Day 7: Friday Favorites

I have to say, being home on maternity leave, I never know what day it is. They sort of all blend together.

But I know today is Friday because I've been counting the minutes until Mr. KK got out of work so we could start our weekend together.

Let's celebrate Friday with some of my favorite things for Fall…

1. Anything Gray

I am LOVING the color gray this Fall (who am I kidding? I ALWAYS love the color gray). 

 Open-toed bootie

d'orsay pump

faux fur vest

2. Camo

There's such a thing as camo overload. So pick ONE piece of camp – jacket, sneakers, bag – and call it a day. For me, I love these pants: the new take on everyday jeans.

camo pants

3. neutral fall nails

I'm a sucker for Essie, and every season they outdo themselves. This is the neutral you won't be able to get enough of.

essie 'take it outside'

4. holiday decorating

We host Thanksgiving every year, and I love to dress up the table. I found this runner that is not only simple, but the orange matches my stove perfectly. :)

Briar table runner

5. Classic cocktails

The nights are getting cooler, we've finally lit our stove…it's time for fall cocktails! Mr. KK makes a mean Manhattan in these chic coupe glasses.

Camille Coupe glass

Happy Friday!

Happy weekend!

Day 6: Making homemade "macaroni"

It was rainy today and we had nothing to do, so we did what any self-respecting Italian does: we made homemade pasta.

Max, Vito and I packed up the car and headed over to macaroni headquarters: my in-laws' house. We were going to spend the day with Max's grandfather, also known as 'the Big Guy'!

There is some good boxed macaroni you can buy (we're a Barilla family), however, there's nothing better than the taste of homemade. And it's easy!

Here's the recipe we used:

Fresh Pasta

Ingredients:

3 cups flour
4 large eggs
1 Tablespoon kosher salt
1 Tablespoon olive oil

Directions:

Put all of the ingredients into a food processor and pulse until dough starts to come together. If dough is too dry, add a SMALL amount of water (we used egg whites because we had them on hand). Dough will start to resemble pellets and then start to come together in a large ball. At that point, dump the dough onto a mat with flour and smooth into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and let sit at least 30 minutes (we let it sit for an hour).

Run dough through pasta maker and cut to desired shape.

We used 3 eggs (instead of 4) because we were using duck eggs which are larger. 

We got them from my neighbor (who owns 8 ducks)…you know, totally normal.

Pulse all the ingredients together until they come together.

Form together and smooth into a ball

Wrap in plastic and let rest at least 30 minutes (we waiting a little over an hour).

The peanut gallery: Max,

Vito 

and Dino.

Once dough has rested, cut into small pieces and shape into discs. 

Run discs through the pasta attachment and start to flatten and thin.

We start on number 1 and run it through up to number 6. 

Place the pasta on a covered, flat surface to dry. We used a table, but my great 

grandmother used her bed, and my mother has used her clothes drying rack. 

While pasta dries, take a break to snuggle Max. 

Mr. Macaroni himself! The Big Guy in action!

Today we did the wide noodle, which is a little thinner 

than traditional pappardelle. 

The pasta now needs to dry for a few days (which I'm sure made using the bed as a drying space rather difficult!).

We'll be having ours Saturday night for dinner for date night.

Day 5: We survived the first month!

Well, hot damn! The kk's survived their first month as parents!

Oddly, it doesn't feel like we've been keeping Max alive taking care of Max for a month, however, it feels like a million years since the mayhem of our trip to Georgia (which you can read about here in case you missed it).

Here's what I've learned in the first month of parenthood:

1. No matter what, you will change. I don't mean you'll become a different person (though you might), but things that used to mean something in the past, might mean zilch to you know; and vice versa. 

For example, I used to be a  STICKLER for milk dates – I would NEVER drink milk past the 'sell by' date stamped on the carton. Now, I have been known to turn a blind eye to that date when in dire need of milk for my morning tea. (This happened in the first two weeks; ever since I've been back to policing the milk dates in the house).

2. You will sleep differently. It used to be that once I was woken up in the wee hours of the morning, I was up the for day because I couldn't stop thinking about all of the things I had to do. Now – since every day is a weekend – I fall back to sleep after feedings before my head even hits the pillow, no matter what the time. Also? With a newborn, I'm sleeping later than I ever have in my life. Crazy, right? (More on what sleep looks like in our house here).

Max – yesterday morning – at 9:04am.

Yes, I had to wake him up to eat breakfast.

3. Don't listen to what everyone says about being a new parent. I am yet to "accidentally" eat poop. I haven't left the house with spit up on my clothing. I  only own one pair of yoga pants, so they haven't become my wardrobe staple.

4. Your child is cutest baby on the planet, hands down. No contest.

I mean, COME ON.

5. Babies are time-suckers. For me, this is because I just stop and stare at him for hours. It is amazing just to watch him sleep. Things like lying on a mat on the floor are as entertaining as attending a Broadway Show.

Mommy and Max playtime!

