Hello Pacey

Happy Friday to everyone! I hope you all enjoy the long weekend! Here is a little eye candy to brighten your day! Remember when Joshua Jackson was on Dawson's Creek? and dating Katie Holmes before she got all weird on us and married Tom Cruise? He was always cute in a kind of dorky way. Well not anymore, he is Hot! Diane Krueger is one lucky lady, well except the fact they have been dating like 4 years and he has yet to pop the question, but that's Hollywood! Here are some photos of his new spread in Nuvo Magazine.



PHOTOS: POPSUGAR

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend. Wish me luck as my husband has 5 high school friends all coming to stay in our tiny house this weekend. Normally it would be fine, but the baby definitely makes this situation a little harder! I feel like it is going to be one big fraternity party at my house all weekend. Oh well, boys will be boys:)

9.02.10

Just a quick post to say Happy 90210 day! Man, how I miss that show! I do watch the new version and yes it is sad I am still watching TV shows about high schoolers as I just turned 30 and have now been out of high school for 12 years, but teeny bopper shows are my guilty pleasure. The new version is entertaining but not nearly as good as the original. How can we ever forget the Peach Pit, Nat, "Donna Martin graduates", the Dylan & Kelly & Brenda love triangle, Andrea (I mean I think she was 40 playing a high school student), Steve Sanders, David and the list continues. So tonight I will raise my wine glass in a toast to one of the best TV shows ever!

Trenette with Eggplant and Basil Pesto

I promise I don't eat eggplant that often. I do make my eggplant casserole frequently. However, this recipe came about after watching Giada make this two Saturdays ago on the foodnetwork and then realizing I had an eggplant from the farmers market that was about to go bad. This recipe is super easy and fast to make. The sauteed eggplant have a such a rich flavor and the mixture of cheese and pesto is so yummy! Once again, my girl Giada has not disappointed me with her Italian cooking.
Please excuse my poor quality picture. I am hoping Santa brings me a new Nikon camera this year:)

TRENETTE WITH EGGPLANT AND BASIL PESTO

PESTO-2 PACKED CUPS FRESH BASIL
-1/4 CUP TOASTED PINE NUTS
-1 CLOVE GARLIC
-1/2 TEASPOON SALT, PLUS EXTRA FOR SEASONING
-1/4 TEASPOON BLACK PEPPER
-2/3 CUP EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL
-1/2 CUP GRATED PARMESAN CHEESE

NOTE: I USED STORE BOUGHT PESTO AND IT TURNED OUT GREAT

PASTA
-1 POUND TRENETTE OR OTHER SHORT CUT PASTA
-1/2 GRATED PARMESAN CHEESE, PLUS 1/2 CUP
-1/4 EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL
-1 MEDIUM EGGPLANT CUT INTO 1/2 INCH SQUARES
-SALT AND PEPPER TO TASTE

FOR THE PESTO: IN A BLENDER OR FOOD PROCESSOR, PULSE THE BASIL, PINE NUTS, GARLIC, SALT AND PEPPER UNTIL FINELY CHOPPED. WITH MACHINE RUNNING, GRADUALLY ADD IN THE OIL UNTIL THE MIXTURE IS SMOOTH AND THICK. ADD THE CHEESE AND PULSE UNTIL JUST INCORPORATED. SEASON WITH SALT AND PEPPER TO TASTE.

FOR THE PASTA: BRING A LARGE POT FILLED WITH SALTED WATER TO A BOIL. ADD PASTA AND COOK UNTIL TENDER, ABOUT 8-10 MINUTES. DRAIN AND RESERVE ABOUT 1 CUP PASTA WATER. PUT THE PASTA IN A LARGE BOWL AND TOSS WITH 1/2 CUP PARMESAN CHEESE.

IN A LARGE NON-STICK SKILLET, HEAT THE OIL OVER MEDIUM HIGH HEAT. ADD THE EGGPLANT AND SEASON WITH SALT AND PEPPER TO TASTE. COOK, STIRRING FREQUENTLY UNTIL THE EGGPLANT TURN BROWN, ABOUT 8-10 MINUTES. REMOVE THE PAN FROM THE HEAT AND COOL SLIGHTLY. ADD THE PESTO AND TOSS UNTIL EGGPLANT IS COATED.

ADD THE EGGPLANT MIXTURE TO THE SERVING BOWL WITH PASTA AND TOSS UNTIL ALL INGREDIENTS ARE COATED. THIN OUT THE SAUCE WITH A LITTLE PASTA WATER. SEASON WITH SALT AND PEPPER. SPRINKLE REMAINING PARMESAN CHEESE ON TOP.

YOU CAN PRINT THIS RECIPE HERE

The September Issues

I love magazines. I probably subscribe to about 15 different ones, mostly fashion, cooking, home decor and of course my weekly gossip magazines. For as long back as I can remember I have always loved getting my September fashion issues in the mail. I have been subscribing to magazines for so long that I used to get YM, Mademoiselle and Teen Beat; if you can remember those oldies but goodies! I wouldn't mind flipping through a Teen Beat now to see some pictures of my cougar crush, Zac Efron. Anyways, I have had my pile of September issues stacked and awaiting me to browse through them. I finally got the chance to last night and I was not disappointed- except by the massive amounts of ads. I mean really a good half of the magazines are advertisements now!

My massive stack of magazines to read!

Instyle and Bazaar are usually my two all time favorites. Loved Bazaar with Jennifer Ainston, but I was totally disappointed by Hillary Swank on the cover of Instyle. I mean is she even relevant anymore? Not a huge fan of hers, but enjoyed all of Instyle's fall fashion finds. I also enjoyed Elle with Julia Roberts on the cover and Vogue with Halle Berry. Usually I don't love the articles in those two but definitely love looking at all the gorgeous clothes. Am I the only one who loves magazines this much?

