Music Mondays (one day late) | Dirty Projectors

Today, the new Dirty Projectors album was released.  The album is entitled Swing Lo Magellan, and it. is. wonderful.  If you enjoyed 2009's Bitte Orca, you will find this album well worth the wait!  Here's the video for the single 'Gun Has No Trigger.'  Enjoy the weird loveliness!

Our First Wedding Anniversary

 Today marks my husband's and my first wedding anniversary.  I am so thankful to have this man in my life, especially over the past year.  This day also just makes me want to go back to Colorado and celebrate with our friends and family all over again!  I love you, Garrett.

Nora Ephron, we'll miss you.

I was not suspecting to hear about the death of one of my favorite screenwriters and directors this morning.  It really came as a shock, and my level of sadness (for someone I didn't know personally) surprised me.  It's always sad when celebrities die, but I think I really believed in what Nora was trying to do in life. She entertained the masses, while giving women a very unique voice. And she gave us some of the most memorable and romantic movie quotes of all time, while also being quite the feminist.  She once described her character development this way - "I try to write parts for women that are as complicated and interesting as women actually are."  Nora always seemed to write female characters that every woman I know wanted to be - women who want to create a full life for themselves, but don't always know how to do it AND are usually semi-neurotic. 

 
She also gave some of the best advice possible in a commencement address she once gave.  I absolutely love it!  Here's a nice big excerpt and my favorite part of the speech.  See the entire speech here.

"We have a game we play when we're waiting for tables in restaurants, where you have to write the five things that describe yourself on a piece of paper. When I was your age, I would have put: ambitious, Wellesley graduate, daughter, Democrat, single. Ten years later not one of those five things turned up on my list. I was: journalist, feminist, New Yorker, divorced, funny. Today not one of those five things turns up in my list: writer, director, mother, sister, happy. Whatever those five things are for you today, they won't make the list in ten years -- not that you still won't be some of those things, but they won't be the five most important things about you. Which is one of the most delicious things available to women, and more particularly to women than to men. I think. It's slightly easier for us to shift, to change our minds, to take another path. Yogi Berra, the former New York Yankee who made a specialty of saying things that were famously maladroit, quoted himself at a recent commencement speech he gave. "When you see a fork in the road," he said, "take it." Yes, it's supposed to be a joke, but as someone said in a movie I made, don't laugh this is my life, this is the life many women lead: two paths diverge in a wood, and we get to take them both. It's another of the nicest things about being women; we can do that. Did I say it was hard? Yes, but let me say it again so that none of you can ever say the words, nobody said it was so hard. But it's also incredibly interesting. You are so lucky to have that life as an option.

Whatever you choose, however many roads you travel, I hope that you choose not to be a lady. I hope you will find some way to break the rules and make a little trouble out there. And I also hope that you will choose to make some of that trouble on behalf of women. Thank you. Good luck. The first act of your life is over. Welcome to the best years of your lives." - Wellesley Class of 1996 Commencement Address

We'll miss you, Nora. 

Music Mondays | Vacationer

This past Saturday, I went to see Tennis at Record Bar.  To my pleasant surprise, I really enjoyed the opening band Vacationer.  Openers are often hit or miss - and this band is a hit in my book! 

  Trip by Vacationer

 Oh, and by the way, Tennis is spectacular live!  If you ever have a chance to see them, don't miss out.

Luxe Mountain Weddings

Our wedding from last summer is featured today on Luxe Mountain Weddings!  I never got around to doing many wedding recaps, so this is a great place to see it. I'm glad there are blogs dedicated to mountain nuptials - I absolutely loved the natural, outdoor setting!

Spaghetti Squash with Chicken and Veggies

You may have seen spaghetti squash all over Pinterest lately - I know I had never thought twice about the vegetable before people started posting it as a healthy alternative to pasta.  A couple months ago, I decided to buy one of these mysterious veggies at the grocery store.  Then, I googled how to cook it and threw together a little recipe that ended up being uber tasty and easier than expected!

So, here's the recipe I threw together and have made on pretty regular basis ever since.

Ingredients
Spaghetti Squash - one squash will feed two people easily, but I always cook two so that I have left overs!
Olive Oil
1/2 Yellow Onion, chopped
2 cloves of Garlic, pressed or chopped
1 package of Mushrooms, sliced
2 Tomatoes on the vine, chopped
1 package / bushel of Spinach
2-3 cups of shredded Chicken (previously cooked)
1-2 Tbsp of Butter
Salt and Pepper to taste
Grated Parmesan for topping
 (Feel free to use any veggies you have on hand! These are just the items I had around the kitchen.)

