Thursday, May 17, 2012

A Cooking Adventure!

Hello Lovies:


Tuesday night I had the opportunity to attend a class at Create a Cook in Newton.  It was an event sponsored by one of my vendor partners so not only did I get to spend time with some awesome people, I also got to do one of my favorite things - cook!


It was an Italian feast and I immediately eyed the pasta station as I had never made pasta before.  I have to tell you, it was SO easy!  I will post the actual recipe when I get it, but essentially you aerate flower in a food processor, add eggs and let it rip 'til it forms into a ball of dough.  Knead it out a little, wrap and plastic and let sit for about 15 minutes, quarter the ball and crank each piece through this puppy quite a few times.  


Once thin enough run it through the top part to slice the noodles.  Two keys are LOTS of flour to keep them from sticking and cooking for to al dente for a very short time otherwise 30 seconds too long overcooks them into a gluten-ey mess! 


Some pics of ML and me makin' the magic happen:










Excuse the red faces, it was SO hot in that kitchen!
The finished product! 


Full disclaimer: ML is NOT a cook.  I am the only one who has ever used her gorgeous kitchen so this was huge for her, SO proud! 


XOXO,
KW

Monday, May 14, 2012

Mama's Day Weekend in K-town

I had great intentions of setting this to post earlier in the weekend, but we all know about the best of intentions...#fail.


Anyhoo, headed to the Big K for the weekend and had a fabby time.  HIGHLY recommend Kodomo brand new and SO good, highly unexpected for K-town!  Had a great dinner with the 'rents on Friday night.


Saturday I got a full on dose of Ktastic-ness. Made a schlep out to Stone Ridge for one of these:



(and a hanging basket for Grandma W), a trip to the icky HVM, a trip uptown to Bop to Tottem, stop for some sauce at Dallas and some yummy SW hot dogs followed by some of this Mickey's II with MCS.


This my ALL TIME perfect cone -
small twist with rainbow sprinkles!
Ran around a ton, went to 5P Mass and then went to dinner at Boitson's and we sat outside, was a perfect night!  Dad and I toasted my sister's 5th wedding anniversary (Mom took the pic):


Silly face, amazing his eyes are open!


Went to see Best Exotic Marigold Hotel with Mom and MCS after dinner and I loved it, Mom not so much.  


Sunday was the big show - lots of gifties for mom including some new black Jack Rogers and the Bridier Baubles "Under the Sea" Bracelet that I am glad I bought back in April because it appears to be gone from the site (I bought three!).




We had the usual Deising's carb fest on Lounsbury place did a lot of nothing and then went to pay homage to Kitty and Irene at the bar with the extended "fam"


Slainte Kitty & Irene!


Then we were off to meal number two of the day on Lounsbury for the annual Mother's Day Chinese takeout dinner.  


Back to Beantown for a star turn before the marathon month of traveling begins!


XOXO,
KW



Friday, May 11, 2012

Five Things Friday


Not sure who I am borrowing this from...I think it was originated with 
Hopsy?  Thank you to whoever you are!


1. The "It" necklace.  SO ridic that this thing is $150 on J. Crew!  I saw this post on JGIWC back in early April and did my own little eBay search...and there are tons of them in the $15 range (plus shipping).  I hate to do a knockoff, but rules are made for bending.  It is really great quality,  just took about three week to get here from Hong Kong.


Sorry for the janky tee/crooked necklace!


2.  Betches Love This awesome Revenge Recaps.   (BREAKING NEWS: Revenge was JUST picked up for second season...cue the choirs of angels.)


3. This shirt - I got in coral a few weeks ago and I think I also need navy and white





4. Realizing while in line at Starbucks this AM that my necklace and  Tervis matched - I never proclaimed to be anything less than a dork!





5. My new email bud K over at Pencil Skirts and Pinot Noir - we are going to have illegal amounts of fun DROOLING over Etsy...among other things! 


(Sorry for no not one but two pics of my chest...wth?!)


XOXO,
KW

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Call Me Maybe

(So I set this to auto post today at 4PM EDT and it did not work - anyone know why?)


