breakfast best

Today is a fabulous day around these parts.  First, Stefan gets back from his two-week stint in Latin America where he was busy checking on his portfolio companies and stocking up on Latino-style liquors for an upcoming fiesta at la casa de us (more on that to come).  Then, the two of us hop on a jet down to Gasparilla Island to do an early birthday celebration with my sister & her man, my mom & my dad and my nana & pops. 

We do all sorts of fun things while in Florida - running the island, lunching on the golf porch, sunning on the roof, bathing in the pool, toasting at The Pink, biking into town, hitting balls at the courts next door, dining at the Club - the list goes on and on. 

One of my favorite Florida traditions, however, is having a big family breakfast at the Outlet - the no-frills breakfast and lunch joint adjacent to Gasparilla's Innlet Motel.  The spot is about 2.5 miles down the island from my parent's home, so we walk the beach there, enj0y our grub, and then walk the beach back making the event a few hour (and calorie net-even) affair. 

 

They have the most moist, mouthwatering muffins you've ever devoured.  Blueberry, lemon poppy seed, apple cinnamon are all divine, but it's their butternut rum walnut that we absolutely cannot resist.     

But better than their baked goods are their eggs.  They fry up the fluffiest, fit-for-a-king omelettes in all of Florida. 

They're so delicious that the last time we dined there, my younger brother declared his bacon and cheddar cheese version paired with a deliciously doughy bagel and crispy homemade fried potatoes his

favorite. breakfast. ever.

His declaration made us all start chatting about each of our top-rated morning meals. 

I'm always been a push-over for a delicious and gooey French Toast, but the best version by far in my book is Boulange's Fantastic French Toast served with their fresh fruit salad and pure maple syrup.  The next time you're in San Francisco, you should definitely give it a shot.

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But while Boulange rocks a lot of my fav breakfast foods, when it comes to the actual meal, I don't think it's with a special sauce or at a specific spot, but rather, with a certain crew.  So I'd have to confess that my fav breakfast of all-time is anything served up with a side of fabulous friends and family. 
And I'm very much looking forward to that this weekend.

What's your top-rated morning meal?

xoxo

KK

on interviewing

So my baby brother is in the midst of interviewing for summer internships and being the fabulous older sister that I am, I have been helping him prep.  While I consider myself quite well-versed when it comes to the traditional consulting-style case study interview (thanks to 20+ interviews my senior year and then a two-year stint in the biz), that wasn't always the case.

For those of you unfamiliar with the case study, it's basically a business problem - full of all sorts of mental math - that you have to solve on the fly. out loud. in front of your interviewer.  Not exactly the most fun thing in the world.

 
When I was his age, I didn't even know what a case study was.  For my first official consulting internship interview, I didn't prep beyond the traditional why-are-you-interested-in-consulting or tell-me-your-top-five-strengths type of questions.  I was actually ready to go in sans pen and paper - it was only thanks to the well-dressed applicant sitting besides me in the waiting room, that graciously offered me one of his six extra pencils, that I was able to scribble notes on the back of my resume as my interviewer spit an array of multi-digit numbers at me.

While I was able to miraculously get through my first round despite a complete and utter lack of preparation, I got mutilated on my final round - telling my interviewer that with 2.4 million customers buying 4 ice cream cones a year at $5 a pop, our client would have $48 trillion in revenue. 
Brilliant.

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When the real deal came around (interviewing for a full time position at the same firm), I was determined - spending countless hours prepping with my friends, my family, and my beautiful full-length mirror. 

I sat down across from my interviewer - a tall, but young fellow who looked like he had some difficultly cracking a smile - and introduced myself.

"So shall we get on with it then?" he asked pulling out his prep packet for the case that was about to ensue.
"Let's go for it!" I chimed cheerfully.
"Okay.  Now you've just been assigned to a case team working for the Milwaukee Brewers - "
I cut him off mid-sentence: "Oh. my. goodness. What a coincidence!  I am FROM MILWAUKEE!  Can you believe it?"
Awkward pause.
"Yes, I can.  I selected the Milwaukee Brewers because it says here on the top of your resume that you're from Milwaukee."
"Oh."
"So shall we get on with it then?"

Somehow, the rest of the interview ended up going surprisingly well and by some incredible miracle I ended up making it on the final round and nailing the job.  Just goes to show that sometimes this kind of stuff is just a whole lotta luck.  Sometimes it works in your favor, sometimes in doesn't.

