favs for halloween

Are you a Halloween person?  I used to be in a big, big way, but living in non-trick-or-treater territory for the past eight years (college dorms then urban apartments) has taken some of the punch out of the day.  So this Friday, I'm bringing you my favorites to get back in the Halloween spirit - with or without those little munchkins knocking at your door...

For drinking:

 

bloody martinis

from bhg

 

Bone Chillin' Brew

freeze water in hospital gloves to make bone-like ice

from nestle

 

 

For snacking:

Tombstone Taco Dip

from bhg

 

spooky graveyard pie

from here

 

 

For decorating:

 

Carrot-nose jack-o'-lanterns

from martha

 

 

And best of all,

for wearing:

 

my sister Gretchen dressed as a

Mail-Order Bride!

How clever!!

 

Are you dressing up for Halloween?

 

xoxo

KK

 

 

 

fall favs

I know it's totally cliche, but I've got cider, pumpkins, and sweaters on the brain.  I'm totally itching to throw a little autumn-inspired soiree.  Whether we will or not is yet to be determined, but regardless I'm sharing my ideas for an easy-to-put-together, yet completely seasonally-inspired party:

for decorating:

chevron pumpkins

from my sweet savannah

pre-dinner cocktails:

a pumpkin ice bucket

from martha of course

cider in apples

from somewhere splendid

dip in a pumpkin

from bailey

for dinner:

place cards made from dried leaves

from once wed

butternut squash and crispy sage pizza

from alexandra cooks

with a side of Brussels Sprouts 

with cranberries, barley and Gorgonzola

from cookie and kate

and for dessert:

deep dish pumpkin meringue pie

from martha

 

What do you do to celebrate fall?

 

xoxo

KK

last minute mom's day

So since mama's day is a mere 48 hours away, this Friday I'm bringing you my fav last-minute mom gifts so even if you've totally dropped the ball on getting yours something fabulous, you can still wow her like never before.

For the breakfast lover:

Simply assemble freshly baked banana bread,

softened butter, organic coffee beans, and

a new kitchen towel in a gorgeous basket

(from everyday occasions)

For the gardener:

Plant her favorite bulbs

in some vintage tin cans

(from here)

For the gal with a sweet tooth:

Whip her up this Rustic Lemon & Rosemary Tart

Pretty AND delicious

For the traveler:

Gift her some credit at JETSETTER

so she can steal away to a fabulous hotel

of her choosing for a night or two

For the health-nut whose always in the kitchen:

Cook HER something fabulous that she feels good about devouring

like roasted asparagus with black rice, avocado, and radish sprouts

find it at coconut and quinoa

For the reader (and sultry seductress):

Too bad my mom has already read the entire series

AND gifted it to me and my sis

If you don't know what the hype is all about,

find out HERE

For the mom who has it all:

You can never go wrong with some beautiful blooms

Peonies couldn't prettier these days

1

Happy Mother's Day!

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

easter favs

It's been a long few days with Stefan out of town with his best friend for their Bachelor Week. 
(Oh don't get too excited: his idea of the perfect bachelor party is extreme mountain biking and canyoneering in the Nevada desert.)

This choice of activities won't come as a surprise

if you know how he proposed

So I'm extra excited for the weekend to be here as it not only brings Easter, but Stefan back in SF!  And on top of that, we've got an Easter weekend packed full of excitement: a special friend of mine in town, the San Francisco half marathon Sunday morning, a themed birthday party, and an Easter Potluck Dinner with egg decorating.

So this Friday, I'm bringing you my favs for this spring holiday, so you can get into the celebrating mood early!

For eating:

Carrot cupcakes made in ice cream cones

and buried in oreo cookie crumbles

from here

Cheesecake-filled Chocolate Easter Eggs

from here

For drinking:

Peeps in hot chocolate!

from here

For decorating:

baby blooms in pastel eggshells

from here

For wearing:

bunny bleu ballet flats at $55 a pair

find them here 

For egg decorating:

Go au naturel and dye your eggs the natural way

The colors can still be brilliant

learn how here

For giving:

Instead of the traditional plastic grass + neon ensemble,

surprise someone with a little farmer easter basket

from here

For hosting:

There's something so special about sitting down

to a place setting with your own personal bloom

from here

Have a lovely Easter!

xoxo
KK

reaping favs

So last night as I was driving home from work, Stefan called to let me know that there'd been a change of plans: instead of cooking at home, he had a surprise for me, and I needed to pick him up right this second so the event(s) could begin.

As I tried to nail him with questions, he drove us back to our neighborhood, parked off California Street, and escorted me to Delfina Pizzeria.  At 5:45pm. 

Now we both love the spot (and know it's impossible to get in without at least an hour wait anytime after six), but all this hoopla for pizza?  I was suspicious.

He then revealed the most delightful surprise that this teen-fiction-loving gal has ever heard: he had secured us coveted tickets to the midnight showing of The Hunger Games, and our early bird dinner special was so I could nap in preparation.

It. was. awesome.

Totally, totally worth the late night (and let me make it clear: sleep is VERY important to me).  So today I'm bringing you my Hunger Game favs, so you can get excited for when you see it oh-so-soon.  (Because you absolutely must.)

For eating:

Katniss' favorite legendary lamb stew with dried plums

recipe

from confessions of a cookbook queen

For drinking:

the girl on fire cocktail

from everyday food blog

For wearing:

farfetch carven oxford dress

more ideas here

For decorating:

1

For marrying:

from green wedding shoes

And just for fun:

From Zucchero Zucchero

Happy Hunger Games!

xoxo

KK

french favs

So last night around 7pm, Stefan and I got a spontaneous invitation for dinner at our fabulous French neighbor's apartment.  She was having a French friend of hers over and was wondering if we wanted to join.

"Of course!  What can we bring?"
"Um, well, perhaps some cheese?"  (Because she knows that being the cheese obsessionados we are, we obviously have 4 extra special varieties waiting in our fridge to be dined upon.)
"You got it.  See you at eight."

That evening as we chatted about the complexities of French Champagne and the earthiness of a good Bordeaux (our fellow Frenchman was a distributor of fine French wines), we shared our cheese (French St Agur blue, French Comte, Cowgirl Creamery Mount Tam, and Stefan's favorite: Swiss Appenzeller), French foie gras, French ratatouille, and a cheese cake with homemade French raspberry coulis - all washed down with some French wine, of course. 

I felt like the most refined, cultured, worldly gal that ever was.
(Although I am not sure my French friends would have agreed as I unelegantly slurped my wine, stuffed my chomper with cheese, and laughed with my big, bubbly American laugh.)

There's just something about French things that makes me feel way more sophisticated than I really am.  You know what I mean?

So this Friday, I am bringing you my French favorites, so you might be able to enjoy the fabulousness of being a Francophile as well.

For eating:

french onion soup

For dessert:

silky, decadent old-school chocolate mousse

from smitten kitchen

For drinking:

french poire 76

from julip made

For wearing:

because who doesn't love paris in the rain?

and you can't go with stripes

For doing:

from oh happy day's 10 things to do in paris with kids

The essentials for a parisian picnic

from oh happy day!

macaroon tasting

from oh happy day!

For going:

montmartre, paris, france

And just for fun:

oh french baguettes, how I adore you

Have a fabulous (French) weekend!

xoxo

KK