This is the second time I’ve made this recipe that I stumbled upon on online from Small Town Influencer. She said it was a great dish to make ahead for dinner prep or to take to someone, and she’s right. It is so good and very easy to make ahead.
Christian likes it so much that he requested an encore, which doesn’t always happen.
It warms up really well for leftovers, so let’s go ahead and get into it!
INGREDIENTS
1 lb ground beef
1 jar good spaghetti sauce (I use Rao’s)
additional herbs of your choosing (not necessary but I add Italian seasoning, oregano, garlic powder)
1 bag of rigatoni pasta
1 ball of mozzarella cheese
refrigerated pesto
fresh shaved parmesan
DIRECTIONS
Brown your meat and drain excess grease. Add your spaghetti sauce and any seasonings you prefer, set aside to cool.
Boil pasta separately, slightly undercooked (I cooked mine for 8 minutes and the bag said to cook for 12 minutes).
Combined cooked pasta with meat sauce.
Preheat oven to 375.
Butter your 9 x 13 pan. Layer in the following order:
pasta and meat sauce
sliced mozzarella
layer of pesto
second layer of pasta and meat sauce
top with parmesan
Bake in the oven at 375 for 30 minutes covered with foil and then 30 minutes without foil.
Top with fresh herbs, if you wish!
Sorry I didn’t get a picture once plated. I told myself to, but the many people in my house were distracting and she forgot.
If you try this, let me know what you think! I’m glad I’m sharing the recipe so I will remember where to find it next time.
With both houses we’ve lived in in Georgia, I’ve known a few non-negotiable upgrades I knew we would have to embark on. And why is it always bathrooms!?
After about five months of living in this house, we started gutting nearly everything in the upstairs kid bathrooms (second reveal to come soon!). When we fully gutted and remodeled our previous home’s primary bathroom, we used Kohler fixtures, and they were gorgeous and added so much to the space. So it was a no-brainer to use Kohler again in these bathroom renos!
I am linking everything that has an available link below this post, but the brass fixtures from the Artifacts Collection in the boys’ bathroom really just made the entire room come together. Saying I love them is an understatement, and there is nothing cuter than seeing Hudson and Theo in their matching pajamas on their puzzle-name stools brushing their teeth at the same time.
Adorable.
PAINT COLORS: cabinets and trim – Farrow & Ball French Gray | walls – Benjamin Moore Snowfall White
Everything in this bathroom was replaced except the original hexagon tile floors which we aimed to keep!
I do eat meat, but not everyday. So I love the idea of a meat-free lunch that has vegetables/fiber and beans/protein. Not only that, but several dieticians confirmed with me that it’s a healthy and balanced lunch. WIN! That being said, there are a lot of great recipes online that do include deli meat, chicken, bacon, etc.
In my opinion, you need a few foundational ingredients and the rest can be to taste. But I’m going to share the one that I made and really, really loved.
INGREDIENTS:
1 can chickpeas, drained
1 can navy bean (or other white bean), drained
1 can heart of palm, chopped
a few handfuls chopped grape tomatoes
1 chopped bell pepper
4 small cucumbers, chopped
1/4 to 1/3 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup chopped kalamata olives
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
chopped fresh parsley (or any other herb that you love)
We took some family photos a little over a month after Stella was born. Seeing these three faces together… it still blows my mind even nearly six months in.
I took a little bit of time off after having her, but I’ve been working on finding my new rhythm. I’ve joked with Christian that I feel like I’m juggling work, 3 kids, housework, laundry, cooking, cleaning, trying to maintain a social life, renovations… except I don’t know how to juggle. So I’m learning how to juggle with 12 balls in the are on the spot.
But I know millions of women do this every day, and I can too.
That being said, I have felt a slight weight actually lift in the past few weeks. Stella is over multiple winter sicknesses and eating and sleeping better, the boys have been sharing a bedroom and it’s strengthening their bond, I feel more comfortable in my body and clothes have started to fit again.
I’m afraid to let out a sigh, but I think I’m seeing the light! While at times the juggle is quite chaotic, there’s no question in my mind that I’m living out my dream. This little girl was a piece to my heart that now feels whole. I think Hudson and I compete for who is most obsessed with her. He is such an amazing big brother, and while Theo is mostly disinterested, he is very gentle and helpful with her.
Stella is in a vintage dress, Theo’s bubble is Little English
Thank you to Allie Murray for capturing these sweet moments at home. I’ll be sharing a few more photos from this day very soon! xo –
I am so excited to share some photos of the boys shared bedroom!
When we moved into this house, there was a queen bed in here (very similar to this layout our previous house) and Theo was in the crib in the nursery.
