Friday, July 30, 2010

Glee and Rocky Horror Collide!

As many in the blogosphere may have heard, one of my favorite shows, Glee, is planning to do a Rocky Horror episode in the upcoming season!
I am absolutely turned inside-out with... glee! Antici...pation! (And other puns, etc.) I simply cannot wait to see what such a creative show does with one of my favorite movies! My hope is that they cast Puck as Dr. Frank-N-Furter. As soon as I heard, the Kiss number and how much Puck seemed to enjoy being made up to the extreme popped into my head!
In regards to other casting choices, I would be fairly content with whomever they (i.e. Ryan Murphy) so chooses. I hope they don't take the obvious choice and cast Artie as Dr. Scott, though. There should be plenty of wheelchairs left from Proud Mary that would let someone else play the role!
And, above all, this had better be epic. Not that I'm really worried. It is Glee, after all!

Friday, July 23, 2010

Maggy London Dress

I recently went shopping at a local consignment boutique, Karen's Kloset West, and found this gem of a dress for a great price! I snatched it up because, miracle of miracles, it was my size and fit perfectly! Now, of course, I need the perfect accessories to go with it. I've been looking online at some different options and wanted the blogosphere's opinion!



The dress! The color is called "absynthe" which is so perfect. I can't wait to wear it! I've been thinking about silver shoes. Here are the ones I've found that I like the most:




These are cute and not too high. They almost look like ballroom dancing shoes (and they're cheap!)




These are gorgeous. Then again, when has Ralph Lauren ever made something that's not gorgeous?




These might be my favorites, partly because Nine West has always been a favorite brand of mine, and partly because they're a heel rather than a sandal and they're a bit darker. If I wanted to wear the dress into the fall, they might work better. Would they be too dark for summer, though?


And now for the jewelry! I'm thinking a big statement necklace would look good and help accentuate that great neckline!



Anthropologie never lets me down. This necklace would be a great piece!





This gorgeous piece is a bit more on the economical side, from Forever 21. I like the off-set style a lot!


So what do you guys think? I'm hoping to get the ensemble put together soon so Mike and I can go on a date! :)

Monday, July 12, 2010

Many thanks to Pioneer Woman!

Oh, Pioneer Woman, you are eternally amazing. You find and/or create the most wonderful recipes and I am forever grateful!
Today I am using the Ryan's Bolgonese Sauce that she raved about. She was oh, so right.
Guest starring in this post is the kitchen of my good friends David and Meredith. Thanks so much, guys!

Mmm just think, these ingredients are going to create amazingness in just a little while!



I improvised and used shallots instead of red onion since the onion I purchased went moldy in 3 days. (Side note: who knew onions got moldy?) I also used butter since I forgot to bring olive oil.



I cheated and purchased a bag of grated carrots because a. it's so easy and b. it's wayyyy less messy!



Browning the ground beef. Delicious, raised by a family friend, locally butchered ground beef!



Post-tomato paste. The carrots looked like unmelted cheese to me at this point.



Adding the red wine. This added an amazing depth of flavor to the sauce. Such a good ingredient.



Letting the flavors meld. Mmm mmm good!



A better picture with less steam.



After adding the garlic and Worcestershire sauce. Oh my gosh, it smelled amazing!



Added some Parmesan cheese which made it even more delicious.



Amazing! God bless you, Pioneer Woman and Pioneer Woman's friend Ryan!


Here's the dirty details:


1/2 cups olive oil
1 1/2 cups grated carrots
1 whole large red onion, chopped (Like I said, I used shallots. About 3, I think)
2 pounds ground beef
2 Tbsp dried oregano
2 Tbsp dried basil flakes
6 oz tomato paste
5 cloves garlic, minced (Trust me, this is the just-right amount.)
1-2 cups red wine (I used 1 1/2 ish)
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
28 oz canned whole tomatoes
1 cup milk
salt and pepper, to taste
fresh Parmesan cheese

1. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or skillet over medium heat. Add carrots and onions and cook for a few minutes. Add the ground beef and cook until brown.
2. Add oregano and basil. After ground beef is mostly browned, add tomato paste and heat through. Add garlic and stir to combine.
3. Add red wine and Worcestershire and stir. Add tomatoes and milk, letting simmer 30 minutes-2 hours. Serve with pasta and Parmesan.

I made it with penne which is kind of weird, but it was what I had on hand. I didn't let it simmer very much longer than 30 minutes, but the longer the better with this, I think. Bon appetit!