This is super duper amazing! (via Boston.com ).  I am OBSESSED with this song...what, you didn't know I am really a 14 year old girl?!? 


Can someone hook a sister up and show me how to insert a video?

The James Beard Awards



Some people get starstruck around celebrities, and trust me, I love to see some celebs in the flesh, but it's chefs who really do it for me.  I don't know what it is, but someone (whether CIA trained or self taught) who can put so much love on a plate makes me a little weak in the knees.


So needless to say I get a LEETLE excited for the James Beard Awards.  And I more than geeked out while watching them...I simultaneously had Food Network on the TV on mute, the awards streaming on my iPad while cooking dinner!

I was really touched by Charlie Trotter as I had no idea he was such a humanitarian and did so much for the city of Chicago.  Also super psyched to see two big Boston wins for o ya and No. 9 Park.  I have not had the luck of dining at o ya yet (that needs to be a "someone else's expense report dinner" fo' sho'!) but love me some BL Gruppo - huge fan of B&G and Sportello



I was craving beans for some reason (total comfort food) and made my favorite "clean out the fridge fajita/burrito/wrap" for dinner, the leftovers of which I have been eating all week.  I would post a recipe, but there really isn't one - just chop and saute whatever veg you have (red pepper, onion and a can of green chilis in this case), toss in a protein if you have any (I used chicken), heat some beans (I normally used black, but this time it was veggie refried) and slap between a toasted tortilla.  I had a smidge of shredded cheese left but no sour cream so this was an almost dairy free adventure.  


I will SING the praises of Dorot frozen cilantro...this stuff rocks!  Apparently it's European and I have only found it at Trader Joe's but it'a amazing if you don't have fresh herbs.  (I also use tons of their frozen garlic and basil in the winter. )



Once cooked it looks like a big mess of this:




And the final product, an ugly but tasty treat.  And there's nothing like a tall boy of 'gansett Summer in an RC koozie while watching Jacques Pepin...keepin' it klassy.



Any thoughts on Around the World in 80 Plates?  Saw part of it the first ep. last night, still on the fence.  It is awesome to see Nookie on there representing Red Sox Nation. 


XOXO,
KW

Monday, May 07, 2012

Weekend Part Deux

Oh dear sweet lovely Sunday with zero agenda, yay!  I took my sweet time getting up, caught  up on mindless Bravo and thoroughly enjoyed my favorite Sunday at home breakfast - one slice of whole wheat toast with turkey bacon and cheddar and one slice with raspberry jam - sweet and savory perfection...now if the coffee fairy would only deliver!


I wandered out of the house around 1:00 to head down to the first weekend of SOWA Open Market for the season.  En route I ran into this going on outside of B&G:




Was bummed I missed it for the second year in a row, but there were also tons of other things happening in the South End.  Walking down Waltham Street I ran into a park dedication and finally SoWa Art Walk.  I did some gallery poking around, had some laughs over 90s music with the folks at Patch NYC, did some drooling at M. Flynn and finally arrived at the market.


Poor photo!
I was not only delighted to see Emily at The Fashion Truck but also psyched to check out her new spot front and center at the entrance of the farmers market.  Perfect spot away from the mobs and the smelly food trucks - no one wants their frocks smelling like hot dogs!  I am hoping she will let me do a more in depth post on her fab concept later in the season.

Of course I picked up a few treats 

Black & hot pink are my favs and capped off
a "horsey" weekend.
And this little rhinestone addition to my
arm party - had been dying for one!
(I got the white/beaded one at Patch NYC along with a vintage
postcard with letterpress monograms on it.)
I had a great wander through the craft stalls, lusted after some pillows & jewelry, bought too many cards and then hit the indoor vintage market where I picked up a little treat for MMC.  I kept the food truck indulging to a minimum and had some The FroYo Truck for the first time, thumbs up for the California tart and chocolate with strawberries.  


