circular top floor of the building, overlooking all of downtown San Diego, complete with planes flying in next to your dinner table.  (It’s the kind of place that frowns on someone flicking off a Southwest plane b/c it gives her memories of some bad experiences… but ya know that didn’t stop me.)

And more baseball than any girl should ever be subjected to – “Fear the Beard” – Go Sox!

And last but certainly not least, I knew my proudest moment had arrived when I went into a bathroom stall at a college bar and was face-to-face with myself.  Yep, these flyers for a Vavi (the Mud Run peeps) Halloween party are everywhere.  Bathroom stall status… I’ll never be president.

I’ll be back tomorrow with some good food for you mouth AND your skin

It’s official, I’m the last one standing in this house.  Adam is one cough away from losing a lung, Rondo has something going on with his sweet little eyes and you know all about The Gidge’s recent brush with pancreatitis.  Gidget Watch 2013 Update: she’s home now, thank goodness!  Resting, eating chicken and rice only for the next month (I think that was her plan all along), and on the road to recovery.   The one silver lining in all this is that they had to shave her leg to give her an IV and now she looks like she either has a wooden peg leg or got attacked by a mini shark.  I feel badly laughing in a sick dog’s face, but I can’t help it.  I mean…

::wahahaha.  I’m a terrible mother/person. wahahahaha::

Last night, after running around picking up meds for everyone, I thought I’d make something light and fresh that might help everyone ingesting it feel lighter and fresher.  I was wrong, and we’ll be having soup tonight, because sick people like soup, not shrimp.  BUT, I’d otherwise recommend these Cilantro and Jalapeno Shrimp Cakes for a nice late summer dinner (or lunch) option, inspired by SkinnyTaste. I paired mine with some grilled corn and grilled zucchini spears (not pictured).  For Adam, I through together a little lemon, basil angel hair pasta as a base because he’s not a huge fan of corn.  Who doesn’t like sweet summer corn, grilled to perfection?  I’m suspect of his taste. Whatevs… more for me.

Today called for a family favorite for dinner.  It was a tough one, Gidget had to go to the emergency room and we found out she has pancreatitis.   Poor little thing is staying overnight at the hospital.  And, let me tell ya, that’s like staying at the Four Seasons… in the penthouse suite.  For that price I can only hope that she is getting champagne pumped into her with her fluids.  If you don’t have a pet, the things we do for our pets makes us sound like crazy people.  But, when you have one, you are absolutely aware of your pet on-set insanity and you don’t apologize for it one bit. My non-pet-owning bank account thinks I’m crazy.  And I agree.

After all this drama, for dinner tonight I wanted something comforting.  One of this house’s favorite dishes, esp. Adam’s, is this chicken pocket of goodness. I asked Adam what we should name it as I began to write this post, and his first suggestion was all we needed, “Chicken Delisiousness”. Yep, nailed it. This dish is super easy to make, it’s the perfect comfort dish and it’s still not going to blow your calorie budget.

This one is not necessarily the best photo, unless you see the dish for all it is.  Hopefully these photos help tell the story.  And the story is deeeeelisssh.

This medium chicken breast is stuffed with bacon, light cream cheese, green onions, parsley, salt and pepper and wrapped in a light flaky dough.  Unfortunately, we don’t live in food heaven, so we can’t have bacon everyday.  When a recipe, like this, calls for 1-2 pieces of bacon, I’ve found that you can buy just two slices from the meat counter.  Rather than buying a whole pack, you can get just what you need, save some cash [I'll take anything I can get with The Gidge at the Four Seasons (re:VCA Hospital)], and not be tempted to eat bacon every morning. Oh.. but that would be great, wouldn’t it?

Recipe for this family fave below. But first, story time..

*After you finish stuffing the chicken and wrapping it in pastry – this should be about what it looks like. I cut the sheet horizontally, placed a 1/3 of it on the bottom, laid the chicken down and then wrapped the other 2/3 over the top and pinched the two together*

 *Insert perfectly crispy/ flaky breaking sound here*

*an inside look at what heaven looks like*

Having a job is big part of why I liked our recent trip to Joshua Tree.  In past trips, I’ve stood around holding my sleeping bag while everyone else sets up and I just spin in circles looking for someway to be helpful.  But in the end, it just ends up being me and my sleeping bag spinning around in circles off to the side. Having the job of Chef Nature’s Miracle, made me feel useful… and full of quality food.

If you’ve never been to Joshua Tree, it really is amazing.  It almost feels like you’re on the moon.  Amazing boulder/rock formations coming out of the ground that you can climb all over and see for miles and miles and miles.  It’s huge and stars at night make you feel like you’re in a planetarium.   Soooooo cool.  You know what wasn’t cool (but just totally tells you so much about what Adam and I do when no one is around to roll their eyes), we listened to U2′s Joshua Tree album more than we did in the 90′s.  We’re, like so…. cliche.

So, here’s the breakdown of all the meals we created during our trip.  In case you missed it – yesterday’s post gives you the rundown of all the prep work you can do in about an hour the night before.  So worth it! I made the recommendation to bag each meal’s ingredients in individual shopping bags in the cooler (so you can just grab and go).  I’ve listed out each meal with those bags in mind, for easy planning.

Last but not least, before we dive into it.  COOLEST CAMPING FIND (via Pinterest, obbbvvss) – a gallon water jug and a head lamp = amazing ambient light!  We tried it and it worked.  You MUST do this your next trip out! Check out the picture at the very bottom.

