Barcelona!

I have finally made it to Spain and settled into my new home for the next three months! This city is absolutely amazing and has so much culture. The food and fashion are fantastic and I hope to gain inspiration for both my wardrobe and my cookbook!

This is a view from Park Guell, completely designed by Guadi and has some of the most amazing views of the entire city...wouldn't you agree?

-A

Fresh Foods the Best Food

There is nothing more beautiful than going to your local farmers market and gazing at the fresh produce. I love all the different colors and shapes of heirloom tomatoes. Make sure to support your local farmers market!

-A

Travel Essentials: LBD

I know, this is only the millionth post you have seen about the versatility and general amazing addition to your wardrobe a little black dress brings, but since Spain is only two weeks away, I'm starting to freak out a little about packing. I have no idea how I am going to fit 3 and a half months worth of clothing into a suitcase or two. Don't even talk to me about carrying it. Luckily, one thing makes the whole packing ordeal easier and that is the LBD, or Little Black Dress.
I am lucky enough to own two different styles that are on my list to bring with me. One is more formal, with a cut out in the back that I got from the boutique that I work at- C Collection- in New Orleans. The other one is more casual, and a racerback cut with a pocket in the front, from Mercer at Stanford Shopping Center.
I can dress them up and down with tights, heels, boots (if I find them), scarves and coats. Hopefully they will lighten my load for packing!
-K

Sunday Baking

I went to the Farmer's Market this morning and there was a special on blackberries. I haven't had a good blackberry pie yet this summer, so I thought I would take advantage of the opportunity, and make a pie. When I got home, I realized I didn't have quite enough blackberries, so I also cut up three small apples from our tree outside to add. Here is the recipe I used:
Blackberry Pie

I decided to get a little fancy and make the crust a lattice one too. It's currently cooling on the countertop...

-K

Tiffany's Leather

Tiffany's has a new Leather Collection- it's available to buy starting September 1st at a select few stores across the country. I want one of these clutches so badly. I do have a big birthday coming up in a few months...:) Hopefully there isn't too much of a wait list. These are so classic- I can see it going with anything. I love the Tiffany blue, but I think I would probably get the tan. Unless I just got two...


-K

Dress Like: Gossip Girl

One of my guilty pleasures is watching Gossip Girl- I know it's only deteriorated over the years but A and I both love the visual aspect- the clothes are amazing. I found this site the other day that catalogs all of the outfits that they wear on the show, and provides cheaper alternatives to the couture worn on the show. I'm not the biggest fan of knock offs, but I like this site because I always want to know the labels that the characters are wearing.
Shop Gossip Girl
My favorite is definitely Serena- I need that closet. Do you have a certain TV show that you love watching, even if it's just for the clothes?

-K

Fresh Bread

We didn't have bread at home for some reason today, so I decided to whip up a fresh loaf in the bread machine. I've been having issues making bread recently- it's either collapsed or has been undercooked. Not that it didn't taste good, it just wasn't very attractive. This loaf however, came out perfectly! I used a mixture of white and whole wheat flour, and added in some flaxseed for some texture.

Here is the recipe I used:
3/4 cup of white flour
3/4 cup of whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
pinch of salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 stick of butter (cold, cubed)
2 tablespoons yeast
1 cup lukewarm water

1. Combine the yeast and water in a bowl and leave for 10 min
2. Combine all of the dry ingredients in a smaller bowl
3. After the 10 minutes is up, add the dry ingredients and butter to the yeast and water mixture and knead. Let this dough rise in a room temperature place for 10 more minutes.
4. Put the dough in a bread pan, and bake on 350 degrees for around 45-50 minutes.
(If you have a bread machine, just put everything in the machine and select the setting!)

Nothing makes a house smell better than freshly baked bread.
-K

A calm after the storm

One of my all time favorite places in the world is Lake Tahoe. I have spent at least a weekend there every summer since I was five years old and nothing compares to the crisp smell of mountain air and the warm sun soaking into your skin. There is so much to do in Lake Tahoe, everything from relaxing and enjoying the fantastic views, hiking either a mile or ten, boating or just spending a day on a pier jumping into the refreshing lake water. I could spend all day on a boat speeding by with the wind against my skin or wakeboarding behind it, but I can't argue with just sitting back with a good book and relaxing!


One of the more spectacular events that happens every so often during Lake Tahoe summers is a summer storm. While there recently I experienced two and I found it romantic, the way the weather changes so quickly from choppy waters and dark thunder clouds to the pinks of the sun reflecting off of the clouds creating an amazing sunset, all within a half hour.


