Sunday Spotlight 03- Meet Mary Kat!
Mary Kat is to the right of me in this picture. Rebecca is to the left, and you’ll meet her soon!
I am thrilled to introduce you to the most nurturing friend of the bunch, Mary Kat! Her given name is Mary Katherine, but she’s better known as MK (via text), Mary Kat (in everyday life) or Mama Kat (in jest).
If I were forced to assign her a superlative (you know, like they do your senior year of high school), it’d be a toss up between Most Inquisitive and Most Supportive. There’s never a dull moment or uncomfortable silence when MK is around, because she’s naturally curious and intentionally invested in her close friends (…and their spouses, their families, their pets, you name it.) Her selflessness is truly unmatched, and you can find her by your side during tough times or at the front of the stage cheering you on when you thought karaoke in public was a good idea.
Shortly after we met, I remember saying, “I don’t remember when I laughed before I met Mary Kat,” because in addition to her other stellar traits, she always keeps me laughing.
About Mary Katherine
Hi! I’m Mary Katherine. Originally from Mississippi, I’ve lived in New York for the past six years with my husband, Davis, our six-month-old baby girl, Mary Taylor, and our dog, Walter. I work in education and my husband works in film, which is what brought us to NYC. I met Maggie in college at Ole Miss and am lucky enough to have stayed close with her ever since - honored to be featured on Maggie’s Two Cents!
Something else you should know about me is that I’m very seasonally oriented. This may be because I abide by the school calendar at work, but I think I just appreciate a cyclical schedule. I eat, drink, listen, read, and watch different things depending on the time of year, typically surrounding an upcoming holiday. I also love to rewatch, reread, and re-listen to everything, because I like knowing what to expect. Yes — I’m a control freak and I hate surprises, but I tend to discover something new each time I revisit things I love.
Reading Recommendations
Favorite genres (by season): One thing to note before I tell you my favorite genres: I need romance in every story, and I prefer books with strong female characters, ideally portrayed as the protagonist.
Fall/Winter - Mysteries and Thrillers for Fall and Holiday Romances for Winter (you know the Hallmark-movie-type-books like Sarah Morgan’s series!)
Spring/Summer - Beach Reads
Favorite Authors:
Emily Henry (really enjoyed Book Lovers and am currently reading Beach Read) - Cheesy Rom Com
Nora Roberts - Cheesy Rom Com
Tessa Bailey - Cheesy Rom Com
Katharine McGee - Cheesy Rom Com
Sarah J. Maas - Fantasy
Favorite Books and Series:
I love fiction and fantasy, so A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas is probably my all time favorite series but be warned, the smut scale only grows as the books continue. (Maggie here: Can you tell Mary Kat, Maggie, and Caroline are friends yet?)
A Woman is No Man by Etaf Rum is my favorite non-fiction book. It explores the lives of conservative Arab women living in Brooklyn - incredibly eye-opening, frustrating, and impactful.
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gaily Honeman is one of my go-to recommendations. I was surprised by how much I loved this book since it doesn’t check all of my usual boxes. It’s more about the main character’s growth and healing and there isn’t really romance, but there is a focus on building friendships and improving other relationships with Eleanor’s coworkers and family. Ultimately, I enjoyed reading about a woman who is able to transform into a strong, happy leading lady in her own life. I happened to read this at a time where I was also working on personal growth, so this story has always stuck with me.
TV Show and Movie Recommendations
I’m a self-proclaimed movie and TV fanatic. I watch entirely too much, so this was a tough list to narrow down since I love it all. Just like books, I typically prefer rom-coms and fantasy but also love action, thrillers, mysteries, and anything comedy. I appreciate the good quality and the bad, but I need it to be plot driven, show good character development, and ideally have a happy ending. I need to keep your attention, so let’s try to stick with the heavy hitters…
Favorite Movies
About Time - I watch it every Christmas, because it’s the happiest time of the year to watch the happiest movie.
