Heading to the Chapel

So... my apologies for the massive break in posts, but something VERY exciting happened on my trip home from Germany! Steven proposed!!!! I know I was excited! His proposal was sooo cute and original and made me laugh. So, tonight, while I am preparing fajitas (Steven's grilling the meat!), I figure I would make a quick sharing post with a few of the juicy details. :)

My flight was delayed a whole day, as you remember, by United for "operational issues". Whatever that means. So that apparently screwed up his plans the first time. When I finally did get to the airport, I didn't even have a seat on the plane. I waited and waited until finally, they called me up as one of the last passengers on the plane. Luckily, I got the very last row of people so I had close access to the toilet and I could recline without bothering anyone. I know most people don't like being by the bathrooms, but I think it was perfect. During the flight, my left contact ripped in half and so I spent most of the flight trying to see out of just one eye. When I landed, I had a headache, couldn't see, was exhausted, and very irritated because of my dumb contact. Plus, when I landed, Steven wasn't even at the airport because I couldn't tell him that I had gotten on an earlier plane! So I meandered through security as slow as I could and tried to call him with my P.O.S. Verizon cell phone reception. Couldn't hold a call... typical. But once I walked out of the security, through customs, etc., I found Steven standing there with his face in a massive bouquet of my favorite flowers!

Little did he know that he had gotten this orange and red pollen ALL OVER HIS FACE!  Haha it was great! He was all dressed up with a face full of pollen. I helped him clean it off and we got to his car. He handed me a wooden heart with a night scene he had burnt into the wood with his own wood burner. It said, "Welcome back Michelle!" It was really cute, and apparently the first clue. I couldn't figure it out the entire drive home - probably because I couldn't even see straight. Then he pretends to miss the exit for home and takes me to the lake where we had Valentines Day this year - whole back story to this too. Then he has me close my eyes by the lake, surrounds me in candles, and has me open my eyes to the next two clues - a wooden horseshoe and a mug that he had hand-drawn a bee on. I could NOT for the life of me figure this out. I was getting frustrated because I couldn't figure it out, when lo and behold, a Maryland family comes up and parks their fishing gear, like, five feet away from us. Totally ruined the mood and they didn't even CARE. Also typical. So we move up onto higher ground and then he had to help me out with the clues:

The wooden heart = "Would"
The little wooden horseshoe = "you"
The mug with the bee = "be"
Then he pulls out the ring for = "my wife"

BUT! He pulls it out upside down!!!! It was adorable - he was so anxious about it he pulled it out upside down. :)
Here are a few pictures of the ring though:

Beautiful!! The perfect ring :) So, this past few weeks have been a little crazy notifying friends and family and starting off the craze that is wedding planning. Tonight, though, I am finally kicking the cooking back in gear with simple fajitas. Simple ingredients: tortillas, lettuce chopped up, tomatoes, avocados, cheese, onions, and some chicken on the grill - mix it all together and you have some easy fajitas. Fast, easy, and totally not a big mess in my kitchen. Perfect for the disaster my house is since I am moving. It's pretty ridiculous. I promise to come back and visit with new recipes soon!!

Thank you United!

So happy Tuesday everyone. Mine was happy this morning when I woke up and went running this morning. I was thinking, "Yes, get one more run in before you have to fly into the 105 degree weather in Maryland tonight." You see, I was supposed to fly home to Maryland tonight at 5 p.m. The transition had already happened in my brain! I was switched from relaxing, enjoyable, cool-weathered Germany, to the month of busy work I have cut out for me back in Maryland. Plus, I was all excited to be back home with Steven and the puppies. HOWEVER... for the first time ever, United let me down!

"Operational" delays have pushed my flight until tomorrow morning. I was hoping to have to wake up at 4:30 in the morning to fly all day. That sounds like the perfect day to me. Thanks United, you made my dream come true. So Maryland, we will see each other tomorrow. I am determined to make you fun to live in.

For today's recipe, I found a little twist on chicken that my family loved! From Taste of Home once again (notice a trend here?) comes Lemon-Sage Chicken. I made it when I first arrived here in Germany, and it was a big hit. It takes a little while - but it's not an all day thing. Maybe took me an hour and a half? I don't remember... not too terribly difficult though.

Lemon-Sage Chicken

Their pictures look so beautiful - when I remember to take pictures of my results, I will put them up instead!

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1/4 c. grated Parmesan and Romano cheese blend
• 1 Tbsp. minced parsley
• 1 tsp. dried basil
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. pepper
• 1/2 c. all purpose flour
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil

SAUCE

• 2 Tbsp. chopped shallot
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 c. white wine - I used orange juice as a little sub and it turned out!
• 4-1/2 tsp. lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley
• 1 tsp. dried sage leaves
• 1 tsp. grated lemon peel
• 1/2 c. heavy whipping cream
• 3 Tbsp. cold butter, cubed

Flatten chicken to 1/2 inch thickness. In a small bowl, combine eggs, cheese, and seasonings. Place flour in another shallow bowl. Coat chicken in flour, then dip in egg mixture.

In a large skillet, brown chicken in oil in batches. Transfer to a greased 15 in. x 10 in. x 1 in. baking pan. Bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees for 15-20 min. or until a meat thermometer reads 170.

In drippings, saute shallot until tender. Add garlic and cook 1-2 min. longer. Add wine, lemon juice, herbs and lemon peel. Cook over medium heat until liquid is reduced by half. Add cream and cook until thickened, stirring occasionally. Stir in butter just until melted - I used a little less butter than they recommend. Serve sauce with chicken. Voila! 

It was tasty. :)