Scooby Doo

Top - Anthropologie; Pants - Anthropologie; Shoes - Anthropologie

Date: Wednesday, November 30, 2011

As a child, The Mysteries of Scooby Doo was one of my favorite cartoons. I loved Shaggy and Scooby AKA "Scoob." Every now and then, I think about the old cartoon's phrases like "wowzers" or "jinkies," which takes me back. Today - the ultimate flare on these pants and neon orange top reminded me of old Scoob, and I love it!

Roller Set Video

I posted a new video to YT - it's a Hair how-to, how I get my lovely roller set styles. Also, I somehow made YT partner...click here to visit my channel. Enjoy!

Swiper No Swipey

Top - Anthropologie; Blazer - Anthropologie; Pants - BR; Shoes - Blonde Ambition via Haute Look

Date: Tuesday, November 29, 2011

I'm not a huge fan of plaid, but I must admit that I love gingham patterns. Every now and then, a "true plaid" pattern makes its way into my closet, and I'm surprised that I like it as much as I do. This blazer is that sneaky little pattern for me. It's sneaky like Swiper from Dora the Explorer...ok, maybe not..I just needed to find a connection between my outfit with the post title. Done and done!

Black Friday


Sweater - Anthropologie; Skirt - Anthrpologie; Shoes - Urban; Belt - Urban

Date: Monday, November 28, 2011

First, can I just mention how much I have been LOVING the weather. Seriously - high 60's in November? I am loving it, and totally taking advantage of it - bare legs are proof! This skirt was one of my few Black Friday finds for myself. I did a lot of shopping for Naja - the child is growing like weeds! Hope you all had some fun shopping expeditions, and enjoyed the Thanksgiving time with your loved ones!

Baked Eggs and Beans on Toast

Have you ever had baked eggs? I hadn't until I cooked this meal. In fact, I didn't even know people baked eggs. Apparently they do - and they turn out to be a beautiful and tasty dish. I loved the fact that this was served with a fresh grape tomato salad. When tomatoes are in season - they pack so much flavor!

Baked Eggs and Beans on Toast
Adapted from Food Network Magazine, November 2011 Issue
Serves 4


Ingredients
2       tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
½       small onion, chopped
1       tablespoon tomato paste
2       tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1       tablespoon honey mustard
2       teaspoons Worcestershire sauce or steak sauce
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2       15-ounce cans navy beans (1 undrained; 1 drained and rinsed)
8       large eggs
4       thick slices crusty bread
2       cups halved grape tomatoes
¼       cup chopped fresh parsley

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 375°. Heat 1½ tablespoons olive oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until golden, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, 1 more minute. Stir in the vinegar, honey mustard, Worcestershire sauce, ½ cup water, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer, then add the beans, plus the liquid from one of the cans. Cook until the beans are soft, about 5 more minutes.
2. Make eight indentations in the bean mixture and crack an egg into each. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and transfer to the oven. Bake until the egg whites are set, 10 to 14 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brush the bread with olive oil on both sides and toast in the skillet, 1 minute per side. Toss the tomatoes, parsley, the remaining ½ tablespoon olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste in a bowl. Divide the toast among plates; top each with 2 eggs, some beans and the tomato salad.

Spaghetti with Sausage-Mushroom Sauce

Food Network Magazine delivered again, with a quick weekday meal. This meal has a different take on classic spaghetti by using tomato paste, mushrooms and sausage. I used Tofurky Italian style, which packs a lot of flavor, including some additional heat. If you decide to use a regular sausage, I would advise to add some red pepper flakes for additional heat - it really made the dish flare. I made this for my family (dad and brother included), and this was surely a dish where meat was not missed!

Spaghetti with Sausage-Mushroom Sauce
Adapted from Food Network Magazine, November 2011 Issue



Ingredients
Kosher salt
12      ounces spaghetti
3       teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
2       Tofurky Italian sausage, chopped into quarter inch pieces
1       8-ounce package sliced mixed mushrooms
Freshly ground pepper
3       tablespoons tomato paste
1       teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
¼       cup heavy cream
Shredded parmesan cheese, for topping (optional)

Directions
1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook as the label directs. Reserve ½ cup cooking water, then drain.
2. Meanwhile, heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
3. Add the remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil to the skillet and increase the heat to medium high. Add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and cook until lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and rosemary and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Return the sausage to the skillet, then add the cream and 1 cup water; bring to a gentle simmer and cook until slightly thickened, 8 to 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Add the spaghetti to the skillet and toss with the sauce, adding some of the reserved cooking water to loosen, if needed. Top with shredded parmesan, if desired.

Wham-bam!


Shirt - J. Crew Factory; Sweater - J. Crew Factory; Jeans - J. Crew; Shoes - J. Crew; Necklaces - Anthro, Gifts

Date: Monday, November 21, 2011

WHAM-BAM! Today I'm giving you outfit pictures in good lighting!!! Since I recognized that I already go through "trying on" and "picking out" outfits on the weekend. I told myself, I may as well go ahead and take pictures of them on the weekend too. Thus, I give you outfits, and good lighting, not from the actual day I'm wearing them - but I promise to only post pics of outfits I actually end up wearing. I get to wear jeans in the office due to the short week. It's a nice change from my business casual look as of late.

