Author Archives: meganandeggs

Penne Ala Vodka

Posted in Recipes Reel by

In Italian families sauce is a very important thing. Every family has their own recipes that get passed on for generations and generations. Sometimes, if you’re lucky, families actually share recipes with friends. At my high school graduation party my mom made four batches of vodka sauce and everyone loved it. Let me tell you, an Italian women hearing that someone loves her sauce is like a baseball player winning the World Series. But when my friend, whose mother is from Italy, told my mom her vodka sauce was better than his mom’s, I thought she died and went to heaven. Below is her recipe which came to her via a family friend.


¼ cup olive oil
3 cloves garlic, crushed
3 shallots, sliced
3 scallions, chopped
1 pint (2 cups) heavy cream
½ cup fresh basil
½ cup vodka
1.2 cup grated cheese
1 can crushed tomatoes
Pepper
Salt
Oregano
Red pepper flakes

1. Saute garlic, shallots and scallion in olive oil on medium-high heat.
2. Add tomatoes and simmer for 15 minutes stirring often.
3. Add vodka and seasonings, simmer for 15 minutes covered.
4. Slowly add heavy cream and then grated cheese and let cook for another 10 minutes.
5. Once sauce is cooled, place in a covered Tupperware container and let sit in refrigerator overnight.
6. Heat in saucepan and serve over pasta the next day.

Why I Gave Up My Disneyland Annual Pass

Posted in California, Travel Tips, USA by

A big perk for me moving out to Los Angeles was the proximity to Disneyland. No, no, it wasn’t a reason I moved but yes it was an amazing plus. The friends I had when I moved out here all had Disneyland Annual Passports, or APs, and we took the hour drive regularly. Whether it was to spend the entire day or just catch a show or grab dinner, it always seemed worth the drive.

A pass holder is definitely one of a kind. We are Disney fanatics, from loving the movies, rides and shows, to knowing exactly how to time getting from one end of the park to the other, right in the middle of a parade. More often than not, we end up driving for hours (LA traffic), to go on a ride or two and turn around and come back.

Three and a half years ago when I first moved to LA I decided it was worth it to drop just under $200 to go to the park 170 company-selected days out of the year. Okay, okay, I think in that first year I went 18 times, not 170, but that still means each trip only cost $11.11 for admission. Then in 2012, just when they opened the 12-acre Car’s Land (based on the Pixar movie with the same name) AP holders around Southern California were up in arms. They were raising our ticket prices at an average of 30%.

At this point I had upgraded a time or two and was paying for the Deluxe Pass with only 50 blackout days a year and 10% off a certain retailers and restaurants on the property. The new cost of my ticket would be $469.

Currently APs range from $279 a year all the way to $669 for no blackout dates after the second price hike in June of this year.

Yeah, you heard… err, read me right. $669 a year to go to Disneyland. Now if I was a teenager, with no job, who was home schooled, and did my schooling on the drive to Disney, then yeah I can see paying close to $700 a year on admission alone. But as a 20-something, with a job (or three) and a social life that doesn’t always consist of the mouse, I just can’t do it.

Chris and I both did not renew our passes this year, along with a couple other friends. It’s nothing against the company, I get it, they need to keep their lights on too… umm yeah, but I need to keep my lights on as well and a $34 payment (with a $92 initial deposit) is not something I am looking to pay each month.

Instead this money has been redirected toward paying off my debt and living just a little more comfortably. Yeah I know, $34 a month isn’t outrageous to pay but when I am so far in debt to begin with, I have no right spending money on such an unnecessary expense.

This article sites prices from the Orange County Register and the Disneyland Annual Passport Web site.

Jam and Brie Phyllo Bites

Phyllo is an amazing, flakey pastry used in Greek desserts. Because they are stretched so thin, they aren’t the easiest to make so it’s a great thing us lazy Americans can go to the store and buy them in the frozen food section. In the form of sheets or already shaped into cups these are great to have on hand to make a quick dessert or appetizer. Below is my favorite app my mom makes sure to have at any big family dinner she has. The warmed up cheese, topped with a sweet jam (apricot and raspberry are my favorite) and crispy shell, this is a wonderfully flavorful bite.


Jam and Brie Phyllo Bites
1 box Phyllo cups (15 cups/box)
1 wheel of Brie
Any flavored jelly or jam

1. Lay phyllo cups on parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Drop a ½ inch square of brie into each cup.
2. Bake at 350⁰ for 20 minutes or until the whitest part of cheese is melted completely.
3. As soon as melted take out of the oven and drop ½ teaspoon of jelly or jam onto each phyllo cup.
4. Serve immediately.

Breakfast on the Run

Waking up to be at work at 4 a.m. is never fun. I don’t want to get up any earlier than I have to, and I don’t think someone would be able to eat a meal at that hour anyway. I still work in retail as one of my part time jobs. I just can’t get rid of it. I love merchandising and dressing manikins, changing the windows and setting the floor with new product. But I hate the early mornings. In my four years in the merchandising world I have become a pro at grabbing a quick breakfast for the road. I need a little something to start my day and get me moving when the rest of the world is enjoying their beds. Below are a few of my favorite go-to breakfasts on the run.

Breakfast on the Run

1. Hard Boiled Eggs


2. Greek Yogurt


3. Apple and String Cheese


4. Muffins

click for Pumpkin Muffin recipe

5. Banana and Protein Bar


6. Coffee

Chicken Marsala

Posted in Recipes Reel by

If you have read my blog then you know that I love chicken cutlets. Here is yet another Italian necessity coming from the chicken cutlet itself. Chicken Marsala. Mangia.
Chicken Marsala

Chicken Marsala with Baby Broccoli, Mashed Potatoes and Shell Pasta

4-6 chicken breasts (thin sliced)
1 ½ cups Panko bread crumbs
1 egg or 1 cup milk
Salt, pepper, parsley, oregano
¼ cup olive oil
1 lb mushrooms, sliced
1 cup Marsala wine
½ -1 cup chicken stock

Mix Panko and seasonings together in a bowl and have milk or egg in a separate bowl close by. Heat oil in frying pan to high and then lower to medium heat. Dip each chicken breast in the milk or egg bowl and then into the Panko mix bowl. Make sure entire chicken is covered in Panko mix. Place directly into frying pan and repeat until all chicken is in pan. Once chicken begins cooking do not move breast around. The seasonings will fall off of the chicken breast leaving you with a non-breaded, non-seasoned chicken. Allow chicken to cook until the browning of the chicken starts inching to the top side of the breast. Then flip. Once all of the chicken is cooked thoroughly remove chicken from pan, turn heat up to medium-high and add sliced mushrooms flipping until both sides of mushrooms are browned. Add in Marsala wine and bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer. Cover and allow the wine cook out. Usually this takes 7-10 minutes on simmer. Add chicken stock, simmer for another 3-5 minutes and then serve over spaghetti or with mashed potatoes.