 To cook the squash and get the tastiest results, I prefer baking it in the oven.  But if you are pressed for time, microwaving works too. Here are directions for both methods that I've used:

Microwave
- Pierce the squash in several places with a knife
- Wrap in saran wrap
- Microwave for 10 mins turning the squash every few minutes
- Let squash cool, then cut in half lengthwise and deseed

Oven
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Cut squash in half lengthwise
- Deseed and sprinkle with salt and pepper
- Bake for 30-45 mins until squash is tender

Here is a photo after I baked some squash this past weekend:

 

Now, it's time to prepare all the 'fixins.' First, you want to heat up a few tbsps of olive oil in  rather large pan.  Then, go ahead and saute the chopped onions and garlic in the hot oil for a few minutes until the onions are translucent.

Next, go ahead and add the sliced mushrooms.  These will take about 5-8 minutes to caramelize.

While the mushrooms are cooking, this a good time to pull out the spaghetti squash (as long as it's cooled off!).  To pull the 'spaghetti' out, just use a fork and scrape it along the squash lenthwise.  You'll be suprised how easily it comes apart!  Then, just set it aside for later.

Once your mushrooms are cooked to your liking, then you can go ahead and add the tomatoes.

After the tomatoes have cooked for a minute or two, add the spinach.  Don't worry if it looks like a lot!  The spinach will wilt pretty fast into a quarter of it's original size.  At this point, you can also add a little salt and pepper to the mix.

 
Once the spinach is cooked, add in the shredded chicken.  I just used a rotisserie chicken from the market, and it works really well.  But you can also boil some chicken breast while you are baking the squash, as well!

Make sure the chicken is warmed up and mixed in well with all the 'fixins.' And then, add in the squash you've already shredded and set aside.

Heat up everything together for a few minutes.  Add a little more salt and pepper.  This is where I also add a little pad of butter, but you can also add more olive oil as a healther substitution.  Serve with a little grated cheese and fresh cracked pepper on top! Voila! Healthy and delicious meal!

Enjoy!

Math Nerds Unite!

It's March 14th... which means it's 3/14...which means it's Pi Day.  The annual celebration of the mathematical phenomenon that is Pi.  Apparently, you are supposed to eat pie to celebrate!  Makes perfect sense.  So, I give you the below meme that circulated the internets a few weeks back. 

Happy Pi Day, everyone!  Thanks to ANE News for the reminder :).

Threadsence

I discovered a great new online shopping source I wanted to share called Threadsence!  I purchased the below pieces yesterday - I'll let everyone know how the quality turns out. But there appear to be some great designs at very reasonable prices.

Oh, and for a limited time, the site is offering free shipping for orders over $100 (don't worry, their other shipping fees are rather low if you don't want to spend that much).

Cutout Triangle Necklace, $19

Be Amazed Blazer, $36

Meet Cute Mint Dress, $48

The Lou | Weekend Recap

This past weekend, we took a quick trip across the lovely state of Missouri to visit St. Louis.  This was my first time in this lovely metropolis, and I had a great time thanks to some wonderful recommendations!

Our first stop was, of course, the Gateway Arch!  We traveled all the way to the top and got a great view of the city - I had no idea this was possible before I started researching.  But beware, this little trip up to the top is not for the claustrophobic!  You travel by steel pod (with only 4 foot doors) using some sort of pulley system that is a mix between an elevator, escalator, and maybe a forklift.

Next, we hit up the Central West End area - this is an uppity little area with great food and shopping.  We had brunch at a little spot called Crepes Etc.  I didn't get any photos of our food because I was starving and forgot.  Oopsies!  But, believe you me, this place is delish!  I had a savory crepe filled with sun-dried tomatoes, chicken, goat cheese and topped with gravy. YUM.

Next, we joined the rest of Garrett's family to watch the National Cross Country Championships that his dad and brother were officiating.  Those were some fast people, y'all!  And one guy was running without shoes on in sub-20 degree weather (the wind chills were below zero)! You can probably tell how cold I am in the photos... I was doing my best to use my hubby as a wind blockade.

 

{btw, you can totally see my 'ombre' hair in this photo} 

Following the race, we did a little shopping on the Delmar Loop. Highly recommend!  Then, we headed to a place called The Scottish Arms for dinner.  This restaurant, as alluded to by the name, serves wonderful Scottish fare (think pork, lamb, haggis) and has a huge selection of Scotch. Oh, and all the waiters wear KILTS.  Pretty amazing.

Phew!  We fit a lot into one day!  But I'm glad we made the trip, and I look forward to going back... maybe sometime when it's warmer.

Hope everyone has a lovely Valentine's day!  I'm looking forward to dinner at home with the husbalicious!

Underwater Dogs!

Look at these awesome photos of dogs from underwater by Seth Casteel!  They are spectacular!  Some of the pups look like ferocious sharks, while others look a little more confused like their owners just threw them in.  See more of Seth's work right here.

Hope this gives you a good smile on a Friday!  This weekend, I'm headed to St. Louis for the first time ever.  Can't wait!