Nothing says “spring time” more to me than fresh flowers and the smell of a bbq grilling some chicken. The moment the weather turns warm my family and I cannot wait to take a trip to our local home center to buy some flowers. I immediately plant them to instantly brighten up the exterior of the house; then we fire up the old grill! I’ll get to the chicken part in a bit…
The same goes for inside the house. I like to brighten up each room with fresh fun colors to really emulate the season. In the fall, I bring in rich oranges and reds. In the spring, I love bright fun pops of color.
Here is my dilemma…we have 2 dogs and 2 kids. If you live in a home with such wear and tear you know that anything you put on the floor will not last. It simply cannot take the beatings from mashed goldfish, dog bones and other unknowns. I need something durable and washable…washable as in “throw it in the washer and come back later” washable. To me, Hand Washing means ‘no washing.’
That’s when they came to me…these beautiful, bright, fun, flowery, (dare I say) trendy little pieces of art for my vanilla kitchen — Poppy Parade.
Okay, I even love the name, but the best part: It comes in three sizes! One half circle, or slice, that fits perfectly in front of my sink and catches the spills from my husband’s attempts at doing dishes…which is a truly rare event, but lets pretend it happens a lot. A second catches the spills from our stove…I cook, but never said I was a neat chef. And, a third big rug serves as a dog bed in front of our fridge. (See Marley modeling this below. I didn’t even have to call her in for the shot. She figured when I laid the rug down that I, mom had bought her a new bed…of course.) The best part? They LAST!
BEFORE:
This shows my pantless kiddo scooting across the cold tile floor…nothing says we need rugs more than cold tile floors!
And AFTER:
I have to say, I’m totally in love with these rugs. They make the room HAPPY, like a parade makes you happy! Now I see total validity in the name of the rug! I LOVE POPPY PARADE!
So, back to the chicken. One of my family’s favorite chicken recipes for the spring and summer is one we call “Citrus Chicken.” It’s light, fresh, super easy, and screams spring to me every time we eat it! We absolutely love this recipe, so I just have to share it with our readers…don’t tell my dad I shared his secret recipe, ok?? Did I mention its super easy?
“Citrus Chicken”
3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup Fresh Lime Juice
1/2 cup Fresh Lemon Juice
1/2 cup Fresh Orange Juice
1/2 cup Olive Oil
4 cloves of garlic minced or mashed
2 ts Coarsley ground black pepper
3 crushed bay leaves
3 tb freshly chopped cilantro
Mix all ingredients together in a shallow wide mixing bowl or ziploc. Add Chicken, and Marinate 1-2 Hours. Grill brushing marinade on chicken 2-3 times throughout cooking.
Hungry yet??
Marinade can also be used on salmon, tuna, or shrimp, but reduce marinating time to 30 min on seafood so citrus does not “cook” the fish.
Serve with asparagus and a fresh salad or any other fresh veggies of the season. This Citrus Chicken is certainly one of the many reasons why I love Spring!
RECAP: 1) buy Poppy Parade at Kohls.com Here. 2) Cook citrus chicken. 3) Relax and delight in the season. Enjoy!
