On the Road

Good Morning!


I've left home behind for sunshine and sandy beaches.  I'm off to the beach for 5 days or so and will return next week.  I'm going with a family I babysit for, so if i have time in my off hours, I'll try and stir up some blog worthy material ;)  Have a great weekend!!



EHK
6




Cheery Room Candy

How sweet is this little living/sitting room?? Perfect location for sipping tea and chatting with your BFF :)


EHK
5




Pasta Casserole with Spinach and Tomatoes

This is super good and got a thumbs up from the whole family at dinner last night.  It's designed to be vegetarian but we added some cubed chicken and that was great too!



12 oz penne pasta
2 T margarine 
1 diced onion
1/4 C. flour
2 t garlic
2 1/2 C skim milk
1 1/4 C shredded Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 t Italian Seasoning
1/2 t pepper
I 14.5 oz can of Italian Stewed Tomatoes
10 oz chopped spinach
1/4 C Italian Breadcrumbs
2 T Parmesan (for the top)

Preheat oven to 350

Cook pasta and spinach and set aside

Saute Onion and garlic in 1 Tablespoon of margarine--add flour and stir.  Slowly add milk, cook 4 minutes

Stir in cheese and seasonings; add pasta, spinach and stewed tomatoes

Spray 13 x 9 pan add pasta mixture and top with 2 T Parmesan, breadcrumbs and 1 T margarine (melted).

Bake 30 minutes


EHK
5




For The Love of Books...

I just finished another book and it was SO great.  If you haven't yet stumbled upon the Spellman series by Lisa Lutz, you are totally missing out!  The series begins with The Spellman Files.  The Spellmans are a family of private investigators, each with their own quirks and unique personalities.  The subsequent books are Curse of the Spellmans, Revenge of the Spellmans and finally The Spellmans Strike Back.  I will warn you that reading these books in public could lead to your embarrassment, as I regularly laugh out loud as I read.  So if you are concerned about being the creepy laughing lady at Starbucks, read these volumes at home :)

 A movie version of The Spellman Files is in the works as well, so that's something to look forward to.  If you've read the book, who would you choose to play the Spellmans??



Fortunately for me, I hit the library jackpot this week, so I am well stocked with new books for my beach trip!
Thanks to Kate for her Ruth Reichl recommendation!  And I loved Nanny Diaries so I am excited for the sequel and you know I love Lauren Lillig novels, so I got the latest on audiobook (Samma Faye: have you read this one?)


EHK
3




Happy Monday!

Good morning readers!  I hope your Monday is off to a great start!  If you are struggling to get back in the swing of things, here's a little something to brighten your morning:

flowers from LAS; iPhone photo by me.


EHK
5




Swoon Worthy Friday: Beach Bound

One week from today I'll be on my way to the beach!  Here are some fabulous things sure to make your beach trip extra fantastic!



Bathing suit by anthropologie; Tory Burch flip flops; tote by Mud Pie (via The Primrose Shop); Lilly Pulitzer tunic; Nanny Returns and Garlic and Sapphires



EHK
3




Monogrammed Round-UP: Etsy

Here are some of my latest favorite finds from Etsy.  A couple of great gift items and some monogrammed decor perfect for a wedding, home or nursery.

Monogrammed clay vase from Maid of Clay via Etsy. I LOVE this vase--perfect for a newlywed couple or for yourself to have in your home.  I also think these would be great accents at a wedding reception on various tables, with the bride and groom's initials!

Stackable initial rings in sterling silver from ThirtySixTen.  I love these--get you initials, your kids, your S.O...endless possibilities AND they are $12 each!   Can't beat the price ;)

Another great decor item--moss covered initial from restruct3 via Etsy.  This would perfect in a sweet nursery or other places in the home.  Could also work for wedding decor featuring the couple's surname or the bride and groom's first initials!


Happy Tuesday!

EHK
8




Swoon-Worthy Friday: A dreamy office

An edited version of SWF here on Miss Monogram today, but swoon-worthy nonetheless.  I've been dreaming of this office space all week long, ever since I saw it on Bryn Alexandra Interiors (which is an awesome blog you should all be reading!).  



