thanksgiving

Did you have a nice long Thanksgiving weekend?

Normally we head back to Wisconsin, but given that we had just seen the fam a few weeks ago for my sister's wedding (more details next week!), we opted to stay put this year.  While we were very sad to miss out on lots of fun family traditions, I wasn't too disappointed to miss out on traveling around the holidays.  While Samantha is a pretty easy babe to fly with, I do not miss the looks I get from fellow passengers when I come down the aisle as they pray we don't have the seat adjacent. :)

Despite the lack of family and good wintery weather, we tried to make the holiday as festive as possible to show Theresa what this essential American day is all about!  
Thanksgiving morning, we dolled our little princess up in cableknit for a day on the town.

First up was taking Theresa to our fav breakfast spot: La Boulange.

They were featuring free samples of their pumpkin creme fraiche tart and decadent pecan pie.  We took the general "take one" rule very loosely preparing the palate for our eggs.

Since we were headed to a friend's house for dinner, we didn't need to do any cooking and instead needed to pick up a spread of cheese and some good wine.  After brunch, we walked to Cole Valley to get our Thanksgiving contribution.  While Stefan made his selections from Say Cheese!, Theresa and I hung out with the babe in a nearby outdoor cafe.

By the time we got home from our walk, it was nearly 75  degrees (a full 20 degree differential from that AM - completely normal for this bipolar climate of ours), so we needed to do a little outfit change...

...and then take Theresa to tip her toes in the Pacific Ocean for the first time:

After a long walk on the beach, we headed home to get dressed up for Thanksgiving dinner.

In the hustle and bustle of the evening (and wanting to savor every bite), I didn't have a second to snap a shot until dessert.

Arzimendi Pumpkin Cheesecake with freshly whipped cream.  Amazing.

We left all thoroughly full.  All in all, a wonderful day.

xoxo

KK

1st of August

In addition to attempting to learn German while in der Schweiz, I've been trying to soak up as much Swiss culture as possible.  And for a country of so few people (Stefan loves to remind me that he comes from a very limited population...), there is quite a lot of culture.  Tradition, customs, and routine play an enormous role in everyday life.

In addition to being lucky enough to marry one of the very few Swiss males on the planet, I was lucky enough to be in Switzerland for their national holiday: the 1st of August.  Like most things in Switzerland, the day was packed full with good Swiss customs.

We started the day with a big Swiss Frühstück (breakfast) on a Bauernhof (farm).  

  

This celebratory Frühstück included copious amounts of classic Swiss fare:

viel Brot

viel Käse

viel Milch

(direkt von der Kuh)

und Rösti natürlich!

(a traditional Swiss dish made of 

farm-fresh, shredded potatoes - 

originally a common breakfast eaten 

by farmers in the canton of Bern)

 In addition to eating, there was lots of entertainment for young and old alike:

Traditionellen Alphorn Musik!

The festivities didn't end after the morning meal, however.  That evening we headed to the local village fest for more tradition and excitement.  After a hike up ein Berg (mountain), we partook in traditional Swiss singing, sausage eating and local beer drinking among the other villagers.  

Then, as the sun began to set, each villager (children included) took a lit torch and marched to the top of the Berg to help light a massive bonfire.  

I was told this village's fire was a mere baby compared to those of some neighboring villages.  I said I was quite fine with this one's size and took care to remain a safe distance away.

All in all: ein wunderschöner Tag!

xoxo
KK  

a flag cake

When I think of the Fourth of July, I don't think of fireworks or BBQ or even that signature red-white-and-blue décor, I think of cake. 

You see, my little brother (the one who played football in college and can pick up my sister and I in one easy swoop) always had an infinity for baking.  So much so that he wrote his college essay about how much he loves to bake and started his own baking business.  He and his partner in crime spent a summer delivering "Sweet Convenience" (as their business was called) to customers big and small. 

His love of baking resulted in our family spending many holidays in the kitchen baking together (or more often: watching Sam work his magic).  Fourth of July was no exception.  On this day, Sam always crafted a picture-perfect Texas sheet cake decked out in red, white, and blue berries and buttercream frosting.

 

from here

Stefan had just about the most un-festive Fourth of July imaginable: we spent the day indoors taking care of to-dos, we went out for Chinese for dinner, and we didn't watch the fireworks.

But the one thing I couldn't do without was that cake.  (And the memories that come with it.)

Since Stefan (being the Swiss cheese obsessionado that he is) is more of a cheesecake fan than a sheet-cake fan, I decided to modify accordingly.  I whipped up my absolute favorite recipe and then decked it out with berries accordingly.

This cheesecake recipe is totally killer and not the thick, dense, New-York-style variety you may know from the Cheesecake Factory.  So good in fact that one friend who declared he despises all cheesecake just moments before this cake was unveiled, ate not one, but TWO extra-large pieces and asked for a doggie bag to take home.  Only word of advice: don't skip the waterbath portion of the recipe - I once did and ended up with a concrete crust at the bottom of my pan.

Do you have any Fourth of July traditions you just can't do without?

xoxo

KK  

happy 4th!

What are you up to this weekend?

We're hanging around here and partaking in typical fourth-fare: watching the fireworks from our roof, doing some extra-long hikes over in Marin, and eating lots of corn on the cob.  