Made a stop at Trader Joe's en route home and made dinner for KLE and DSB.  Did simple turkey meat balls - ground turkey, one egg, breadcrumbs, fine red onion, salt and pepper (I was out of garlic and forgot the parsley, whoops!).  While they cooked I sauteed 1/8 cup of red onion in olive oil and added sliced portobellos, halved grape tomatoes, 1/2 cup of Trader Joe's organic marinara (a fav, it is their best jarred sauce by far), salt, pepper and a bag of fresh spinach.  Plated up the meatballs with the "stew" in the middle with a dollop of fresh ricotta and fresh shaved parm.  I also did a simple salad of fresh arugula tossed with my go-to dressing of olive oil, salt, pepper, fresh lemon, a little lemon zest and some fine red onion. 


I took a stab at floral arranging and am giving myself a solid C - it's pretty wonky and one of the hydrangeas was wilted within a few hours but will keep trying!


I am fairly certain I won't be putting
Winston's out of business anytime soon!
Sad to see an epic weekend end but psyched for lots of good things on tap for this week - especially the James Beard Awards - I will food nerd it out for sure!


XOXO,
KW

Sunday, May 06, 2012

Weekend Part One

A few things should have tipped me off that this weekend was going to rock.

Exhibit A:
Interofficed eyelashes from KEng...how could that mean anything less than fun?!?



Exhibit B:  
DUH, it was Cinco de Derby!  The Derby alone sets we atwitter as jaunty headwear, gambling and bourbon cocktails are kind of my trifecta (no pun intended).  I was born to get all gussied up and this girl is never happier than when she is perched sipping out of a flute (or a julep cup as the case may be.)  I can thank my Nana Irene for this obsession, 'bet the jockey, not the horse".  God I miss that woman! 


Anyhoo, after work on Friday I met a group at Slate for a little happy hour.  I got there on the earlier side and am glad I did, it was wall to wall people after about 5:30 and still jammed when I left around 7:00.  I give it a C+ - decent drinks, but the they should have made the bar larger and the dining room smaller.  


I scurried home to change as I was late to meet DSB at the bar at Mistral.  It was jammed so we went to Brahmin (sadness on missing out on the tenderloin pizza!).  Neither of us had been yet as the line on weekends is normally ridiculous. It was OK, mostly parties of girls, including one who set her hair on fire!  We had a quick flatbread and cucumber cocktail before meeting the boys and the wretched smell set in.  Per usual we had a silly night full of laughs and galavanting.


Saturday AM I was a rock star and ran a million errands which included finding a new Derby chapeau, a manicure and lugging groceries all over the South End - which I totally counted as cardio.  I grabbed an sandwich at the (not so newly) re-opened Appleton Cafe and it was delicious, though I am not loving how antiseptic the redone space feels, has lost a ton of neighborhood charm.


My  biggest coups of the AM were procuring new hats along with  julep and margaritas delicacies:


Excuse my messy closet/unfinished hair.
Decided this was a little TOO bright for still chilly Boston.
Went with this more subdued option instead.
And of course I had to carry my Saratoga Longchamp - thanks Katch!



Somehow this one got inverted!
Wound up watching the race with juleps at a friend's in Beacon Hill
Note to self: I REALLY need to buy some julep cups.
Post race we went to a Cinco De Derby party.  Super fun hats with some sombreros tossed in for good measure. 


Also got to see the Super Moon - again, janky photo from my BB, was a lot cooler in person, but the clouds were not exactly cooperating. 
On Exeter at Boylston, BPL to the right. 
Weekend Part Two coming tomorrow.


XOXO,
KW

Friday, May 04, 2012

Nom Yummy: Food Trucks

I think it goes back to my dad and his "dirty filthy man" hot dogs in Manhattan, but I love me some truck food.  You name it, I love it - pretzels, hot dogs, meat on a stick, ice cream, sandwiches, BBQ - they all taste better handed to me from a window.


My all time best truck experience was at the famous Giovanni's Shrimp truck on the North Shore of Oahu in May 2010.  My friend SS, (my eating partner in crime lived there at the time), said there was no way we could miss it and I was so glad we went!  The shrimp are awesome...so awesome that we didn't take a pic til it was too late!