-A

A Dinner for 8

I recently held a dinner party for me and 8 of my closest friends and I decided the main dish would be sushi! It is a fun food that gets everyone involved, each girl brought something she would like to put in a roll or what they thought would make a delicious addition, we had everything from carrots and avocados to smoked salmon. A friend brought the rice cooker and we soon started rolling sushi!

I set the table with as minimal decorations as possible, a large wooden bowl sat in the middle with a woven basket on top and giant lily flower leaves stretched the length of the table. Each girl got a small dish for soy sauce and either brown or black chopsticks. I left it simple not only to make it appear modern and Japanese but to ensure the delicious food we made was the center star!

-A

Travel Essentials: Pashmina

Since we're starting to get into the final countdown for A and my departure to Spain, I have started my packing list of essentials. On the top of that list is a pashmina for the plane rides- and I am assuming train rides around Europe. Whenever I travel, this is an essential for me. I can use it as a blanket on the plane (instead of the gross airplane ones) and it's a cute addition as a scarf to whatever outfit I have on.

You can dress these up and down too- they work well as a shawl with a nice dress or just pair it with jeans. What do you always travel with?
-K

Favorite Fall Trend

My favorite trend for Fall 2010 (so far) that has been all over the place recently is military themed clothing. I like that many designers have been pairing it with softer accents, like a floral print or pastel color, in order to tone down the intensity of this androgynous look.


As we get further into the winter however, I think that replacing the light colors with rich colors like burgundy and navy make a seasonal and stylish change.


What are you excited to wear this fall?

-K

credit to The Sartorialist for the first picture

My Central Perk

One of my favorite things to do when I am in a new location is find a cute local coffee shop- as many of my friends know, coffee is essential for me to function. I try to make friends with the owners and baristas, and make a point of going there regularly instead of a chain. In high school, my friends and I were consistent customers of Douce France, a bakery and cafe right across the street from my high school. In college, I found a cute little patisserie on Maple Street that I would always stop in at on my way to work. Working in Redwood City over the summer led me to find a corner kiosk called The Daily Boost in the square with excellent service and divine freshly baked chocolate chip cookies.

I love knowing the first names of the baristas- when I make my daily visits they always ask how things are going, how a weekend trip went, or my opinion on a new baked good (Usually I can't complain!). Even if these places are a little more out of my way, the interactions make the trip worth it. I personally find it very important to support local businesses- and they generally have higher quality ingredients and less of a carbon footprint than big name chains.
When I arrive in Spain (less than a month!) I look forward to finding another café that I can go to daily for some café con leche- let me know if you have any recommendations for places in Granada!
-K

Jeggings...finally!

A few days ago my mom and I had a relaxing day of shopping in Menlo Park on Santa Cruz avenue. We stopped in one of the streets many cute boutiques called "head over heels" and they happened to be having a small sale. The next thing I new I was trying on and soon buying an amazing pair of seven for all mankind jeggings or "The Skinny" Denim Leggings in Rinsed Indigo. I've already worn them and they are definitely one of the best investments I've made! If you don't already have a pair of jeggings I highly recommend purchasing a pair, almost every store that sells jeans makes a pair. Here are a few.


(from left to right starting on top) Seven For all Mankind "The Skinny" Denim Leggings in Rinsed Indigo $149, J Brand Denim Leggings in Starless Wash $169, Forever 21 Denim Basic Jegging $15.80, True Religion "Misty" Super Skinny Denim Leggings in Buckeye Dark $189, Hudson Denim Jeggings in Adelaide Wash $123.75 on sale at Bloomingdales.

-A

Blizzard Break

We just got a special surprise at work today- a Dairy Queen Blizzard! I haven't had one of those babies since high school-which also resulted in a rather unfortunate incident of mine falling out on the pavement. I don't know which one is better though- Blizzards or McFlurries. I really try not to eat at either of the chains though. Which do you prefer?

-K

Embracing Vegetarianism

On Monday I decided to try going vegetarian for a week, and I am currently on Day 4! To be honest I don't really miss meat that much, but when I get a plate of ribs or something in front of me I may feel differently. I have 3 days to go, and I may just decide to stick with it.
I am trying out being vegetarian because I was bored, and because in California, we're really spoiled for choice with all of the yummy local vegetables and fruits that we are lucky enough to have. I also am semi creeped out by the food, and more specifically the meat industry. As much as I love steak, I just can't justify the way the animals are treated before they hit my plate. I am all for grass fed and free range, so I will probably continue to eat those options, but there is nothing appealing about chemically altered or factory raised animals- see Food Inc. for more details.
-K

An Elegant Red Velvet

This weekend, while K was away floating on the delta, I wanted to challenge myself by baking something that I have only done once before...make a tiered cake! I chose to challenge myself even further my adding fondant into the mix. My first step was to call my best baking friend who I knew would be up for the challenge, Tara (K is my best taste tester). We debated over flavors until deciding on a classic red velvet. We picked a delicious recipe off of epicurious for both red velvet cake and creamy cream cheese frosting.

