Steps to achieve a perfect exposure

If we are taking pictures indoors with a beautiful scene outside the window, how do we achieve a perfect exposure to compliment both elements?

Last weekend I was at a house warming party in New Jersey. In late afternoon I notice that the warm sunshine was pouring into the dining room. The leaves outside the window are just starting to change color. It was beautiful. I wanted to take a picture of the proud hostess in this setting. Below are the steps I took,

STEP 1: Taking an exposure of the ambient light. 
In this case, the only ambient light is the natural light from window
Purpose: To expose the scene outside the window correctly.

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STEP 2-1: Adding artificial light to light the rest of the scene
Here I tried to FEATHER the light, which turned out to be not bright enough for this scene.

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STEP 2-2: Adding artificial light (Still doing it)
In take 2, I BOUNCED the light into the corner of the ceiling, and liked the effect. But the flash light is too white compared to warm afternoon sunlight outdoors.

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STEP 3: Adding Gel (Optional)
I used one 1/4 CTO to add just a touch of warmth to the neutral colored flash light. Compare with the picture on the left for difference. 

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STEP 4: Minor adjustment
I powered down the flash light a little bit with FEC adjustment (Flash Exposure Compensation). Notice the darker ceiling compared to the picture in STEP 3. The overall look is more natural, and the artificial light blends with the ambient light.

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STEP 5: Adding the hostess
The afternoon sun lighted the right side of the lady nicely. The bounced flash light filled in the shadows. I turned down the power of the flash a little further, so that the rest of the scene did not overpower the hostess. 

Technical details:
Focal Length: 28mm   
Aperture: F4   
ISO: 800   
Shutter Speed: 1/320   
Flash Type: External ETTL   
FEC: -2/3 
Gel: 1/4 CTO

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