In grade school I wore a pair of black velvet culottes for picture day with a white blouse and Mary Jane shoes. This year, I found myself purchasing not one, but two pairs of culottes. When I went for my drivers license, I wore an entire outfit from the Gap, right down to my ballet slippers, which made a comeback last year (Remember Sam & Libby? Swoon!). However, one of my favorite outfits from childhood was from high school: this cute little skort that was basically a dressy pair of shorts with an extra panel that came across the front to cover up the shorts and buttoned at the waist, giving off a “skirt” vibe. It was all dressy in the front, casual in the back. I wore it with loafers and a cardigan.
When skorts started showing up last year and then more prominently this spring I was ecstatic. Super versatile and super forgiving, long live the skort!
Skorts aren’t anything new; they have a long history and have been around since the early 1900s. But if the pandemic taught us anything, it’s that we want to be comfortable and we no longer can tolerate button-front pants. It’s an athleisure world, and I’m happy to be living in it.
My first skort purchases were for our trip to Disney. I wanted something comfortable and that I could easily walk miles in without anything riding up or chaffing. Plus, it was going to be in the 80s so leggings were out. Enter: the skort! I found athletic skorts at Target that were perfect.
Photo from target.com
These skirts doubled as great dog waking attire too. They had pockets for my phone and dog treats. Eventually Bruno recognized my “walkies” outfit so whenever I put a skort on he would start going crazy thinking we were headed out. These skorts were so easy to slip on each morning that they became my de facto work uniform. (Move over, leggings!)
This summer, I started taking golf lessons. Mr. KK is a really good golfer, so I thought it was time to learn how to play, just in case golf would become the thing we did together in our retirement. On the first day of golf lessons, they were reviewing proper golf attire, and guess what women golfers wear? SKORTS. Score! I already had a built in golf wardrobe. Though I did buy some fun golf shirts because if you can’t get a new wardrobe around a new endeavor, what is the point?
I also purchased a “fancier” cotton skort to wear out and about on weekends, running errands or going to lunch. Again, you can’t beat the comfort of the skort. I found mine at TJ Maxx, but this one at Kohl’s is similar.
Eventually, it got too cold to wear my skorts. However, I have extended the life of my athletic skorts by wearing them to kickboxing! I feel a little fancier on the mat, and the spandex undershorts make it easy to move and kick.
I spend quite a bit of time online during the wee, dark hours of the morning while my house is still asleep. After my daily Wordle and Quordle, I start surfing. During this time of year, I’m scouring house rental sites for our next family vacation house and looking for great Christmas gifts. I am often side-tracked by the ridiculous headlines I read, and – in the case of vacation houses – some of the photos that I see.
Here’s my round up of the craziest things I’ve read or seen online lately.
From the “Overpriced Vacation Home” Category
There’s a tie for this one. Check out the price tags on these homes…per night. One is in Nantucket and one is in Connecticut, just in case you thought these home were in some exotic locale. Nope!
We are definitely not among those who can afford a week’s vacation with a $70K price tag. I mean, I’m dying to spend a week in Nantucket and all, but $10,000/night?
From the “What in the Hell Goes on at This House” Category
Still on vacation homes. Last year I wrote this post about being the family’s travel agent, and how I meticulously search houses on VRBO and Airbnb, and how so many things in the photos – if you look closely – can really turn me off. It’s amazes me the photos that someone will post to “sell” the idea of renting their home. What are they thinking?
During my search this year, I came across these two hilarious photos.
You know what makes me want to rent a house? A plastic steak dinner! I’m not going to lie – they would have had me at the orange chairs (my favorite color). but the salisbury steak and faux lettuce leaves really take this to the next level of ridiculousness.
For this house, I feel like they are completely missing the mark when advertising the highlights. The listing offers “Camp fires and porch swings! Pool”. However, I think they buried the lead here….how could they NOT mention that this house comes with Santa Claus! I was questioning the $1,140/night price tag, but now that I see the big man in red is part of the deal, this house is a steal!
From the “What About My Shopping Habits Makes You Think I Would Be Interested in This” Category
Is there anything better than the “sponsored” posts in your feeds, and the “We think you’ll really like this!” suggestions?
Here are two of my recent favorites.
Apparently, Amazing thinks I live a WAY more fun life than I actually do. And the fact that Amazon thinks I’m invited to glamorous Roaring 20s Gatsby parties is rather humorous. Although, a girl can’t have too many feather boas.
