clover and recipe 2

Clover is in the middle of nowhere.  And when I say nowhere, I mean nooooowhere.  Lots of bendy roads, deer dodging, and skunk smelling are what you go through to get there.  This past weekend my mom, grandma, and I travelled there to stay with my great aunt, CC (we called her that when we we're young and it's stuck ever since) for my cousin's wedding!  We met my Uncle John, Aunt Karen, and my cousin, Meredith, there too.  I make it sound like I don't like it there, but actually I loooove it.  This is the same place I've spent, and my mom has spent, every Christmas.  It's tradition, and I love it.  


Saturday morning we went to my Aunt Frances' house to meet the newest addition to the family, and the upcoming celeb, Jack.  He is adorable and I'm definitely part of his fan club.  Saturday night was the wedding and it was so much fun! Meredith and I busted our moves out on the dance floor and they had to drag us off when it was time to go.  Sunday was spent cleaning CC's old, dusty house and cooking her a special birthday lunch.  It was a quick, but great weekend!  The best part for me?  Today I found chiggers all over my body from walking in the tall grasses at CC's house.  Grosssss.  I l-o-v-e chiggers...sike!  

my favorite porch swing!

CC's house!

CC grows grapes and when they're ripe they are soo delicious!

my grandma and jack!

i told you he was a celeb!

this is my grandma and CC's childhood home located in the woods behind CC's house.
people have bought it and have been working to historically renovate it for almost 7 years now!

haha uncle john posing for the camera

my cute little grandma!

Happy Birthday CC!

And here's another recipe!


Day 2: Soft Tacos with Tilapia and Chili-Lime Mayonnaise
serves 4

1 teaspoon ground cumin 
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2 (6-ounce) tilapia fillets
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/3 cup fat-free mayonnaise
Grated zest and juice of 1/2 lime
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro 
1 teaspoon chili powder
8 (6-inch) corn tortillas, warmed
1 cup lightly packed thinly sliced romaine
1 large tomato, chopped


1. Preheat oven to 450°F.  Spray 7 x 11-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
2. Stir together cumin, salt, and pepper in cup.  Sprinke on tilapia.  
Place fish, skin side down, in baking dish; drizzle with oil. 
Cover baking dish with foil; bake until fish is just opaque in center, about ten minutes.
3. To make chili-lime mayonnaise, stir together mayonnaise, lime zest and juice, cilantro, and chili powder in bowl until mixed.
4. Remove skin from fish and cut into strips. 
Top each tortilla with about 1/4 cup of fish, 1/4 cup of lettuce, one-fourth of tomato, and generous 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise. 
Fold tacos in half.


Cut up some apples, oranges, and strawberries and enjoy the tacos with a colorful fruit salad!


xoxo,
erin with a p and a double r 

cooking love :)

My finest dishes include frozen pizza, pasta, mac n' cheese, and maybe a salad.  This summer I have a new obsession with cooking.  I decided it was time for me to learn to cook and I mean really cook...not unwrapping a frozen pizza and throwing it into the oven.  With having chefs like my parents around all the time you would think that I'd be the head chef of some 5 star restaurant.  But I am far from that.  Really though, my parents are fabulous cooks.  So I'm sucking all the cooking skills out of them in the time I have left at home and sharing the recipes with you.  The whole Duvall family is on Weight Watchers and our friends, the Greens, gave us this amazing Weight Watchers cookbook, and that's what I've been mostly cooking out of.  

So hopefully this will give you some yummy, healthy recipes that will inspire you to become the next Food Network star :)

p.s.  All the recipes are dinner recipes because i'm never home for lunch, but take the leftovers and make them into a delicious lunch too!

Day 1:  Grilled Lemon Chicken with Olive Oil and Lemon Smashed Potatoes

Grilled Lemon Chicken:

serves 4

1 garlic clove, peeled

1/2 teaspoon salt 

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

4 (5-oz) skinless boneless chicken breasts

Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1. With side of large knife, mash garlic with salt until it forms a paste.

