Getting to Know Me...21 Questions

Today, I thought I would answer one of those surveys that have been going around from time to time. Some questions may be obvious if you know me, and some may not be. Here goes!

1. Are you named after anyone? My mom got the name Megan as a combination of her two sister's names, Margaret and Anne, so yes. 

2. When was the last time you cried?  It was probably a month or so ago. Can't remember specifically. 

3. Do you have kids? No 

4. If you were another person, would you be a friend of yourself?  Of course, I think I have a pretty good sense of humor and enjoy entertaining people. so that alone makes me fun. 

5. Do you use sarcasm a lot?  Yeah, I do. A LOT.

6. Will you ever bungee-jump?  Hell to the NO! I'm not into the kind of physical rush that feels like I may or may not be dying. 

7. What's your favorite cereal? Crispix is really good and I also love Cinnamon Toast Crunch 

8. What's the first thing you notice about people?  Probably their clothes. I love fashion and clothes and instantly like to check out what someone is wearing, especially if it's something I would wear. 

9. What is your eye color?  Hazel 

10. Scary movie or happy endings?  I like happy endings, or indie dramas or documentaries. 

11. Favorite smells?   My pug Lulu after she's had a bath, fresh cut grass, a baby's head, and my favorite perfume is Juliette has a Gun Not a Perfume 

12. Summer or winter? Summer

13. Computer or television?  Television. I love local news, and cable! 

14. What's the furthest you've ever been from home?  Probably Muscat, Oman. 

15. Do you have any special talents? I am really good at imitating people's voices and accents. 

16. Where were you born? Pennsylvania 

17. What are your hobbies?  I like to do anything water related- swimming, boating, going to the beach. I love traveling, and even just going for a long drive along back roads. Oh, and we're obsessed with our pug, so we like to have a "best friend day" once a month where we cuddle up and spend the whole day together. 

18. Do you have any pets? Yes, I have a pug Lulu London who is almost 9. I have two brown tabby kitties. The first is Wichiku or Wichi for short (pronounced Way-shee) and she is approximately 18. She's very old, but still kicking. Then we have Minnie, who is 7 and also a brown tabby. She looks like she could be Wichi's daughter, so that's where the name came from. 

19. Favorite movie? Dirty Dancing. Love it and need to watch it again this simmer 

20. Do you have any siblings? Yes, my sister, Maureen who is 4 years younger, also two older half siblings, brother, and sister. 

21. What do you want to be when you grow up? Happy with my husband Marc, our family, and lots of Pugs and perhaps a Persian kitty too ;) 

What's Up Wednesday

It has been a few weeks, errrr  almost 27 days since I last blogged, so I am popping in today, to share some updates!

What We're Eating this Week:

My Mom was here last weekend and made one of her favorite recipes from when I was growing up. My sister and I love this and it's a very simple recipe. 

Chicken & Puff Pastry
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, 
1 tbsp olive oil
2 gloves chopped garlic
1 can cream of mushroom soup (you can use cream of broccoli, or chicken)
2 cups broccoli florets (frozen or fresh)
Pepperidge Farm Frozen Puff Pastry Shells

Saute garlic and chicken in olive oil until chicken is fully cooked. Add soup mixture and broccoli and cook over Low for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, cook puff pastry according to package directions. Serve with herbed white rice. This recipe will yield lots of extra sauce to spoon over rice and pastries. 



Something I'm Excited About:

I am really excited because my sister in law is driving from Kansas this weekend and we will get to see my nieces and nephew! My nephew is just 2 and we haven't seen him since last Christmas. He is getting so big and is now at a fun age, where he will want lots of "pway" time! 

Colton and his Auntie Megan 

What I'm Loving:

I recently started subscribing to Sephora Play, a monthly beauty subscription box, and my July box was really great! Everything I got, I am obsessed with! 

The Too Faced bronzer has a chocolate scent that I love, and is a really great shade, even for my fair skin! And the Smashbox primer is bulletproof and is the only thing saving my face in this 100 degree heat & humidity. The Ouai spray is something I've been wanting to try for a long time, and I love this so much, I'll probably buy a full size bottle when this runs out! 

Friday Favorites: Food for the 4th!

Today is Friday!! We have made it through another long, hot week and this is one of my favorite weekends of summer. I remember it being the height of summer when I was a kid. July the 4th was when school seemed so far away, and there was still so much left of summer to look forward to!

I have apparently turned into the designated potato salad maker for whenever we have a cookout with friends. Everyone raves about this potato salad and I have never seen it exactly this way, so I will share my version, Ths is at least 3 generations old. I think the simplicity and use of really good ingredients, particularly mayonnaise,  and the fresh parsley is what makes it.

"Halfpenny" Potato Salad

5 lb red potatoes, peeled.
1 medium sweet onion, finely chopped
3-4 stocks of celery including leaves, finely chopped
Approximately 1 cup of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped, plus more for garnish

Dressing

1 cup of Hellman's mayonnaise
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp celery salt
salt & pepper

Boil potatoes in salted water until tender. Drain, cool, and break up into small pieces. Add chopped onion, celery and parsley. Pour dressing over and mix thoroughly. Garnish with more parsley and celery salt. Serve chilled with your cookout feast.

Right now I am really obsessed with all of the wonderful fresh fruits in season. I had the most delicious plums and nectarines this week, and I would love to try grilling them and adding as a topping for vanilla ice cream...bonus if it's homemade

Also, the other day in Trader Joe's I was persuaded to buy this drink and I am now obsessed with it! It is absolutely delicious and tastes like summer in a bottle! It would also be really good with a little bit of sparkling water, or vodka as a refreshing summer cocktail. Bonus if you make them into popsicles ;)

Happy 4th of July!

The Great Southern Road Trip: Knoxville, TN

Welcome to my hometown, Knoxville, TN. We are in the eastern part of Tennessee, right beside the Great Smoky mountains. We are a medium sized city and we are growing by leaps and bounds! The past ten years has been a sort of renaissance for our downtown area and it continues to grow and change exponentially every year.

View of Knoxville downtown waterfront

     Right now in summer, this is when our college town is much slower paced. Our students have left for the summer, for the most part , and no university sporting events are happening. Football is huge here in the fall. There are tons of festivals going on almost every weekend, and so much local food, beer, and culture to immerse yourself in.

Where to Stay:

The Olivier Royale is a lovely boutique hotel in downtown, just steps away from Market Square which is full of great restaurants, and lots of other happening events.
The Oliver Hotel, Knoxville

Air B&B
You can stay in a Scotish castle across the river for a really neat experience! It's in a wooded area, right on a 300 acre nature preserve, and there are even secret passages and towers!

Williamswood Castle on Air B&B

What to Do:

I would recommend walking through the market square farmer's market, if you are here for the weekend. It goes on every Saturday morning here from April- November. There are so many things to buy here! Cute flower arrangements in mason jars, local meats, honey, huge selection of locally farm grown produce- if you are here in the summer, you must try a Grainger county tomato! And don't miss all the food trucks The Cruze Farm dairy sets up a food truck with homemade buttermilk biscuits, and ice cream that is to die for!

http://marketsquarefarmersmarket.org/
http://www.cruzefarm.com/

Knoxville Brew Tours:

Knoxville has opened quite a few new breweries in the last year or two. We are adding more constantly and if you like craft beer, this is a great thing to try!
http://www.knoxbrewtours.com/

Where to Eat:
For breakfast or brunch:
The Tomato Head has a really interesting , unique brunch menu and is a very popular local restaurant, also is one of the oldest on Market square.

Hope you enjoy my hometown as much as I enjoy living here!