I don’t normally shop at Nordstrom, but apparently they have something super special for me to buy! A sheer catsuit with strategically-placed velvet overlays. I was just thinking that I needed something new to wear for Thanksgiving and look at that. And only $1100? Such a steal. Plus, I could get it today with contactless curbside pick up. However, I imagine someone wearing this catsuit is not super concerned with contact-free interactions.
From the “This Can’t Be a Real Job” Category
What in the world is an “elegance expert”? Also, who needs an elegance expert? I imagine about 1% of our population. Also, talk to me about what “classy ladies” wear…what is this, 1950?
From the “Social Media Has Gotten Out Of Control” Category
I don’t know where to start with this one.
From the “Who Is Buying This Item” Category
I keep tissues in my car. I have a handy travel pack in my console. What I don’t have is a gigantic stuffed animal (how do you see to drive?) with tissues coming out of its ass.
Since working from home, my style has gone from fashion statement to leggings…period. It’s all about minimal effort, yet being camera ready at all time. Except in the summer. Summer…is just easier.
Summer is my favorite season. I love the warm weather, the cooler nights, and the relaxed look and feel of the clothing. If I could wear summer clothing year round, I would. Call me crazy, but I just feel better about myself when my skin is sun-kissed and I can throw on a casual dress and flip flops.
So imagine my surprise one day during my early morning phone scrolling, when I came across this:
I’m no fashion maven, and it’s been decades since I’ve cracked open a Vogue, but “Coastal Grandmother” is a style?
It – in fact – is.
And not only is it a style, it’s a style I like. Think Diane Keaton in “Something’s Gotta Give”: all creams and whites and linens and straw hats and a beach house. This is a look I can get behind! (especially the beach house).
Honestly, I have had this summer vibe long before a TikTok video put a name to it. I live in my white jeans and cotton pullovers in the summer. I’m all sandals, all day. Casual is my middle name. And, apparently, Grandmother is my last name.
The key to Coastal Grandmother style is to be comfortable, yet stylish. Keep a light color palette and breathable fabrics. This style pairs well with Sauvignon Blanc and a chaise lounge.
And even though I wake up crooked every morning and need to ‘walk off my sleep’, you don’t have to be an actual grandmother to be a Coastal Grandmother! Who knew?
But AARP doesn’t seem to have gotten that message that I’m not quite a senior, however, because my inbox looks like this:
Not one, but TWO emails within 4 hours. Is AARP hurting for members?
I think this style is my destiny. I have been telling Mr. KK for YEARS that I would be my best self in a beach house. Something small and walking distance to the ocean, where I can be a Coastal Grandma until my heart’s content. Sip cocktails, and walk the beach for seashells to put in my canvas tote, a straw hat protecting my face from the sun. And I would have an entire wardrobe of cream, off-white, café au lait and chambray.
I’m so dedicated to this plan, that I created my own Coastal Grandma Chic mood board for inspo.
If you’re looking for me, I’ll be perusing beach houses for sale and shopping for cashmere wraps and canvas totes.
*The best way for our family. Your trip is likely completely different and equally amazing!
During the Fall of my Senior Year in college, I worked at Disney World in their College Program. I spent 5 months living and working at The Mouse House and I have to say – I loved every minute of it.
Why did I choose the Disney internship? Was I a Disney fanatic? Nope. Did I love the heat and humidity? Double nope. Did I want a unique experience here in the good ole USA where I could meet people and have fun? Ding, ding, ding!
Back when I was in the College Program at Disney, all the CPs lived in a magical place called Vista Way. For those of you old enough to understand this reference: it was like Melrose Place meets Animal House. Thousands of college kids living together in idyllic conditions – pools, gym, no adult supervision.
I worked at Blizzard Beach, a ski-lodge themed water park, operating the chair lift that brought guests in their swimsuits to the top of a “mountain” to some of the water slides. CPs work everywhere in the parks; I had friends who worked on Tower of Terror, drove the monorail, operated merchandise carts, drove the parking lot trams and sold Turkey legs in the Magic Kingdom.
After my 5-month stint, I returned one additional time 5 years later. And then, 20 years passed. I began thinking about taking Little Mister to Disney a few years ago, then there was a pandemic. So here we were, January of this year, and I thought, “What are we waiting for? He’s at the right age, let’s just do this!” So I contacted a Disney travel agent, and two days later, we were booked at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge in late spring. And we kept it from Little Mister until 2 months before our trip (I just couldn’t keep that secret until the day before we left!)
Little Mister’s first time on a plane!
Why Did You Choose to Stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge?
