weekend, unplanned

It's been a long time since Stefan and I have had a weekend free of any to-dos or travel.  It's felt like we've been rushing from one thing to another with very little time to spare these past few months, so while a weekend with very little on the schedule would normally drive this plan-ridden girl mad, I couldn't have been more thrilled.  

And it didn't disappoint: the few short days were packed full of simple, yet delightful surprises.

We kicked things off with an impromptu celebratory dinner at Sociale Thursday night.  I've been running past the place for months, but we had yet to give it a shot.  It was charming, romantic, and delicious.

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There's nothing like a good half bottle of Dry Creek 

with donuts + a milkshake for dessert.

Then it was a Friday evening journey to the much-anticipated flour + water.  Everyone who has ever been there raves about their unreal homemade pasta creations, and a good foodie friend of mine (who has studied at Le Cordon Bleu and has eaten more of the world's most delicious foods than anyone I know) has a standing Wednesday night reservation at the spot.

Problem is: it is next to impossible to get a weekend reservation, and if you want to walk in, you have to be ready to sacrifice 2+ hours of your time to waiting. 

Which is exactly what we did.  

Luckily, there was a dive bar around the corner and we were with two friends whom we hadn't seen in ages.  The evening was positively lovely.

And the food?  

Think: cappellacci dei briganti with rabbit sausage, asparagus & green garlic, campanelle with tesa, snap peas, cured egg & pecorino, garganelli with pork sugo, broccoli di ciccio & calabrian chili.

It did not disappoint.

Saturday it was brunch at La Boulange and a long run in the gorgeous San Francisco sunshine that was here in full force all weekend long.  

And even my usual running route was in for a treat as I watched them tear down Doyle Drive to replace it with a gorgeous new entrance into the city.

And then Sunday, we had coffee with a potential wedding photographer and decided to hire him!  

(I know, I know - we're totally late in the game, but we were waiting for the right one.  And we've totally found him!  They're a husband-wife team who couldn't be more perfect.)

I won't spill the beans, but I will share some shots.

Now that's what I call a wedding.

The perfect low-key weekend to get me excited for some action-packed ones in the months ahead, starting with my mom, dad, and sis in town for some fun in just four more days!  It's amazing how rejuvenating just a few days of uncoordinated hours can be.

How do you like your weekends?  Unplanned or packed full?

xoxo

KK

thrifty thursday: salad dressing

I have a bad habit of doing a lot of salads out.
And they're not even fancy, hard-to-make-at-home salads.  They're your everyday greens, veggies, and chicken type salads.  Hardly worth the $10ish price tag when I could so easily toss on my own.

But it's not the spinach that has me coming back for more, it's the dressing. Especially when I'm ordering from Blue Barn and I know they make all theirs from scratch with only the purest and most delicious ingredients. 

Their Whole Grain Mustard Vinaigrette = Absolute Addiction for this girl

(And their Master-Cleanse, Miso-Ginger, and Champagne-Sumac aren't too shabby either.)

Blue Barn is so confident in the purity of their blend that they'll give you a full list of ingredients for any dressing on their menu.  With the secrets to their sauce, I've tried to perfect it at home, but I just can't get it right.  I'm always back at their blue door for more.

And that's where this week's thrifty trick comes in:

Simply ask for an extra thing of dressing

when ordering to-go

(which as mentioned previously,

is often)

Sometimes they charge me 50 cents, sometimes they don't.

Sometimes the woman looks at me as though I am the greediest green-lovin' gal there ever was, sometimes she just tosses it in.

The result is always the same: I'm able to make myself the exact same Blue Barn salad I love at home for a fraction of the cost. 

$3 versus $10.

That adds up if you're picking up as often as me.

Do you have a take-out dressing you can't live without?  Any secret mustard dressing recipes you can't help but share?

xoxo

KK

the art of eating out alone

Not too long ago I was out window shopping with a friend on Polk Street.  As we passed by La Folie, she commented about how great the food was there.

"Who'd you go with?" I asked as I glanced in at their white-linen-clothed tables and cozy twosomes dining in fancy garb.
"Oh, just me."  She answered without the least bit of hesitation.

All alone?  Like without a single other person with you?  At a couple-y restaurant packed full of people watching you?
Something about my expression must have hinted at my shock.

"It's nice sometimes, you know.  Just sit and relax.  Sip your wine.  Enjoy your food.  Watch the people.  You should try it."

The thought terrified me, but for some reason, I was intrigued.  I wanted to be so confident and self-assured that I could feel comfortable eating all by lonesome anywhere, anytime.

So over the past few months, I've taking "eating out alone" on as a project.
I started off with the small stuff. 

An almond croissant at La Boulange.

And then a veggie burger lunch at Super Duper Burgers on Chestnut.

And then an afternoon coffee and snack at Jane on Fillmore.

Their cookies are

the. best. I. have. ever. had.

Bar none.

And while I had no trouble with all of the above, with each of these feats, I could easily get away with reading the paper or a good book alongside plentiful fellow solo diners.  I knew that sooner or later, I'd need to take the big jump: dinner all on my own.