So little bro - good luck on those interviews.  You're a hell of a lot smarter than me so they'd be crazy not to take you, BUT if they don't, don't sweat it - things have a way of working out for the best.
And there's always the full-time round.

xoxo
KK

v-day offering

So with Valentine's Day just one week away, it's getting to crunch time for thinking about what one might get his or her honey.  Since mine is a dedicated reader of this blog, I can't very well spill the beans here and now, BUT I thought I'd share one of my previous present packages as inspiration for your brainstorming. 
(If need be - no judgment if you're a V-day hater.)

Now I LOVE giving gifts.  Any occasion - birthday, Christmas, promotion, MLK Day, a yoga class sans complaints - is an excuse to make the effort.  But it's not just the giving of it that gets me, it's the whole shebang - thinking up an idea, shopping for its elements, assembling and wrapping per requirements, and orchestrating the handover. 

For Stefan's 30th birthday, I presented him with 30 gifts - one for each year of his life. 

For his 31st, I decided to orchestrate a scavenger hunt around our apartment.  He'd be arriving home from a business trip in LatAm while I was at work, so I greeted him with the following brown paper bag:

Inside it was a note with clues for him to head to the fridge, where he found this little number:

With three delicious European cheeses inside.

Instructions to slice himself some bread (a freshly bought baguette was awaiting him on the counter) and enjoy a light snack were written on the bag.

On the back of the bag were clues for him to find his next bag:

Which led him to a stockpile of his favorite icy beverage - some deliciously sweet iced tea.

The hunt went along like this for quite some time as my inside-joke-ridden clues led him to some new West Elm lacquered desk organizers,

a bottle of port, a homemade cd of my fav running tunes,

and a hand-painted snack jar (which, at the time, was filled to the brim with gummy bears - his fav all-hours treats - but has since been cleared of its contents).

The hunt ended with a gift certificate to head to the sauna.  The European in him misses the lack of this fine tradition in the good old US of A, but I found a spot just blocks from our apartment with a killer sauna at not too high a price tag.  The instructions told him to take his clothes and return ready to head directly out to dinner.

When he returned, however, I was waiting with a house-full of friends, ready to toast him a happy, happy 31st.  We drank wine, ate homemade beef tartare, guac, and cheese (all of his favs), and never made it to our 10pm dinner reservation. 
All in all, a fabulous gift if I do say so myself.

What are your V-day plans?

xoxo
KK

happy birthday gretters!!!!

I know it's a Saturday,
and I know we don't (usually) post on weekends,
but today's just TOO important a day for me not to scream out to the world.

February 4th happens to mark the 24th birthday of the most spectacular sister and most fabulous friend (and most beautiful blogging buddy) in the entire world:

Miss. Gretchen Elizabeth Krieg

Sadly, I don't get to celebrate with this babe until next weekend (Boca Grande here we come!), so to try and make the days go by as quickly as possible for her (because I know seeing me is her primary concern right now), I'm giving her one birthday cake for each day of the wait: today, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday - that's SIX!

For today:

 Because what's better than some birthday blueberry pancakes?

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Get that fine boy toy of yours to whip some of those up!

For Sunday:

Cause it's just soooooooooo pretty

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Just like my Gretters

For Monday:

A weird little chipmunk number

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What can I say?  The girl loves her some furry friends. 

For Tuesday:

A fiery sparkler of a cupcake

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Because the girl's a real firecracker.

And ain't afraid to hop on the back of her brother's motorcycle.

Only days after he got his license.

For Wednesday:

A bazillion layer cake

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Because Gretter's is about as multi-faceted as they come.

You should see her mad skills on the ski slope.
(Or better yet - the dance floor!)

AND FINALLY, for Thursday:

Pretty darn odd,

but strangely enticing

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Why? Because the girl's a weirdo.  And her friends are too.

But that's what makes her so special.

And OH so much fun.

Wish her a happy birthday here or here.

xoxo

KK

favs for a weekend with mom

Today's an EXTRA exciting day as my mom is here all the way from sunny Florida to spend the weekend hanging out with me!  I'm taking the afternoon off to start the weekend right with all sorts of fantastic things (some wedding dress perusing chief among them), so I'm bringing you my current favs for a weekend with mom.

For wearing:

Mom is the master of the shirt dress + belt look.

With a pair of flats? 
Perfect for lots of San Francisco hills.

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But if it's chilly,

you can never go wrong with a blazer and blue jeans

- a Liz Krieg classic, timeless combo.

