So I've been way off the radar these days...

Wow, is all I can say as to what's been happening in my life. It's been getting pretty hot in the kitchen these days!
Biggest news of all is that I'll be moving into my very own place in about a month. No landlord, no more moving, my own decorating----finally!
Carpinteria will still be home and it will be the start of a whole new chapter of my life. One of the big projects will be a kitchen upgrade, not a complete remodel, more cosmetic changes that I'll be tackling right away. The best part of my new kitchen is the layout! I'll be able to really get to cooking and sharing my concoctions with my island stove! I can't tell you all how exciting this is. Scary, but exciting. So for now, I'll be packing, tossing, donating and designing.
Can't wait to post the process. Ciao tutti, K

Experimental Risotto----if it's in the pantry, I can cook it! Right?

Ok, so I've neglected this site and haven't posted a thing in weeks. It's been a bit hectic in the retail world and my health has been a bit dicey as well. Now that everything has settled down and I've gotten another all-clear I'm playing in the kitchen.

Last night I was craving risotto Milanese. You know, the traditional saffron and parmesean, tart and tangy risotto. My version always had quite a dose of vino bianco and shallots and loads of cheese. Well, I went to the pantry to find Risotto,  very little Parmesean and Old Amsterdam aged Gouda(mmmmm) peas, shallots, NO white wine, onion and garlic conserves and lets see, what else, oh, cream cheese. I'll just be exotic and call it Panna della Cucina. There was a little red wine involved too, chef's perogative.

After assembling the basics I got the butter and the finely chopped shallots---2 med sized---in the pan ready for the Arborio rice. In went a cup and a 1/2 and off we went! Stirring constantly, once the rice was a bit clear from the oils I began to add the heated fat-free chicken stock, yes I did really use fat-free. Save the calories when you can. The cheese will more than make up for it! 20 minutes later and all the stock 4 cups was absorbed and I added the cubed Gouda(should have shredded it) incorporated that, added 1/2 cup of shredded parmesean and finally the cream cheese. One small bustina of saffron and a pinch of salt and a pinch of white pepper. MMMMMMMM.

Finally, I realized that there was a bit too much cheese(I used about a cup of the cubed Gouda) but I really didn't mind. The original plan was to add peas, but when I saw the jar of onion and garlic preserves I thought, hmmmm. So as not to ruin an entire weeks worth of Risotto, I divided and added 1/4 cup of the onion mixture to the risotto. The creamy nutty flavor from the Gouda was incredible with the sweet and smoky conserve.

All of this went down really well with a 2004 Chianti from "PALLADIO" It's imported by Leonardo Locascio. Liked it very much. Weird label, since the Palladian "Villa Barbaro" is in the Veneto and nowhere near Tuscany. I'll have to look into that. This would make a great gift for an architect!

Enjoy the pics of my culinary adventure. Tonite I'll add the peas to bowl number one and finish that Chianti! Buon Appetito!

Dreams do come true

Guests arrived to see this, there was magic in the light

There are only so many hours in a day and to be spending those precious hours with friends and family in one of the most beautiful places in the world is a dream I've held on to for a long time. It took a small miracle, loads of emails, texts and long heated conversations, but the dream became a reality.

View from the Foscarini Bar terrace on the Grand Canal

Incredible background for a party

How lucky am I to be able to share these moments. If you would have told me a year ago that I would be holding a glass of Prosecco, standing on a terrace on the Grand Canal with 30 of my nearest and dearest I would have laughed. A year ago I was recovering from cancer surgery. The outlook wasn't as golden as the evening light on the canal. In fact, it was downright grim.

Here I am, one year later. Laughing, loving and relishing every moment that I get to keep. Never take time for granted. It can be taken away in an instant. There are no sure-fire guarantees, except one, that you create your own happiness.

The last little tomatoes....maybe

Well who would have thought that there would still be anything left on my funny tomato plant when I arrived home. All that I had heard was that the weather had been warm and I knew that anyone who would have watered the garden was with me in Venice. Cindy, mom, they were with me! I had quite a handful that made it as far as my salad plate. The rest were gobbled right there in the warmth of the sun!

