Top 5 things that currently amuse or inspire me:
1. The perfect Cuban coffee.
2. The cutest purse ever.
3. Giant collective love notes.
4. Tiny surprise gifts from friends.
5. Broccoli Rabe & Provolone Grinders - It's what's for lunch.
Last weekend I went to Memphis. It looked a lot like this:
Some friends are entwined so deep in your soul that even after 6yrs of not seeing each other you both still have the same "creepy dude in a kiddie pool" print hanging up in your respective bathrooms. Hey, Soul Sister!
P.S. Special thanks to those of you who have kept religiously checking back for updates and super extra thanks to those that sent messages checking up on me or sought me out on other social media sites. Your actions did not go unnoticed and I love you all! More posts ahead! Frealz.
I recently fell off the grid and I have to admit, it was pretty nice. After the rush of the holidays I was long over due for some me time. I unplugged my computer and spent minimal time on the social media apps I tend to rely on. While I was gone I took a small trip to visit friends, read two books and then started two more, did some just because baking, reorganized a few sections of my apartment and found a new favorite hang out. Amazeballs! Now I'm ready to get back on track.
Here's a small glimpse at what I've been up to, details to follow:
I just realized I never published this. Oops! For those of you that are new, a few weeks before Christmas every year I host a huge cookie baking marathon with friends and family. When I say huge, I'm not exaggerating. This year we made 16 varieties of cookies and assembled 46 tins of cookies with an extra paper grocery bag filled with more cookies that we donated locally. It was intense.
Here are a few pics from instagram of the event:
16 lbs of butter.
A small sample of our ingredients. My grocery list read more like a supply list for traveling the oregon trail than anything else. On the plus side no one died of dysentery or snake bites. Yeah!
Homemade oreos with mint icing.
Gingerbread snowmen.
Assembled tin. Unicorns as promised.
Our cookie selection this year included:
We were also going to attempt some honeycomb candy, but realized we lacked a candy thermometer so we dropped it. This year we were a little better organized and prepped a lot of the dough in advance, but it was still a long process. After a solid two days of baking and 6 hrs of icing I was happy to be finished, and thankful for all of the amazing people that took part!
I've tried, unsuccessfully, three times now to write a year end recap blog post. After this last time (about 30 min. ago), I've decided that its just not meant to be. My current computer has no interest in what happened last year and keeps freezing when I take interest so I will instead only look forward and post a few goals I have for the coming year.
So far the new year is looking pretty promising. I'm looking forward to crossing some of these off. Hope you had a great weekend!
This year I only made one Black Friday purchase and I made it online. I splurged and treated myself to the Mishka "Keep Watch" sweater I'd been eyeing for months. Merry Christmas to me! It's the perfect weight for layering and I've been living in it since it shipped. This is how I wear it:
Sweater: Mishka
Jeans: Old Navy
Shoes: Guess
Contents:
- Spinach Salad w/ Mock Chick & Avocado
- Steamed Edamame
- Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
- Sprouts
Not pictured: Wheat toast. This was the best lunch ever! I used the hummus and sprouts with a few extra slices of avocado to make a sandwich. I'm actually drooling a little bit right now. I need to enter this bento into the regular rotation.
If you're at all curious about what I got for Christmas I have an outfit post lined up for tomorrow with one of my favorite items. It's become a wardrobe staple. Heading to the gym now. I'm signing up for a Run For Your Lives race and training starts tonight. So excited!!!!
I just got home from a long, relaxing weekend with the family. For the past few years my Mom has lightened up the mood of Christmas and rather than hosting a formal family gathering she's been hosting an informal open house. We spend the morning as a family leisurely opening gifts, playing games and watching movies, then in the afternoon, we spread out a huge table of snacks and enjoy visits from family and friends traveling about town. It's so nice. I love getting to see everyone without the stress of tight schedules and hard to meet deadlines.
This year my nephew was old enough to really get excited about Christmas. He is so much fun! I spent the bulk of the weekend teaching him secret handshakes, playing baseball in the house (sorry Mom) and coaxing him to only refer to me as favorite Aunt Kali. I am happy to report that I was successful in my last venture. It comes out a little more like "Fave Kay-yee", but that's totally a win and I'm keeping it! Other notable Christmas events: a wardrobe change to counter my brothers shirt choice, the white elephant Bieber singing toothbrush I scored, playing candy-land for the first time with my nephew, and getting the coolest techy sewing book ever from my sister and brother in law. I'm sure you'll be hearing more about it soon! Hope you had a great Holiday!
I will be spending the rest of my afternoon and evening attempting to rid my apartment of gold glitter. The wrapping paper looked really cute neatly sealed in plastic. Not so much covering everything I own. Lesson learned.
As previously promised... here's my recipe for chex mix. I wanted to make it from scratch this year, but wasn't impressed by the recipes on the box so I made my own. I'm not going to lie - it's addictive! I used a blend of asian and mexican flavors to spice it up and add a little heat. It's so good. Mix up a batch share with friends or bring some along as a hostess gift for the next holiday party you're attending!
Heat oven to 250ยบ
In a large roasting pan combine:
Set mixture aside.
In a medium sauce pan combine:
Warm over medium heat stirring constantly until butter is melted and spices are aromatic. Pour pan contents over cereal mixture and then stir until evenly coated. Bake in oven for 1 hour stirring every 15 min. Cool on paper towels & store in an airtight container.
* The Mexican Chili Snack Powder I picked up at my local bodega. It's the same powder they sprinkle over Mexican street corn, an amazing blend of salt, dried red peppers and a little sugar. I used a brand called Znax that I found in the condiment isle. I use it on everything from steamed vegetables to popcorn. It's definitely worth the effort to find it!
