dinner + a movie

So - as mentioned previously - for the first few weeks of February, Stefan and I had a string of action-packed, jam-filled weekends, so this past one, we decided to play it a bit easy.  With the exception of a not-so-typical, but oh-so-fun wild and crazy wedding blow-out bash on Saturday night, our weekend was very low key.

Maybe it was Stefan's sheer exhaustion from the busy week or my pleading, baby voice, but somehow he gave me free reign over our plans for Friday night, no questions asked.  I took full advantage of the opportunity having us start with salads at Blue Barn and end with a trip to the Marina Theater to see The Vow. 

If you're a San Franciscan who appreciates a good salad and has not been to Blue Barn, you are seriously missing out.  While they rock a menu filled with delicious pre-selected salad combos, overstuffed sandwiches, and grilled cheese paninis (think arugula, roma tomatoes, pesto aioli and burrata on ciabatta OR brie d’ a nois, cranberry preserves, reduced balsamic, spiced pecans & arugula on herbed focaccia), their best is their U-Pick salad where you have free reign to choose six of their sensational selections for your salad.

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While the place is delicious and I eat there no less than 3 times a week, it is not exactly prime stomping ground for members of the opposite sex.  The tiny space tends to be filled to the brim with fashionably dressed young women grabbing their workday lunch on the go and hot mamas in lululemon with baby strollers picking up a lunch to have post work out. 

But even though Stefan was the one guy in the place, he didn't complain one bit. 

And he didn't complain one bit when we went to the movie and he was one of two gentleman in attendance in a jam-packed theater.  Instead he went up to the guy and shook his hand.

"We're in this together, man," Stefan told him.

"Don't worry - you're scoring big points for later."

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But I'd have to say, for being about as a big of a chic flic as they come, the movie was pretty good. 

But then again, how could it be bad when you're starring at these two for two hours:

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If you're looking for something light and easy, I'd recommend it.
(But ONLY if you haven't seen the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo yet.  SO good!)

xoxo

KK

a knock to my knuckle

So as you may have read in my proposal post, when Stefan bought my engagement ring, he guessed on my size based on the relative girth to his pinky.

When I first tried the little number on while mountain-top, my swollen fingers wouldn't allow the gorgeous gift on, but when we got back to our hotel later that night, I got it on with (almost) no trouble.

Over the past month and a half, however, I've noticed it tough to get on and off.  Once on, it's totally fine and comfortable and wonderful, but the getting on and off part has proven tricky.  I was slow to admit it (as I loved the idea that Stefan had guessed at my absolute perfect size), but I finally decided that I might need a bigger version.
So, I thought it would be a worthwhile exercise to go to our jeweler and look into a slight stretching.

We were excited for the excursion - it was first time I would get to see the spot where they had custom "built" my ring and to meet the people who had crafted it.  When we arrived, we were warmly welcomed by the shop's owner who congratulated us on our new engagement.  We explained the reason for the visit and he asked to take a look at my finger.

I held it out, ring and all.

"Now THAT'S a knuckle!  Wow!  No wonder you're having trouble getting the ring on and off of THAT thing!"

He turned back to the work room.

"Hey, Jason!  You gotta get out here and look at this!"
He turned back to me.
"I'm sorry, but you just don't see these kind of knuckles everyday."

I knew I had big fingers, but I didn't know their shape was so extraordinary to warrant a full jeweler jabber fest.  I mean, come on: how many hands had these guys seen?

"You see," the man started. "The problem with your finger is that the ring isn't too small - in fact, it's almost a little too big."

He took hold of the ring and slid it to the left and right on my finger.

"See that - it shouldn't be moving like that.  The part of your finger where the ring sits is actually quite small.  Normally, we'd go even smaller.  But with you, with THAT knuckle, we can't go any smaller, because then you couldn't get it on and off."

"So what do I do?" I asked, still recovering from the revelation that I have some of the most humongous knuckles known to womankind.

"Just don't take it off."  He said smiling.

So while the excursion gave my left hand's self esteem a bit of a knock, it allowed me to hold onto the fact that Stefan had, in fact, actually chosen my exact right size.
Now, I'd say that's a pretty perfect match.

xoxo
KK

leg lifter

So Stefan and I did a casual, just-a-bit-goofy photo shoot last week for some pics you'll get to see oh-so-very soon.  (I promise the wait will be worth it!)

For a lot of the photos we just had random people take them (which will make more sense once the photos and their purpose are revealed), but for the final round, we had our fabulous friend Deborah come in with her professional skills and equipment to take some real rounds.  

We jetted around town snapping shots - us on our bikes and her on her Vespa - ending the afternoon at the lovely Chrissy Field.

For those of you who have been to San Francisco, you likely know the scene at Chrissy on a sunny, non-work-day afternoon: 
a running trail dotted with sporty citizens getting in their daily jog,
a biking path filled with cleanly-clad cyclists,
and a beach packed full of dogs, dogs, and more dogs.