Here are a few of my favorite fall trends:
CAMEL AND GRAY COLOR COMBO

WINTER WHITE

CHUNKY KNITS

MILITARY LOOK

all images: BAZAAR

The Thrill of the Hunt

Normally I am not a Goodwill shopper, which is funny because I enjoy scouring consignment and antique stores for great home finds. After reading Emily A Clark's blog and learning about all the great goodies she has found at Goodwill, I was inspired! My mother-in-law is also a big Goodwill shopper, so when she was in town last week I suggested we check it out. Now trust me when I say most of it is junk. You have to be lucky or have a good eye. Right when we walked in there was a fur coat on a mannequin that had literally been brought in that day. It was in mint condition for $30! I quickly scarfed that up, as I adore faux and real fur (sorry to any PETA lovers). I mean where can you find a real fur coat for that cheap? How fabulous is this jacket going to look with a turtleneck, skinny jeans and boots this fall!



Lately, I had been looking for something to hang Sterling's outfits on above his changing table. I came across this and thought, perfect! Best part it was only $2.95!

Hideous colors, but nothing a can of white gloss spray paint couldn't fix!
This is what it looked like after! Pretty cute I think!


While I won't be shopping at Goodwill everyday, I am now alot more open to the idea of looking for some treasures here! So, next time I go on one of my cleaning sprees and drop my old junk off, I might just pop in and check out other people's old junk!

Our Staycation

As many of you know my hubby was laid off a few weeks ago. The good news is he quickly found a new job, but still had a few weeks of downtime before he started back to work. So we have been having a staycation right here in Charleston. We have been trying to do all local things that we never seem to have the time to do!

First on our list was a visit to Charlestown Landing. The oldest spot in town where the first low country settlers landed in 1670. It was neat, they had a zoo filled with bison, bears, deer, bobcats, and turkeys. Sterling was very intrigued by all the animals. They also had a re-creation of the original settlement and a trading vessel from the era. It was fun minus the swarms of mosquitoes and 105 heat index. I stupidly tried to dress cute in my Rebecca Taylor blouse that was later covered in bug spray and sweat.


This was a cool monument at Charlestown Landing

Matt and Sterling (Matt has clearly sweated through his shirt at this point.)

Me in my cute sweat soaked blouse and sweet baby boy

Next we went to a local Mexican restaurant, La Carreta, to celebrate a friend getting into nursing school. On Friday nights they do free tequila shots, so we all had a very good time!

Sterling loved the mariachi band!

Sterling putting the moves on an older baby, Maggie. We have a flirt on our hands!


Our next local spot was Folly Beach. We live literally 10 minutes from the beach but we never go to just relax! We have never taken Sterling to the beach before and he absolutely loved it!




Finally we ended up on Matt's dad's sailboat at the Ashley Marina downtown. We enjoyed a few beers with a spectacular view. Overall our staycation a success.

Seafood Lasagna

This is another family recipe I am sharing this week. I remember when I was growing up my mother and grandmother would get together, drink wine and make this lasagna. We ate it alot when I was younger but it had been years since I had this lasagna again until Sterling was born. After he was born my mom made us this lasagna and I was like why I have not been making this all these years!! It is so rich and creamy and amazing! We made it a few weeks ago for dinner club and it was a huge hit. Like any lasagna it takes a little time to assemble but it is so worth it. It makes a huge batch so you could make one huge lasagna or two smaller ones and freeze one to save.

Confession- this picture is not the actual lasagna I made (although I am sure you already knew that since the quality of the picture is way better than what my camera produces). It is a random seafood lasagna picture but you get the idea of what it should look like. I forgot to take a picture when I made this for dinner club. But picture or not I promise you are going to love this lasagna! It is filled with seafood and so tasty!
PHOTO: timeinc.net

SEAFOOD LASAGNA
-1 CUP CHOPPED ONION
-2TBSP BUTTER
-1 8OZ PACKAGE CREAM CHEESE
-1.5 CUPS COTTAGE CHEESE
-1 EGG
-2 TSP DRIED BASIL
-1/2 TSP SALT
-1/8 TSP PEPPER
-2 10 3/4 OZ CREAM OF MUSHROOM SOUP
-1/3 CUP MILK
-1/3 CUP WHITE WINE
-1.5 POUNDS SHRIMP COOKED
-8 OZ LUMP CRAB MEAT
-8 LASAGNA NOODLES COOKED
-1/4 CUP GRATED PARMESAN
-1 CUP GRATED SHARP CHEDDAR CHEESE

PREHEAT OVEN TO 350 DEGREES. GREASE A 13X9 OVEN PROOF DISH. SAUTE ONION IN BUTTER UNTIL BROWN. BLEND IN CREAM CHEESE. ADD COTTAGE CHEESE, EGG, BASIL, SALT AND PEPPER. IN ANOTHER BOWL COMBINE SOUP, MILK, WINE AND STIR. ADD IN SHRIMP AND CRAB MEAT. PLACE 4 LASAGNA NOODLES IN THE BOTTOM OF THE DISH. SPREAD 1/2 THE CHEESE MIXTURE AND THEN 1/2 THE SHRIMP MIXTURE. REPEAT LAYERS. SPRINKLE WITH PARMESAN CHEESE AND CHEDDAR CHEESE. BAKE UNCOVERED FOR 45-55 MINS.
THIS DISH CAN BE FROZEN AFTER COOKING.