Red Velvet Cake:
2 1/4 Cups sifted cake flour
2 tbs. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp. distilled white vinegar
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temp.
2 large eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F ( I have an oven that heats up fast, so I wait to do this step until the end to save energy!) Butter and flour two 9-inch pans. Sift sifted flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a medium bowl. Whisk buttermilk, food coloring, vinegar and vanilla in a small bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until well blended. Add eggs one at a time, beating until well blended after each addition. Beat in dry ingredients in 4 additions alternating with buttermilk mixture in 3 additions. Divide batter between pans. Bake until tester inserted (toothpicks work great) comes out clean, about 27 minutes.

Cream Cheese Frosting
2 8-ounce packages of cream cheese
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 tbs. vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar (I like mine a little less sweet so 2 cups worked perfectly!)

Beat Cream cheese and butter in a large bowl until smooth. Beat in vanilla. Add powdered sugar and beat until smooth.

Tara and I baked a total of 5 cakes. 3 layers for the bottom tier and 2 layers for the top tier. All 5 of our cakes we baked in 9-inch pans so to make a smaller tier we took cardboard cake rounds at 6-inches and cut around the cake....don't consider it wasted cake, consider it your taste test, everyone at my house sure did!

When everything was cooled and frosted, we began rolling out the fondant. We bought Wilton Fondant at a craft store and it came ready to use. Doing so was both a work-out and exciting, fondant is so much better than playing with clay! We kept ours white for a nice contrast against the red cake, but colored small parts lavender to add detailing!



As soon as the cake was complete K and other close friends came running over to enjoy the finished project with us! I hope you will accept the fondant challenge or just make this fantastic red velvet to savor on warm summer day with friends and family!

-A

Floating Away: Island Time

This weekend was a pretty slow weekend at home, so I took a nice little two and a half day weekend in the Sacramento Delta. As much as I love Tahoe, it's hard to make a four hour drive each way (plus traffic) worth a weekend but the Delta is nice because it's only about an hour and a half. You don't need to pack much either- swimsuits are pretty much acceptable everywhere.


Anyways, when I was there my sister and I took full advantage of the snack bar, which definitely brought back some childhood memories. It helped that the special was the Root Beer Float- I swear, I had completely forgotten about these and they are SO GOOD!!! Root Beer and vanilla ice cream go so well together. I can promise that the next time I have friends over, Root Beer Floats will be in the mix.


Try one at home for your own mini vacation-enjoy it outside, preferably by a pool, Then, work it all off wakeboarding

-K

Restore the Gulf

By now I know that a lot of us are breathing sighs of relief that the BP oil leak has been capped. However, that isn't going to fix the fact that an estimated 2.5 million gallons of oil per day have spilled into the Gulf, and it's been around 90 days! I'm not a math major, but that is a lot of oil. The next step is cleaning up the Gulf, and hopefully this video can help persuade you to sign this petition to help.
Restore the Gulf- video
or watch the video at the site!

Just Sign It
Sign the petition now, and you can come visit me for Mardi Gras next year!
-K

P.S. If you're asking for why this is relevant to eating, traveling and shopping, do I really have to explain it? Gulf shrimp, New Orleans (hellooooo) and shopping...

This is from a super cute New Orleans Boutique called Shoefty

Cargo Trousers: Just Like Army Pants and Flip Flops?

I have a new favorite late summer staple- Cargo trousers. Not pants, trousers- but props to everyone that understood the allusion in the title. I was in Anthropologie the other day and saw these trousers, and loved them.

I love that they are something different from jeans, which I feel I wear too much of, but can be just as casual or even dressed up. They're also far more light weight than jeans, so you don't get that suffocating feeling during the summer.
Today I am wearing a pair with a solid tank top, cardigan and metallic sandals, which fits right in at my business casual office.
J Brand also has a pair out that have pockets on the sides- not my fave, but they are supposed to be super comfy. They look good in all of the ads that they have out too.
-K

We love the Marina...even in 60 degree summer weather!

"The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco"

K may have been a little underdressed for the chilly weather, but we still enjoyed a nice stroll down the Marina. Even through the heavy fog you can still see the Golden Gate Bridge. We find it romantic and mysterious!

Chestnut Street

This morning K and I had a quick visit in the city. I took the train up and K picked me up after her visa appointment for Spain! We headed straight to one of our favorite places Chestnut street! We got pedicures at New Nails, a place we love for both the price and speed. Our stomachs began grumbling and we couldn't resist stopping by the recently opened Susiecakes for a delicious cupcake. The San Francisco store is just as cute as the one I visited in Los Angeles.



