Penny for your thoughts?

Happy "almost" Friday! Oh, hooray for the weekend! 

I was talking to close friend the other day about clothes--what we like, what we don't, what makes us feel like "us".   

Over the past year I have really began to fall more and more in love with menswear.  I am current collecting J.Crew men's button down shirts (they are long and lean and fit great---better than the women's!), blazers, and my new addiction-penny loafers.



loafers from Land's End Canvas



I just got this adorable pair from LANDS END CANVAS- part of the classic company, Land's End, but with a bit of a more youthful feel.  I love their looks and I just love these loafers.  Such a great price and comfortable as can be.   Not to mention the company is on my "favorites" list as after ordering these shoes, I received a personal, hand-written note from a staff member at LEC thanking me for my purchase.  IMPRESSED.

Although loafers can seem a little too masculine at times, paired with the right outfit and worn with confidence, they are such a great addition to any wardrobe. I look forward to wearing these all year round. Could be so cute with shorts in the spring time!

xo, k 

Made it. Love it.

This was such an easy classic pasta recipe that we just loved! I found it on Epicurious but it comes from Gwenyth Paltrow's cookbook - My Father's Daughter. Who knew Gwenyth Paltrow would ever present the world with some good home-made recipes?!  Thanks Gwennie!

xo, k

Spaghetti Limone Parmeggiano

INGREDIENTS:

• 3/4 pound (3/4 box) spaghetti
• Coarse salt
• 1 lemon
• 1 1/2 cups finely grated fresh Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3–5 tablespoons of pasta water, to thin
• Handful fresh basil leaves (from 4 leafy stems)

PREP:

Boil the spaghetti in salted boiling water, according to the package directions.

Meanwhile, using a Microplane, grate the zest from the lemon into a large mixing bowl. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice into the bowl (I like to use the grater as a strainer—one less thing to clean). Add the 1 1/2 cups Parmesan, pepper, and a pinch of salt, and mix in the olive oil to form a wet paste.

When the spaghetti is perfectly cooked, add 2 or 3 tablespoons of the cooking water to the lemon and cheese mixture. Add the spaghetti to the bowl and toss thoroughly, adding another tablespoon or 2 of pasta water if necessary so that the sauce coats each strand. Roughly tear in the basil leaves.

Serve each portion with a sprinkle of coarse salt, a fresh grind of black pepper, and a few gratings of extra Parmesan.

Corn Souffle Happiness

So R and I made our very first Thanksgiving dinner for the two of us this past Sunday afternoon. All I gotta say is we nailed it! (pictures to follow). Everything was so delicious and R even managed to BBQ a turkey in the rain. Pretty impressed! 

One of the dishes I made was Paula Deen's corn souffle.  I'm not a HUGE Paula fan, but this dish was so easy and really yummy---especially the next day. Try it out...I promise you will love it.

Have a very happy Thanksgiving!

xo, k

Ingredients

• 1 (15 1/4-ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 (14 3/4-ounce) can cream-style corn
• 1 (8-ounce) package corn muffin mix (recommended: Jiffy)
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, stir together the 2 cans of corn, corn muffin mix, sour cream, and melted butter. Pour into a greased 9 by 13-inch casserole dish. Bake for 45 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and top with Cheddar. Return to oven for 5 to 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Let stand for at least 5 minutes and then serve warm.

FRESH

love this.

xo, k

shade me

I love, love sunglasses and rarely leave home without mine.  I also tend to break, loose, scratch, and torture mine on a daily basis as well.  That is why I have given up on buying pricey sunglasses and only purchase ones with a price tag of under $100. 

Today I found a an amazing website that  sells reasonably priced sunglasses and frames....all for $58!!! The company is called LOOKMATIC and they have some adorable glasses for both guys and gals.  You can also try them online but uploading a photo of yourself to their website and placing frames on your pretty little face. So clever!  And with prices that lovely, you can break, scratch, and loose your frames without shedding a tear.

xo, k



TA-DAH!!

such a small thing made such a huge difference to my dining room wall.  Just loving my blue and white plates. Thanks again, mama!


xo, k

sweet

love these gorgeous Kamala dessert plates from Anthropologie.  These would be a great addition to any white plate collection in hopes to add a little color to your dinner table.  LOVE!

xo, k