When it came to hotels, there was no other place that would bring joy to Little Mister like the Animal Kingdom Lodge. There was a show on Disney + during the pandemic about the AKL, and how they care for the animals. Little Mister (LM) is SUCH a huge animal lover, that we watched every episode of this show. He would tell everyone, “I’m going to work at the Animal Kingdom when I grow up.” I love this dream for him, I hope it comes true.
Giraffes munching on dinner outside of our hotel room.
So to have the opportunity to stay at a hotel where you can watch giraffes, zebras and other animals whose names I don’t know from your balcony, it was the only option for us. Plus, LM wanted to visit the Animal Kingdom park 2 days during our stay, and that was only a 5-minute ride from our hotel.
Being the research queen that I am, I started listening to a podcast called Be Our Guest, run by travel agents (not the one I used) that was easy to listen to and filled with information about the parks. Having been away from Disney for 2 decades, I had A LOT to learn about the new park pass system, Genie Plus, dining reservations, and a million other things. I shared our trip details on an episode of this podcast!
It’s long, but really outlines how I approached our trip planning. A great listen when you’re walking the dog or sitting in traffic.
This was a trip of firsts: the first time Little Mister was going on a plane (he did great!), the first time I was back at Disney in 20 years, and the first time we were traveling after the pandemic. We were ready!
I could write pages and pages about this trip, but I’ll share the highlights below:
Animal Kingdom Lodge
This hotel is beautiful. And there was a scent in the lobby that I wish I could have bottled and brought home with me. I think there is a candle of that smell somewhere in Disney Springs, but we never made it there. We had a standard hotel room, but we had a balcony where we could sit and watch the animals. There literally were giraffes eating off a tree 30 feet from us! There were places all around the hotel where you could view the animals. The pool had a great water slide that LM loved. Some people stay away from AKL because the only park it’s near is the Animal Kingdom, and the only mode of transportation it has is busses. We never had a problem getting a bus, and barely had to wait. All of our trips to the parks were smooth and quick.
Day 1: Magic Kingdom
We arrived on a Tuesday, and spent the afternoon by the pool. We were rested and ready for our early entry into the MK on our first full park day. If you are early risers, doing early entry to the parks is the way to go. You get this perk with some of the hotels on Disney property. Highly recommend. It allowed us to hit the most popular rides first before the lines were long. For us, that ride was the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, a roller coaster-like ride through the coal mine. It’s a TON of fun, and LM loved it. We were able to ride it a second time later in the day, too. Our favorite rides were: Splash Mountain (we rode this one at least 3 times, that big drop at the end made Little Mister belly laugh and I could listen to that all day long); Big Thunder Mountain Railroad; Jungle Cruise; Pirates of the Caribbean; Buzz Lightyear; Haunted Mansion (Little Mister did NOT like this ride, too scary). All in all, it was a magical first experience at a Disney park for us as a family.
Day 2: Animal Kingdom
The sun wasn’t even up yet when we arrived on our first day!
Because we were doing 2 days in this park, we focused on attractions on Day 1, and then experiences on Day 2. We did early entry again (this park opens really early, so early entry was at like 7am, which meant getting on a bus at 6:30am, FYI), this time to secure our spot in line for Pandora (Avatar). The construction of this area, and everything to look at while you’re in the queue, is what makes Disney, Disney. It is awe-spiring and the attention to detail amazing. The ride…well, let’s say if you get motion sick like I do, it might not be your favorite. I needed a moment when we got off, but could appreciate why everyone loves this ride. LM had been talking about the safari since we told him we were coming to Disney, so it was our first stop after Pandora. And it didn’t disappoint! We saw every animal, even the lions (thank god)! We rounded out the day riding everything we could, having an early dinner, and escaping with only 1 souvenir.
Day 3: Animal Kingdom
Back again! We rode the safari again (equally as amazing, but a different experience with a different tour guide) and did the Caring For Giants experience, which allowed us to go behind the scenes at Disney (aka: backstage) and be up close and personal with the elephants. We learned all their names, how they are fed and cared for, and saw the from a platform that you can only access from this tour. I highly recommend doing one of these experiences, they’re usually small groups and interactive.
KEVIN!
Much of Day 2 was spent with Little Mister earning his Wilderness Explorer badges. This is such a wonderful experience at the AK, and the “guides” at each station were simply the epitome of what Disney is all about. If you’ve seen the movie “Up”, you may remember Russell the Wilderness Explorer who was trying to earn his “Assisting the Elderly” badge. Well, the Animal Kingdom has set up about 15 or 20 “stations” around the park, and kids can use their guidebook to find them all, complete a little activity and learn about animals and conservation, and earn a badge. When you collect all of the badges you can get sworn in as a Senior Wilderness Explorer, and you recite an oath and it is the cutest thing ever and it made me cry watching Little Mister do this after working so hard to get all of his badges.