We also had one of the best hot dogs EVER (and I am a bit of an expert).  The garlic was unreal! 



And no trip's complete without the obligatory signing of the truck:




Then we did lots of this:




And a little of this:


MAHALO for the yums...I need to get back there ASAP!! 


*You're welcome for that little Friday distraction*

Meanwhile back on the mainland much closer to home...


When trucks began popping up in Dewey Square I could not  have been happier.  For the last six months or so the Clovermomogoose and Bon Me have been my steady lunch rotation when I am in the office.  I was out of town for most of April and when I came back this week Momo is now rotating days with BBQ Smith.  I went out for some BBQ on Wednesday and as it was the only day of (minimal sun) we had this week it was a zoo!  Went back today and despite freezing my butt off (and some hair frizzing!) the long wait was worth it!


(*Excuse my janky BB pics...someday I will be a real girl and get an iPhone...someday...)


I had the "Greek" chicken sandwich "Naked" - sans bread (but dang did that homemade bread look amazing!). Apparently it is not even on their online menu yet,  but consists of: pulled chicken with some sort of tomato-ish sauce, a tzaziki inspired sauce (one of my all time favs!), pickled cabbage (which I could have done without) and the piece de resistance: BACON BITS! Those bits were amazing, and I may or may not have eaten them all before I got back to my desk.  (Don't laugh, you would have totally done the SAME thing!).  For a side I chose the sweet potato and vidalia.  It was really good, great seasoning, I just expected it to be warm, not cold.  The first bite confused me, but delicious none the less.  And they have flavored Polar Seltzer in a can, another win win! 


I completely forgot that Greenway Mobile Food Fest is tomorrow!  I probably won't make it, but will see most of my beloved trucks on Sunday at the 2012 opening of Sowa Open Market.  A post to follow on Sowa next week, excited for an awesome Sunday of poking around, eating truck food, antique shopping and seeing what new goodies The Fashion Truck has to offer. 



Happy Friday - it's inching closer to cocktail time!


XOXO,
KW 

Thursday, May 03, 2012

Etsy Favs

Obsessed isn't the word!  And after the Bacchanalia that was April I am taking a wee respite from shopping...but a gal can still look!  And with my birthday coming up I can also bookmark some things for gifties.


Discovered this early in the AM, and am obsessed!  In fact the whole shop is awesome, I am just a little wary of the pricing being so inexpensive (I have this very one and it was A LOT spendier than this little gem)

Koozie + Lilly + Monogram = Perfection in my book AND this print is named after a rad Dead song (Yup, I totally went to school in Vermont!).  I asked Mama for the matching Kroakies for my birthday....along with some new Revas.  In fact this whole shop is really awesome - want these and this


These are callin' my name for beach happy hour:



I love that these can also be done in a ton of different ways: 

This whole shop is calling my name and I may have ordered a skirt prior to my self imposed ban.  (And ordered jBp a little  graduation gift:).  It is almost identical to my beloved Cissy skirt at a fraction of the price with some really cool vintage Lilly fabrics.  The seller and I went back and forth on prints so many time I am not sure what I ended up with!  Should arrive at the Snow Goose in time for my birthday festivus. 



Last but not least I adore these...I would look like Mr. T in NY, VT, MA and NC...may just settle for NC as it's where my heart lies. 


Enjoy!


XOXO,
KW

It's about time....

Don't adjust your calendar, it does indeed say my last post was in 2005.  (Dang that was an awesome year!).

I read so many blogs that I thought it was high time for me to come out and contribute a little something, not that I have any chance of contributing anywhere near the amount of info, humor, recipes, fashion advice and links my favs I given me over the past year, so thanks ladies.

Hope to post a ton on my globe trotting, fashion finds, cocktail imbibing, cooking and crafting.

Also, who can help a sista' out with some decor advice...this background is SO 2000 and late! Ok I figured out how to used a template, yay for progress! 

XOXO,
KW