Haircut and Ziti

Yesterday was a fairly normal Monday.  I did the laundry and went grocery shopping for the week.  The usual things I do on Monday just in case I get too busy (or lazy) to do them later in the week.  I also went to get my hair done in preparation for a friend's wedding this weekend.  I don't need to look amazing as a bridesmaid, but I can't look bad... No one wants to be the one who makes the pictures look slightly off.  I went to Shelton's Salon and Spa conveniently located in the shopping center next to Trader Joe's.  It was a nice space, and my hairdresser was perfect.  I had read some unfavorable Yelp reviews, but I didn't understand where they came from.  Mondays are apparently very quiet because only 4 hairdressers are working.  Supposedly, everyone else comes in the other days of the week, and I'm guessing it could get a bit loud.  My hair turned out great, and I feel like I'm myself again (I had let my hair grow out for the wedding but much prefer a shoulder length look).

After my hair appointment, I stocked up on groceries for dinner at Trader Joe's.  Hubby's family is Italian, which always makes me a bit worried about cooking Italian food for him.  However, I had a recipe from Food and Wine magazine for Speedy Baked Ziti that looked too good not to try.  I explained to hubby ahead of time that he should not expect this fast and loose version to measure up to his family's homemade ones, but how bad could pasta, tomato sauce, and cheese really be?  With expectations set, we took a bite, and it was delicious.  So flavorful (thanks Classico sauce), so cheesy (thanks three kinds of cheese), so perfect after a long Monday.

As I was assembling the ziti, I realized that if you didn't put in the cheese it was probably healthier, but the cheese makes it look so much more delicious (and it was fat free cheese).