In the fall we moved these custom upholstered twin beds in, and after the holidays we started letting Theo sleep in here. They’ve been in here together for almost two months, and so far it’s going better than expected. Hudson loves having someone in the room with him, and Theo just loves to sleep so he is truly happy in any scenario.
Fingers crossed we can keep this momentum, so far so good!
paint colors: Farrow & Ball French Grey + Benjamin Moore Snowfall White
I knew I wanted to change the rug to something that would grow with her from baby to teen, and this one is IT. The entire process was so smooth and the quality is unmatched. I can’t say enough great things about it. If I get my way, this will be her childhood room rug forever. I just LOVE it, and it’s so sweet to think of ordering it when I was pregnant with her thinking about her teen years and what would last.
We are working with the same crib, changing table and stuffed animals from Hudson and Theo’s nurseries. I put pink velvet bows around the stuffed animals, added some pink trinkets to the shelves, and ordered this tableskirt for the round side table. It feels so similar to the boys room, with splashes of pink.
The iron shelves were in my bedroom as a girl and the pink Cadillac was a hand-me-down from my sister’s girls. I have a piece of art and a portrait of myself as a baby in Stella’s room, a photo of the original Stella (my great aunt), trinkets from my childhood room, and dresses of mine in her closet. I can’t fully express how special it has been to see these things in her room. My guys are my dream guys, and this little girl is a puzzle piece to my heart.
My mom painted the nameplate on the door, and most trinkets on the shelves are sentimental gifts from others.
Thank you so much for checking in and reading. More peeks into our home here. Talk soon! xo –
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The sitting room off the kitchen now feels “complete,” and I love the cozy finished space. Most of these pieces came from our previous home, with the addition of this striped sofa and these swinging arm floor lamps from Ballard Designs.
Even though we don’t have a TV in this room and it’s attached to a much larger living space with a TV and fireplace… this is where we spend so much of our time. Christian really wanted it to feel more like a sitting room than a dining area, and he was right. When it’s not just our family of five, we eat in the dining room. But our nuclear family is typically eating at the kitchen island or Christian and I share our meal together at this small round table (a hand-me-down from my parents).
Credit goes to our designer, Maggie, who chose the furniture layout, striped fabric and floral pillows. As always, she was right!
If it’s not linked above, it’s not from an Internet source (antique, was already here, etc.). Thank you so much for visiting and reading! For more house tour photos, visit here. xo –
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I took these photos in November and am excited to be sharing them finally! At last, we are starting to be at a “complete” enough place with the interiors of our home (we moved a full year ago). We have been painting, wallpapering, designing our first lady nursery and renovating her bathroom, combining the boys to twin beds and renovating the boys bathroom, adding a laundry closet upstairs, turning a home office into a large his/her closet, finishing the scullery and refinishing the backyard sport court.
We still plan to tweak the fireplace mantle, build some sort of patio, and come up with a landscaping and exterior plan. That will all be for 2025 and 2026… hopefully.
Even though we’ve been steadily working on this house for a full year, we are still waiting for a few finishing touches for some of the above projects. Bit by bit I’m photographing and sharing these spaces as they are complete. It feels so good!
I love having our homes documented here because it brings so much nostalgia to see our prior spaces. I love seeing which pieces have gone with us from place to place (this headboard has been in six homes since 2012!). I highly recommend photographing your homes at some point just so you can remember the feel of the rooms. If you are an interiors lover, it’s a sweet keepsake to have.
Other than adding the chandelier and a little bit of paint, we didn’t alter the primary bedroom (which was lovely to start).
I’ve shared this cowboy caviar recipe with you guys before, but I screenshot it from Courtney Kerr, and I think it’s SO delicious. It’s the perfect salsa to make when you are trying to get your black-eyed peas in for January 1st!
I’ve halved the recipe before and kind of eyeball my measurements. No matter how you do it, it’s always good. Trust the process!
INGREDIENTS:
3 cans black-eyed peas (rinsed and drained)
1 bunch green onions, chopped
2 TB cilantro, chopped
dash of hot sauce
1 TB Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp black pepper
3 small cans green chilies
1 ripe tomato, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 cups Newman’s Olive Oil & Vinegar Dressing
DIRECTIONS:
Combine all ingredients in a bowl, mix and chill for several hours. Serve with Fritos or Tostitos Scoops!
Thanks so much for reading! Find more of my favorite recipes in the “food + drink” category of this site – xo –
Sharing some of y’alls favorites from 2024! I am SO excited to start of 2025 wearing my usual womens clothes and not bump-friendly styles. Hooray for enjoying getting dressed again!
To shop, click directly on the item or find its link below the collage –
Thank you so much for reading and for your support this year. I am really excited for 2025 and getting back into the swing of things with more energy and pants with zippers. LET’S GO! xo –
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