Domesticating.

One thing that Sean and I absolutely looooooove to do is entertain. We are always planning some kind of fun outing or party at our loft, because we have the most fun when we are making our friends happy. Last night, we had three of our close friends over for a small dinner party. This is a big deal, because within the past year I've really been branching outside of my comfort zone by experimenting in the kitchen. I've always been pretty good at baking, but up until recently the only ''meals'' I could make came right out of a box or a soup can. I was starting to worry that when Sean went away on business trips, our future children would be stuck eating frozen pizza and cereal. Not that I don't love pizza and cereal (two of my favorite foods!)... but I need to learn how to cook actual meals.

Last night I baked a very popular dish in our house. It doesn't really have a name, so we usually refer to it as a ''healthier'' version of Baked Spaghetti. And I use the term healthier very loosly. It's absolutely delicious (I can't wait to eat the leftovers for lunch!)

It's a pretty easy thing to make, and it only takes about 30 minutes to prepare. But, it's a good recipe for newbies, because there are a lot of steps and different things that need to be done -- so it's a good way to practice multitasking in the kitchen, and it's also a pretty hard dish to screw up.

What you will need:

• We always buy frozen chicken strips, and for this recipe I use about 6 (if you have chicken breasts, then use about 3)
• 1 bottle of Italian Vinaigrette Dressing
• Spices -- I always use Italian Seasoning, Basil, and Rosemary or Parsley (about 1 TBS of each)
• 2 TBS Garlic
• 2 TBS Pesto
• 1 Box of Whole Wheat Pasta
• Mozzarella Cheese

Directions:

[01] Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

[02] Boil a pot of water on the stove, and cook pasta

[03] While pasta is being prepped, start to thaw the chicken and then cut the chicken into cubes

[04] Once the pasta is cooked, drain & set to the side

[05] On a skillet, add 4 TBS Italian Dressing and cook chicken until no longer raw

[06] In a small bowl, mix together 2/3 of the bottle of Italian Dressing and add pesto, garlic, and spices

[07] Add pasta to the chicken on the skillet, add the Italian Dressing mixture, and stir for 3-5 minutes on medium heat

[08] Add mixture to a casserol dish and add mozzarella cheese to taste (I use the whole bag!)

[09] Place into the over for 15 minutes, or until the cheese is fully melted

[10] E N J O Y!!!!!

serving size: 6



I like to make what I call ''ghetto garlic bread'' with any pasta dish (Sean argues that this isn't realy ghetto and that most people do this... not just my family growing up) -- all you do is take bread of any kind and add butter, garlic, and oregano. It's delish.

Sean also insists that we have a vegetable with every meal (and thanks to  him I'm actually starting to LOVE our veggie sides!) I used broccoli with this dish, but I think green beans or brussel sprouts would also go well.

And for dessert, I made sugar cookies the night before. Nothing special, just the typical recipie that you can find several versions of online. If you can't tell by the picture, I like extra sprinkles :)

We really, really love eating this version of baked spaghetti! Let me know if you try it, or if you have any other recipies that are great for beginners!

Weekend Recap

This weekend was pretty fun, especially because it seemed like the perfect balance of hanging out with our group of friends and spending time together, just the two of us.

Yesterday was my first day eating raw, and to my surprise it wasn't awful! It was actually really enjoyable! I went to the grocery on Friday and spent around $150 on fruit and veggies, which I'll be honest really really stressed me out. But after I got home, I was really happy with how colorful and healthy our refrigerator looked! Sean and I had Salsa Mole for a late lunch/early dinner. . . and we are both hooked!

We added hot sauce to the recipe along with some extra veggies, which was pure genius. I ate mine in a giant cabbage leaf like a wrap, and Sean added grilled chicken to his. See our recipe here :-)

Saturday we ran errands. . . but they were fun errands! We are going to a conference for Sean's work on Thursday (whoop whoop! 3 day work week!), so he wanted to buy some new dress shirts and slacks. These things are always really fancy, so we try to hide the fact that we're the only people in the room who aren't loaded. (best part? open bar ;-)

While Sean was busy picking out clothes and a new pair of shoes, I was on the hunt for my birthday dress! Every year I like to treat myself to something new to wear at my party, and this year was no different. I actually came out of Urban with two dresses. . . and I would normally feel bad about spending that much money, but my wardrobe needs a serious update and I'm going to wear one of them to dinner while we're at Sean's conference.

The Birthday Dress -- I've been drooling over this one for a while now (I got it in blue)

I also picked out this beauty. Also in blue.

Saturday night we hung out for a few hours at a friend's house and then went to our favorite bar in the West End, The Beach House. We usually stay downtown on Saturday nights, so it was nice for a change in atmosphere. We go here every Thursday night for happy hour, so it was fun seeing our waitresses (yes OUR waitresses, haha we're regulars!) for an extra night and being able to hang out without having to worry about work the next day. We left at 2am after last call and I had my last meal as a ''normal person'': Taco Bell. Words cannot describe how good those soft tacos taste early in the morning!!!!!!!! Sean and I got home around 4am (I NEVER stay out this late! And I was the DD so I was sober. . . not sure how I didn't fall asleep!) and we slept in on Sunday until about 1. It was awesome.

Also, we decided to stay in our PJ's yesterday. . . we haven't done this in a while and it just needed to happen. We watched the ENTIRE mini series of The Kennedy's and Katie Holmes stole the show as Jackie! I can see why the History Channel didn't want to play it, because it's not 100% historically accurate, but it was still good enough to capture our attention for over 4 hours! After this we watched Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, because let's be honest. . . we all know the ending of JFK's presidency and we needed something easy to laugh at ;-)

Hope you had a great weekend, too!