6. You can still enjoy hot home-cooked meals. Now, if you didn't cook dinners before you had a baby, then chances are you're not cooking them now. But cooking was such a HUGE part of my life, and it has only amplified. Part of my daily routine is making dinner for us – it's the time Mr. KK and I can sit down together, catch up and enjoy a cocktail while Max takes a snooze.

7. You can still check stuff off of your to-do list. Hey, babies are portable, right?

He's a built-in moderator for liquor purchases. 

When the top of the carriage is full, it's time to go. 

8. You can still love your four-legged fur babies. You might have to cut their time outside short if you're alone. Or they might not get as many belly rubs as they used to. But you'll find those times when you can snuggle them and remind them how important they are to you as your first born.

Happy One Month, Maxwell!

Hopefully Mommy and Daddy are doing alright.

Day 4: An open letter to my ultimate girl crush: Ina Garten

Dear Ina,

I'm a long time follower, first time stalker letter writer!

I saw you when you came to the Bushnell in Hartford. Such a great interview that re-iterated what a down-to-earth person you are. You signed my cookbook (thank you, very much!). I would have hid in your luggage home that night if I could have.

I'm writing to invite myself to hang out together at your home in the Hamptons if that's okay. I've never been to the Hamptons, so what better way to enjoy my first time than with you.

I live right in Connecticut, so it would be a super easy drive. 

I'm totally a morning person, so I could get there bright and early! We could spend the day cooking together in your magnificent kitchen, and creating floral arrangements and table settings. Perhaps enjoy an afternoon cocktail or two. Then we could head out for some shopping in the Hamptons, maybe pick up some wine for dinner with Jeffrey and my husband Mr. KK, then spend the night hanging out your ridiculously amazing barn. 

I would embarrass you with praise about your recipes, how they are ALWAYS delicious – easy to make and perfect every time.

Like your penne vodka – which is THE BEST I've ever had.

Or your macaroni and cheese – simple and sophisticated. I could eat the entire casserole.

Then there are your individual chicken pot pies – perfect for date night!

I could eat a million of your chive risotto cakes. OMG.

And one of the only desserts I'm allowed to make in my house are your chocolate chunk blondies.

Then I would shamelessly invite myself to your next dinner party! (What could I bring? I make a mean baked brie with cranberries, perfect for this chillier weather. Or maybe my figs with blue cheese, prosciutto and honey?)

So if you have a free Saturday afternoon, let me know! 

I can be there in no time!

How easy is that?

Hugs,

kk

Day 3: Let's talk about sleep, bay-bee.

I have always been a morning person.

Even in college I was THAT GIRL who would wake up at 6am on the weekends. I would lie in my bunk listening for one of my housemates to stir and go to the bathroom. Then I would lunge out of bed to make my move. I'd enter the bathroom and "coincidentally" bump into her and start a conversation that she would hopefully indulge me in and we could go to breakfast and start our day.

Fast forward to me – one month ago – and not much has changed. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my sleep. My days at the gym and work would just exhaust me. I would hop into bed by 10pm latest, be asleep within ONE MINUTE (no exaggeration), and sleep straight through until my alarm went off the next morning at 5am. I'd get a solid 7 hours in at least (some nights I wouldn't make it past 9:15pm…a trait that's totally cool on the college circuit). 

And now there's me – present day – living in Max's world. As far as babies go, he's fantastic. And best of all, he's an amazing sleeper! (Just like his Mommy!) 

When we first got home from Georgia in that first week, he slept a TON. Rob and I would look at each other like, 'is this normal?' And I'd come back with my perfectly reasonable rationale, 'well, Vito sleeps this much, too'. And obviously if my fur baby sleeps 20 hours a day, it's okay for my human child to, as well.

Turns out, babies that small DO sleep that much. Funny thing, though, they don't know the difference between daytime and nighttime. Probably because they don't have a job, or responsibilities like doing laundry or making dinner. Max sometimes gets confused when it's nighttime. He'll sleep a lot during the day and then when Rob and I are ready to collapse he's all wide awake and like, 'Why is everyone so tired? Let's play and walk around! Hey, can you sing me that song again? The one with the 27 verses???'

 Max at 11am.

 Max at 11pm.

But somehow, I'm still managing to get my 7 hours of sleep in. It's just not all in a row. 

If you add up all of my sleep, I'm getting the same amount I was getting before. Except I'm up for a one-hour stretches in-between. 

And for the first time in my life, I'm sleeping past 7am. In fact, after his 5am bottle, Max and I went back to sleep until 9am! I woke up in a panic; The day is half over! It's so bright outside! I missed all of Good Morning America!

We're all adjusting to our new schedule. And as long as mommy gets her tight 8 hours in each night, we'll ALL be alright.

Day 2 NaBloPoMo: the perfect bolognese sauce

Big day today: Rob and I left the house! Alone! Without the baby!

I wish I could say that we snuck away to a bar or the casino or someplace awesome. But we went car shopping. Or, more like car looking. Which I know I should be more excited about since the car is for me, but I'd much prefer to be sitting at a bar. (Cars are just cars, right?)

