Between you and me…

I’m such a weather dork! If it’s cold and rainy, I get super excited and if it’s a gorgeous sunny day I’m ready to get out and enjoy the sunshine! I eat comfort food when its dreary and cold and I want al fresco dining seaside during those hot California days. I’m nothing but cashmere sweaters, boots and getting out my jackets when it’s chilly and love sun dresses, sandals and accessorizing with sunglasses when the heat is on! Needless to say, I’m all wrapped up in a cozy sweater, velvet jeans, boots and my furry jacket, because baby, it’s cold outside!!! And I love it! Partially because we have had such a long drawn out period of hot weather here in Los Angeles, and because of the aforementioned love of cold and rainy weather. 

After an eternity of picking out one outfit after another for oppressively hot weather, wardrobe selection as of late has been  just AWESOME!!! It’s sweater weather!!! 

Sweater Weather SNL 

And what goes with sweaters better than anything??? A great pair of jeans. I try on jeans all the time and I am super picky with what jeans I love. Currently, my very favorite jeans are Mother Denim. They literally are as comfy as leggings- I kid you not! And they look great, too!

                                       

     
Currently, I’m wearing my Mother Jeans (I love the Looker cut) with cashmere sweaters as much as I can!  I can ALWAYS count on Vince to have amazing cashmere sweaters – and colors that are just to die for. Living in LA, sweater need to be on the lighter side, and I have found their sweaters are comfortable all day long.

            

I love, love, love over the knee boots! I got a pair from Zara that are amazing. They are a military/motorcycle look, and I wear them all the time! The le coup de gras to any fabulous outfit is always the jewelry. I am lucky enough to call a jewelry maestro one of my closest friends: Jewels by Piper. Her necklaces are amazing, and I incorporate her stuff into my wardrobe almost daily. 

And into the kitchen…

All this winter here finally lends itself to a busy kitchen. One of my favorite things is a great big late breakfast on lazy days. Homemade waffles, bacon and eggs are a family favorite. I picked it up from my mom, who does a big breakfast when we visit. The waffle mix she uses has malt powder in it so I tried out some recipes for homemade waffles using malt powder. They are amazing! 

Recipe:
Buttermilk Malted Waffles

Here’s the adjustments I made in this recipe. First, if you don’t know this trick, you’re going to love me even more than you do already after I tell you… Buttermilk Hack. Not all of us keep that bottle o’buttermilk in the fridge handy these days. Further, if you do need one for a recipe, you’re not likely to finish the bottle. My dad is literally the only person I know who LOVES buttermilk to drink. (I know, a man of such taste… I never have understood it either!) And, if you’re like me, I love southern cooking, so from time to time I need a little buttermilk for said yummy food prep. All you have to do is measure the indicated amount of whole milk (I’m sure low fat would do, but whole milk tastes a whole lot better!) with 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice – my ratio is 1 cup to 2 tablespoons. Let milk sit 5-10 minutes while you get the rest of the ingredients together and… viola! No one will be the wiser!
I also changed the sugar amount to 1/4 cup – because my kids do not like syrup (they’re crazy).  So, I always make pancakes and waffles sweeter. You can double the vanilla as well. I recommend using REALLY good vanilla, always. My mom turned me onto one that I’m obsessed with. Do yourself a favor a get a couple! You won’t regret it for a second! The Sonoma Syrup Co. makes amazing products. This vanilla is awesome, there’s hundreds of seeds and adds a rich taste to everything I use it in. 

https://sonomasyrup.com/
Sonoma Syrup Co Vanilla Bean Extract The Crush
John and I love maple syrup, even when the kids don’t. I have two /items/32290016.jpgCoombs is a really good especially heated a bit. It can be a bit pricey, but I believe in splurging on the details that really make things amazing (across the board!) I get it at our local Gelsons Market or you can order from their website. 

Joseph’s Syrup surprised me way back when I tried it. It tastes in no way like it’s sugar free or even remotely health conscious – in fact, it’s possibly my favorite maple syrup out there. I get mine at my local Gelsons Market, but Amazon has it for those who want it like yesterday!!!

The kids are back in school and John and I are FINALLY getting back to some normalcy – well as close as we probably ever get! We are trying to plan our next getaway – skiing, Indian Wells Tennis Tourney, Cabo, and squeezing in trips for family visits, too. My wanderlust is calling me to go explore! For now, I’m enjoying time here in Los Angeles, grabbing naps on rainy days with one of our fuzzy babies, if I can ever get their attention away from John! 