Day 4: Hollywood Studios
We love Slinky Dog Dash!
Fun fact: when I worked at Disney, this place was called MGM. It was also my favorite park, and we played here often because many of my friends worked here. This was our last park day, and we made the most of it. Early entry (again!) and we bolted to Slinky Dog Dash. This was probably my favorite ride of the whole trip. First, who doesn’t love Toy Story. Second, it is so FUN! We rode Slinky three times in a row! The Little Mister was belly laughing and whooping each time, it was so fun to see. We even rode Slinky one last time before we left the park – our final ride on our awesome trip. We also hit up Sci-Fi Drive In for lunch, Mr. KK did Rise of the Resistance, we did Frozen Ever After, Toy Story Mania, Micky & Minnie’s Runaway Railroad. It was the perfect last park day to our trip.
Our Last Day
Our last day was a Sunday, and our flight was early evening. We had a delicious character brunch at Topolino’s (highly recommend!). And just a week before we came to Disney, they reinstated character hugs! So the characters were able to come right up to our table and interact with us, and Little Mister who was shy at first, eventually started calling them all over for hugs. We spent the rest of the day by the pool until it was time to head to the airport.
Dining in Disney World
There are about 4,389 places to eat in Disney; everything from pretzel carts to fine dining. Where you choose to eat is personal to you and your family. For us, we planned one nice sit down meal a day. That could be lunch or dinner. I love to eat and go to nice restaurants, and I didn’t want this vacation to be any different. On this trip we ate at: California Grill in the Contemporary Hotel (great view, wonderful experience, delicious food, and our most expensive meal); Sanaa at the Animal Kingdom Lodge (get the bread service! the food was delicious and we sat at a window and watched the animal roaming and having dinner); Tiffins and Yak & Yeti at the Animal Kingdom (both good!); Sci-Fi Drive In at Hollywood Studios (so fun! nice and casual); Topolino’s Terrance at the Riviera Resort (amazing brunch…everything was delicious!).
Why didn’t you go to EPCOT, you may be wondering. For this trip, it didn’t feel like the right park for us to spend a day. We were very focused on animals, and really enjoyed 2 days at the AK. Plus, it leaves something for us to do next time!
All in all, this trip was nothing short of perfect. Little Mister was the perfect age (7), we went on a non-school-vacation week so it wasn’t insanely busy (but it was cheer competition week so it was still crowded with teenagers!). We did everything we wanted to do, at our own pace. On the first day I clocked 19,000 steps!
Again, the link to the podcast about my trip is here.
I don’t know about you, but I will often fall into a cooking rut, and I end up making the same things week after week for me and Mr. KK. Little Mister – who gets his own dinner each night and I can only blame myself for starting this habit – also eats the same thing week after week, but only because he literally only eats 5 dinner items.
I LOVE to cook. And when I’m not on a super-restrictive, no-fun diet, I love to eat. My instagram feed is filled with recipes, famous chefs cooking amazing foods and restaurants sharing the night’s specials. And while I am so inspired by this each day, we end up eating the same old salmon with a vegetable and side of rice. BORING.
I tend to find myself with more time to be in the kitchen cooking in the colder months. All year long I save recipes, with the hopes that one day they will see the light of day and make it onto our plates and into our stomachs.
I am challenging myself to make at least 5 new recipes this winter that made me salivate and I have saved.
Some are appetizers, some are main courses, and there’s even a dessert (lord help Mr. KK and my baking mishaps).
If I’m able to make one of these during November, I will post it!
I never jumped on the TikTok feta craze, but I do appreciate the salty, soft cheese.
This recipe seems super simple, so it shouldn’t be difficult to pull this one off this winter. Hmm…perhaps a Thanksgiving appetizer?
The combo of the salty cheese and spicy honey is a home run in my book. And any appetizer you can make in the food processor gets extra points. I’d definitely go for the naan bread for dippers.
As you know, Ina is my cooking guru girl crush. But when it comes to books, it’s Elin Hildebrand. Elin writes fiction books – mostly set on the island of Nantucket – that are the perfect beach read. Or, if you’re like me, they are the perfect read for when you don’t have anything to read and you want to travel to ACK vicariously through her characters. In fact, Nantucket IS a character in her novels, it is brought to life so vividly.
In one of her books, Here’s To Us, one of the characters is a chef, who was known for his Clams Casino Dip. Being from Connecticut, I am no stranger to Clams Casino as a concept, as it is my favorite pizza from one of the famous New Haven pizza joints for which Connecticut is known. To have that pizza in dip form is just luxurious.
