Here Comes the Bride Updated

Okay guys, I need some help/advice. I need to start thinking about the little details of the ceremony.

Question #1 - What song to play when I walk down the aisle? I don't want to do the traditional but I also don't want anything too crazy. Suggestions?

Questions #2 - We have decided not to do the unity candle or the sand during the ceremony but I would like something to do other than just saying our vows. Suggestions?

Thanks in advance.

Now moving on to something I do know...the cake.

I've finalized the design and flavors. Below is a picture that is similar to the design except the top is going to have two green apples made of marzipan.

Chicken Milanese with Spring Greens and Browned Butter Orzo

So #2 recipe from Cooking Light was a huge hit! This magazine could be my new favorite. They have a great section called "Dinner Tonight," it comes with a grocery list cut out and all the meals are fast and easy. How good does that picture look? Is your mouth watering yet?

Ingredients (don't be intimidated...I promise its easy)
3/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon minced shallots
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Dash of sugar
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts cutlets
1/3 cup dry breadcrumbs
4 tablespoons of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 egg white, lightly beaten
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
5 teaspoons olive oil
2 cups packed spring mix salad greens
2 lemon wedges
1 tablespoon of butter
1/2 cup orzo pasta
1 teaspoon of chives, chopped
2 tablespoons of white wine
1 1/4 cups chicken broth

1. Combine lemon juice, white wine vinegar, shallots, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and sugar. Let stand for 15 minutes.
2. Combine breadcrumbs and 2 tablespoons of Parmigiano cheese in a shallow dish. Pour flour in a shallow dish. Pour beaten egg white into a shallow dish.
3. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour, dip in egg white, then dredge in breadcrumb mixture. Place chicken on a wire rack and let stand for 5 minutes.
4. While the chicken rests, melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat for 4 minutes or until browned. Add 1/2 cup of orzo; cook for 1 minute. Add 2 tablespoons of white wine; cook over medium-high heat for 1 minute. Add 1 1/4 cups of chicken broth. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 13 minutes.
5. Now back to the chicken, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook for 3 minutes. Turn chicken over and cook for 3 more minutes.
6. Add 2 teaspoons of olive oil and 1/8 teaspoon of pepper to the shallot mixture, combine with a whisk. Add the spring greens and toss until coated.
7. Once the orzo has cooked, stir in 2 tablespoons of grated Parmigiano cheese. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of chives.

Grilled Balsamic Skirt Steak

Anyone read Cooking Light? Well Chad recently ordered this magazine for us...maybe he was trying to tell me something? Anyways, I saw this recipe in the latest edition and gave it a try the other night. I will definitely be making this one again.
Grilled Balsamic Skirt Steak with Sauteed Baby Spinach and Tomato-Vidalia Blue Cheese Salad
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
2 Tbs Worcestershire Sauce
2 tsp dark brown sugar
2 Tbs minced garlic
1 pound skirt steak, trim the fat off and cut into 4 pieces
salt
pepper
butter
10 oz. package of fresh baby spinach
2 pints of grape tomatoes
blue cheese crumbles
1 Vidalia onion
White wine vinegar


Got all the ingredients? Alright good, lets get cooking!

1. Combine the balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, and 1 Tbs of minced garlic in a large ziplock bag. Add the steak and marinate at room temperature for 25 minutes.


2. Heat a large grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle both sides of the steak with salt and pepper. Once pan is hot, cook steaks 3 minutes on each side or until desired doneness. Remove steak from pan and cover with foil. Allow the steak to set for 5 minutes before slicing.

3. For the Tomato-Vidalia Blue cheese salad start by combining 1 tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil, 1 1/4 teaspoon of white wine vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt, and 1/8 teaspoon of pepper. Toss with 2 1/2 cups of grape tomatoes cut in half and 1/3 cup of diced Vidalia onion. Sprinkle with 3 tablespoons of crumbled blue cheese.

4. For the sauteed spinach, start by melting 2 teaspoons of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of minced garlic, cook 1 minute. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Gradually add 10 oz. of fresh baby spinach. Cook for 1 minutes or until spinach is wilted, tossing frequently.

The Great Flood of 2010....Part 2

I'm still completely amazed at the amount of damage Nashville has sustained over the past couple of day. This image below is taken at the Opryland Hotel. I have visited this hotel many times and we often take visiting guest here for a delicious Sunday Brunch. The chairs we once sat on are now floating around.

When I returned to work on Tuesday I found out several of my co-workers had lost everything and one of my patients had lost her home as well.

If you are interested in volunteering to help in the recovery process please go to Hands on Nashville ( www.hon.org )

If you would like to donate to the recovery process please go to the Red Cross (www.nashvilleredcross.org)

Here is another video I snapped on Sunday. This is nothing compared to what the Cumberland River did but this small stream lifted up huge chunks of asphalt and made this bridge almost unusable.

Pork Chops in Honey-Mustard Sauce

Ingredients
2 bone-in center-cut loin pork chops
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup Dijon mustard

1. Sprinkle pork chops with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork, cook for 5 minutes on each side. Remove pork from pan.
2. Add wine, honey, and mustard to pan. Bring to a boil. Cook for 3 minutes.
3. Return chops to pan, reduce hear and simmer for 12 minutes, turn pork after 6 minutes.

Banana Bread

If you have any smelly/brownish looking bananas around, then I have a recipe for you!

I was trapped at home after the Great Flood of 2010 and found myself staring at 4 rotting bananas every time I opened the pantry door. So I decided that if life gives you rotten bananas, make banana bread.

Banana Bread
1. Start by preheating your oven to 350.
2. Grease and flour a loaf pan.
3. In a large bowl, mix 1 1/2 cups of vegetable oil, 2 1/2 cups of sugar, and 3 eggs. Make sure this is mixed together very well.
4. In another large bowl, mix 3 cups of self-rising flour, 3/4 tsp. salt, 6 Tbs of melted butter, 6 Tbs of buttermilk.
5. Slowly mix the flour mixture into the oil/sugar/egg mixture.
6. Lightly fold in 1 1/2 cups of mashed banana.
7. Pour into loaf pan. FYI this makes enough for 2 loaf pans.
8. Bake at 350 for 45min to 1 hour. Check occasionally with a toothpick for done-ness (is that a word?)

* If you don't have self-rising flour you can use 3 cups of all purpose plus 1 tsp. of baking soda
* If you don't have buttermilk you can mix 6 Tbs. of milk with 1/4 tsp. vinegar
* If you wanted to add some nuts or chocolate chips into the mixture that would be great as well

The Great Flood of 2010

I've been stuck in the house since about 2:00 yesterday. I'm going crazy! Chad is going crazy. Even Marley is going crazy...okay not really, he is oblivious to everything and just sleeps and eats as usual. The internet has been down and I started having the shakes from my lack of blogging, facebooking, and browsing Perez Hilton. Thankfully our house is nice and dry but the neighborhood and the rest of Nashville is not. A house was floating down the interstate if that tells you anything. I caught a break in the storm and went out with my flip camcorder to check out the damage. This video is of a small, small, small little stream that runs through the back of our house and through the neighborhood. Again this stream is usually really small.