Mary McDonald

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Ina Garten

So you may or may not have heard of this wonderful lady, Ina Garten (the Barefoot Contessa) on a little network called the Food Network.  All of her recipes and advice are wonderful.  I am new to the Ina love affair (I am ashamed to say).  I don't know what happened, if something changed in her or I, but I can't seem to get enough of her all of a sudden.  All of her dishes are so classic and simple.  And I don't think it'll be much longer before the Mr. starts singing her praise as well.  He mentioned last night all we seem to eat is Mexican food.  And it's true, I could easily live on Mexican food, with an occasional sushi trip, for the rest of my life and never think twice about it.  Anyways, back to Ina.  If you haven't checked her out, well, what is wrong with you?!



Nick & Toni's Penne Alla Vecchia Bettola

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup good olive oil
2 1/2 cups chopped Spanish onion (1 large)
1 tablespoons minced garlic (3 cloves)
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
1 cup vodka
2 (28-ounce) cans whole peeled plum tomatoes, drained*
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3/4 pound penne pasta
2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano leaves, plus extra for serving
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Heat the oil in a large (12-inch) oven-proof sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes, until the onions are translucent. Add the red pepper and dried oregano and cook for 1 more minute. Add the vodka and continue cooking for 5 to 7 minutes, until the mixture is reduced by half.
When the onions are ready, crush each tomato with your hands into the pan. Add 2 teaspoons of salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid and bake for 1 1/2 hours.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 2 tablespoons of salt and the pasta and cook for 11 minutes, or according to the directions on the package. Drain and set aside.
Carefully pour the cooked tomato mixture in a blender in small batches and puree until smooth. Return the tomato mixture to the pan (be careful - the handle is hot!). Add 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 2 tablespoons of the fresh oregano, and the cream and simmer partially covered for 10 minutes. Add the pasta to the sauce and cook for 2 more minutes. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and serve hot sprinkled with extra Parmesan and chopped fresh oregano.

*I had read reviews that it was much easier if you substituted the 28 oz. cans of whole tomatoes for crushed tomatoes.  So I used crushed tomatoes and skipped the blender step.  It still turned out amazing in my opinion.  And as with most sauces, it was better the next day.  So good, go make it! (Sorry I'm being so bossy today!...Okay, maybe I'm not.)



Oh, and make these Ina blueberry muffins too!

The Goods

...because yes, I am that selfish.

1 // Bumble and Bumble Semisumo I have heard nothing but good things about this.

2 // J Crew Gwendolyn Wedges Saw these in the magazine and they look so great on!

3 // Zara Bowling Bag with Zips via Wendy's Lookbook

4 // Vintage Style Grandpa Wing Arm Chair

5 // Panel Print Maillot

6 // Jonathan Adler Mr. & Mrs. Muse Mug

Have a great weekend!

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XO, 

Megan

2013

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It has been a very long time since my last entry.  And of course, so much has changed since I last wrote.  The Mr. has been promoted and this month, has been promoted again.  I couldn't be prouder of him.  He is my daily reminder that hard work really does pay off.  My babies continue to get bigger every day and I have a feeling they will both be in college before I've realized what has hit me.

Maybe it's the fact that I am approaching 30 or the beginning of the new year and all of its resolutions.  Maybe both.  But God has really been working on me and in me for the last several months and I really feel like I'm changing.  I have always had big expectations out of my life and more than ever I've realized that tomorrow isn't promised.  I am by no means old, but I'm not getting any younger.  I guess you could say I have a case of the carpe diem's (Eww, that sounds like "a case of the Monday's."  Please forgive me).  It might also have something to do with the fact that having small children can make you miss your independence and make you think about opportunities you may not have taken advantage of pre-baby.  I hope that isn't misinterpreted.  I wouldn't change a thing and as crazy as they may make me sometimes my little family is my most precious thing on this earth.  

In an attempt to seize the day I am starting my own business.  I've always wanted to run my own business and what better time than now.  I am starting small.  I want to start a business without debt and I want to make sure I do it the right way.  I am excited to see where it goes.

Finally, another thing that God has really been showing me is how to love.  To love others but also to love myself (so cheesy).  Nothing like throwing it all out there in the first post!  I am one of those people that deals with really low self esteem.  And I don't believe it's the way God intended us to live.  It has made me shy all of my life, and the older I get the more it seems to make me socially awkward.  Something I hate terribly and always have.  To top it off I am the queen of overthinking.  I overthink overthinking.  I am filled with doubt most of the time and am tired of standing in my own way.  "What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?"  I keep seeing this quote all over the internet and it has been running through my mind whenever I start to doubt myself.  So, in 2013 my goal is to throw myself out there.  If I fail, so what?  At least I'll know I tried.  So regardless of the fact that I am not the best writer, I do not understand photoshop, at all, and I am no professional photographer I am diving into blogging for round two.  Wish me luck.             

XO, 

Megan

It's finished!

The painting is finished on our house!  It's been a long time coming.  I feel like it makes such a huge difference.  I'll just let it speak for itself.

Here's the front...

No more school house/barn look anymore!  

Of course we are getting ready to update the lighting fixtures, door mat, doorbell, add a bench and update the landscaping.


We were really hesitant to show the before pictures of the back because it was sooo bad.  But I've decided I have to show you because the before and after is so drastic.  Like I said in the last post I'm pretty sure the last time the house was painted they skipped the back and the garage to cut costs.    

Before:

After:

Try not to be jealous of our classy $4 can lighting fixture by the back door.  The back of the house still needs a new lighting fixture, new fence and the patio area needs to be torn out and replaced.  But I think we are off to a good start if I do say so myself.  We love it and couldn't be happier.

The siding is Cityscape by Sherwin Williams (SW 7067).  The doors are painted Naval by Sherwin Williams (SW 6244).

Love,
Meg.

50 Shades of Gray

Yes, I really did just title this blog entry, "50 Shades of Gray".  Am I really the only one that has no desire to read this book?  We are having our house painted and I have spent the last few weeks obsessing over finding the perfect shade of gray in the Sherwin Williams line (I'm a Benjamin Moore girl at heart).  Gray can be extremely difficult.  Both of our girls rooms are painted gray, I think the color was called, "Simply Gray", and they both look like a pale blue.  We wanted a darker gray for the exterior and wanted to try to find the truest gray possible.  My wonderful hubby gave me total design freedom for the first time so the pressure was on.    

Here are the before pictures. 

This is the back.  Look at that jazz.  Horrible.  I'm pretty sure that the last time the house was painted they skipped the back of the house and the garage to cut costs.  You can peel it off with your fingers.

They are finishing up today and then I'll post new pictures.  It's a pretty great transformation if I do say so myself.  I'm excited to show the after pictures!

Love,
Meg.