While I'm excited for a weekend of not-so-much after so much action these past few weeks, I am missing the big fourth of July festivities I grew up with (family soccer and sparklers and barbecue and sitting by the lake and a flag sheet cake homemade by my little brother early that morning).  

So to quench my thirst for the holiday, I'm bringing you my favs for the fourth.

For eating:

from here and here and here

For drinking:

from here and here

For dessert-ing:

from here and here and here

And for wearing:

from here and here and here

Happy fourth!

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

the gift of opportunity

Are you excited for the holidays?  Since Stefan and I are headed off on our honeymoon TONIGHT (hooray!), we opened a bunch of our presents last night, and - boy oh boy - were they good.  Mama and Papa Krieg know how to spoil us well.  (But more on that another time.)

Are you all set with your holiday shopping?  Still looking for the perfect gift for that person who has everything?  

Why not skip the expensive trinket they'll never use or the lackluster sweater they'll never wear and give them: 
the gift of opportunity?

By making a donation to Reclaim Childhood in honor of that person you love, you'll be helping to bring the benefits of sport and play to at-risk refugee girls and women living in the Middle East.  (Full disclosure: as co-founder and Director, I come with a bit of bias.)

In recognition of your generosity, RC will mail your special someone a beautiful holiday card with photos of RC's budding athletes-in-training. 

On the back of the card, your loved one will find information about Reclaim Childhood and its mission as well as a note telling him or her where exactly your donation is going:

$20: Buys four soccer balls 
$50: Buys uniforms for one basketball team 
$100: Allows one refugee girl to play soccer in the RC soccer league 
$250: Trains and pays for one refugee woman to serve as a RC coach for a season

Ready to give?  Click here to make your donation.

Still not convinced? 
Check out this video one of our volunteers put together during our soccer league this past fall: 

 

Find it on vimeo here 

password: reclaim

In addition to our fall soccer league, RC runs a series of athletic programs throughout the year: summer sports camps, a spring basketball league, Saturday sports clinics, and Mother-Daughter Days. In addition, we host coaching clinics to train refugee women to serve as our coaches - giving them a much needed source of income as well as an outlet to empowerment.

Ready to give?  Click here to make your donation.   Even small dollars make a HUGE difference.

xoxo

KK

christmas cookies

If you think Americans take their Christmas baking seriously, just wait until you encounter the Swiss around this time of year.  Baking (and then having a fully stocked supply of) Christmas cookies in the house is not an option, it is an absolute must.

Stefan introduced me to the joys of Swiss cookies last year around this time.  While we tried our best to craft traditional versions of his favorites, what resulted was almost identifiable. 

   

But to my credit, it wasn't all my fault.  Swiss cookie making requires a plethora of tools - not only your traditional food processor (to chop nuts and puree vanilla beans) and stand mixer (to knead doughs and beat egg whites), but also a whole host of other Swiss-made gadgets to propel your cookies to perfection: special cookie cutters and dough thickness measuring sticks.

Luckily this year - thanks to last year's Christmas presents from my mother-in-law and this year's wedding presents from some awesome guests, we were fully prepared for the feat.

It all started with those two wonderful kitchen appliances:

 

Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer showing its stuff

Cuisinart Food Processor resting on the dish 

drying rack after a tough day's work

I'll be totally honest: the only reason I registered for a stand mixer was because I thought it looked pretty sitting on the counter.  I had absolutely no idea what I would use it for, nor if I ever would - all I wanted was for it to stand proudly, always conveying a sense of purpose.  Problem was: our shoebox-size kitchen wasn't exactly conducive to putting the beauty out on display, so it had been stored away in our cabinet since its arrival.

This cookie making extravaganza was its first debut and boy, oh, boy was I in for a treat.  Do you all have one of these things?  It is like 40 expert bakers packed into one.  It kneaded all four of my doughs into a perfect consistency, whipped my egg whites into the fluffiest, most decadent meringue, and then did all the dishes.  Kidding on that last one, but you get the drift.  I am officially in love. 

(For more profession of love for the stand mixer, check out Design Mom.)

Once my doughs were prepped (in next to no time, mind you) and rested (in quite a bit of time, unfortunately), it was onto the cutting.

Thanks to my trusty dough thickness measuring sticks, I rolled to perfection - optimizing for equality on all cookie dimensions.        

 

Basler Brunsli in process 

a delicious gluten-free, almond, chocolate, spice cookie

(check out saveur for the recipe)

Spitz buben

recipe here

Zimtsterne

another delicious gluten-free option, 

these cinnamon-almond stars are topped 

with a crunchy meringue 

recipe here

Basler Brunsli in boxes

Packing them all up 

Mailanderli included - recipe here

(as Stefan informed me: a must-make given 

they're the only recipe that calls for yolks; 

all the others require whites only - 

gotta love that Swiss optimization!)

All set to go to friends!

Although the process was a lot easier (and cleaner) than last year's, it still took quite a lot of time.  Even though the doughs were done in no time, cutting and baking required some serious manpower.  

Three nights' worth, in fact. 

 

The perfect excuse to catch up on the latest season of Nashville.  (Do you watch?  You should y'all.)

All in all - a successful year in this Swiss tradition.  And since it was our first as an "official" Swiss household, perhaps last years' disaster doesn't count?

 

Do you have any Christmas treats you make every year?

xoxo

KK