So today was the first time the "Grammies" came over to babysit for Max! (Everyone survived, poopy diaper and all)

As a thank you, I made Sunday dinner: my bolognese sauce.

If you read this blog you know how much I love to cook. I don't usually share recipes though; not because I don't want to, but because it's frustrating to people because I don't measure anything. So my recipes aren't…exact.

But cooking isn't exact, which is why I love it. And which is why I'm so horrible at baking. When I tell Mr. KK I'm going to bake something, a look of terror crosses his face and he instantly has something to check on/do/mow/build in the yard.

So I stick to cooking.

My bolognese sauce goes something like this:

Ingredients:

1 onion
2 carrots
2 ribs of celery
1 pound meatloaf mix (this is a combo of beef, pork and veal; if you can't find it in the grocery store, you can just use ground beef)
tomato paste (a tablespoon or so)
red wine (about 1/2 cup or so)
1 can crushed tomatoes (28 oz)
dried oregano (1/2 tablespoon)
dried basil (1/2 tablespoon)
salt
pepper
sugar (a pinch or so; some people are anti-sugar, but I like the sweetness that it adds)

NOTE: I made a double recipe, so the measurements and photos below reflect that.

To avoid cutting everything up into tiny pieces, 

I pulse the onion, carrot and celery in the food processor until it's a fine dice 

(but not mush). I sauté that in olive oil until it cooks down. 

Stir in tomato paste until it coats the veggies. Add the red wine.

Add the ground meat to brown. I use a potato masher to break up the meat 

while it's cooking (a trick I stole from Rachael Ray!). Cook until the meat is browned.

I only use Tuttorosso tomatoes, because they are all I've every known to be used for sauce.

Add them to the pan. Add the spices and the salt, pepper and sugar.

Stir the sauce and when it starts bubbling reduce to a simmer. 

It will be thick, you can add a half of a can of water to thin it out a bit.

 My secret ingredient: parmesan cheese rind. I add one to my pot of sauce and let it melt down. it gives the sauce a creamier, nutty flavor. I was able to purchase just the rinds at my local Stop and Shop, so they either saw the demand for them, or got tired of me asking for them.

My sous chef for the day.

He can be a little bossy.

 I love bolognese with Rigatoni. It's the best for holding the chunky, meaty sauce.

Oh, and it's all macaroni, my friends. Not pasta. :)

Day 1 #NaBloPoMo: Date Night 2.0

OMG, I almost didn't make the posting deadline on the FIRST DAY.

WTH?

Do you know how embarrassing that is?

It's hard to post under pressure!

It's a Saturday night, so Mr. KK and I had one of our Date Nights.

Our Date Nights are pretty special. There are always cocktails, either music or games (ahem, Scrabble champion right here, thank you very much), and – of course – a fabulous dinner.

Now that we're a month into parenthood, we've adjusted to what our new date nights have become. We still have them, they're just…slightly different.

First, we have to time date night between feedings and naps. 

It sounds something like this:

"So if he eats at 8pm, then we keep him upright for a half hour after, then put him down to sleep, and we have to preheat the oven which takes about a half hour, then it should take about an hour for the roast to cook, then it needs to rest, that puts us eating around 9:15pm. Which gives us an hour to eat, clean up and get ready for the next time he eats. Forget starting a movie! We don't have the luxury of time or attention span! We'll just watch cable!"

Tonight's date night started out with a dirty martini for me (blue cheese stuffed olives, thank you very much) and a Manhattan for the hubs. 

After two sips of my martini Mr. Max was fidgety and wanted to be held. After two more sips he wanted to be rocked and to hear my rendition of Philip Philips' "Home". That put him right to sleep, and we went back to our dinner.

Tonight's Date Night Menu:

Roasted Pork Rib Roast with a garlic and rosemary crust
Brussels Sprouts and bacon (cooked in bacon fat, of course)

 brussels sprouts always get a bad wrap! 

I made these by browning about 6 strips of bacon and removing them, 

leaving about a TBSP of the fat. I cooked down an entire stalk of sprouts, 

continuously deglazing the pan with chicken stock. 

After 20 minutes I added the bacon back in. PERFECTION!

the best thing we ever purchased was an electronic thermometer 

that you can put outside your stove and set to an internal temperature. 

We have had perfect roasts every time every since. Tonight was no exception. 

the finished product. Amazing.

(and Max slept through our entire dinner!)

this was tonight's wine. It was something we purchased on a whim on our way out of the liquor store. One of those "hey this looks good and it got a good rating and the price is amazing" type of purchases. It was delicious, and perfect with the pork.

**NOTE: see that back splash behind the wine? That's our homemade cork back splash. We collected corks FOREVER to make it. Some of them are written on and say things like, "Rob's Birthday!" or "Promotion at work!" or even "Mom and Dad anniversary!". Needless to say, it was built with love, and we included coasters from our honeymoon in Napa Valley.

So bring it on, New Date Night. We're ready. And so is Max.

Max during tonight's Date Night.

He's the quiet type.