PS - Can I just say that these shoes are leopard, patent and oxfords - some of my favorite things wrapped into one!

Outfit Update


Dress - J. Crew; Shirt - J. Crew; Tights - J. Crew; Boots - Aldo; Necklace - Anthro

Date: Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Ok guys, I'm the worse blogger ever right now. My pictures are lackluster, my posting is inconsistent. It's killing me, it truly is, because blogging is one of the only things that I do for me, that I truly enjoy. I *hope* that I can get my regular schedule back starting next week. I have a ton of food posts I have yet to post, so I'll post some of those too. However, here's an outfit that I debated whether/not to post due to the picture quality. Whatever - it's posted now. I'm finally getting my mojo and a set schedule, so I hope to find a way to allow blogging to work with everything else. I hope you all are well!

Milk-Friendly Feature!

Hello Everyone,

This weekend, the lovely Maryam of Milk Friendly featured me on her blog! Maryam's blog is an awesome site for moms, regardless if you're nursing or not. There's lots of information on caring for your little one, and maintaining your sass and style as a woman. In my feature, I share some of my tips for nursing, working moms - some things that I haven't shared here before. Click here to check out the post. Thanks for the feature Maryam!



Peace,
Monique

Feature in Natural Bloom

Hey Ya'll,

If you didn't catch it, the third issue of Natural Bloom is out! I'm honored to be featured again! The Lovely Chai is the gorgeous face on the front. It really is a wonderful publication. Thank you to Jc for giving more bloggers a venue to tell our story!


Peace,
Monique

Lost Focus

I finally did it - I got a hair cut. Really, it's more of a hair shaping, and I love it. It ias exactly what I needed to channel my version of a Bad @ss Afro.


I know this picture is blurry, but I thought it still captured my fro's essence. I have no complaints about my hair for once, and I'm on Day 4 now. #winning.

If you're wondering about the cut, I went to a Deva Curl stylist at Modern Concepts Salon in Ashburne, VA named Alexa. She was not black, however she did have curly hair, and she knew what she was talking about. Those Deva Curl stylists know textured hair, Taren got her hair cut by one in NY, and she also did a very good job (click here to watch). I went to the salon with a fresh chunky twist-out. She cut my hair in its twist-out state (dry). She took about 4 inches off in the very back, and cut ~2 inches on the sides, and pieces here and there. She didn't charge me, because the amount she cut was minimal. However, it's crazy how much of a difference a couple of inches can make to a shape. I would definitely recommend her.

Squash and Spaghetti

I've been cooking a lot more now than I did when I lived in Philly. I cook at least three times a week, and it is WORK! The lack of time sometimes takes the joy out of cooking, but I do look forward to a different meals across the weeks.

Also, I've been picking meals with minimal cutting and cooking time recently, because my time during the week is so precious. I don't have hours to enjoy cooking like I did before. Besides slicing the squash - this is pretty quick. I added a 'Quick Meals' label below for recipes that I definitely think work well during the week. They normally have minimal ingredients, or a handful of common ones, so they're not only tasty - but cost-effective also. Oh - and as for this dish, it was delicious. My brother text me and said something like, "Can I have some of your pasta? If you don't text me back, I'll eat it anyway..." Needless to say, this was enjoyed by all.

Squash and Spaghetti
Serves 4
Adapted from Market Vegetarian by Ross Dobson


Ingredients
1 butternut squash, thinly sliced
14 oz. angel hair pasta
10-12 sage leaves
2 cloves garlic
1 tbs olive oil
Pecorino Romano (optional)

Directions
Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add the butternut squash to pan and cook until tender, but not yet breaking up, 5-6 minutes. SS: It took me closer to 10 minutes to get the squash cooked through to where it was just starting to break. Add garlic, and cook for another minute. Remove pan from heat, add sage and let the flavors develop. Cook pasta according to directions. Add the pasta to the pan and mix. SS: The squash should break up on its own if you've cooked it enough. Sprinkle shredded pecorino romano on top.

Naja's 1st Halloween

I haven't updated you all on my little bear in quite a while. I thought Halloween would be a perfect venue to show off some pictures of my little one. Guess what Naja was for Halloween...


Yep - a sunflower - or some sort of flower! She looked absolutely even more adorable in person! I brought her into my office for a Halloween party with my co-workers and their families...and she didn't like it. Naja is not a fan of strangers crowding around her (and I don't blame her)! They can look - but they CANNOT CROWD! She cried, and wailed both at my office party, and when my mom took her out on Halloween. It was short-lived in terms of pictures during the actual festivities, so I took some pictures in the privacy of our home - where she's much more pleasant.


In other news - Naja is probably teething now. Her mouth is JUICY!!! She also is doing very-well with her hand-eye coordination, considering that her fist is ALWAYS in her mouth now. She can prop herself up very well - she's a strong little bear. Additionally, she seems to enjoy hanging out and dancing with mommy. On the weekends, I don't watch TV, but I do play a lot of music, and dance like nobody is watching. Naja joins in, moving her arms and legs when she's sitting in her chair, and I hate to admit it, but she's much better than me ;) - ha! You should see her dougie - hilarious! *I feel the need to get a portable video recorder to capture these moments - especially since I like video editing, it's a nice way to keep all parts of the family connected. She's 3-1/2 months now, can you believe it?