Recipes and Ingredients after the jump:

Night 1 Dinner - Soy-Marinated Sirloin Skewers with Grilled Asparagus and Best Ever Pasta Salad (pictured above)

Bag 1 Ingredients: 

• Overnight Marinaded Sirloin and Vegetables
• Night Before Best Ever Pasta Salad
• 1/2 bunch of asparagus
• olive oil* (stored in a small tupperware cup during night-before prep)
• lemon pepper seasoning
• 4 skewers
• Heavy Duty Tin Foil

Preparation:

Submerge the skewers in melted ice water in the cooler up to 2 hours before prep begins.

Preheat the grill.  Cut the stems off the asparagus and drizzle with oil olive and lemon pepper seasoning. Set aside.

Skew soaked skewer sticks with beef and veggies that were marinaded the night before.  Grill for about 8-10 minutes, turning once at halfway. If you can fit your asparagus on the grill, add asparagus with 2 minutes remaining.  If you don’t have room, grill asparagus while skewers are resting for 2-3 minutes.

Hopefully the marinade with have provided enough flavor for you to leave that bbq sauce in the cooler.  But if not, grab it!

Morning 1 Breakfast: Hungryman Camp Breakfast

Bag 2 Ingredients:

On top of the sausages, add a handful of hash browns, an egg or two, and diced tomato and green onion if you like. Salt & pepper to taste. You can also add Cajun spice, or Old Bay spice or whatever spice your posse likes.

One reason why I love summer cooking so much is the easy clean-up when you grill up your dinner.  Today was suuuuper hot in San Diego and after an extra sweaty session of boot camp, all I could think about was eating a light, fresh dinner.   Adam is back from another out of town trip and the last thing I wanted to do was waste any time cleaning dishes, so this dinner hit the spot and checked all the boxes – Clean Eating, Low Carb, Fresh Ingredients, Easy Clean-up.  CHECK!

This would be a great meal for this weekend as well!  Any fun plans for Labor Day?  Not laboring, I hope. That’s unpatriotic, tell your boss I said so and proceed to your bbq/pool party/etc.. Adam and I are going to Joshua Tree for some hiking, camping and off-the-gridding, I’m really excited to figure out some creative camping food.  This gal doesn’t do hot dogs more than once a year.  And I’ve already been to a baseball game, so…. you do the math.

Chicken Chipotle Skewers with Avocado Creme

Ingredients:

Chicken

• juice of 1 lime
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1/2 t kosher salt
• 1/2t  chili powder
• 1/2t paprika
• 1/4t  cumin
• 1/8t cayenne pepper
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 1/2t light brown sugar
• 1 1/2t minced chipotle in adobo
• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
• minced fresh parsley, to garnish

Avocado Cream Sauce

• 1 avocado
• 1/2 cup nonfat greek yogurt
• 1 clove garlic
• Juice of 1 lime

Directions

Whisk together the lime juice, canola oil, salt, chili powder, paprika, cumin, cayenne pepper, garlic, brown sugar, and chipotle in a pie plate. Add the pieces of chicken and toss to coat. Cover the plate with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (or up to an hour), stirring and turning the chicken once at the halfway point as it marinates. (OR just toss it all in a gallon ziplock, shake it up and lay flat on in the fridge – turning once)

Preheat grill to medium-high heat. While it’s heating up, thread the chicken onto skewers (throw away any remaining marinade). Transfer the kebabs to the grill, and cook, turning every few minutes so all sides are browned, until an instant-read thermometer registers 160 F. Transfer the kebabs to a plate, tent with foil to keep warm, and allow to rest for at least 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the avocado sauce: Split the avocado in half and remove the pit. Scoop out the flesh and add to the bowl of a food processor along with the yogurt, garlic, and lime juice. Process until the sauce is smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the kebabs with the minced parsley to garnish, and serve with the avocado sauce for dipping.

Side: I added a tomato, avocado, cherry tomato and bacon salad.  Just chop everything up; add salt, pepper, a drop of Tabasco and a tiny bit of olive oil and you’ve got a perfect summer side!

I’ve never met a skewer I didn’t love.  They are fun to put together, you can do most of the prep work ahead of time and you can get everyone involved in the party – “Stab Monkeys!  Stab!” I’m going to keep it pretty short and sweet tonight, Adam just got back from a business trip and I gotta get to catching up with him.  And reminding him why he loves me.  Exhibit A is below:

Sweet and Spicy Salmon Skewers

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. raw salmon, cut into 1.5 inch cubes
• 8 cherry tomatoes
• 1 large yellow pepper, cored; seeded and cut into 1 in pieces
• 1/2 onion, cut into 1 in pieces
• 4 wooden skewers

Marinade:

• 1 tsp each: cayenne pepper, sea salt, parsley
• 2 tsp chopped garlic
• 1 TB light brown sugar
• 1 TB reduced-sugar ketchup

Directions:

Mix the marinade together and set aside.  Prepare all the vegetables and fish. Place all the ingredients (minus the skewers, duh.) in a gallon bag and shake that sucker up.  Place in the fridge for 20 minutes.  Preheat the oven to broil.

Cover broiler pan with foil and arrange skewers on top. Put in oven for approximately 3 min. Turn kabobs and broil for an additional 3 to 4 min or until salmon is no longer pink and veggies are well-browned

I added some delicious Baked Lemon and Thyme Mushrooms (Super easy and delicious!)