Not sure I’ve mentioned this before, but I’ve kind of started a cookbook collection? I don’t have a ton of them yet, but I have a few, mostly from Williams-Sonoma (I LOVE their food photography).
This is probably gonna sound weird…but I like to read them before I go to sleep and sort of drift off into a blissful food dream state. The one I’m reading now is called Salad of the Day, and it has 365 salad recipes (!), one for every day of the year.
The one for my birthday on June 9th is a Chipotle Beef and Corn Salad.
Connor’s on March 2nd is Pan Seared Salmon with Pea Shoots and Watercress (YUM!).
Hoh! Look at that picture. Gosh that looks good…
If you tell me your birthday in the comments, I’ll look up yours and let you know, LOL!
Speaking of books
I tried my best to draw it out, because I didn’t want it to end, but I finally finished Big Little Lies last week.
It was so good!
I immediately started to go through withdrawals, so I’m binge-watching the HBO show now with Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman, and ya know…I like the book much more.
I like the show too, but it’s sooo different from the book. For starters, it takes place in Monterey, California, instead of Australia, and then there’s tons of story differences too.
It’s pretty suspenseful, but I think I would’ve liked the show more if I hadn’t read the book first.
I started a new, totally different genre book last night called The Wolf Road by Beth Lewis. Dear El Hub got it for me, and gee, I wonder what made him think I’d like it. Could it be because it’s a post-apocalyptic young adult novel with a strong female lead?
Yeah. Good guess. 🙂
I’ve just started, but it’s pretty intense so far.
See You (Hopefully) May 6th —> A Bay Area Meetup at the Larkspur Landing Space NK Store
I had to visit the dentist again (yup, on a Saturday) because of an ache in a tooth, but I’m going to stop by the Space NK store at Larkspur Landing after that to check out a few things, which reminds me…if you live in the Bay Area, I’ll be hosting a meet and greet there at the same store on Saturday, May 6th, and I would very much to meet you.
I know, it’s only been…how many years since I’ve done a Bay Area meetup? A zillion??
Anyway, it’s been too many.
I’ll be there from noon-2 on May 6th. Come say hi if you can make it. I really would love to meet you and show you all 10 million pictures of Tabs on my phone, IN PERSON. And to be fair, I expect to see 10 million pictures of your cat/s too. 🙂
In Connor-related news
I took this picture of her the other day, and it occurred to me that this is pretty much an accurate representation of how I feel when I wake up in the morning.
This child! Her face is so expressive.
Last thing
My parents came over to visit this week and brought a whole bunch of rand-o produce. Now I’ve got all of these carrots, Granny Smith apples, weirdly shaped lemons, potatoes and pears…
Maybe I should look through the Salad of the Day cookbook for something requiring those ingredients… There should be one in there, right? I mean, there are 365 salads!
I hope your weekend got off to a great start. Anything exciting happening on your end?
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Efrain says
April 22nd, 2017 at 10:45 amMy birthday is on July 15!
I keep saying I need to read more fiction but with all the stuff I need to read for University is almost impossible.
Gosh, I wish I live in the Bay Area to be able to go to your meetup (I think we might have already met if that was real).
Karen says
April 22nd, 2017 at 5:54 pmI think we would’ve too. We would’ve already had a bunch of meals together and we’d be texting each other random pictures of things that made us laugh!
OK, so your salad sounds AMAZING: Grilled Salmon, Yellow Potato & Corn Salad. This is the description: “Feast on summer seafood with big flakes of salmon and charred corn straight off the grill. To boil potatoes, put them in a large pot and cover with plenty of salted water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-high, and cook the potatoes until tender when pierced with a small, sharp knite, about 20 minutes. Drain and let cool to the touch, about 15 minutes.”
Do you want the recipe? Let me know and I’ll snap a pic and send to you.
Efrain says
April 23rd, 2017 at 6:59 amI know, someday stars will align.
Please send me a pic of the salad it sounds so delicious. We have been making sourdough the last two days and it’s complicated but worth it, also incidentally we fried one and it tasted better than a doughnut.
Jen says
April 22nd, 2017 at 11:51 amMy birthday is November 26 🙂
I don’t usually leave comments but I just wanted to say that I’ve followed your blog for a while now, and I absolutely love reading it! I’m in my teens but I love reading all of you posts, and your makeup looks are gorgeous. Also those dishes look delicious!
Jen says
April 22nd, 2017 at 11:52 amWhoops, *your. Btw Connor Claire is absolutely adorable!
Karen says
April 22nd, 2017 at 5:51 pmHi Jen,
It’s so nice to meet you! Thank you for reading the site. It’s always so nice to meet readers of all ages. What year are you in school?
OK, let me look up your birthday salad. It is… *drumroll please* Green Lentil Salad with Red Peppers & Shallots (serves 4). “Green French lengils have a nutty, peppery flavor and a firm texture that holds up well to cooking and marinating. This flavorful legume salad makes a wonderful accompaniment to a broiled salmon filet or steak.”
If you want me to take a pic of the recipe and send it to you let me know.
Happy Caturday!
Jen says
April 22nd, 2017 at 6:00 pmI’m finishing up my freshman year. It’s been going great! I’m homeschooled (but let it be known at I have lots of friends, and no, they aren’t my siblings!;)).
Haha, I actually am not a huge fan of lentils and I’m allergic to peppers, but thanks!
Janet Shepherd says
April 22nd, 2017 at 1:07 pmOh man, I wish I lived in the Bay Area, I’d love to hang out with you at Space NK & check out all the products!
Make me feel better by telling me the salad for 4. November? ?
