I met the uber talented Betsy Jones of Navy Rose Designs on Instagram.  I quickly fell in love with everything on her site.  Betsy is able to mix different design cultures and to mesh them together to curate the most beautiful designs.  Her product assortment consists of jewelry and home decor items with South Texas, Mexican, and Spanish influences.  Besty also runs her families ranch, Los Corralitos, which is one of the oldest ranches in the United States, established in 1823.  Stay tuned for a PBS special on the ranch later this year.

Today’s Fashionable Friend Friday is jazz singer Melissa Morgan.  I recently met Melissa when she performed here in Rye…OMG!!!  I was blown away.  Melissa’s voice is outstanding.  She is a cross between Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald with a little Sarah Vaughan thrown in.   Unfortunately, you just missed her but can keep track of some of her future performances HERE.  She will be back in the NY area soon (she promised).  In the meanwhile, she has a great album and some fab songs on You Tube.  I have included some of my favs below!!! Bon Weekend!!!

This week’s recipe is so amazing!!!  This one pot pasta is incredible.  It is such a fan favorite over here.  It’s perfect for a hot summer night when you don’t want turn on the stove….also it is a perfect dinner on those busy back to school nights!!!

8 ounces baby spinach leaves, divided
1 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil and Italian herbs, drained (about 7 ounces)
1 large yellow onion, sliced
1 pound uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut into 1/2″ bite size pieces)
6 garlic cloves, sliced
1 pound dry linguine
2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
4 cups (32 ounces) chicken stock
1 cup (8 ounces) chardonnay wine
4 ounces fresh Parmesan cheese, shredded




Combine 1/2 of the spinach with the tomatoes, onion, chicken, garlic, linguine, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and crushed red pepper in a 5-quart Dutch oven (I use my Le Creuset) over medium-high heat. Pour chicken stock and wine over top. Cover and bring to a boil.


Cook 7-9 minutes until pasta is al dente (with a bite to it). Toss pasta with tongs occasionally to keep the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pot. You will still have some liquid in the pan when the pasta is done cooking. This is going to make the base for our delicious cheese sauce.


Turn off the heat and add the cheese to the pasta. Toss pasta with tongs until the cheese melts into the pasta. Toss in remaining spinach. Serve and enjoy!