We eat with our eyes first, so it’s very likely that I fell in love with the cute shape of this pasta, which is called Nodi Marini. Seriously, how cute are they?
This pasta dish is a combination of Amatriciana and Carbonara, so spicy plus creamy. All in one dish? I’m in!
I’m sure this dish would be just as delicious with any shape pasta, however, why would you want to make it with any other kind? Nodi Marini means “sailor’s knots” and that’s exactly what they look like.
I imagine in true kk fashion I would add about 3 tons of grated cheese to the top of this pasta dish.
You didn’t think I was going to have a recipe list and NOT include my gal pal, Ina, did you??
I am horrible at baking, so I feel things might be ok in the kitchen if I’m following one of her recipes. Also, this one is tagged “good for a beginner” so there’s the confidence I need.
Sour cream coffee cake reminds me of my childhood, and my grandmother, who would always make a coffee cake for Sunday dinners and holidays. I’m not a big dessert eater, but I am a sucker for cinnamon and sugar.
Sometimes I buy something and it just becomes a favorite. Many times, the item was never intended to be a must-have, it was either filling a need or was purchased on a whim.
This past year, I had many of those “Surprise, I’m Your Favorite!” moments with things I’ve bought. Here are my 7 best purchases that I made in the last 365 days.
I first fell in love with the color of this cover up. Is there a beachier color than this soft turquoise? Second, the fit is perfect: slightly fitted but not skin tight, and it doesn’t stick to your bathing suit so no bunched up weirdness around your middle. The long sleeves make it perfect for early summer, when you need to cover up from the sun, or when you’re lucky enough to be at the beach for the golden hour when the sun dips low and it starts to get a little cool.
These were a last-minute purchase before a weekend trip to Cape Cod. (Aren’t the best purchases the ones you make in haste and they end up being a wardrobe staple?). I was headed to the Cape for a long weekend with a dear friend, and a hurricane was making its way up the coast causing a weather forecast of “soaking rain” and “windy conditions”. Determined to not let a little rain stop me (and by a little rain, I mean pouring rain for 12 straight hours during our outdoor Saturday shopping extravaganza), I knew I needed rain boots. I found these Universal Thread booties online at Target, ready for in-store pick up in 2 hours. Perfect! Except an hour later I received an email telling me that they no longer had them in stock and they cancelled my order. Determined to find the pair the website said the store had in stock, I went to the store and scoured all the shelves, and wouldn’t you know, I found the only pair of size 6 black rain booties shoved in with the dress shoes. They turned out being a literal life saver from the deep puddles and sheets of rain we endured. Not only did they keep my feet dry, they were super comfortable (I wore them all day shopping and walking around for 6 hours!) but they almost look like cute little black boots.
I think this bag is really hard to find now, it seems sold out at lululemon but they sometimes get them on Amazon.
When we booked our trip to Disney for the spring (an entire blog post on that, I promise!), I wanted something to wear in the parks that would carry my wallet, lip balm and phone, that was lightweight for the warm weather, and that allowed me to be hands free. Enter: the Everywhere Belt Bag. You could wear this as a fanny pack (which admittedly I did in Disney) or you can wear it as a sling bag (which is how I wear it now running errands). I love this little bag, and can’t recommend it enough. It beats the full crossbody bag that can cause weird boob cleavage. And I’m a sucker for anything camo.
Yes, you read that correctly, this vest is from Amazon. Their “try before you buy” option is so easy to use, and being able to return Amazon items at Kohls is the best partnership on the planet (and likely what is keeping most Kohls stores open, TBH). This vest came shrink wrapped in a package practically the size of a postage stamp, but once opened it puffed up into a full-length vest. I LOVE this outerwear option because when I wear leggings and a long top, a regular-length coat looks ridiculous with 6 inches of sweater hanging out the bottom. This vest allows me to wear my long tops and also wear a jacket without being too bulky or warm. It comes in a variety of colors but I loved the olive!
This is the only holiday scent you will want in your home. I found this candle at TJ Maxx while Christmas shopping last year, and bought it as a gift, and ended up keeping it for myself. After lighting it once, I knew I needed to stock up on the scent. When I looked online for it, Amazon had it but for WAY more money than I paid at TJ Maxx (which tells me that they no longer really make this candle and I was lucky to find the one I did). So one Saturday, I hit up every TJX Companies store in a 25 mile radius and found 5 more of these candles! I included the Amazon link here, but I would scour your TJ Maxx/Marshall’s/Homegoods to find it at a good price! I can’t wait to light it this year for the holidays!