Karen says
April 22nd, 2017 at 5:48 pmHi Janet,
I wish you did, too, because hello… Playdates with Sally and Connor Claire! 🙂
OK, so your November 4 salad is Salt Cod Salad with Potatoes & Block Olives. Here is the summary: “Salt cod is a favorite Mediterranean ingredient. Italians enjoy salt cod in many preparations, including this antipasto salad. Slices of potato and slivers of red onion join the salty, flavorful flakes of fish.”
If you want me to take a pic of recipe, I can. Let me know and I’ll send it to you.
Astrid says
April 22nd, 2017 at 1:17 pmHappy weekend to you Karen! I’m currently in Sicily having lots of pasta and carbs (thinking of you!).
Wish I could make it to Bay Area for your Meetup! I will definitely drop you a line when I get to go there (I’ve a feeling it might be not too long in the future) and hopefully then the stars are aligned!
PS: those salads actually look good! 365 recipes though ? That’s an Insane amount of salad combo
Karen says
April 22nd, 2017 at 5:46 pmHi Astrid,
Oh, how lovely! Please take lots of pics of your food. 🙂 Enjoy your trip and explore EVERYTHING!
Eleni says
April 22nd, 2017 at 2:02 pmHope you’re having a great weekend Karen! I’ve got some lovely recipe books mainly from Italy that have some yummy recipes too that I really want to find time to cook! This weekend I’m spending with my mum, it’s very exciting :). Wish I were around for your meet up, planning to have one in Europe in the future?
Eleni recently posted … Charlotte Tilbury Instant Look in a Palette, Beauty Glow: Review, Swatches and FOTD.
Chris25 says
April 22nd, 2017 at 8:02 pmThe most fun thing about my weekend was spending $260 at Sephora. I had the 15% discount.
Connor looks like she’s on a mission. Maybe she’s the next cosmetics mogul?
I don’t think you’re weird for reading cookbooks before bed. I do similar things. I think people like us do better with visual aids before bed because our minds tend to absorb a lot.
Chris25 recently posted … Boots Botanics Shine Away Mattifying Cleansing Mousse
Tatiana says
April 22nd, 2017 at 8:53 pmWent to the March for Science in SF with Dear Husband and Dear Daughter today. Then we saw the movie Colossal. Watching the Warriors game right now. Sorta. It’s hard to watch this one.
Curious what the salad is for October 23rd?
Connor is always so adorable.
Lisa says
April 23rd, 2017 at 3:25 amI wish I could be at the meetup. I would love to get your advice. I’d have to show you cute puppy pictures though. What’s the salad for September 26th?
LindaLibraLoca says
April 23rd, 2017 at 8:58 amOh no, the Bay Area is way too far for me to go, I would have loved to see you and the Tabby pictures in person. And my birthday is February 7th, I am curious to hear what salad that would be.
LindaLibraLoca recently posted … Instytutum Cleansing Milk – Are you an introvert?
Lauren Sutherland says
April 23rd, 2017 at 11:53 amAugust 26th! wish I could make the meet up, seattle isn’t exactly close. One day, you can bring connor to the zoo I work at up here and I will give you a tour!
Chelsea says
April 23rd, 2017 at 5:23 pmI *love* the picture of Connor Claire! The disheveled look is totally me.
My birthday is July 7th 🙂
Christine says
April 23rd, 2017 at 8:01 pmJuly 21, please! The rand-o produce looks great.
LMK if you’d like to do a mini-meet up in Waikiki 😉
jonirae says
April 23rd, 2017 at 9:46 pmI so wish I could come to a meet and greet, that’d be cool… so would having an actual Space NK store anywhere near me, tho! haha 🙂 Are you gonna bring Conner Claire??
I’ve got to tell you something, and please please please *pleease* don’t take this the wrong way, because I mean no rudeness— that pic of Conner, in (presumably) your house is SO refreshing to see on a blog!! It makes me feel so much more normal! You’ve got baby gates and a play place thing, and some clothes draped over your stair rail, some shoes on the floor…. most blogs seem to at least give the appearance of better homes and gardens type perfection, and it’s nice to see a lived in and loved space! It’s still beautiful, don’t get me wrong! it just doesn’t look staged like you’re about to sell the place or something! 🙂 and of course, Conner makes everything perfect; I love that she’s got her notebook in hand, ready to take on her next future writing piece! 🙂
Sage says
April 24th, 2017 at 5:52 amHi Karen,
Greetings from Australia (with a birthday of June 17th). I love your blog and am eyeing that salad book for my collection! As for the rest, Big Little Lies resonated with me because the book is set in an area close by and as a teacher, the playground politics were on point.
I just finished ‘Wolf Road’, probably one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. It’s incredibly intense but also heartfelt. I think you’ll enjoy it 🙂
Raph says
April 24th, 2017 at 11:44 amHi Karen, my birthday is on April, 14th ?
I would have loved to come and meet you but you know, I am a frenchie gal ?
Connor Claire is such a cute little girl!
Kim says
April 27th, 2017 at 8:51 amApologies again for being so late to chime in. You’re probably done with your produce by now. But, if you ever have it again, Ina Garten has a great recipe for Apple Pear Crisp that uses everything but the carrots. In case you were like “hmmm, salad or dessert… let me think….” 😉 I’ve made it with Granny Smiths before. There’s SO MUCH sugar, it doesn’t really matter.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/apple-and-pear-crisp-recipe
PS Wish I could make the Meet and Greet. I hope you have a great time. And Connor just keeps getting cuter and cuter. We used to pop in Baby Einstein DVDs when the boys were little. Toddler Tunes sounds cute.