We're a pretty dog-friendly city so owners are allowed (and even encouraged) to let their four-legged friends run free sans-leash on the beach's golden sand.  

As Deb, Stefan and I headed out towards the shoreline to set up for some shots, we put our stuff down on the sand.  Stefan had his pack back filled with our "props" and I had my new lululemon gym bag stuffed with:
-fresh fruit (you never know when the itch for an apple or some strawberries might hit), 
-my North Face fleece (San Francisco's sun can be sneaky), and 
-my little Trish McEvoy make-up case (for some last minute touch-ups).

What happened next is seared into my memory like the taste of that particular brand of booze you had one too many shots of when you first learned to drink.

As Stefan and I posed and Deb directed, a small, seemingly innocent, unleashed pup trotted over to our bags. 

He sniffed at mine intrigued.
He then took a step forward and lifted his leg.

My mouth dropped in astonishment - there was no way...

And then he did it.  
He peed all over my wide-open, brand-new bag.

Deborah screamed,
I hollered,
and Stefan sprinted over to try and shoo the poor pup away.
But it was too late - my stuff was soaked with fresh puppy piss.

 

As soon as my shock wore off, and I came to terms with the fact that all these items were indeed washable or easily disposable (somehow I didn't think I could muster up the courage to eat the fruits even after a solid scrubbing), the three of us laughed our booties off over the hilarity of the situation.  

After an intense and thorough washing session at home (it's amazing what soap and water can do), my stuff was good at new.  No need to cry over a little splashed puppy pee. 

xoxo
KK

favs for a heat wave

We're in the middle of a heat wave here in San Francisco - it's been 70s and glorious the past few days and it's supposed to last all weekend.  Life couldn't be better.

So this Friday I'm bringing you my favorites for sunny, sunny days.

For eating:

great greens salad from simply scrumptious

so fresh and light

perfect for a hot, balmy day

For drinking:



lava flow cocktail

Light rum, coconut rum, strawberries,

banana, pineapple juice, coconut cream

For hosting:

brunch with a fresh fruit yogurt bar

For toasting:

champagne Popsicles with silverware "sticks"

For wearing:

a gorgeous and sunny one-piece

For going:

montorosso beach, cinque terre, italy

And just for fun:

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Have a fabulous weekend!

xoxo

KK

presence over presents

So I know you're probably getting a tad sick of these longer than looooong posts and I know I promised to give you a peek into my beyond fabulous presents, so I'm going light on the words and heavy on the pics in this birthday present update.

Here's what came to me for my 26th:

These J. Crew beauties in red

These little babies ready to rock my wardrobe 

You can't go wrong with Benjamin

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Some tantalizing Tory Burches,

which you may have seen here

A delightful new cookbook addition

Harry & David Pears

so delicious, and so decadent

A beautiful new teapot,

complete with two types of delicious tea
(Yes, that's me VERY excited.)

A gorgeous bouquet of blooms 

fresh from the farmers' market

Oh how I love J. Crew

Unbelievably practical lululemon gym bag

(in red)

A divine and uber classy 

leather Ralph Lauren belt

An awesome new EOS Rebel T3,

which I could not be more excited to put to good use

snapping awesome shots for this blog

A birthday treasure hunt from my soon-to-be hubby

(More on this another time -

there are some secrets I can't share quite yet)

Better than my plethora of presents, however (and this is only a subset of the splendorous stuff I received), was being able to celebrate my birthday with all my favorite friends, who were generous enough to come out here from NYC.  

Now I know in today's world of wireless, paperless everything, thank you notes seem to be much out of style, but with this, I am still a traditionalist.  I can't resist the urge to tell those who do something nice how very much I appreciate it.  

Especially with note cards as adorable at these:

Seriously Paper Source - 

do you produce anything not worth purchasing? 

Ready for some old-fashioned stamps!

They're on the way, folks.  Be patient.

But know right now: I am VERY APPRECIATIVE!

xoxo

KK

sunday in sonoma

Even though Saturday's festivities were enough excitement to last me all weekend long, the action just kept on coming.  I was up bright and early Sunday morning for a birthday breakfast at Boulange - my absolute favorite morning meal locale - before present opening galore back at our apartment. 

As I opened (the presents were just SO good, I'll have to tell you another time), we snacked on a gift from the fabulous Randy MacKenzie: the most moist, melt-in-your-mouth honey cake we'd ever let cross our lips.

The amount we ate AFTER we'd already had breakfast.

Yep, it's THAT good.

Maybe, oh maybe, she'll send me the recipe

and make me the happiest girl ever?

Post gifts and deliciousness, we packed into our limo and headed out to Sonoma sipping on mimosas (made with the car's complimentary champagne) and homemade Bloody Marys (made by expert mixers and soon-to-be newlyweds Jessie & Ned) as we watched the gorgeous scenery fly by.