2. To make marinade, combine lemon zest and juice, oil, garlic paste, oregano, and pepper in large zip-close plastic bag; add chicken.  Squeeze out air and seal bag; add chicken.  Refrigerate, turning bag occasionally, at least 30 minutes or up to overnight.

3. Spray grill rack with nonstick spray.  Pre-heat grill to medium  fire using direct method.  

4.  Remove chicken from marinade; discard marinade.  Place chicken on gril rack and grill until cooked through, about 6 minutes per side.  Serve sprinkled with parsley.  

Hint: (kind of obvious) The longer the chicken marinates in the lemon mixture, the more intense the lemon flavor.  

Olive Oil and Lemon Smashed Potatoes:

serves 6

2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1-inch chunks

1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

2 tablespoons lemon juice 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1/4 teaspoon black pepper 

1. Combine potatoes and enough water to cover by 1 inch in large saucepan; bring to boil.  Reduce heat and simmer until tender, about 12 minutes; drain. Remove saucepan from heat.

2. With potato masher, coarsely mash potatoes.  With wooden spoon, beat in oil, lemon zest and juice, salt, and pepper.  

Top the chicken off with some parsley and serve the two with a spinach salad with strawberries, slivered almonds, feta, and dressing of your choice! 

father's day!

don't worry! if you just read the title and thought, "oh shoot, i missed father's day!" you're wrong!  you didn't miss it!!  yesterday we had to celebrate father's day a week early because we won't be with our dad next weekend... sad :(  but it was a great fake father's day! 


i started the day off by pouncing on my dad and waking up yelling, "HAPPY FATHER'S DAY DAD!!"  all i got back was a lousy, "this is weird" (referring to yesterday not really being father's day).  we headed to church and then my dad and i went on our big outings to cvs and joannes fabrics.  i know, such grand places to go.  we had a 20% off total purchase coupon at cvs that saved some $$$ and i needed some fabric from joannes for a project i'm working on (warning: never stand behind someone who has never been to a fabric store before...it takes foreverrrr)!


then we headed to Harborfest in Norfolk to hear Phil Vassar in concert. despite the 182 degree weather, it was a great concert and he was such a good entertainer!  my dad and him went to JMU together and performed in a group called Madisonians and when they would tour the 2 of them would be roommates.  when i was younger i would always tell people my dad and phil slept together.  then people would gave me strange looks and i had to explain what i meant by that!  

Mr. Bo, Kels, and Lauren at the concert!

Morgan and Erin!

When we took this picture Phil said, "Gosh, I have such a hard job." Not kidding.

after changing out of our nasty and very wet, sweaty clothes we went to p.f. changs for our fake father's day dinner.  p.f. changs is delicioussss!  we all shared our yummy entrees and splurged on our mini desserts! 

We are obsessed with lettuce wraps!

Red Velvet on the left and Chocolate Mousse on the right!

we ended the night with cards and presents which included a new beach umbrella (dad really wanted one for some reason?), Azar's gift card, and new clothes!  i hope next week you all have a great day honoring your dads!  i know i'm blessed to have such an awesome dad.  happy fake father's day, dad! as my card said, "I will always be your cute little girl...especially the 'cute' part!"  

love you dad!

xoxo,
erin with a p and a double r           

dinner + people= a very fun night

my family has always loved having people over.  my parents have an incredible gift of hosting people and a huge heart for serving them too.  we have people over a lot and i love it!  tonight was no exception.  we had our very fun friends, the bohlingers, over for a delicious summer dinner.  the menu?  grilled lemon chicken, grilled veggies, and brown rice with angel food cake topped with strawberries and what was supposed to be cool whip (i might've forgotten to get that one at the store...oops!) but ended up being vanilla ice cream.  deeeelicious!  have i mentioned my parents are fantastic cooks?  well they definitely are.  thanks for coming over tonight bohlingers!  it was so fun getting to catch up with you all and laughing at silly things!

our yummy appetizer

lemons are my new favorite food!

they taste good in almost everything.

one of our chefs!

pina coladas...virgin of course!

call up some friends and have a dinner party!  they're the best!

xoxo,

erin with a p and a double r