This list contains not one, but TWO clothing items from Amazon. Make fun of me all you want, but I have had GREAT luck with Amazon apparel purchases. I bought this sweater in black and olive (is this becoming my signature fall color?) and it pairs perfectly with jeans and is also the perfect length to wear with leggings. It’s not too boxy and not too heavy. Perfect for fall. And would go great with the long length vest…just saying!
After an almost two-year hiatus from make up, it was time to put some color back on my face. I found this tinted lip balm at the drug store, loved the cherry color, and tried it out. It’s more lipstick than lip balm, though perhaps it does have some moisturizing qualities. But the color is bright and more matte than I expected. That being said, it was the perfect summer color with a tan. It went on easy, was ridiculously inexpensive, and gave me stand-out lips. I just purchased the “Bliss You Berry” color for fall.
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I hope you find even one of these items inspirational or something you want to purchase for yourself. They have all become my favorites!
It it no secret on this blog that I have a severe girl crush on Ina Garten.
Who doesn’t?
My fandom goes back to her early days as the Barefoot Contessa on the Food Network. That show was a staple for the Little Mister and I during his formative years. There was Ina on the big TV, in her denim button down, making chicken for Jeffrey and my Little Mister would point his chubby fingers at the screen say “Nine-a!”
I have made countless recipes from her cookbooks (some will appear later this month on this blog), and every one is delicious. I used to watch her all the time, so while my TV viewing time has reduced dramatically, I find other ways to get my Ina fix.
I’ve been driving a bit more to Boston, and now I listen to Ina on podcasts. She did a great interview with Willie Geist on his Sunday Sitdown, and made scrambled eggs for the interview queen Katie Couric. But perhaps the best podcast is Ina’s own, which is an audio version of her show on Discovery Plus, Be My Guest.
A little independent bookstore (remember those?) here in Connecticut was celebrating the release of Ina’s new cookbook, Go To Dinners, by offering a ticket to a zoom interview with Frank Bruni and Ina with the purchase of the book. Sign me up!
The Zoom was at 8pm. I popped in my Airpods and grabbed a glass of full-bodied Cabernet to enjoy while my girl crush shared what life was like for her during pandemic. It was during this time that she wrote this cookbook, inspired by “pantry cooking” and living and eating more simply.
And…there she was! In her barn kitchen, looking all Ina-like.
Ina shared quite a bit about what life was like during the pandemic for her and Jeffrey – who were suddenly spending every day together which they don’t normally do since he commutes to work. As she spoke, I realized that my idol and I have quite a bit in common.
Even though Ina couldn’t see or hear me, I know she felt my presence.
I learned new things about Ina on this interview (I didn’t think that was possible!) And here is how Ina and I are #twinning:
We both enjoy cooking for people we love
We both have big gardens
We both have never gotten COVID (to quote Ina, “And I don’t plan on getting it!”)
We both went a little mental preparing 3 meals a day during the pandemic and felt like the minute you cleaned up the lunch dishes it was time to start making dinner!
We both enjoy cocktails
We both appreciate a well-dressed table
We both like not only to cook, but to EAT
The next day Ina’s book arrived in the mail. It’s beautiful!
I don’t want to rush through it, so I take my time. First, I do a overview flip through, noting recipes that I will flag later. Then, I go through it slowly, reading the recipes and anecdotes, putting stickies on the pages of the recipes that I know I’ll be making. I will definitely be trying the oven risotto (no stirring at the stove!) and I saw an appetizer or two that will be making their debut at Thanksgiving. And chicken and orzo. And cinnamon shortbread cookies. I could go on!
Because it’s Friday – and because I’m doing this crazy diet that doesn’t allow any alcohol – let’s talk cocktails!
Backstory: Mr. KK loves bourbon. As for Moi, I do not drink brown liquor. I can’t even get past the smell when the glass is under my nose to even taste it, but the fumes tell me all I need to know: hell to the no.
But, love does crazy things to you, like the time I made myself like IPAs and it made Mr. KK so happy that all those calories were worth it!
When it came to brown liquor – and acquiring a taste for it – I knew it wasn’t going to be from me popping open the Pappy and drinking it straight. It would require a cocktail – the right cocktail – in order for me to overcome my nose-wrinkling reaction to bourbon.
And boy, did I find it!
I introduce to you, the cocktail that will make anyone like bourbon (at least in this drink): the Rosemary Brown Derby!