My standard salad....
Baby spinach, marinated shallots, toasted pinenuts and shaved parmesean tossed with a fresh pomegranate vinegar dressing. MMMMM Oh, and those little gem tomatoes!  Buon appetitto!

Venezia, Venedig, Venice, Venicia---whatever you call it, it's fabulous!

Cindy's first ride on the Grand Canal

St. Mark's in the bright sunshine

Hans, Isa, Mom and Me enjoying the piazza on a Sunday afternoon

Finally, I'm home and can start to get all the details down! Please be patient, pics will arrive and I'll get everything posted in little dribbles.  
The Beginning.....
It was an incredible three weeks of revelry, food and adventure. Going into this trip I didn't know what to expect. Would everyone have fun? Would my finances take me far enough? Would the party be wonderful? AND, most important of all would the weather cooporate? The answers to those questions and more were YES, YES, YES!!!

I ran around for days, organizing, ordering food and cleaning house before the guests began to arrive. Roberto and I worked very hard, a little too hard. We missed some very needed R and R.

The trip began with the traditional cocktail at Harry's where Claudio was holding court over the scene and had that Whiskey Sour on the bar before I could even ask for it. Roberto's icy Martini was close behind.along with a plate of hot Pierinis(small, baked/fried ham and cheese finger sandwiches) Paolo offered to seat us at a table so we did and we settled into our seats and started planning!

Knowing that Cindy was the first guest to arrive on Monday, I had the schedules for my many airport runs to meet and greet. I will apologize in advance to those that I couldn't welcome at the airport, there was so much to do and without an entourage of assistants it was all up to just the two of us.

Photos are being organized as I type and will arrive soon!

Off to Venezia!

There has been a big gap between postings. Jewelry show, work and major party planning have taken up all my free minutes. Now, I'm packed ready and waiting to get on a plane to celebrate an early Thanksgiving early in Venice. Thanksgiving for many things, health, family and wonderful friends. It's really a celebration of turning 50, surviving chemo and getting my life and health back on track and looking toward a fantastic future. Days of wining, dining and laughter are up ahead!

My Santa Barbara friends have decided to join me along with friends from Sun Valley, Barcelona and Stuttgart for a vacation in Venice. 18 of us in total. Don't worry, I won't be holding up a little flag and speaking into a microphone on the calli of Venice. Heaven forbid! But, we will be taking over the Agli Alboretti hotel in Dorsoduro. My good friend Anna Linguerri and her staff really don't know what will hit them. I'll try to give her a heads up.

What's getting in the way is my 50lb weight limit on luggage, my bank account and my work! Not to be daunted by all those hindrances, I think that everything will be wonderful and I will be able to show off my favorite place in the world to my nearest and dearest.

This also gives me the opportunity to try out my new smartphone. What the smartphone needs is a smart operator. That I am not. We'll see what happens. Meanwhile, I have to hurry and water a thirsty garden and hope that it's still alive when I get back. Leaving Santa Barbara on an 80 degree day is painful!

I have to explain this lonely little hydroponic Italian Treviso lettuce. I'm going to munch it down right now. It has been 2 years in the making. First with incredibly expensive seeds that the gardener blew all around the yard before they could take hold. Then with a small  potted bed of it growing happily that was mowed down by a bird right when I was going to harvest. Now a year later the gardeners hadn't mown the lawn for 2 weeks and this little guy was just poking up. I quickly, gently pulled it up and placed it in water. Like the folks at Hollandia, right up the street. Now 2 weeks later I'll have it for lunch. Part of me can't eat it, it's struggled so hard!!!

We need to remember those who lost their lives as innocents and those who lost their lives while in the line of duty in the most senseless peacetime act of violence against man on our soil.
Sadly, our world has and never will be the same, but for a shining, bright moment after 9/11 the nation became one, supporting each other, practicing acts of kindness and goodwill. Lets do that again.