Customer Appreciation- More Milk

Super cute pairing with this skirt.

Bell Pepper Egg Rings Recipe

I don't know if you guys have been seeing these photos floating around of a lovely egg-in-pepper meal.

I was inspired by a photo a family member posted on facebook, so this morning I decided to try it myself!

I love omelets for breakfast, but to be honest, it just ends up an egg scramble with cheese. I use WAY too many veggies, so one egg won't hold it. This pepper ring worked perfectly; held everything together.

Ingredients: (serves 2)
1 bell pepper
2 mushrooms
2 green onions
1 small roma tomato
1 slice deli cheese (I used havarti and it was awesome)
2 eggs

Directions:
Slice the top and bottom off the pepper. Cut remaining pepper in half so you have 2 pepper rings. Chop remaining bits of pepper. No little bit will go unused in this house. I love bell peppers.
Slice tomato, onions and mushrooms.
Lightly oil a skillet over medium heat. Add peppers, onions and mushrooms and saute for 2 minutes. Place pepper rings on skillet and using a spoon, place sauteed mixture into the rings. 
Break an egg over each.Add 2 tbs of water to pan and cover with a lid. Steam for 3 minutes. 
Add tomatoes on top and cover them with 1/2 slice of cheese each. Cover again and cook another minute or 2 until the cheese has melted. 
Salt and pepper to taste.


I like a runny yolk. If you'd like a harder egg, leave it steaming for an extra 2-3 minutes. (Make sure you steam, not just heat it. Otherwise it will burn!)

I served mine with sourdough and strawberries. I love starting the day without carbo loading (I save THAT for snack time!) because I have a lot more energy for the beginning of the work day.

topped with sriracha because it's the best hot sauce EVER

Customer Appreciation- Milk

Chambray Dress

Ikat Dress

Milk Handmade in Chicago is carrying kay.em.kay so every now and then Hallie, the owner will post a picture wearing something I've sent. 

So lovely! Thanks Hallie!!

Quick Biscuit Recipe from Scratch

Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tbs sugar
3 tsp baking powder
2 tsp salt (I used garlic salt!)
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalter butter- softened
3/4 cup milk

Instructions
Preheat to 450° F
Mix dry ingredients in large bowl. 
Cut in butter until mixture looks like fine crumbs. 
Add milk, stirring until incorporated. 
Turn out dough ball onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 1 minute.
Roll out to 1/2" thickness and cut out biscuits. I used the lid to a mason jar. You can always use a cup. Make sure to lightly flour your cutter.


Place on an ungreased cookie sheet at least 1/2" apart. Cook 7 minutes then flip to evenly brown. Bake another 3 (total of 10 minutes).

To make these even tastier, add shredded cheddar and use garlic salt.

Real Wedding- Amy and Anthony

Just spotted my dresses over on greenweddingshoes. A gorgeous wedding! Check it out!

Weekend Project Success!

I am so happy with how this turned out. We ended up getting the Grundtal shelving from Ikea. It has an industrial feel, but when placed with our tins, I think it works. Plus our pot rack looks like it belongs to the same collection. I was able to install and decorate it by myself in under an hour.
Honestly, it's unreal how much it has done to unclutter our cabinets. By pulling out some of our dishes, I was able to remove a  wooden shelf in one of our cabinets creating a tall space. Our large juicer and espresso machine were able to pack away rather than live on top of our refrigerator!

Tall shelving is a great way to make a small room look larger; that is as long as you don't completely stuff the shelves! It draws the eye upward, so you're less focused on the size of the floor. I also feel like it makes my apartment feel more like a home; my goal in all my decor choices.

Cost: $30 for 2 shelves + $8 for wall screws and drywall anchors = $38

Handmade Wardrobe Update

So here's what I've done so far.
Waistband Dress: This is the first dress from the pattern I made. I hate using muslin because I'd rather just alter the piece and wear it myself if it's a flop. I actually like the shape of this one a lot. I will be creating a wider skirt and adding the buttons to the next one. The fabric will not be the same either. I'm planning on a solid mint for this one.
Lace Collared Shirt: I actually love this one. And I was able to source both the lace and fabric from my local fabric store. Yesssss. Being the first one, I always make it my size. Sadly, this one is one size too small. Must make more ASAP.
Circle Skirt: I have been sitting on this fabric for over a year. I love this shape. I'd like to do it in a simpler fabric too. I'm feeling rather shy these days.

