Finally some Family Pics!

Our friend was so nice to go out with us and take pictures. He has no photography experience, but he did a great job, and the best part it was free!!! I think they turned out soooo CUTE! Here are some of my favorites.

Lemon pepper chicken and au gratin potatoes

So I have to give a shout out to http://www.modernparentsmessykids.com/ which is where I get many of the meals that make for my family. She has a 6 week calendar of meals with recipes and shopping lists. I don't quite follow it to a T, but my family has come to love many of her meals. Today, I am making a delicious lemon pepper chicken with Au Gratin Potatoes.

Lemon Pepper Chicken:

• 1/4 cup (plus 2 tablespoons, if roasting) EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 lemons, divided
• 3 to 4 cloves garlic, finely grated or pasted
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• Salt
• 1 3- to 4-pound chicken, skin removed and cut in pieces

I just simply put all the ingredients in a zip lock bag, mix, and marinate the chicken for 15 min. before throwing it on the grill. To save time, today I plan on making 3 batches so I can simply freeze 2 more meals of the marinated chicken.

Au Gratin Potatoes

4 russet potatoes, sliced into 1/4 slices

1 onion sliced into rings

salt and pepper to taste

3 T butter

3 T flour

1/2 t Salt 

2 Cups milk

1 1/2 Cups cheese

I always add more cheese and this recipe makes at least a serving size of 4. Preheat oven to 400. Layer all the potatoes on bottom of a 1 qt dish. Then in a saucepan melt butter over medium heat. Add the rest of the ingredients and slowly melt to consistency, leaving the cheese for last. Once the cheese is melted, layer over potatoes, cover with foil and bake for an hr. 

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Happy Halloweenie!!!

Well this is Halloween #2 as a couple, and #1 as a family. I don't think Mr. Skyler really knew what to think of the holiday, and it made me think to myself.... "hmmm... this really is a weird holiday". I mean it's a bunch of people dressing up and asking for candy. Well the good news is, I like candy. So since Skyler isn't old enough to go trick-or-treating yet, we decided to play it low key this yr. and make the big splash next halloween. So I found a simple and cheap outfit for Skyler. He really did look quite adorable for how simple it was. My lil mummy, although he was quite taken back while I was trying to make his mummy legs. Anyhow, we ran some errands, and then when daddy got off work we went and visited some friends, while Daddy and I enjoyed some candy. We also made it to a pumpkin carving patch and saw all the displayed pumpkins carved. And we ended the night at Lindsay and Marty's home watching army of the dead. I won't lie, it was very entertaining. Hooray for our first Halloween as a family!