Chicken Souvlaki and A Backyard Transformation

Hello blog readers. Thanks for tuning in even though I haven't had a blog post in quite some time now. I've taken on an albatross of a project that is my backyard transformation which I'll tell you about in just a bit. We started our backyard project by getting rid of our old rickety BBQ grill and replacing it with a sparkling brand new one. And as promised, I've got a grill recipe for you.

I found a Chicken Souvlaki recipe {here} and it couldn't have been easier. The chicken came out tender and flavorful. The whole family enjoyed it served with a side of roasted potatoes sprinkled with a bit of Feta cheese. My husband however did chomp on a wee piece of under cooked meat so I threw the skewers back on the grill for a few more minutes and everyone was happy again. {I never said I was a master at grilling.} Minor salmonella scare -- we're all okay. But don't let my little mishap frighten you away from trying this recipe. Sometimes I say too much and probably should have left that little tidbit out -- just keep'n it real folks, just keep'n it real.

Moving on. . .

I picked the Green Leaf lettuce from my garden.

I washed it right up and now look at it. I'm not a Gardener so anything that actually grows and then becomes edible is a huge cause for celebration.

Here is the "before" picture of my garden. It actually looked a lot worse but I forgot to take pictures of all the weeds and grass that occupied this space before I planted the flowers.

I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing so I'm just buying plants that I think have good staying power. I also bought a trellis and rich dark mulch. I didn't know what kind of mulch to buy, I just followed a couple at Home Depot who were loading bags and bags of this stuff into their cart. I figured if it was good enough for them then, why not. They looked like garden people too so I figured I couldn't go wrong.

Now my garden looks like this. I should probably pick that Kale soon don't you think?

I planted herbs and placed them at the backdoor in hopes that I'll someday be able to just step outside and take in the aroma of the peppermint and lemon balm. Only time will tell.

These chairs have been with us for about 12 years and now I'm finally getting around to giving them some love and attention. I've painted them a pretty coastal blue to give our backyard that beach feel. I also went to Cost Plus and purchased cushions and an umbrella {they were having a huge sale}. We're still waiting on our dining table from Home Depot -- I can't wait for that sucker to arrive.

I'll be sure to post images of our new backyard soon.

Happy Independence Day!!!