attack of the bug

this has nothing to do with food. just a fair warning.

last night, my husband and i went on a 9 o'clock frozen custard run. i mean....can you blame us. anyway, so the adventure begins AFTER the eating of the frozen custard. we pulled in to our condo and we got out and walked up to our door. all of a sudden 3 huge giant bee/lobster creatures began attacking us. literally. they swarmed around us with these awful screeching noise and starting squirting this liquid stuff all over ryan. we both RAN down the sidewalk and screamed things like "OMYGOSH (and not in the sexy usher way), and WHAT THE CRAP.

so we stood there about 50 feet away and watched these mammoth creatures until they calmed down. when they landed on the wall and stopped screeching ryan and i made a run for it in the house. that got them all upset again. but, this time we were too fast. we made it inside before they could hit us again.

needless to say ryan and i were traumatized. but, really the moral of this story is that some people really like bugs and have these particular creatures as a fun little plastic bug on their key chains. yes. last night we did our research and found out these beasts are called "cicadas." i cringe at the name. they live under the earth for decades and then "emerge" every few years.

but, what is really weird is that today i found TIME articles describing the "amazingness" of the cicada. i also found a website of a guy who loved cicadas so much that he bought plastic renderings of these evil bugs to use as a key chain. he so creatively posted a picture of the package it came in, which i placed at the beginning of this entry.

so, things we have learned:

1. God created a creature named a cicada.

2. they live in the ground then emerge and attack you and scream and squirt you with a nasty substance.

3. some weirdos actually LIKE these bugs. i will never associate with them. now when i meet people i will ask them "hi. what's your name? where are you from? do you have a cicada key chain?"

4. who knew that we lived in the amazon?

garlic chicken

one of my favorite foods in the summer is chicken. i just love to grill it and add fresh veggies on the side. it's fast, delicious and super healthy.

many times the days get so hot and humid, that the thought of eating ANYTHING besides grilled chicken and fresh tomatoes makes me nauseous.

so, since it's hot and humid, i'm in a chicken makin mood. my current favorite way to make it is using a seasoned garlic recipe.

Seasoned Garlic Chicken

4 boneless chicken breasts
4 cloves garlic
half of a lemon's juice
2 - 4 T olive oil
1 T parsley
1 T thyme

(Adjust ingrdients to your taste)

take the garlic and beat it in a food processer then put the purated garlic in a small glass casserole dish. in the casserole dish, add the rest of the ingredients. mix it around with a fork take a knife or fork and pierce small holes in the chicken, so the marinade can get in the chicken. then place the chicken breasts in the dish. turn the chicken around till all the chicken is covered. cover the dish with plastic wrap and let marinate in the fridge for as long as you have. the longer the better.

When ready, heat a iron skillet and grill chicken. or you can grill outside.

i am serving mine with fresh baked green beans tonight.

perfect summer dinner.

this also makes GREAT leftovers. put the chicken on a salad the next night and you've got two healthy meals in a row. marvelous.

time off

wow~ it's been AWHILE since i have posted. my parents came to visit us for a couple of weeks and now i am back in bama visiting friends and family while my man is in DC for some more training.

i have noticed so many things about the south that i never did before. i think living in the north and midwest for the past 6 months made me look at bama differently.

1. huge trucks with those 7 feet tall antennas. let's be honest. those antennas are just weird.

2. at a restaurant, when you say you want tea, you will get sweet tea unless you specify you want UN sweet tea.

3. women have everything put together. their kids match, they have monogrammed bags and make up on. even at the pool.

4. chicken fingers. everywhere.

i'm loving being here. will post more when i get back home.