massmusings

A few weeks ago, we held an impromptu dinner party at my apartment to celebrate our friend (and now former roommate) Nick's relocation to San Francisco. I'll admit that it was definitely thrown together last minute but while frantically rushing around to pull things together, I came up with the idea to blog about it.

I'm sure that I'm not the only one who has been in this situation: You either forgot about your guests coming over, or you simply just ran out of time to do everything you were planning, and now you're in a pinch. Have no fear! I'm here with a simple, delicious meal that can be thrown together last minute.

Chicken Parmesan has been my favorite dish since childhood. My mom's recipe is the best. You can argue that your mom's is better, but you're wrong. Sorry. So, here is a step by step guide with pictures to show how you can cook dinner, set the table, and serve your guests, all in under 2 hours. Good luck!

 * For this recipe, I also did a vegetarian option and used eggplant instead of chicken. All other steps are the same.

What you will need:

Chicken Breasts

Flour

Eggs (beat them)

Italian Style Progressive Bread Crumbs

Oil

Basil Tomato Sauce

Shredded Cheese

Step 1: Dust the chicken breasts with flour

Step 2: Dip into egg until coated on both sides

Step 3: Dip into Progressive Bread Crumbs until covered

* Eggplant prepared the same way as the chicken

Step 4: Heat oil in a large frying pan until hot. You should only need enough oil to fill the pan about 1"

Step 5: Carefully place each piece of prepared chicken into the frying pan. You should fry each side for about 4 mins

Step 6: Once fried to a crisp brown on both sides, place into a glass baking dish or disposable tin dishes (as shown here)

Step 7: Cover the chicken with tomato sauce and sprinkle shredded cheese on top. Feel free to add extra cheese as it adds more flavor and melts deeper down into the dish.

Step 8: Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for about 25-30 mins.

Step 9: You're all done! Serve as is or over spaghetti or rice.  Enjoy!

 I'm pleased to say that my Chicken Parm was a success and everyone enjoyed it! Let me know how yours came out, I love hearing stories of adventures in the kitchen.

To those of you who are studying for finals, good luck! Just think of all the food you get to eat when you are done :)

This weekend was the busiest that I've had in a while. Friday night was my company's Holiday Party held at Island Creek Oyster Bar. For this event I chose a simple black dress with a leather bodice and jersey skirt. It was super comfortable, office party appropriate, and required minimal jewelry.

My second dress of the weekend was worn to Drew's cousin's Bar Mitzvah! Unfortunately I don't have a picture from that day but this is the dress when I wore it to my Winter Formal for Chi Omega senior year. 

 Lastly was my former roommate Nick's company Holiday Party! It was held at the Boston Public Library on Boylston Street and it was an absolute blast! Below is a snapshot of us hamming it up in the photobooth. Once I receive the rest of the pictures, I will post them.

Psssst! Want to know a secret? This polka dotted dress was my Junior Prom dress! 

To me, peplum is a flattering cut that is both classy and a little edgy at the same time. I love pairing peplum tops with jeans or tighter skirts to give the illusion of a smaller waist and a longer overall silhouette. For the holidays, I chose 5 peplum tops to inspire my outfits and hopefully do the same for you! 

The TIBI top (inspired by Dariel's holiday party outfit) is my personal favorite. This red is rich and the cut is perfect. You could easily pair this with a cute pair of white jeans for the summer time as well, making it easy and versatile.

Numbers 2-4 are the runners up this season. I love the lace in the Lipsy V-Neck. I think it adds a little something extra to the standard black peplum (see number 1). When wearing peplum this holiday season, don't be afraid to get a little whimsical with your colors, patterns, and styles. Winter is a fantasy season with the snow and stories of Santa Claus, etc. so feel free to mix it up and try something more daring. I can't wait to see what you come up with!

1) TIBI Top - $345

2) Chalayan Stretch- jersey top- $300

3) Mossimo Sleeveless Scuba top- $23

4) Roksanda Ilincic Lisson top- $790

5) Lipsy Lace V-neck top- $31

Last night I met up with Dariel for a quick Holiday Photo-shoot before heading over to Warehouse for the Boston Blogger Holiday Party! We had so much fun shooting and even more fun eating (obviously) and socializing with all of the fabulous bloggers in Boston. 

OOTD: Shoes: Marshall's; Pants: American Eagle; Shirt: Nordstrom Rack; Vest: Forever 21; Necklace: South Moon Under; Watch: Anne Klein; Earrings: Mom's closet

I want to give a special thank you to Kate and Alison for hosting such a great event. After ruthlessly stalking many of them on Instagram, I was able to meet so many great bloggers in person.

Keep an eye out for more OOTD posts, recipes, 195 Webster posts, and Holiday inspired outfits and gifts! Happy Humpday!

OOTD: Coat- LL Bean; Jeans- J.Crew; Shirt- Urban Outfitters; Shoes- Tory Burch

Congratulations to Christine who spent her holiday in Napa Valley! Tough life right? I love that the focus on the background is clear through the glass even though it's in the foreground, and not the focal point. Really creative and perfect for this time of year. Thank you Christine for your submission and I'm so happy you had a great time! 

Thanksgiving and Hanukkah are just days away and if you're anything like me, you're being indecisive about what to wear. You probably also forgot to get the host a gift (hint: this is necessary especially if you are going to a non-family members home for the holidays). Have no fear my friends! I am here with a quick tutorial on how to throw together a last minute outfit/gift combo.

When in doubt, grab a dress and tights. I chose a festive red plaid and some embellished tights to add a little sparkle. Throw on some classic pumps and simple gold jewelry and you're good to go. Bonus points for a sequined clutch that carries all of your essentials. 

A gift for the host/hostess should be something simple and relatively small. If you are really in a pinch, opt for a nice arrangement of flowers from a local florist. Other ideas include a holiday themed ornament (make sure you check religious preferences before if you are going that route), well packaged bath soaps or unique candles, and of course any little nicknacks that speak to the personality or tastes of the host. 

I hope this helps and enjoy a full and fun week of eating and festivities!