foreign cinema

When Sam and my mom were here, we ventured out for our first dinner on the town since July.
Needless to say, I was pumped.  

Since I first moved to San Francisco, I've always wanted to try Foreign Cinema - a top-notch spot in the Mission that plays an old movie on the covered patio when the sun sets.

Note white screen for movie viewing in back

They even have old, drive-in speakers at each of the tables so you can listen in to whatever movie is being played.

The food is really star-worthy as well.

Highly, highly recommend the melon and made-in-house prosciutto, the beef carpaccio, the steak medium-rare, and the melt-in-your-mouth sea bass.
We were very pleased.

Samantha had a blast as well:

Definitely check it out the next time you're in San Francisco!

xoxo

KK

uncle sam

Samantha got to meet her Uncle (and godfather) Sam last week!

Not only do they have very similar names...

...they have very similar haircuts, even with parts on the very same side. :)

These two peas in a pod also share a love for watching the Packers (win, preferably) with their beverage of choice:

As you can tell, they really hit it off.

With my mom and Sam here for the week, we had lots of adventures, including a trip down to Palo Alto to scope out the Stanford Business School campus.

Sam was all about fulfilling his uncle/godfather duties manning the helm of Samantha's stroller whenever possible.

When we checked out the student housing, the woman at the front commented:

"This housing is very popular, but our family housing on the other side of campus is also quite nice," as she smiled at Sam and I and the little bundle tucked away in our stroller.

We just smiled back.  

Our photo-taking on University Ave probably didn't give passerby-ers any other idea either. :)

Sam also fulfilled some domestic duties at home in the kitchen, whipping up some delicious Parmesan Chicken a la Ina Garten...

...as well as some succulent skirt steak for our Packers (and US Open :) party.

Which we enjoyed with some delicious and healthy sides thanks to my mom extraordinaire. 

Samantha, Stefan and I were all very sad to see them go.  

Come back soon!

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  

well, hello!

Boy oh boy, it's been quite awhile since I've checked in last.  But my absence was not without good reason - I landed a new job!  While very exciting, the last month has been a whirlwind of trying to orchestrate my exit from my current gig as well as schedule some summer fun.  (More on that to come.)  

In addition, we've had time for some exciting, action-packed weekends.

Watching my baby brother graduate summa cum laude (!!) from Williams:

so proud of Sam Richard Krieg

the family crew of Williams grads

Helping said baby brother move into his new apartment in NYC:

my sister Gretchen working her magic with IKEA

My 5-year college reunion:
(which coincided with my parents' 30th and included a whole lotta mud)

charlotte and me

A wedding up in Healdsburg:

we obviously had to do some wine tasting

(at kunde's mountain top)

and some beer tasting

(at the fermentation bar in downtown healdsburg)

and some hiking in the redwoods

And finally, doing some much-needed spring cleaning:

color-coded books - yay or nay?

 

More details on these fun weekends to come.

What have you been up to?

xoxo

KK

the candy house

Growing up, one of my favorite holiday traditions was that of The Candy House.  An antique of sorts - this hand-crafted, wooden structure was handed down from a great grandmother luckily ending up in my mother's hands.  Ever since us kids were old enough to frost, we've been decorating the house with a splattering of sweet treats.

As described last year, however, like almost all Krieg Family activities, the event has turned into somewhat of a sport - a competition for who can adorn their side in the most creative, artistic, original, esthetically pleasing way possible.

Gretchen, Sam and I always get our own side (Stefan joined my team permanently last year), but we've had a rotating competitor on the fourth.  This year, mom stepped up to bat.

And like in any good Krieg Family competition, there is a winner.  In this case, based on the number of votes accumulated for each given side.  So what better way to help us determine a winner than to ask all of you to cast a vote.  Check out our work below and tell us:

1. Which is best
2. Which is worst
3. Which aspect/detail is your fav
4. Your guess of whose side is which

SIDE 1:

Highlights include: a lit candle in the left window,

a decorated, front-yard Christmas tree,

and a pile of wood with a licorice-y ax

SIDE 2:

Highlights include: a caramel fence w/ swinging door,
elevated steps up to the front entrance (complete w/ frosted windows),
and sliced-almond siding

SIDE 3:

Highlights include: pretzel-log cabin style,
a colorful fence,
and an outhouse decorated with fragrant Christmas wreaths
(to keep smells at bay)

SIDE 4:

 Highlights include: an American flag hanging above the garage,
a snowman leaning on a pile of snowballs,
and a vintage car headed out for a Sunday drive

Leave your vote in the comments - we'll report back soon with the winner!

xoxo

KK

more thanksgiving goodness

In addition to some epic pie-making, our Thanksgiving Day came with a whole host of other fun traditions. 

The Krieg-Gallun clan has been known to produce some very serious competitions - chief among them those that take place on Thanksgiving.  On one such occasion, a touch football game ended with a broken femur and full-leg cast.

This year, we tried to keep it a little more kid-friendly, opting for a family soccer game on Liz Krieg Field. 
(Liz Krieg being my mother who had a beautiful turf field hockey field built in her honor because she was just that awesome of a coach.)

With players of all ages, we managed to keep things friendly with my dad even pulling off a few headers:

In addition to some sports, we made time to prep a perfect balance of healthy and not-so-healthy dishes:

spicy sausage stuffing

spinach, persimmon, pomegranate, walnut,

pear, butternut squash salad

We got all dressed up and headed over our lovely grandma's house for a big, delicious dinner.

Sam carving his upside-down-roasted turkey

 

And then sampling it

(right off the bone of course)

with his new brother

The evening ended with those to-die-for pies and one unreal dance performance by a very energized cousin:

Watch out Justin Bieber - he's coming for you

 

xoxo

KK

perfect pies

Did you have a good Thanksgiving weekend?  Ours was jam-packed with ridiculously fun activities, delicious food and tons of good company - all starting with one perfectly decadent Thanksgiving Day.

As is traditional in the Krieg Family home, we spent the day prepping pies.  And by pies, I don't just mean 1 or 2.  I mean seven.  And even that was a very light year for us (just-a-bit-excessive) pie lovers. 
One year we cranked out no less than 13 before 3. 

While it used to be the full Krieg clan in the kitchen each contributing equal amounts to the pie creations, we've since relinquished the majorities of duties to the premier pie maker among us.

Any guesses on who that might be?

 

My 6'2", 238 lb, football-playing, soon-to-be investment-banking (little) brother.

As has become tradition, Sam got help from a good high school friend who has mastered the art of rolling out the perfect pie crust.  The two of them spent the day preparing batch upon batch of dough, and then batch upon batch of fillings.

While they prepared the vast majority of the pies, they introduced the newest member of the family to the tradition as well - teaching Stefan how to roll the dough evenly without letting it crack.

 

 

He did pretty well, only needing a little bit of help in the transfer of the crust to the pan.

(Look at how serious that face is in the transfer.  He knew Sam meant business.)

 

The pies all (even the one they let me roll out) turned out amazing.  Our best year yet.

 

 

 

Do you have any special dishes you make every single year?

 

xoxo

KK