After our fantastic cupcakes, we headed to The Grove Cafe for a saltier lunch. K had a delicious Yucatan chicken salad with a light dressing. I had the breakfast special which is served all day because I couldn't resist the wafting sent of bacon! The breakfast came with two perfectly poached eggs, applewood bacon, whole wheat toast and hash browns I couldn't even wait to take a bite before I snapped a photo. I look forward to my next visit at The Grove Cafe!

Perfect Boots Part 1

So as you know by now, A and I will both be studying abroad in Spain in the fall. As a student abroad, the last thing I hear that you want to be burdened by is excessive luggage, so I am going into packing for this adventure with the mantra of “traveling light”, which is far easier said than done. One thing I thought could make this easier is having a pair of cute boots that can basically go with everything- dresses, jeans, casual, dressy, and most importantly, comfortable- that can be my traveling companions. I believe in investing in quality staples that will last for a while, so I am willing to spend a little more on these boots.
I started by checking Neiman Marcus, but then I realized I was only torturing myself- unfortunately, Manolos are not justifiable in a student budget.
I want brown or black, not too high of a heel and COMFORTABLE. Search is on!

We're Going to SPAIN!

We are headed to Spain in the fall for a full semester and we can no longer contain our excitement! Although we will once again be divided by a full country Kati in Granada and Allison in Barcelona, we will have our blog to come together and share fashion trends, delicious food and favorite locations of Granada and Barcelona, and of course we will travel to visit each other! We hope you are as excited as us as we take on this new adventure!

Rue La La

One of our favorite places to shop online is Rue La La. The website rotates designer "boutiques" where you can buy everything from jeans and tops to fancy wines and exclusive vacations. All at a discounted cost! Each of the boutiques is available for 2 days and if one of your favorite designers is coming soon, Rue La La will send you an email reminder to go shop around! Although you have to be a member it is super easy join and if you invite friends who later purchase something from Rue La La you get a $10 credit to your next purchase! What's better than sharing with friends and getting money credit towards fashion and travel?

CUPCAKES!

One of my favorite things to do in the Kitchen is to bake, (one day I aspire to own my own beautiful bakery) Kati is the cook while I am the baker. So just like everyone else one of my top favorite things to bake is cupcakes! Whats not to love about individual cakes that can be either smothered in frosting or just lightly coated and then decorated anyway you want based on your individual taste?

My love for cupcakes has made me almost obsessed to either taste one from any new bakery I stumble across…or madly search the web for my next desired cupcake outing.

Here are a few of my favorites and my next hopeful visits!






Kara’s Cupcakes in Palo Alto: This cute yet sleek and modern bakery just opened a few blocks away from my house. I love the décor, bubblegum pink walls and a streamlined glass case to simply display the cupcakes and all their glory. The company practices sustainability, using local ingredients, environmentally friendly packaging, green buildings etc. making me more than happy to support this local bay area business. They also have a delicious array of flavors, my personal favorite, Banana a simple banana cupcake with creamy cream cheese frosting.



SusieCakes in Los Angeles: The slogan for this adorable bakery is “An All-American Homestyle Bakery” and that it is. The cupcakes are big and smothered in delicious frosting and the cakes sit on top of the rounded glass case on individual cake stands. Although I’ve only been here once these amazing cupcakes left me wanting more and dreaming of their delicious chocolate peanut butter. Maybe I will visit their San Francisco location!



Sprinkes in Palo Alto: This infamous cupcake joint doesn’t need much introduction due to the fact that it is one of the first cupcake joints that helped start this fabulous trend, and who can resist their oversized cupcakes topped with a heaping mound of frosting, especially the moist red velvet. I will even wait fifteen minutes in line for one!



Magnolia Bakery in New York City: One of the most infamous cupcake bakeries, right along with Sprinkles and made famous by Carrie Bradshaw in Sex in the City. I recently visited New York City and could not resist a stop at the original bakery in Greenwich Village. The line was out the door and the weather was so hot and humid that there were multiple fans keeping the self-serve cupcakes cool. I grabbed a red velvet and traditional vanilla cupcake. Both of them were fantastic, the cake was light and perfectly sweet and the butter cream frosting was creamy and not over powering. It was also my first time having a red velvet cupcake with butter cream rather than cream cheese and it was delish!

Where my taste-buds are taking me….I hope!



Cups and Cakes Bakery in San Francisco: Their website is very retro and I absolutely love the creative cups they bake in! Featuring 26 different flavors and giving you the option of customizing your own who knows what I will try…maybe the grasshopper: dark chocolate cake with peppermint frosting, German chocolate or possibly customize my own!
-A