watermelon overload

One of my absolute favorite things about summer is the fruit.  While my real favorite varietal doesn't turn up 'til fall, there are plentiful second favorites come summertime.  And watermelon is chief among them.

Only problem with watermelon is that just one of them is - well - a LOT.  While I usually buy them by the quarter to avoid watermelon overload, I couldn't resist the $4-a-pop special at the market this past weekend.

Normally, I just like my watermelon plain.

no frills about it

But with so much I needed to shake it up.

Kale, cucumber, carrot, feta, watermelon salad:

Watermelon slushies:

just freeze watermelon chunks + then blend

no sugar needed!

How do you spice up your watermelon?

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

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

we're on style me pretty!

I'm excited to announce that our wedding is on Style Me Pretty today!

cheers to that!

Head on over there to check out all the details!

I'm currently in Williamstown with some of these folks:

(namely the funny guy on the right 

who is graduating from college this Sunday)

What are you up to this weekend?
Happy Friday!

xoxo
KK

long weekend

In addition to having an extra day (and lots of gorgeous sun) this past weekend, we had two sets of friends in town.  First: my wonderful friend Char and her boyfriend Scott who were here for a wedding, and then second: Stefan's friend from Liechtenstein, who is currently living in Brazil and was in town doing some Series B fundraising for an exciting new venture.

As is always the case when we have friends in town, we were jam-packed with activities.  The highlights were:

a wild glow-in-the-dark night out dancing

watching bayern munich take home the championship

a friend-filled walk on Crissy Field

The most delicious cocktail hour ever 

(with goodies fresh from the farmer's market)

hosted by Scott's sensational mother Randy

Randy (in the middle) is one of those mothers who has a magical way of 

making everyone feel super welcome and right at home 

(and VERY well fed)

a Sunday morning hike

(me trying (unsuccessfully) to strike a sexy pose)

more on this to come

some wine (and chocolate) tasting that afternoon

What were you up to this weekend?

xoxo

KK

money + moxie

So besides quite a bit of travel of late, the other reason why I have been a bit MIA is because I've been working on a little project.

For the longest time, I've dreamt of the day when I would have a blog dedicated to helping people think through their finances in a fun, simple, and sexy way.  I wanted it to be packed full of top-notch content on how to improve your financial bill of health, but also be juicy enough to compete with even the sexiest of lifestyle and fashion blogs.  

And that day is finally here:  

As my header suggests, the site will cover everything 
from managing your career and working life, 
to handling your pocketbook, 
to planning (and paying for) travel and vacations, 
to how to track those daily, everyday expenses (like tomatoes fresh from the farmer's market),
to saving for and buying a house,
and much, much more!

Hop on over to money + moxie to check it out.  

I hope to post 1-2 times a week with some interesting tid-bits about how you can improve your financial health.  Interested in a particular topic?  Let me know!

xoxo
KK