I found this amazing recipe here, but I listed the ingredients below. You simply take tangy grapefruit juice, woodsy rosemary, sweet honey and nostril-burning bourbon and voilá: you have the drink of the summer (and fall, and spring…)
Rosemary Brown Derby Cocktail
Makes 1 drink
Ingredients:
Ice
2 ounces bourbon
3 ounces fresh grapefruit juice (you really need to use fresh grapefruit juice here, the bottled stuff will not taste the same)
1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon honey
1 sprig fresh rosemary, plus more to garnish
Soda water (club soda)
Sliced grapefruit for garnish (optional)
Instructions:
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add the bourbon, grapefruit juice, fresh lemon juice, honey and small piece of fresh rosemary to the cocktail shaker and shake vigorously for 10-20 seconds. Strain into a rocks glass filled with ice and top with soda water, fresh spring of rosemary and slice of grapefruit (optional).
Now, I like to add a little something special to this drink: grapefruit ice cubes!
Look at the color of those cubes! GORGEOUS!
This is where the bottled ruby red grapefruit juice comes in handy. I simply pour the grapefruit juice into an ice tray and let freeze. Instead of using regular ice cubes that can water down the drink, these will melt adding more grapefruit flavor.
This cocktail would be FANTASTIC for before dinner drink for Thanksgiving with the citrusy grapefruit and lemon, and the woodsy rosemary. I highly recommend making one…or four.
Back in March, I returned to in-person kickboxing at the ILoveKickboxing Studio. It was time to get back on the big red mat and kick it in person and be held accountable.
Since then, I’ve been going rather erratically, because life sometimes gets in the way. Happy hour sometimes gets in the way, too. And patio cocktails.
Anywho, way back in February of 2020 I joined a 21-day challenge at the studio. We weighed in, had a meal plan and had to commit to going to class at least 3x a week. The challenge started around Presidents’ Day and lasted until the first week of March. And we all know what happened the second week of March 2020…
Surprisingly, I was able to keep at that healthier meal plan and working out at home (the studio did Facebook Live kickboxing classes). This was before we adopted Bruno, our high-maintenance puppy, who cannot be left unattended. This was also when the Little Mister had no daycare and was sleeping until 10am everyday. I found myself with more free time. I ended up losing over 20 pounds during 2020, which I felt was a win during a time when all I wanted to do was eat my weight in brie.
Apparently those 20 pounds really missed me over the last 2 years because they slowly started coming back.
Now, the kickboxing studio is doing another 21-Day Challenge called “Fit 2 Feast” where you start on November 1 and end right before Thanksgiving. I personally refer to this challenge as “Starve Yourself Before You Stuff Yo’Self”.
Let’s be real: this is the HARDEST time of year to try and be healthier. There are parties and dinners and Christmas cookies and fires and wine and cheese and cocktails and parties and wine.
This time around, however, they have upped the game a bit. Not only is it eating healthier (and likely a lot less food) but also removing bad foods and toxins from your life. No eggs. No dairy. No processed sugar. No alcohol. No tasty carbs like pasta. Did I mention no alcohol? So…no fun?
Despite all of that, I am dedicated to making this work! I bought tons of healthy foods, I have gone to kickboxing 3 times this week so far and I have been drinking lots of water. And, since this is a competition to lose the most % body fat, I was sure to eat a delicious steak, potato and wine dinner Sunday night before my 6:45am weigh in on Monday morning. All’s fair in love, war and scales.
Being someone who loves food, flavor and cooking, I had to ensure that I was eating dinners that tasted good.
I’d like to share with you my “Baked Mexican Sweet Potatoes” which are delicious (even Mr. KK loves them) and meet the strict food requirements of this challenge.
Baked Mexican Sweet Potatoes
This recipe is entirely made up by me to follow the rules of my challenge. Please, by all means, inject all the fat and flavor you’d like in your own version (like cheese and sour cream).
I swear there’s a sweet potato under there.
First, I baked 2 sweet potatoes until they were soft inside. I actually cheated and microwaved them until they were soft, then popped them into a 450 degree oven for 20 mins for the skin to crisp (it’s just faster).
While they were in the over, I browned a pound of ground turkey in a little bit of olive oil, breaking it up into small pieces. Once browned, I added a little bit of salt (sorry, had to be done), some garlic powder and a healthy dose of chili powder. I mixed it all together, added about 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup water and reduced the heat to let it simmer until some of the liquid evaporated.
How to prepare:
Split open the sweet potatoes and then mash them up a bit in their skins. Top with:
6 oz of your taco turkey
1/2 cup rinsed black beans
Slices of fresh jalapeno
Lots of fresh salsa (not the Tostitos kind, but the fresh kind sold refrigerated near the vegetables)
1/2 of avocado
And that’s it. It is actually really delicious and filling!