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For lunching:

Delicious seasonal salads of course

roasted roots and spinach tossed with lemon tahini dressing

For drinking:

Because the woman loves her some bubbly
And she's got mighty fine taste when it
comes to that!
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For dining:



An old favorite:
La Mar - the most delicious Peruvian in North America
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A new adventure:
bar JULES
a rec from the lovely Sarah Jenks
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For going:

Up to wine country to scoop out some wedding weekend deets

I promise we'll spill some excitement soon

(Hotel Yountville)

And just for fun:

Inspiration for some wedding dress shopping

(a la J.Crew, found by my step grandmother: 

the fabulous Judy McGregor)

Hope you're kicking off your weekend right.  I'll be back before you know it!

xoxo

KK

routine run

With all my traveling and the rain here of late, it had been awhile since I'd done my signature morning run.  Despite the dearth of distance, I hadn't thought much of it.  Catching up on the latest headlines via CNN and the latest heartbreaks via Us Weekly while elliptical-ing my work-out away had had its pros.  But when the clouds finally cleared and I headed back out for my loop this morning, I was surprised at how much I had missed it.

After doing the run countless times, it had become methodical to me - no longer a journey through San Francisco's finest, but rather an hour to zone out and organize my day - what I'd do, who I'd call, where I'd go.

This morning, however, with distance between my routine run and I, I found myself enjoying all sorts of little pleasures I had long since forgotten were mine for the taking.

That frosty carpet of fog that blankets Chrissy Field's grass

in the wee hours of the morning - can you see it there?

Those familiar faces whom I always seem to see at

exactly the same time and place each morning:

the pair of 70-something lovebirds holding hands on their morning walk,

the crazy marathon-er who can get to the bridge and back before one song

on my iPod has played through,

the jolly Asian fellow who never forgets to say hello

The warming hut before the hustle and bustle

The pocket of land peaking out beneath the Golden Gate

peppered with surfers waiting to hop into the icy

blue Pacific for their first, fantastic wave

The sun peaking through those gorgeous California trees

I was so in love with taking it all in, I even zapped off my pod (unheard of for me!) - listening only to the waves and wind and whispers of my fellow morning mates. 

It's amazing how easy it is to take things you have available all the time - no matter how spectacular - for granted.

xoxo
KK

casual celebrating

Have you ever noticed how when something becomes expected of you it suddenly becomes a ton less fun? Like you're killing yourself at the office to get a big, grueling project done by Friday and then you realize your boss is expecting it done by then, if not before - so much less motivating. Or you spend hours trying to find the absolute perfect present for your friend and then realize that she had been planning on receiving it all along - totally kills it. It's amazing how far just a little appreciation can go in making life's day-to-day tasks so much more enjoyable.

I've realized the same is true for the things I expect of myself.  And I happen to expect a lot.  I've noticed how when I take my everyday efforts for granted - all things that could technically be considered "expected": going to the gym, getting to work on time, finishing that assignment zero-defect style, washing the dishes, doing the laundry - they become taxing.

But somehow when I recognize the effort - no matter how small - and celebrate the act - in just some tiny type of way - the chore becomes celebration-worthy.

So in an effort to "enjoy the journey" (to quote my dad's latest very wise mantra) and take more time to appreciate all those little things I do in life (because let's be honest, there are a whole lot more little than big things), I've decided to take time to celebrate something each and every day in February. It IS the month of love after all.

So last night, as I began to ponder how to celebrate, bubbly immediately popped to mind.

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But the problem with bubbly is that I can't do a full bottle all on my own on any old Wednesday.  And after being opened, the stuff doesn't keep its charm like a bottle of red might, so it's not like I can spread a bottle over the course of a week.  And even if I could, I didn't want to use champagne as my celebration every night; I had other ideas in my repertoire (an hour of reading some good, sheer-pleasure fiction, a $5 bouquet of beautiful blooms, a $10 mani, a personal dance party to Ace of Base, an on demand chick flick).

I could get myself some splits...

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...but those also packed a tad more punch than one of my weeknights could handle.

Then while shopping for some essentials at Mollie Stone's last night, I stumbled across this tantalizing Valentine's Day display:

Which had these little beauties hidden within:

A four pack of - you guessed it - sparkling! (And we're talking GOOD sparkling here: Sophia Blanc de Blanc is one my favs.). Each adorable little can comes complete with a straw for your sipping pleasure. The perfect size for a mid-week party. And at $5 a POP, they're a pretty affordable party at that.

Tonight I'll be celebrating my finding of these little treasures.
What will you be celebrating?

xoxo
KK