Have a wonderful weekend!  I'm hoping to soak up some rays at the beach tomorrow--fingers crossed for lovely weather ;)

EHK
6




A smattering of news and information

Hello Hello!

Today is the day baby sister came into the world.  What a glorious day!  She is by far the best gift my parents ever gave me.  Can't wait to celebrate tomorrow! xoxo


In other news...thank you SO much for all the hair color feedback!  After all your sweet comments, I'm am definitely making an appointment to get blond-ified next week :)

And just for good measure, here is a recipe for a DELISH blueberry crumb cake I made for Easter brunch!  It's very moist and delightful.  Courtesy of Martha Stewart Everyday Food.  Confession: mine looks nothing like the image but it tasty nonetheless.


Serves 9
  • FOR THE STREUSEL TOPPING
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
  • 1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • FOR THE CAKE
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pan
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled) , plus more for pan
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon allspice
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 2/3 cup low-fat buttermilk, well shaken
  • 1 1/2 cups blueberries
  • Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make streusel topping: In a medium bowl, stir together flour, brown sugar, and salt. Cut in the butter using your hands or a pastry blender until large, moist crumbs form. Chill.
  2. Butter and flour a 9-inch square baking pan. In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and allspice. In a large bowl, beat the butter and granulated sugar with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add egg; beat well. Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately until just combined. (Batter will be very stiff.) In a large bowl, toss the blueberries with remaining teaspoon flour. Fold blueberries into the batter; spoon into prepared pan.
  3. Sprinkle cake with streusel topping. Bake until golden brown and a tester comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool completely. Dust with confectioners' sugar before cutting into squares.


EHK
4




Backyard Eye Candy

With temperatures rising and summer knocking down our door, who wouldn't love this backyard?


EHK
1




Summer = Lighter & Brighter?

Hello!

I am in desperate need of a color appointment and thought I'd turn to you to get some advice on color.  Here are some pictures of my hair currently and what I'm thinking of having done.  I love having darker hair that is closer to my natural color but in the summer time I'm always tempted to go blonde, since I was blonde for long time and I feel like it fits my personality.  What do you think?

NOW:


Thinking about going back to something like this:

or this (excuse the beer in the monogrammed coozie--oh college.):


This may or may not be a slightly shallow, frivolous post. 

EHK
11




recipe: Buttermilk Baked Chicken

Happy Easter Monday!  I hope you all had a wonderful day yesterday.  I felt so blessed spending the day with my favorite people, LAS, the parents and Coco at church and then at brunch afterward. 

This is a recipe we made Friday night which was delish!! A great alternative to fried chicken, which I love, with all the same yummy flavor and crisp.  Courtesy of Martha's Everyday Food.

INGREDIENTS
Vegetable oil, for baking sheet
8 slices white bread
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon hot-pepper sauce
Salt and pepper
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (2 1/2 ounces)
1 teaspoon dried thyme
4 pounds chicken parts (preferably legs, thighs, and wings), rinsed and patted dry

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Generously rub a baking sheet with oil. In a food processor, pulse the bread until it turns into coarse crumbs.

2. In a large bowl, stir together the buttermilk, hot-pepper sauce, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. In a separate bowl, mix the breadcrumbs, Parmesan, thyme, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper.

3. Place the chicken in the buttermilk mixture, turning to coat evenly. Working with one piece at a time, remove chicken from liquid, letting excess drip back into bowl; dredge in the breadcrumb mixture, turning to coat evenly. Place coated chicken pieces on prepared baking sheet.

4. Bake until chicken is golden brown, about 35 minutes.

Crisping the Chicken: Leave enough space between the chicken pieces so that they crisp evenly all the way around.



EHK
1




Swoon-Worthy Friday: Sweet Dreams

So I passed on some Lilly PJ bottoms the other day at Marshall's and as per usual, I'm still thinking about them, thus, I bring you swoon-worthy friday, sweet dreams edition :)




EHK
4