So there's where I stand for now. I'd love to see what projects you're working on! Link me in the comments.
xoxo!

New Today- 7.19

I've been eyeing that fabric up there all week. I took a photo and kept checking to make sure I like it. It's $20/yard, so I didn't want to go buying it on a whim. Today I did it. It was slightly on sale, so I bought 2 yards. Either it will remain as it is and be a lovely blanket, or I will cut it up for a sweet jacket. 

A friend of mine uses free cycle and snatched up a bunch of kid patterns for me. My oh my, I want this in a big girl size. Too bad my curves will do horrible things to this dress! Anyone know a size 6 little one I can give my first dress to? I need a tester!

Etsy Finds- Crunching Leaves

here

here

here

here

The weather here is crazy. My life before moving to the bay included Seasons. Memories were filed into seasons from very early on, though admittedly at first there was just SUMMER and SCHOOL. But now, when I recall events they fall into categories based on when they happened and the way my brain processed that was seasonal. A fair share of my most joyous memories are autumn ones. It gets chilly outside so there are camp fires, scarves, crunchy leaves and hearty meals. The weather here has been like this for the last couple of days. I am wearing sweaters and considering putting on my heater. 

It makes me feel very cut off from my friends back east, and well, friends everywhere but here. I see photos of ice cream and shorts and I'm left feeling like my summer was robbed from me. It's crazy, but I long for one day of oppressive heat to remind me why living here has been so fantastic.

Anyway, these chilly days have me longing for autumn; the colors and smells. And so while surfing etsy, those autumn items are what are catching my eye, allowing me a tiny fantasy of that seasonal way of life.

Itty Bitty Preview

I fell in love with this beach fabric and can't wait to show you this dress.

Why Hello There

You may have noticed another new look (what's that? 5 new looks this month?)
Sorry if the changes continue throughout the month. You'll come here and have no clue where you are and I am sorry for that. Bear with me through it?

The biggest change is that I have opened a new shop!
  www.kayemkay.com
I'll be dropping some items in there on sale, so check it out!

Weekend project FLOP

I headed to IKEA Sunday around dinnertime because that's when it seems to be slowest in the store. I knew that with only a couple of hours before closing time, I was going to have to hurry to find what I wanted. But man! Their showrooms always engage me. I am dazed and zombie like. I touch everything. I come to when I'm in a dining room set up, fawning over a hutch. WHAT AM I DOING HERE? WOMAN ON A MISSION.

Back to it but have no idea where to find their shelves. There were some in the dining rooms and some in "home organization", but I couldn't find the one I wanted. On my way out of the showrooms upstairs a hat rack caught my eye. See, it had little shelves. It was the perfect width and I thought the hooks in the back could hold my aprons and the dowel rod would hold kitchen towels. And it was $10 less than the shelves I really wanted.

So, like that, I bought it.

Dang, it was heavy. I thought about it the whole way home. Wow, that box was heavy. Will the wall hold it?
I put it together in about 20 mins. Then lifted it to hold it to the wall. So heavy I had to ask John to help.

Then I realized there is no way this little guy is going to hold to the wall. If it's 20lbs alone and we plan on placing our rice/grains, etc. and cookbooks on it, it could easily have to hold 40lbs. Forget it.

So, can everyone boo with me for a second? Who designed that thing??? Anyway, it's going back. So, weekend project pt. 2 is coming.

Waiting for it's return

Bagel Recipe

Bagels are my favorite breakfast food. I love how they are so chewy and dense and have a great crunch.

Well, that is, East Coast bagels do.

Sorry California. I just haven't found a legit bagel here. I shared my love of the perfect bagel with a friend (a CA native)... "Oh? Yeah, I've had one like that. I don't like it."