So last weekend I did it. 
Table for one at the oh-so-delicious (and oh-so-romantic) Jackson Fillmore.

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It doesn't look like much (a hole-in-the-wall you could pass by without notice, menus written on mirrors and chalkboards, and a wine "cellar" made up of boxes stored high),  

but the place is delicious. 

And as frightened as I was at first, the dinner as an event was actually delightful.  I did exactly what my friend had recommended: sat and relaxed, sipped my wine, enjoyed my food, and watched the people - a positively lovely night.

xoxo

KK

potluck revisited

I've always had a strong aversion to potlucks.   In my mind, the food is mediocre, the selections uncoordinated and the whole event terribly tacky.  I've avoided them as best as possible for years.

But a few weeks ago, we were invited to one at a friend's apartment for Easter dinner and it was anything but.  The spread was decadent, well-coordinated, and delicious while the evening was charming, classy, and elegant.

So since I love to entertain (but don't always have the wherewithal to cook a full five course spread all on my own in my shoebox of a kitchen), I decided to try my hand at a potluck Friday night.  To avoid a plethora of mismatched dishes, the meal was themed: Barefoot Contessa style which encouraged guests to bring their own Ina-inspired dish.  (Because let's be honest, who doesn't love the woman's simple yet delicious menus?)

 

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I tried my hand at Ina's Lemon Chicken Breasts and Garlic Roasted Cauliflower,

Recipe here

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Recipe here

while our fabulous guests brought a variety of mouth-watering dishes:

Various bruschetta

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Prosciutto-wrapped asparagus

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Pesto pea salad

Recipe here

Wheat Berry Salad

Recipe here

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Classic creme brulee

Recipe here

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And I know it's not technically a Barefoot recipe, but I also attempted some champagne strawberry cocktails after some inspiration on pinterest. 

puree frozen strawberries, champagne and a pinch of sugar

delish!

more here

All in all, the evening was a success: filled with good food, good wine, and - best of all - good company.  All with a lot less work than had I attempted it all on my own.  I suppose my potluck predilections have swayed.  Especially after the night left me with these gorgeous beauties courtesy of one of our fab guests:

What are your thoughts on the potluck?  In style or not?

xoxo

KK

favs for spring cleaning

Growing up, spring brought not only soccer season and tulips blooming and rain galore, but cleaning. 
Cleaning the shed to be exact. 
And to be clear: this "shed" was no small shack.  Big enough to fit four suburbans, the edifice was packed full of tools, bikes, mowers, pots, and a bazillion other items. 

At the time, I abhorred this ghastly task avoiding it as best I could, but somehow my brother, sister, and I were always dragged into the feat.  We'd spend a weekend together as a family sorting, discarding, reorganizing, and cleaning, ending each evening with a well-earned meal and lots of laughs over our communal hatred of the chore.  While I couldn't appreciate it then, over time, I've come to realize that despite its unpleasantness, the annual cleaning of the shed was not only incredibly satisfying, but (dare I say it) fun.

We've got a dinner party Friday night and a birthday barbecue/pool party in Sonoma Saturday, but this Sunday, it's spring cleaning time.  I'm planning to tackle a few projects of my own that have been plaguing (or perhaps tempting?) me these past few months. 

To inspire you to consider doing the same, here are a few fav spring cleaning ideas I've stumbled upon of late:

For cooking:

make your cooking cabinet gorgeous

with these free printables to stick on some jars of your choosing

from the painted hive

For the fridge:

Organize your perishable goods with

these fantastic organizers from crate and barrel

For bathing:

Never hunt through your medicine cabinent again

from here

for planting:

hate throwing away your old tea cans?

reuse them as adorable planters for fresh herbs

inspiration here

for remembering:

framed glasses "to do" and "to buy" lists

simply write with dry erase

inspiration here

for your jewels:

anthropologie egg crate keeps your goods in order

without sacrificing style

inspiration here

Have a fantastic weekend!

xoxo

KK

thrifty thursday: gift cards

So it's your birthday (or Christmas or Valentine's Day or Administrative Professionals Day, etc), and you've been showered with presents.

Only problem is you've gotten a gift card for this:

Not so sexy.

Especially since you don't have a bp

anywhere in your general vicinity.

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But what you really want is to be able to shop for this:

Sexy.

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Enter: gift card granny.

There you can sell the gift cards you don't want,

and then buy the ones you do want.

Perfection.

Better than that, while you're there you can shop around for discounts on other always-in-need cards: Whole Foods, Starbucks, Walgreens, or the gas station that's right around the block.  Never pay full price again.

xoxo

KK

make-ahead meal

After meeting some new friends this past weekend, Stefan spontaneously invited them over for dinner on Monday night.  While I'm always game to cook for company, Mondays are tricky.  With all the catching up, getting back into the swing of things, etc all day Monday, embarking on a home-cooked meal that evening seems daunting.  So, I decided to plan ahead and spend only Sunday being domestic.

Per usual, Stefan inquired as to our guests' dietary restrictions.  Two of three were vegetarians so I decided upon a veggie lasagna: non-meat-eater friendly AND easy to make ahead. 