Poor Mr. KK has to deal with me trying to blog every day while I am hungry and denying myself potato chips and ice cream. Rough month for him.
We had reached second grade. The students were expected to be more independent, have less instruction and work on…projects.
Is there a more painful experience than working on a project with an 8 year old?
So far, excuses to NOT work on projects have included:
I’m too tired
I can’t think about that right now
I have to go to the bathroom
I have to have a snack first so my brain will work
The teacher didn’t say we HAD to do this
I think watching TV first will get me in the mood to do my project
And – my favorite – I don’t want to
I wish I could say that the teachers don’t give us enough time; however, 3 weeks to complete something that could take one hour is rather generous.
We have had 3 projects so far this year. Each one has been as painful as the last.
As someone who loves to create and is a maker of all the things, it is very difficult for me to understand not wanting to do a super fun project that involves glue, markers, feathers, stickers and other amazing craft items.
Players: creative, crafty mom and anti-everything child.
Project 1: The “All About Me” Poster
This project consisted of students making posters that represented who they were and what they liked. They could draw, use photos, stickers, literally anything to bring this poster to life.
The day the poster board and instructions came home, Little Mister informed us: “The teacher said we could work on this a little at a time. Like, just do ONE thing each day. So today, I’m just going to put my name on it.”
Thanks, teacher.
Note to teachers: your students (at least mine!) take what you say literally. If you said “don’t spend more than 5 minutes on this”, they will spend exactly 5 minutes on that assignment, not a minute more, but possibly 4 minutes less.
First, we didn’t want to share anything about ourself. “But that’s how your new classmates will get to know you!” I told him in my most persuasive voice.
“I don’t want anyone to get to know me,” said my introvert child.
End result: we made the poster over a 3 hour period of time filled with head on the table whining (him) and exasperated sighs (me), on an afternoon when Mr. KK was conveniently “at his parents house”.
Project 2: The Pumpkin Book Report
Our second project of the year was a fun one: read a book, answer a few questions about the book (this was somehow disguised as a “book report”) and decorate a pumpkin to look like a character from the book.
This one sounded fun!
Right away, we identified the book we wanted to do. Yay, us!
Next, we bought a pumpkin that was the right size to decorate and have him carry into school.
Last, was the actual work.
You must be thinking, ‘Oh, Mr. KK missed out on doing the All About Me poster so he probably jumped at the chance to do the Pumpkin Book Report!’
NOPE. Mr. KK was on a golf trip when the PBR (not the beer kind) went down.
I had Little Mister write out his answers to the questions about the book on a lined piece of paper first, so that we could correct any mis-spellings. Then I had him copy it onto the book report sheet. Seems pretty logical, right? Nope! Not to an 8 year old. “Why are you making me do my book report twice?”
Me: “So you can think of what you want to say and we can make it neat and make sure everything is spelled correctly.”
Little Mister: “It doesn’t matter if it’s neat or if it’s spelled correctly.”
Those words? From my child?
We painted our pumpkin and decorated him to look like the skunk from the book. I think we did a pretty good job. The next morning I drove him to school so he didn’t have to carry his pumpkin on the bus, with the chance of banging into the seats or – more accurately – leaving it on the bus.
As we are waiting in the drop off line, Little Mister informs me, “I didn’t want to do that book for my book report. I wanted to do the dragon book. Let’s do that one instead.”
Project #3: The Diorama
Now THIS project brought me back to my youth, making dioramas out of shoe boxes. I loved to make dioramas. And for this project, each student has chosen an animal to study and learn about and would then bring that animal to life in a cardboard box. Mr. KK would like me to note that he was present for the box-sourcing and background painting of the diorama. Objects and details of the diorama were done by yours truly and Little Mister.
For this project, we were to create a diorama about coyotes.
Little Mister LOVED animals! So far, so good!
Little Mister LOVED talking about his diorama and what we could do! Excellent!
Little Mister LOVED painting the diorama! Amazing!
Little Mister was NOT, however, a fan of glueing down the animals we bought for the diorama because he wanted to play with them.
“How about we don’t put this big coyote in and he stays here?” The negotiations began.
Me: “We can glue him down, he goes to school, then when your diorama comes home, you can play with him.”
LM: “But his feet will have glue on them.”
Me: “I will remove the glue!”
LM: “But you say not to get glue on anything because it doesn’t come off.”
Touché.
Our coyote diorama, complete with 3 different habitats where coyotes can live!
Life of kk 