Crazy.

Bagels here are bread in the shape of a donut. They are not chewy. They are not dense.

Anyway, I have found a way around my difference in taste. I now have a bagel recipe. And while it's super laborious, every now and then, when the craving hits, I won't have to book a flight home.

Step 1:

Make Dough:

1 packet of yeast

1 Tbs Sugar

1 tsp Salt

3/4 Cup Warm Water

2 Cups All purpose flour

Mix yeast with sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add 3/4 cup of warm water. Mix until dissolved. Add 2 cups of flour and mix until its all incorporated into a large ball.

Step 2: Dump out dough on lightly floured surface and kneed for 10-12 minutes. (If you have a KitchenAid and a hook, you are lucky!) Then cut dough into 6 equal parts

Step 3: Let dough rest of 1o minutes.

Step 4: Roll each ball into a snake, about 10 inches wide, then pinch 2 sides together. (I used a bit of water on the tip to make it stick.) Smooth shape by placing 4 fingers through the hole with the pinched side down and roll again, slightly.

Step 5: Let dough sit for 20 minutes. After 15 mins, preheat oven to 375 and add about 3" of water to a saucepan. Boil.

Step 6: Once boiling, add bagels. They will expand, so don't crowd them. I could fit 3 at a time. Boil for one minute per side. Then place them on a greased cookie tray.*** If you want to add a topping, like sesame seeds, just pulled the bagels out of the water with a slotted spoon and place them on a plate of the topping. Place bagel, topping side up on the bake tray and bake as normal.***

Step 7: Bake 7-10 minutes per side until golden brown.

Step 8: Wait until it's cool enough before you bite in. My impatient taste buds regrettably didn't read this step.

I'm going to double this next time. We ate all 6 bagels within 24 hours.

Janelle Haskin

Cat Brooch

Infinity Shawl

Headband

Turban

Janelle's crochet is so fabulous. I own a cat and a hat from her lovely shop. (I didn't mean to go all dr. suess there. I'm just telling it like it is.) And I love that she really has a full array of goods for every season. 


We met at Art Star Craft Bazaar while sharing a booth for our Handmade in PA Etsy team. She has such a sweet disposition and loves making friends, so I was drawn to her right away. It was SILLY COLD the summer day of Art Star, so Janelle kindly handed John and me some scarfs and hats to keep warm. Here she is, modelling one:

Mini Infinity Scarf

 You may recognize her from my shop too, as she has modeled for me a few times. You can check out her Etsy shop, here.

Open Shelving Inspiration

here

here

here

here

Weekend plans anyone?

Creamy Sweet Potato Pasta Recipe

Don't turn your noses up at this! I know it sounds weird, but it works. The sweetness of the potato and the savoriness of the ham and onions are fantastic.

Creamy Sweet Potato Pasta

(serves 4)

Ingredients:

2 cups dry pasta shells

4 oz. deli ham, chopped

1/4 sweet onion, chopped

1 large sweet potato, cooked and chopped (I leave the skins on for extra fiber)

1/4 package cream cheese (I used lowafat)

1/2 cup half and half (I used nonfat)

1/2 tsp garlic salt

Directions:

Boil water and cook pasta according to package

Saute onions over med-high until caramelized, about 5 minutes.
Add ham and cook another 2 mins.
Add cooked potato, cream cheese in 1/2 inch cubes and half and half and mix until blended and warm.
Add garlic salt and fold in.

Once pasta is cooked, drain and add to mixture. 

Try it!

eryn brinie SS '12

You can check out the whole collection here.

I love the feminine lace and pale colors paired with the masculinity of the collared shirts, blazers and pleated trousers.

Sadly it is absolutely impossible for me to own solid ivory shirts. I never consider myself a messy person until I put on something pale and gorgeous. Without fail, I will dribble down my shirt or cook with oil or find a way to get lipstick on it. Please tell me I'm not the only one doomed to wear dark colors my whole life! 

Maybe I should give it another go with a Tide pen in hand? John just rediscovered one in his travel supplies.