feb 19

Yesterday was my birthday.

I've had a history of some pretty sensational celebrations,
(last year my sister, two best friends, and all of their SOs came out to visit for a weekend of wine-tasting, 
the year before that Stefan whisked me off to Verbier for a weekend of sensational Swiss skiing)
so Stefan had quite some work cut out for him to out-do himself this time around.

To add to his pressure, I have parents who completely spoil me (in the BEST possible way) with a plethora of perfect presents (think: 3-months unlimited yoga, a new KKF Tiffany's key chain, and 6-months laundry service - just to name a few).   

Yesterday, however, Stefan totally hit the ball out of the park.

I was instructed to be home in our apartment at 7pm, "elegantly dressed" and ready for the night.  There, Stefan was waiting with an apero - one of my most favorite Swiss traditions that has become a special event for the two of us whenever we can fit it in.

He had picked up the most delicious fresh bread along with some perfectly sliced prosciutto and two right-up-my-alley cheeses.

  
He popped some champagne...

We made cheers...

And then I opened some sensational presents from my fam...

 

Some stylish travel supplies from 

my adorable little brother Sam

(who clearly has impeccable taste)

We then headed out to our mystery dinner locale - Stefan not sharing a peep.  As he drove us in all sorts of misleading directions, he asked me what type of cuisine I was hoping for.
"French!"
Not only do the French prepare the most decadent dishes, their restaurants tend to be the most romantic and cozy - perfect for a chilly, February birthday.

As luck would have it, Stefan had booked us a table at chapeau! - a little French secret in the Richmond, a neighborhood we had yet to explore.  The place was packed (especially for a Tuesday night at 8:30pm) and they led us to a lovely table tucked between two other couples.

But Stefan knew we could do better.
He made fast friends with the French owner and head chef (who was charmed by Stefan's superior French skills - oh the joys of having a husband who speaks every language) who escorted us to the restaurant's best table.

The intimate round beauty where we could sit next to each other 

in a luscious leather booth and spy on the rest of the restaurant 

while we sipped our wine and ate our butter-laden bread

They had an option for a 3-course or 4-course meal so we opted for both (Stefan with the 3, me with the 4) and ordered a variety of different tantalizing options to share.

The meal started with a creamy cauliflower soup amuse-bouche.

Then moved onto veal sweetbreads and a trio of salmon to start.

A pan seared scallop with pesto risotto as a second. 

Then a maple leaf farms duck breast and bouillabaisse for mains.

And then french toast with hazelnut ice cream and nuage de noix for dessert.

 

with a candle of course!

But that wasn't all Stefan had planned.  He then whipped out my present:

 

An unassuming jar apparently used for making confit...

 

Filled with vouchers for all the weeks of a 12-week intensive cooking course!

For us to do TOGETHER!

Not only does the course teach you all the basics for getting around in the kitchen (knife skills, braising, roasting, sauces, etc), Week 12 is an Iron Chef Mystery Basket competition where you compete against your fellow classmates to see who has mastered the skills the most.  I could not be more pumped.  

Best. birthday. ever.

xoxo

KK

 

a long weekend on gasparilla

So despite a mother on the mend (what is it with the flu this season?  terrible!) 
and weather like this:

 

Of Stefan's four trips to Florida, 

we've had bad luck every time!

Stefan and I had a wonderful time visiting my grandparents and parents on Gasparilla Island.

The weekend was extra special as two of my favorite high school teachers (who happen to be very good friends of my mom) were also down visiting.

 

Mrs. Lyons - English teacher extraordinaire (top) 

and Mrs. Morse - USM's Spanish guru (bottom)

on our make-your-own-pizza night

Despite the lousy weather, we did lots of island walking (bundled up of course!), 
lounged around hearing about Poppy's extraordinary cane collection (you haven't seen anything like it), 
indulged in decadent dinners in and out, 
caught up on Downton, and 
spent leisurely lunches sipping beers and coloring at Miller's Marina.

By far the pinnacle of the weekend, however, was the men's midnight fishing trip.  After dinner on Sunday, Stefan, Poppy and my dad headed out into the cold for a late night attempt at catching some marlin. 

(For those of you who know about as much about fish as I do, marlin fishing is considered the pinnacle of game fishing due to the size and power of this beastly fish and the extreme rareness of the species.)

Hemingway and his family with 4 marlin in 1935

(picture and info on marlin from wikipedia,

because I obviously don't know a thing)

Poppy told Stefan he'd buy us a house in San Francisco if Stefan pulled in one of the breed.

After awhile of no luck catching a thing, Stefan tossed in a live-shrimp-bated hook.

Pops muttered to Dad, "This one will be our last.  The chances of us catching a thing are next to none."

After a minute or two, however, Stefan felt a pull, "I've got something here!"

Knowing Stefan loves a good joke, they peered over at him skeptically.

"No really!  I do!  I can't pull it in!" he hollered as he struggled with his pole.

Pops quickly ran over to help him reel in his catch.

A big, meaty snook!

While not quite a marlin, the snook is also a renowned game fish, known for its superior fighting capabilities (which the men experienced first hand).  

