Lake Light

Posted on July 1, 2014 by thekeyofkels

Ahhhhh….

Just yesterday I got back from the most relaxing vacation.

Brad and I headed back east for his brother’s wedding, and ended up making a trip out of it. We saw family. We saw friends. We hung out by the lake and ate until our pants were extremely tight. We both have really big new projects coming up, so it was the perfect get away to gear us up for all of the hard work we have ahead.

But yesterday, we flew back to Los Angeles. We picked up our pup and gave her a bath.

And then we got right back to work.

So before I put on my work uniform today and get ready to head in for the twelve hours ahead of me (my bank account will thank me!!), I wanted to relive one little part of vacation. I started scrolling through the hundreds of pictures I took on my phone. And I was drawn to the photos that captured the amazing light at the lake. How it poured through the trees. How it dipped below the horizon. How it glimmered and glowed and cast a golden haze over our lazy summer nights.

It seemed like every evening I was inspired by the colors and the brilliance of the setting sun. Maybe today I was drawn to these photos because it’s a chilly, gray morning. Maybe I’m missing the warm blanket of humidity and the relaxation of summer vacation. Maybe I’m missing the quiet so thick that you can hear your own heart beating.

Maybe this week it’s back to reality. But I found so much inspiration and beauty these past couple of weeks. Now, I’m recharged and ready for all of the challenges ahead.

xoxo

What A Week

Posted on May 23, 2014 by thekeyofkels

Is it really Friday already?

I’m facing my weekly “opposite schedule of the world” sadness this afternoon. Especially today. Everyone is gearing up for a fun, long weekend, and my “work week” is just beginning. My long weekend is drawing to a close.

But wait! What a wonderful weekend it was! There was the market, there were hundreds of cookies and other goodies made with Sydney from Curating My Cooking, there were peonies, there was chocolate strawberry banana bread…

And there was Brad’s 30th birthday!! So there were nutella bacon pop tarts (yes, they were amazing…), car washes, prescription sunglasses and a meaty dinner at Animal with some really amazing friends…

I hope all of your fun, long weekends at the beach are nearly as fun and delicious as mine was. Plus, I am so lucky that my mom and sister are flying out from Maryland tomorrow, and I have a good amount of time away from work to spend with them!

Hooray for visitors! And hooray for weekends – no matter which days they fall on!

xoxo

Colors of Spring

Posted on April 24, 2014 by thekeyofkels

Sometimes during the cold winter months of potatoes and hearty green kale, you forget how much color there is in the world.

And then weeks like this week happen. The market was drop dead gorgeous this week.

Spring here in Southern California is in full bloom. There were blossoms and flowers and blooms everywhere.

Even the herbs were flowering with spring. Continue reading →

Concussions to Sugar Cravings

Posted on April 7, 2014 by thekeyofkels

So, I hit my head. Hard.

It’s a stupid story, but let’s just say that the rest of last week didn’t go as expected.

Yes, it was our third wedding anniversary on Wednesday, and I started out the day feeling pretty good. Being in the car was a little weird and I was making really spacey comments about how slow we were driving and how it made me feel like I was in a movie… but overall, we had a great day! Market, coffee, nap, and an amazing dinner planned…

We made it to dinner. We even really, really enjoyed dinner. I’ll have to tell you all about it another time.

Because as soon as I stood up from my chair to leave the restaurant, it was like I was on a boat. A boat on really rocky waters. I was dizzy and nauseous, and by the time I got home I was a total wreck.

You don’t need all the gory details. Let’s just say it all ended up with me wearing this bracelet that I never wanted to wear.

Yep, that was me the morning after our wonderful anniversary dinner. Waiting to get a CT scan at the Santa Monica ER because that bump on my head was most definitely part of a concussion and I just wanted to make sure I was alright. You know, because not being able to think clearly and mixing up words in normal conversation gets a little scary.

Don’t mess with your brain, folks.

Turns out my brain was ok and I was sent home to rest and take care of myself.