First stop was Gloria Ferrer near the Southern edge of Sonoma where we shared a few samples of bubbly on their gorgeous outdoor patio.

Then it was onto B.R. Cohn where we tasted a red and a white while munching on cheese, meats, bread, pistachios and grapes on their outdoor deck.

(Somehow the snacks distracted me from my documentation so we are sans photos for this pit-stop.)

We had little time to waste before heading off to Kunde (home to Stefan and my August nuptials) for our 2:30pm Mountain Top Tasting.  Upon arrival, we were poured a sample of their summery Sauvignon Blanc and escorted up to the top of their mountain via van.  There, we were poured an additional 5 tastes as we enjoyed the gorgeous views, the brisk mountain breeze, and each others' excellent company.

Oh, what views!

The girls

The lovely couples

High-roller Ned signing up for Kunde's wine club

Him asking how he can also purchase some additional bottles.

You can never have enough.

Aren't they just so wonderful?

You silly goose, you.

How I love you.

You +1'd this publicly. Undo

It seemed like no time at all before we had to say good-bye and head back to San Francisco, but we made the 1.5 hour ride worthwhile - sharing a bottle of Kunde's Red Dirt Red and rocking out to the killer playlist being blasted within our high-class ride.

We arrived home just in time to have a full-fledged dance party in our living room...

These soon-t0-be-hitched hotties

know how to party

 

...before heading out to dinner at another favorite - Jackson Fillmore (a small, hole-in-the-wall Italian hideaway with decadent yet simple offerings) - for a divinely delicious dinner.  If you visit (which I HIGHLY recommend), do not miss the Tortellini al Forno, Pesce Fra Diavolo, and Tiramisu.

All in all, a perfect birthday.

xoxo

KK

friends and a fiesta

So it was an exciting weekend around these parts - so exciting that I can't get it all into one post. You're just going to have to be a bit patient as the tales unfold.

As you know, I had my three best friends and their other halves in town for the long weekend. Given that it's not everyday that I get them all out here together (it's not exactly a short flight from NYC), Stefan and I decided to host a very casual - and just a tad silly - engagement fiesta: Latino inspired as a nod to Stefan, the massive amount of time he's spent down there for his job, and the significance of the region to our relationship. We spent our first summer together taking Spanish and kite surfing lessons in Venezuela and then our first New Years together in Mexico.

There's nothing I love more than throwing a themed - and just a tad kitschy and ridiculous - party, so I went all out planning a menu of latino-themed drinks and snacks that I would, of course, make myself:

-guacamole, salsa and chips,

-carne y queso empanadas,

-Chile Relleno bites

(a favorite of my fabulous friend and fellow August bride, Jessie),

-tres leches cupcakes to eat,

and then

-sangria,

-pisco sours,

-margaritas, and

-coronas to drink.

To say I was a bit ambitious to plan on prepping this whole party while we had six guests in town is the understatement of 2012.  But my fabulous friends put up with my ridiculousness, forgoing a trip to the German Tourist Club in Marin (if you haven't been, you should add it to the top of your list, it's fantastic) to spend Saturday afternoon pent up in my apartment cooking and mixing up a storm.

Char and her beyond fabulous man Scott hit it out of the park with their to-die-for secret recipe guac. (After Scott spent three hours running last minute errands with Stefan and Charlotte did all the dishes.)

Yes, due to our sub-par-stocked kitchen,

the pair were forced to mix in a pasta pot.

But they're always in high spirits...

...and make a mean guacamole,

regardless of resources!

Jessie reminded me of those fabulous days of when we were roomies and I would come home to a three-course homemade dinner by candlelight as she, not only slam-dunked the five-fruit-infused white and red sangria, the dulce de leche frosting, and the beef filling for the empanadas, but also self-created the most delicious spicy pulled chicken enchiladas and gooey, messy beef nachos I ever tasted.

Jess and Gretch post laborious afternoon

Gretch and Al showed us how it was done with the folding and pinching of the empanadas popping out 30 beauties in no time.  (In addition to Al making a last-minute run for paper plates and napkins and Gretch drying and putting away all the pots and pans.)

After taking a 6am flight,

completing a killer 6 mile run up and down San Francisco's glorious hills,

AND spending hours in the kitchen,

Gretters STILL had plenty of energy to party.

And my fabulous fiancée spent close to an hour and a half separating egg whites and blending 50 pisco sours for consumption later that evening.  (If anyone in the bay area needs 50 egg yolks, we're happy to supply free of charge.)

What did I do while I made all my friends and my fiancée slaved away in the kitchen?

Oh, I took a shower,
did my hair and makeup,
opened some birthday presents,
drank some champagne,
snitched all the fine cooking, and
got dressed in my get-up.

Oh how I love having friends in town. You're welcome back anytime guys!

Tune back in tomorrow for tales of our sunny Sunday in Sonoma.

xoxo

KK