                                       
The animals certainly love having us around!

I’d say I cannot believe it’s 2017, but I can. I’m hoping holidays were good for everyone and this New 2017 is starting off well. I’m not making any resolutions but rather committing to things I know better myself and my family. I refuse to restrict myself to a diet, unattainable exercise regime, restrictions and other forms of personal torture. I think it’s far more reasonable to get back on track by gently getting back into a routine and a happy way of life. Sure, I could lose a few pounds, exercise, spend less money, and the list goes on and on… but, rather than setting this all up to fail, my mindset is that I am going to live each day as best as I am able and be able to look back with gratitude and fulfillment. I know I’ll make mistakes, and better to allow some little ones than build up to big ones that are damaging and impactful for my family and god knows who else. 

The one thing that comes to mind that I have been asserting, particularly as of late,  and speaking up for myself and not letting other people run my life nor accepting the unacceptable. Historically, I have retreated from others, people pleased and basically acted as a doormat because I never felt it worth the fight. Sadly, a lot of us who grew up in alcoholic households are like this. I’ve propetuated this even further in my own family because of my own addiction history in that I rarely speak up because I haven’t felt I could. The truth is so long as I am a sober, contributing, involved, loving member of my world I have every reason to be afforded the respect and opportunities that are mine in the first place. So, that is something I see already as an area of growth in my life/world. 

So, on to much more fun things! I’ve been on fire in the kitchen, trying LOTS of new things which I will share along the way. I made a really yummy chicken cattiatore. I’m big on food blogs and found this at Cafe Delights. 

It can be found at http://cafedelites.com/2016/05/09/chicken-cacciatore/. 

I substituted a couple things in my dish. I used frozen artichoke hearts – I used one 8 oz frozen package of artichoke hearts – in lieu of the olives, and I used non-alcoholic red wine in this case, I seasoned the entire pan when all ingredients were incorporated with salt and pepper as I found it needed it. I also threw in a couple chicken breasts as my husband doesn’t care for bone-in chicken. I served it over fusilli pasta and it was really good, particularly in this rainy and cold Southern California weather. It was a total hit! 

We did have a great holiday, my kids were off school for three weeks – which is a bit too long! We certainly made the most of it! John and I took the kids to San Francisco after Christmas for a few days. It was their first trip and he and I had not been in far too long, and the city did not disappoint!!! We stayed at the Four Seasons Hotel on Market Street, and it was just amazing. Their holiday decor was beautiful and the staff were so accommodating.

This is us in their lobby.

We ate at Bobos our first night. It’s known for their crab and steak. It was really good! Our waiter was so spot on, great personality and great with my kids. John and I shared a Dungeness crab and it was awesome. It’s crab season right now in San Francisco, so when in Rome!!! Their steak was really awesome as well. It’s a funky place and has tons of character. I do recommend it highly. Bobos is at 1450 Lombard Street, San Francisco. I always make reservations so I don’t have to wait – and that is everywhere permitting.

Our second day we shopped a bit around Union Square. The boys,of course, hit the Nike Store and Avery and I hit Saks, Macy’s and SF has the only Goyard store in the Eastern United States (there’s one in New York on the East Coast). The food at the Four Seasons was really quite good as well. We did not eat dinner there, but did have breakfasts, a lunch, snacks and dessert there. Our second night we ate dinner at Alfred’s Steakhouse – which has been there since 1928. My dad even ate there when he went to Berkeley in 50’s. Aside from tired kiddos, it was great. Their food was good. John had crab cakes, I had a steak, and everything was really good. The service was acceptable – not wonderful,  not bad. The room itself was painted a deep red, with leather booths – a very old school feel. Alfred’s is located at 659 Merchant Street, San Francisco.

