Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston - Part Two

After visiting the Bayou Bend Collections and Gardens, I headed a few miles down the road to the actual Museum of Fine Arts. This museum is so large, with three stories filled with art and exhibits, that one could probably spend the whole day exploring it. I unfortunately only had an hour or so to explore but I still managed to see at least half of the museum!
This skull piece is actually 3D. The little figures carved or placed on the skull are references to movies/shows and American culture in general - the background is even a Pac Man game. See how many you can spot!
                                                  
This whole room fades from one color to another as one walks through it
A sphere of pots, pans, and cutlery
                                                 
                                                             Pablo Picasso
 
Yoko Ono and John Lennon 

Thursday, May 22, 2014

Spinach and Beef Lasagna

This lasagna would be perfect to serve to your friends and family this Memorial Day weekend. One bite of this cheesy goodness will make you feel right at home!

This was actually the first time I have ever made lasagna by myself and, personally, it was the most delicious lasagna I have ever had. The recipe is pretty straight forward and simple, check it out below!

Cook Time: 45 minutes
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1.5 hours 

Ingredients
1 pound of ground beef or turkey (preferably lean)
1 medium onion chopped
24 oz jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce
2-4  garlic cloves, minced
Dash of salt and pepper
1 teaspoon of dried/fresh basil (optional)
1 teaspoon of dried/fresh oregano (optional)
2 cups of chopped spinach
15 oz container of ricotta cheese
2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese
9 cooked lasagna noodles

Instructions
1. Prepare lasagna noodles according to package instructions.
2. In a large skillet, cook the beef and onions until the beef is no longer brown and the onions are translucent. Drain any excess fat if necessary.
3. Stir in the spaghetti sauce, garlic, dash of salt and pepper (to taste), basil (to taste), and oregano (to taste). Bring mixture to a boil and then reduce heat to let it simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine spinach, ricotta, and 1 cup of mozzarella cheese (I just used a mix of shredded cheese).

5. In a 9 inch by 13 inch pan, spread a fourth of the meat sauce evenly in the baking dish. Layer with three noodles, spread another fourth of the meat sauce to the edges of the noodles, and spread 1/2 of the spinach mixture over it. Repeat the layers and finish with spreading the rest of the meat sauce over the last layer of noodles and topping it with the rest of the mozzarella cheese.
6. Cover with foil and bake at 375°F for 30 minutes. Then uncover to bake for 10-15 minutes or until bubbly. Let the lasagna cool for 10 minutes and enjoy!

Saturday, May 17, 2014

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston - Part One

Back in April, while I was visiting family in Houston, I visited a part of the Museum of Fine Arts called the Bayou Bend Collections and Gardens. Although it was not yet of season for all of the beautiful flowers to be in full bloom, I still had a great time wandering through the garden and observing pretty water fountains and statutes.
This place is huge! I wish I lived here.
Oh hey, that's me and my cousin!

Saturday, May 10, 2014

Spring Jewelry

Now that Spring is in full force, it's time for some bright and fun colors! Any statement necklace can spruce up any outfit. It can be dressed up or down, like wearing one casually with a t-shirt and jeans or dressing it up by wearing it with a dress to go out for a nice dinner. 

In Texas, I came across a store called "Charming Charlie," which is a huge accessories stores, equipped from jewelry to scarves and purses to shoes. I thought this was only a local store but it's actually a chain across the nation and there is even one an hour from me! Their sale section is amazing so I sort of went crazy and bought a bunch of statement necklaces and jewelry because it was too good of a deal to pass up. Statement necklaces are such a staple in a jewelry collection and I thought they would be a great addition to my business casual outfits when I intern this summer in San Francisco. Also, I had such fun taking these photos for this post!
                                      
This is not from Charming Charlie, my boyfriend wanted me to take a picture of his Pebble Steel and CRK Insingo Knife