back in the US of A

I’m back! 

After Stefan joined me in Switzerland and we enjoyed a weekend at home with his fam, we headed off to the Amalfi Coast for 5 days of relaxation – just the two of us (and all sorts of interesting people Stefan befriended along the way of course).  We then headed back to Zurich to spend the past few days with his fam before hopping on the long plane ride(s) home. 

We had the most wonderful time in Switzerland and Italy, enjoying (as per usual) copious amounts of amazing, amazing food.  (I know people say the Italians like to eat well, but I had no idea just how well!)

An apero on our balcony overlooking the sea in Positano:

fresh Parma prosciutto, divinely doughy bread, 
and the most juicy, delicious tomatoes and olives ever – 
we had to eat them at least twice every day!

(and a bottle of very good Campania wine of course)

A stop for a quick breakfast in Amalfi on our little road trip (more details to come):

the most amazing hazelnut croissants 

I have ever tasted (sorry La Boulange!) – 

I am STILL dreaming about them

A real Italian dinner at a very local, totally no-frills, but extra delicious spot (C’era una Volta - highly recommend it if you find yourself in Positano!):

Every meal in Positano required a tomato-mozzarella salad 
with cheese that tasted like it was fresh from the cow

glass (or rather: bucket) of wine for 2 euros

Every trip to Italy requires at least one pizza to be eaten!

And you can’t go to the Amalfi Coast without trying some Lemon Granita:

And some Limoncello:

And – of course – some Gelato:

While I’m sad this adventure is over, I am excited to get back into the swing of things of here (and eat a few more salads).  
Stay tuned - lots more stories from Switzerland and Italy to come.  

xoxo
KK

DB at RLP

That would be (DB) Dickie Boy at (RLP) Rancho La Puerta.

Yes - Dickie Boy's time at Rancho La Puerta was SO epic, 
it requires it's own special abbreviation.

To kick off my explanation, I must confess I actually didn't get a full week at the Ranch.  Due to work constraints, I could only join the crew on Wednesday morning.  But by the time I arrived, the whole Ranch knew me.

As I my mom escorted me from the Welcome Desk to our villa on the other side of the property, every single person that passed us would greet me in 1 of 3 ways:
"Oh, you must be Dickie's granddaughter!  Welcome!"
"You must be KK!  We just ADORE your grandfather!  So glad you're finally here."
"Oh, are you the final member of Dickie Boy's clan?  We've had so, SO much fun with him and have heard so much about you!"

Obviously by the end of our 10-minute walk, I felt awesome.

But Dickie Boy's fame on the Ranch went beyond his omnipresent among patrons, he was an international celebrity when it came to people on the Ranch.  EVERYONE wanted to spend as much time with him as possible.

When we'd walk across the property to a class or a meal, anyone we passed would greet him with adoration.
"Dickie - how ARE you?"
"Oh Dickie - are free for a drink at The Bodega tonight?"
"DICK! Are you going to the lecture at 7pm?  I'm debating, but if you're going, I will too."

To give you a candid, albeit brief, glimpse into the legend that is Richard Gallun (that would be Dickie Boy), I thought it best to show you what kind of magic DB worked while on the Ranch, namely, his "dance-in-place performance" during circuit training at 10am (shown here with one of his many (many) admirers):

Need I say more?

No.

xoxo

KK

cooking school at rancho la puerta

For their cooking classes, Rancho La Puerta invites a different chef each week to guest teach a week of classes.  We were lucky enough to be there for the week Joey Altman - a San Francisco star celeb chef - was teaching.

He kicked off the class with lots of jokes and tons of super useful tricks in the kitchen.

Like how to peel garlic in 10 seconds:

Simply take your unpeeled cloves, put them in a bowl, put another bowl on top, and shake the Dickens out of it.  When you open your bowls, you'll find your cloves perfectly peeled.

Or how to keep your avocados from turning brown:

You know that green slime-like substance on the outside of the avocado after you peel it?  Simply wipe that off with a paper towel and your avos are good to go, brown-free.

After the intro tricks, we were each assigned a recipe for the evening.

Gretters got the gluten-free sesame crackers:

Mom got the cashew hummus:

Together, the two were a total hit:

Dickie Boy got the cauliflower puree, but he was so quick and flawless in his execution, he was done before I had a chance to snap him in action.  Here's the amazing finished product:

With so much free time on his hands, Dickie Boy offered to help me with my dish: shrimp-stuffed avocados with a mango salsa.