Anything in the Marvel Cinematic Universe
Ocean's Eleven series
Anything with Julia Roberts or Sandra Bullock
And of course, anything Nancy Myers and Nora Ephron are involved with - Think: The Holiday, You’ve Got Mail, When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, The Parent Trap, It’s Complicated, Father of the Bride
Let me know if you’d like my comprehensive Christmas movie list ;)
Favorite Shows
New Girl
Friends
Gilmore Girls — I’m listing this, but I’m not as much a fan anymore. After watching it for the 20th time, Lorelai and Rory start to bug. They are way too stubborn, immature, and self-involved.
Suits
Peaky Blinders
The Office
All of Darren Star’s shows - Think: Sex in the City, Emily in Paris, Younger
Cooking Recommendations
All of my favorite chefs I’ve discovered and follow closely on Instagram.
What’s Gaby Cooking: I’ve been a loyal follower for many many years. I appreciate her outlook on eating what makes you happy. She cooks with lots of fresh ingredients but doesn’t hold back on the carbs and sweets. Here are a couple of my favorites:
Chicken Parmesan Meatballs and add pasta
This Black Bean Sweet Potato Chili is one of my favorites for fall/winter, especially to feed a group
This recipe highlights her basil vinaigrette which is delicious and super versatile. She also does a similar recipe for cilantro vinaigrette
Her Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe is wonderful, and I’m super picky!
Half-Baked Harvest: I especially love her soups, stews, and sheet pan meals. Maybe because she lives in CO and her backdrop typically includes snow, but I tend to make her meals in the fall and winter.
Caroline Chambers: My newest obsession! She was recommended to me for her Trader Joe's content, which is great, but it’s a bonus that she is also super relatable as a mom who loves to have fun while also providing for her family.
I appreciate recipes but prefer to cook without following one super closely. I like to challenge myself by reading through a recipe once before I start cooking and then only allowing myself to reference it to double check a measurement here and there. I love to cook and bake, so in a different life, I would love a career in food. I’d be happy recipe developing (let’s be real, recipe tasting) or working for the Food Network.
Podcast & Music Recommendations
Podcasts
I prefer to listen to podcasts during my daily commute. In the mornings I listen to The Daily by the New York Times. I like to start my day with something educational and then reward myself with The Morning Toast (love my girls Jackie and Claude) on my way home from work. Both are relevant to the day and keep me up-to-date on current events, both political and pop culture. I’ve also recently enjoyed listening to Erin & Sara Foster’s podcast, The World’s First Podcast.
Probably because of my obsession with TV, I like learning about actors, but I don’t want just gossip. I like learning about their lives and families, so I prefer celebrity interviews - Armchair Expert and Smartless are my go to podcasts for the best ones.
Music
I love movie scores and soundtracks! I tend to look up songs and save them as I’m watching something, and I’ve found that Hans Zimmer is my favorite composer. Just like with everything else, I tend to get stuck in a cycle of listening to the same music again and again. Luckily, I live with someone with great music taste. My husband improves my music knowledge and keeps me up to date with what’s good. (Maggie here: Davis can also play like 3 different instruments. He’s a cool dad.)
When our daughter was born, he created a playlist for her and has been adding music throughout the year, focusing on female artists. We’ve most recently loved HAIM, Madi Diaz, and Olivia Rodrigo’s new music.
10 Favorite Things
1. Air Pods: Between commuting around NYC and taking care of a baby, the hands free life is essential.
2. Hydro Flask water bottle: One of the few healthy habits I’m actually good at is drinking a lot of water and this helps me
3. Baby wipes - Even if you don’t have a baby, they’re still so versatile! They’re great for wiping your hands off after a long commute, cleaning up quick spills, and they’re even a pretty good stain remover.
4. Clorox Wipes - I seem to have a wipes theme going, but really, these are great and can be used to clean anything. As a neat freak, I have a love for all cleaning supplies, and randomly, I’ve always been obsessed with vacuum cleaners.
5. L’Oréal Voluminous Original Mascara and Hoola by Benefit Matte Powder Bronzer - My two favorite makeup products of all time.
6. Aquaphor - I tend to wear this instead of any lip color, and I HAVE to put some on before I go to bed.
7. Hanky Panky underwear - These are the best underwear, so comfortable!
8. Italian red wine - the dryer the better!
9. Chocolate - No need to elaborate.
10. Harry Potter Audio Books - I listen to them all at least once a year starting in the fall. They are both soothing and have made it impossible for me to enjoy any other narrator