Except that chocolate craving I had the night of the fated head collision with the dog? It never went away. I’m not even kidding when I say I think Gibson knocked a sugar sensor loose. All I’ve been wanting to eat is sugar all day, every day.

So since Brad bought me a beautiful cake stand (complete with amazing dome! yay!!) for our anniversary, I couldn’t let it go empty. Plus, having a recipe to concentrate on seemed to be helping my brain heal. At least that’s what I’m going with, since everything turned out delicious.

This is what I’ve been making…

With plans for many more sugary projects.

Have you ever heard of people craving sugar after a head injury? I’ve Googled and Googled, and I can’t find anything that looks credible. One doctor even gave a one word answer on his website: No. So maybe I can’t use brain swelling as an excuse to bake anymore?

Not that I needed an excuse in the first place.

xoxo

March Madness Roundup

Posted on March 31, 2014 by thekeyofkels

In like a lion, out like a lamb, right?

I feel like that March lamb is still on it’s way, but the lion that was this March sure kept us on the run.

I thought today I’d share a look back at all of the places I went in March and all of the things I did. Because usually, it’s a line up of market photos and delicious dinners, but this month it’s from coast to coast (twice), with a lot of amazing events and people in between.

We kicked off the month with packing up all of our food for terminate extermination. This was a low point… Like packing to move without the new improved apartment?

But then we were off to New York!Where it was freezing, but Sarah and I celebrated turning 30!And we ate an amazing meal prepared by the Fishing With Dynamite guys at the James Beard House.

And I played Cards Against Humanity for the first time. This was one blog appropriate winner…

When I got back to the west coast, I made a quick batch of pickled onions… and just about ate them all.

I messed around with my blog. Spring cleaning? Did you notice? (I didn’t go with this one…)

Then I flew back to Maryland for a memorial service for my grandfather. It was a tough weekend, but being surrounded by family that hasn’t all come together in close to 20 years, there was also much to celebrate.

Plus, I got to hang out with these little guys…The last time I saw Miles he weighed just over 5 pounds and he was all hooked up in the NICU. I’m so impressed and grateful for how healthy and awesome he’s turning out to be!

I mean, don’t you love his shirt? I dig you, too, Miles.

And then Mr. Max. Starting to talk, count, and know his alphabet. No pants don’t care!Before I left town, I whipped up a batch of fudge to leave with the east coast crew. I even used this crazy old candy thermometer of my Mom’s. I don’t know why, but I was a little obsessed with this thermometer.

And ate entirely too much of the chocolatey fudge it produced… delicious.

I don’t have a story for this next picture, other than once I was back on the west coast, this is precisely how I felt. And I love this picture of Brad and Gibson.

I fit in a little studio time somewhere in there, singing on a commercial for a kids toy that is coming out soon…

And my car broke down… again…

But then we cooked a delicious lunch at Coleman’s Farm, which went off without a hitch…

Then, last night we had an unusual Sunday night off together. So after a delicious dinner (where I almost killed a crab with an iPad. seriously.), we headed to the Sprinkles cupcake ATM and treated ourselves.March, you were great, but I’m kind of glad you’re ending. On to spring and weekends with a little bit of time to ourselves.

But the fudge was really great. Thanks for that.

xoxo

Coleman Farm Lunch

Posted on March 28, 2014 by thekeyofkels

I don’t know if you remember, but in September Brad was auctioned off at Weiser Farms right in front of my very eyes.

After bidding hit about $200, I realized I could no longer afford my husband. I was going to have to share.

For a good cause, of course.

A lunch for 8 at Coleman Family Farms was sold to the buyer who had $1400 for Alex’s Lemonade Stand. They scheduled and planned, and then rescheduled for after the crazy holiday season – which ended up being yesterday.

With me and the Barolo Joe guys in tow, Brad put together a 5 course lunch for what turned into a group of 16.

We drove up to Carpinteria super early (for us), explored the farm a little, and then hand-picked fresh greens, flowers and herbs for lunch.

Then, it was off to the races. We set up and prepped…