The process involved "stuffing" the shrimp (marinated in a citrus-cilantro dressing) in a sliced avocado,

rolling said avocado into a ball with plastic wrap, and then after a half hour of chilling, unwrapping them and placing them onto a bed of mango salsa: 

The process ended up being more than I could handle on my own, so it required calling in the special forces.

But the final product was well-worth the extra work.

Other delicious dishes included a beet, feta, citrus, arugula salad, fresh-from-the-garden ratatouille, and  a basil-crusted sea bass.

And because no good meal is complete without dessert, Joey surprised us with gooey, chocolaty, luscious lava cakes with homemade coconut ice cream.

Unreal.

For these recipes and more, check out his awesome cookbook Without Reservations.  You won't be disappointed.

xoxo
KK

in the garden at rancho la puerta

One afternoon at Rancho La Puerta, we took a break from yoga, meditation, and nutrition classes to try our hand at cooking.  The Ranch offers afternoon-long classes where you pick (from their all-organic garden) and then cook (in their state-of-the-art kitchen) your dinner for that night.  

Led by the farm's head gardener, we headed out to the fields to collect our ingredients.

First up was fennel, which my mom had no trouble pulling up out of the ground in one easy swoop.

I, on the other hand, had to spend quite time trying to get my bulb to budge.  

While it took me a good 10 times longer than my superwoman mom, eventually I got one as well.

Then it was Gretchen's turn to hunt for some cucumbers.

But her luck wasn't much better than mine.

While the head gardener easily found copious large, ripe, and ready cucs, Gretters got a small, sad little pair of two.

Dickie Boy, on the other hand, was right at home and had no problem digging up whatever was requested.

He felt so at home among the nature that he opted to eat a worm he found crawling in his freshly-picked corn cob.

Gretchen was not all that jealous of this little pre-dinner snack

After we had filled our baskets with what we needed...

...the head gardener treated us to a little snack, fresh from the garden.

extra-juicy, bursting-with-flavor summer melon

With our baskets full and our appetites appeased for a bit longer, we headed back inside to get to work on our dinner.  Cooking class details to come tomorrow!

xoxo

KK

rancho la puerta

In my rush to get ready for der Schweiz, I didn't have time to fill you in on my little girls (and Dickie Boy) getaway in July, so I'm bringing you the first (of a few) today.

For awhile, my mom, sis, Dickie Boy, and I have been wanting to do a girls (and DB) trip to a spa.  When Gretch had a bit of free time in between jobs (she's leaving the world of advertising to become a teacher this fall!), we decided this was the summer to do it.  So this past July, we headed to Rancho La Puerta in Mexico for a week of activity, relaxation, and detox.

Each morning, after some coffee and fresh fruit in the lodge, we started with a 6am hike. 

morning fog nestled in between the mountains

watching the sunrise from the top

wild horses

At 8am (having already had a very good work-out), we'd head to breakfast.

Pool-side, we dined on copious amounts of locally-grown fruit, homemade organic muffins and breads, made-to-order omelettes, and fresh green juice.

Each morning was packed full of invigorating (and at times rather hilarious - see below) exercise classes.  Our favorites included hip-hop, circuit training, strip-tease dance, and - of course - cardio boxing.  

Afternoons were spent more leisurely: attending a lecture, partaking in a stretch or meditation class, or simply exploring the beautiful property.

By 5pm, it was time to shower and get ready for dinner at the dining room.  When the weather was nice (which was no less than every day), we'd dine outside under the shade of the trees.

Always a delicious three-course affair:

mushroom and field greens salad

yellowtail with snow peas and mango salsa

passion fruit panna cotta with dark chocolate

Now that's mine kind of spa food. :)

By 9pm, we were usually exhausted and ready for bed.

Rancho La Puerta, while certainly a "spa" in many ways, also has all the benefits of being a non-spa: breakfast and lunch are buffet-style so you're not limited to a set number of calories (good for some, not-so-great for others), villas are rather decadent and resort-like, AND you're allowed to drink - you just need to ask (red wine is good for the heart, right?).

More details on this adventure, particularly how Dickie Boy fared (hint: very, very well), to come.

xoxo

KK