While Stefan didn't end up with a house, he went home with a book all about his catch (with a hand-written note from his fishing mentor Pops) as well as a new nickname: "The Fischerman."

How was your long weekend?

xoxo

KK

happy valentine's day!

Do you celebrate Valentine's Day?  

We're not huge V-day people around here (there's something not-so-wonderful about a jam-packed yet under-staffed prix-fixe-only restaurant with tables topped with red roses - or worse: pink carnations).  Still there's something really lovely about the day - an excuse to celebrate (and spoil) the ones you love.  So I obviously couldn't go without doing a little something for Stefan, especially for our first one as husband and wife.

The other day, a friend was telling me about the 5 love languages - have you heard of it?  It's an interesting way to figure out which language of love you (or your mate) "speaks" so you can each do a better job making each other feel loved.  Stefan and I are both high on the Words of Affirmation scale (meaning we both like to be told nice things), but we also rank very high on Acts of Service and Quality Time (meaning we like to DO things together).  

With that in mind, I prepped a little bag of treats:

    -A certificate for a Thai Couples Massage workshop next weekend

    -A voucher for a KK-home-cooked Boeuf Bourguignon (one of our favs!) with a bottle of Bordeaux

 
    -A box of Whole Foods dried mangos - Stefan's absolute favorite 

Early this morning when I snuck out to the gym (and Stefan was still in bed), I left the bag of goodies where I knew he'd find it:

Still need some ideas for something to do for that special someone?

Make them a steamy cup of hot chocolate, 

with a pair of floating marshmallow hearts

from martha

 

make some heart shaped soft pretzels

with pink salt

from two blue lemons  

 

paint some empty matchboxes with chalkboard paint 

and fill with red hots

here

 

make a food passport for all the places you want to try

more details here

 

download these free printables to dress up an otherwise dull chocolate bar

Or my fav idea of the bunch:

(that I stole from a fabulous friend who is surprising her man TONIGHT)

cook him a three-course meal

with an appetizer from the city where you met

the entree from where they went on their honeymoon

and the dessert from where the live now

pic from here

Any big plans for tonight?  

Stefan and I are hopping on a red-eye to Gasparilla Island to spend the weekend with my fam.  We couldn't be more pumped to see them and spend some time soaking up the Florida sun.  Have a wonderful weekend!

xoxo

KK

a baby shower

This past weekend I was super pumped to attend a lovely tea-party-themed baby shower for my fabulous friend Melanie.  

  
Before this weekend, I was a total baby shower virgin.  I begged the two sensational hosts to let me come help prep, which, in this case, meant making tea sandwiches. (Also a first for this girl.)  

I prepped some traditional cucumber-cream cheese and salmon-cream cheese varieties while host Sarah opted for all sorts of savory combos: apple-cheddar-mustard, chicken-fig-goat cheese, egg-mayo-lettuce, and my personal fav: sprout-walnut-avocado.  

You don't feel so bad eating 10 when they are dainty.  (And delicious.)

There were also scones:

And a diaper cake:

And earl grey cookies:

And yummy baby-friendly (and not-so-baby-friendly) drinks:

And healthy things like fruit and green salad which didn't capture my camera's fancy given the other more decadent dining options omnipresent.

And - of course - tea!:

One of the lovely hosts brought her entire collection of antique, mismatched tea cups for us to sip out of.  I felt so important and refined.

That is, until I decided to decorate a onesie with a fellow guest:

watch out Jackson Pollock - you got some stiff competition

What were you up to this weekend?

xoxo
KK

six months down

Yesterday marked six months of marriage for Stefan and me.  Where did the time go?

A few wedding tid-bits to help kick off the next six:

Aren't they adorable?

A blurb in my (and my family's) high school magazine

 

My parent's holiday card front

(me and my dad dancing)

 holiday card inside

holiday card back

Sadly Stefan's in Australia for the week on business so I'm all by my lonesome.  

I've got lots of things to keep me busy (drinks + dinners out with friends, catching up on Downton/Nashville/Smash, getting my nails done, attempting to find a yoga studio, and celebrating the most adorable mom-to-be with a tea-party-themed baby shower this weekend) but I'm already counting down the minutes to when he gets back and we can celebrate our six-month milestone together.  (Because who doesn't need a bit more celebration in their life?)

What do you do when your other half is away?

xoxo

KK

happy birthday gretters!

Today is the big 2-5 for my little sister Gretchen!

 

I may be older, but Gretchen is definitely wiser:

 

She's always got some good advice when times are tough 

and I need an unbiased, rational opinion. 

 (Getting some of her many words 

of wisdom in Sonoma last spring.)

And more hilarious:

 

There isn't a person in the world 

this girl can't make laugh.

And more patient:

 

She had to put up with a whole lot of this growing up.

And more athletic:

She kills me on the golf course, tennis court, race track - 

you name it.

 

And sillier:

Need I say more?

 

 And more stylish:

 

(I've been trying to up the ante in terms of fashion lately and Stefan keeps telling me:

"Oh - you look so stylish!  You look like Gretchen!")

Happy birthday Gretters!

with her man - the fabulous Al

We all love you!

xoxo
KK