After researching the internet's vast offering of choices (from The Pioneer Woman's version to every variety of "Three Cheese" you can imagine), I opted for Ina's tried and true favorite: simple, but delicious mushroom with Parmesan).  It helped that Smitten Kitchen had also done a test run and declared it "ridiculous, so good that although I’d planned to pack up the second half to store in the freezer of a family member on the mend, I fear it won’t make it."

The ingredients are all simple, and ones you may even have at home. 

Salt
Olive oil
3/4 pound dried lasagna noodles
1 large clove garlic, minced (this was a Smitten Kitchen addition but well worth it!)4 cups whole milk
3/4 cup (12 tablespoons or 1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, divided
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg (I used less, because this seemed like a lot)
1 1/2 pounds cremini or portobello mushrooms
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

First things first: the noodles.
Pop them in some boiling water with salt & olive oil and cook for 10 minutes.  Rinse and set aside.

Then onto the fun stuff: the bechamel sauce. 
(The other thing I love about this lasagna is that it's a non-tomato-based variety - perfect for those non-red-sauce lovers in your family.)  Stick the milk + minced garlic in the microwave and cook until hot.  Meanwhile melt 8 tablespoons of the butter in a saucepan and add the flour, stirring with a wooden spoon over low heat for 1 minute.  Then, add the milk while stirring with the spoon.  Add the salt, pepper, and nutmeg, turn up to medium-low heat, and then WHISK until deliciously creamy.  (3-5 minutes)

Now time for your fungi.
Saute them with olive oil, salt & pepper, and the rest of the butter until beautifully brown.  (I just used creminis but next time I'd opt for some more exotic varieties to spice it up.)

Finally time to assemble.
In a pan size of your choosing (Ina suggests 8 x 12), spread the sauce along the bottom.  Then add some noodles, some more sauce, some mushrooms, and some Parmesan.

Then it's time to do it all again - noodles, sauce, mushrooms, cheese - finally finishing it off with a layer of cheese, noodles, and sauce on top.

 
I made mine ahead of time and stuck in the fridge until the next evening, but you can also bake on the spot at 375 degrees for 30-45 minutes (or until the top is browned and the bechamel is bubbly.)

The result:

Cheesy, gooey delicious goodness combined with savory, melt-in-your-mouth mushrooms.  Ina: you did good.

The only hiccup was learning that one of our three guests didn't eat mushrooms.  We stuck a frozen pizza in the oven and called it a night.

xoxo
KK

kindness unrecognized

Not too long ago - as I was rushing to meet a girlfriend for dinner - I pulled into a 60-minute-only metered parking spot, knowing full well I was going to be longer than an hour.  I was late, late, late already and didn't have time to hunt for another spot after having driven around for way too long.  I fed the meter its max and then sprinted down the block to my date.

As we chatted and sipped and munched, I tried not to think about the $75+ ticket that was sure to be waiting for me when we finished.  Why hadn't I just done valet for $15?  That surely would be cheaper than the honking check I was about to write to the city of San Francisco. 

Walking back to my car a full two hours post parking, I knew a big mistake had been made.  As I drew closer to my car, however, I realized my windshield was sans ticket.  How could this be?
I glanced over at the meter.  It was blinking green - not the signature red of a meter craving coins.  I hadn't gotten a ticket because my spot hadn't been unpaid for.  Someone had fed my meter while I was dining.

My mind raced at the thought.  What had possessed some total stranger to grant me with such kindness?  How did they think I was going to recognize them? thank them? repay the favor?

But that was just it, they didn't expect any kind of recognition.  And that's what made it feel oh-so good.

So instead of hoping in my car and cruising off happy as clam for this ticket-free evening, I walked down the street and spent $4.75 filling all the meters that were empty or nearly empty on the block. 

You never know what my less-than-$5 spontaneous surprise might inspire.

xoxo
KK

on collecting

I've always had torn feelings about collections.

On the one hand, they're a nice hobby and way to remember things in your life.  My mom - who goes through a half a pack of Diet Coke a day and sleeps with a can on her bedside table - has a festive collection of cans from each country she's visited decorating the top shelf of her office. 

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But on the other hand, collections can empty wallets, don't serve any real practical purpose, create clutter, and sometimes lead to people falling just a bit off their rocker.  Like here: 

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Despite these many obstacles to the hobby, however, I have developed a little collection of my own:

Matchboxes!

Not only are the little guys cheap (and by cheap I mean FREE!), they're incredibly practical - especially when you love eating dinner by candlelight as much as Stefan and I do.

Plus picking up a pack grants me an instant moment of memories:

my college days drinking beers and eating burgers at the Water Street Grill,
champagne and dessert at The Modern when my mom and Kaka would come visit me while I was living in NYC,
late night drinks with colleagues at MATCH in Boston while working my first real job,
staying at the Hotel Europe in Davos for a Swiss mountain-top wedding,
some romantic (and delicious) dates at fleur de lac and cafe des bains when Stefan was still living in Switzerland,
I could really go on and on and on and on.

Finally, the collection is (fairly) clutter free.  I pop all my boxes into an empty vase which serves as decor on our built-in bookcase.

Do you have any collections?

xoxo
KK