Our third day we toured the city, I got a car to drive us around and show the kids the sights. One thing I will say, it was so crowded. In hindsight, I would do this exact trip another time, as San Francisco is a destination for New Years and the holidays in general. Nonetheless, we made the most of it. We drove all over: Golden Gate Park – went in the California Academy of Science (it was amazing but too crowded to see much), Lombard Street (I recommend doing this one at night as not to get caught in the traffic of it), across the Golden Gate Bridge into Sausalito, Twin Peaks, around the Wharf and Embarcadero, to AT&T Park, etc, etc. We ate lunch at the Franciscan Crab. It’s right in Fishermans Wharf on Pier 43. It’s a bit touristy, but the crab was really good and the view even better. We had a beautiful view of the bay and Alcatraz. I very much recommend it for lunch so you can see it all. We were supposed to have dinner at Perbacco, but after our late lunch and busy day we postponed that for another time. We ended up shopping and attempting to go ice skating at Union Square – which come to find out is quite the thing (duh!) – and requires advance ticket purchasing. So, if you’re wanting to do that – you can buy tickets online before going on your trip (I’d recommend a few days out). We ended up having a late dinner at Scala’s Bistro on Powell Street right off Union Square. It is – to me – very San Francisco in its ambience. We had a fabulous waiter. The food was phenomenal, I had a pork chop with butternut squash, figs, and all kinds of winter yumminess. Their pasta is fresh and it was just awesome. I have been there before on a few occasions, and it has been really good every time. Definitely worth your dime and your time, it’s at 432 Powell Street, San Francisco. 

We missed Tadich Grill, Boulevard and the Rotunda Room at Neiman Marcus – which are some of my all time favorites, we didn’t get the kids on the cable car, would have loved to caught a game too — there’s always next trip!!!

Well, there’s more to share from our holiday break, but I’ll save that for later. Have a great Saturday!!!

Jack, Avery, Makenna and I over the holiday break

It’s taken me a long time to finally get back to writing. I’m Katie. I’m a mom, wife, daughter, sister, friend and enthusiast of many things, of which I will share a lot about here. I love sharing my ideas, learning new ones and connecting with people, so I’m finally writing in order to do so. 

This is us. My husband, John, and I have been married for 10 years, together for 14. We have twins, Avery and Jack, who are 8 years old and in the third grade. We live in Pacific Palisades, California, which for L.A. is as “small town” as you can get. We like it, it works for us. I have been born and raised in Southern California and John’s from Memphis, Tennessee. I could easily divide my time between California and Tennessee – but that possibility is still to come.

I’m a bit nuts about the holidays. How can you not be??? For me, the holidays start with Halloween. Our house is decorated to the hilt for both. My poor husband has to deal with the absolutely insane amount of decor, chotchkes, wrapping, cooking gear, you name it, that I have for Halloween and Christmas. I have a bucket list every holiday season of the things I associate with the ultimate season. It’s all a bit overkill, but I love it and my kids love it. It ends up being so much fun, I manage to even recruit the most “Grinchy” of the bunch over to my Esprit de Noël! 

We generally spend Thanksgiving with either my family or John’s. We had an incredible trip to Texas and Tennessee last year. We like to stop in Dallas if we have time, then we spend time in Memphis with John’s mom and go up to Nashville as well to visit friends there. I’m lucky enough to have two very dear friends in Nashville to draw me there. I have a southern girl in me, so I love to get there as often as we can! This year, we are going to my folks for Turkey Day and my dad will be 85 the following day, so birthday celebrations are taking place as well. It will be a quick trip, but I love spending time at their home in Los Olivos. It’s a beautiful setting for a family gathering, amidst vineyards and countryside, the colors lend beautifully to a Thanksgiving celebration. My mom is a voracious cook, so I can get in the kitchen with her and bond over the feast that we prepare together. Their property is a kids paradise, fenced in acres of vineyards and olive trees (my folks make wine and olive oil) which they run and play (electronics free!) and sleep like babies each night. I love the towns there – Los Olivos, Solvang and Santa Inez. This time of year, being of Scandinavian descent, I love to shop in Solvang for all the little Scandinavian Christmas stuff. We will go up there more in December for my moms birthday and during the kids break from school. Luckily, it’s not far from us, so we have the luxury of going more often.

Next week, we are heading to Dallas. The boys are going to the Cowboys game and Avery and I are going to do some fun girl stuff. I’m going to be putting together my travel wardrobe in the next few days. I’ll share what I come up with. It’s been SO hot in L.A. that I’m a little giddy at the prospect of cool weather. Last year when we were there it was so cold. This year it looks like it will be in the 60’s. I’ll take it! Neiman Marcus and Stanley Korshak here I come! 

So, that’s a bit about me. I just want to share some of these ideas, thoughts, inspirations, wins, losses, whatever that I have thought in the past might actually be interesting. 

All for now!!! Happy Sunday!!!