Out of Office: June 9th-19th

Hello. 

The Kate Keeper is currently vacation. 

We'll be back June 20th. 

My Summer Polish Pick

A note for those of my friends and readers who don't like feet: there is a small but close-up photo of my (post-pedicure) feet in this post. A note for all people, everywhere: My feet are clean, but not pretty. 

We actually had a relatively chilly winter here in Santa Barbara, which means I too get to experience the excitement of pulling out my sandals for summer just like you East Coasters. So much for not having my cake and eating it too, huh?

In celebration of this joyful annual event, I treated my tootsies to a pedicure yesterday, and, considering that my feet had been holed up inside my shoes for months without any attention, I went to the nice place in town. You know, where they use that exfoliating salt scrub and wrap hot, wet towels around your feet? There really is nothing like a great pedicure, and a bonus benefit of going to the nice place is that they usually offer in a fine color selection. Aqua Nail Bar in Santa Barbara is our nice place, and they delivered on color.

Ladies and gentlemen-who-continued-reading-about-nail-polish, say hello to Camera from Essie's Poppy Razzi collection! This is my official summer polish pick.

It's sold out on Nordstrom.com, so, yeah...that.

It's coral! It's pink! It's red! It's NEON, and it's my color of choice for the summer. I can't wait to try out the rest of the cheery collection.

Camera - it looks orange here, but in person the neon and pink come through. 

I'm not much in to matching my toenails to my fingernails, so while Camera sits pretty on my toes this summer, I'll don my other favorite Essie color of the season, Splash of Grenadine, on my fingernails.

"Morning, Sarah. That's a very nice purple dress. It's very purpley." - Elf

Happy summer nail polish shopping!

Green (with Envy) Thumb

So here’s the thing: I’m bad at plants.

And this just isn’t fair, because my mom is Miss Green Thumb. I’ve watched her transform many a yard from overgrown or bare into flourishing Edens. That shit should be passed on genetically, so you don’t end up with desk plants that look like this.

Oops.  

So this spring I planted a garden in an attempt to ameliorate my reputation as a gardener. With the help of my darling younger sister, we weeded and churned mulch into a plot of dirt. We saw worms and spiders and bugs, oh my! And at day's end, we had planted rows of carrots, radishes and green onions and sprinkled in a few basil plants and pinwheel daisies too.

In our gardening hats, channeling the energy of all the gardeners who came before us. 

From there I couldn’t stop. I pruned the dead jasmine plant. I watered like a madwoman. I even got a new succulent for my desk. (It’s still alive too!)

My vegetable garden has sprouted up, and I can’t wait to harvest the goods into a delicious salad at summer’s end. Pictures and salad recipe to come!

Before.

The garden bed, post-weeding. 

Carrots sprouting up. 

Baby radishes!

If you’re considering planting a garden and you have more patience than I do (you probably do), I’d recommend starting your seeds in little cups and then transferring them to your plot; I lost some seeds due to unforeseen spring rains. And for you city-dwellers who may not have a patch to churn, potted plants are festive and just as rewarding! These ones from The Proper Pinwheel are next on my DIY list. Check ‘em out, my fellow agriculturists! 

If you need me, I'll be reading BH&G in the gazebo. 

Tortellini Summer Salad

Last week, as a thank you for granting her access to my Amazon Prime account, my darling older sister (there’s a darling younger version too -- see below) sent me a cookbook I had “saved for later” in my Amazon shopping cart. It’s called Super Natural Every Day, and I cooked my first recipe from it two nights ago. 


Me and my sea-stars on New Year's last year. 

Usually this is where I would put a tantalizing photo of the colorful and gorgeous salad. You would see the lemon-garlic-olive oil dressing shining off broccoli as green as a rainforest. You’d see an avocado so perfectly ripe and yellow-green that you’d write to Essie to request a nail polish of its color. The striking picture would have you feeling the texture of the ricotta-filled tortellini on your tongue, and you’d swear you could smell the mint exciting your senses. You’d pin it to Pinterest under your “Make This Tonight” board. 

Welp, no such picture exists. The lemony-minty, crunchy-creamy combination possessed me long enough that by the time I thought to snap a quick jpeg, the whole batch of the satiating summer salad was resting happily inside our tummies. So, you’ll just have to make it yourself!

Here’s the recipe. (Note: I got everything I needed at Trader Joe’s.) 

• 1 package (16 ounces) of ricotta-stuffed tortellini 
• 1/2 head of broccoli (I chose broccolini because it looked pretty), chopped into small trees
• 8-10 asparagus spears, chopped into 1-inch segments
• 1 clove garlic
• Pinch of sea salt
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Small handful of chopped almonds
• Small handful of chopped mint (cilantro works too, but I highly recommend mint)
• Small handful of sprouts
• 1 ripe avocado, chopped

Cheers to summer salads and pretty peonies!

Directions: 

Boil water and add tortellini. Cook according to instructions on package. About 30 seconds before the pasta is finished cooking, add the chopped broccoli and asparagus. Cook for 30 seconds; then drain and rinse with cold water, to stop cooking. 

In the meantime, to make the dressing, use the flat part of your knife to mash the garlic and salt into a paste. Whisk together the garlic paste, lemon juice and olive oil. 

When you're ready to serve the salad, toss the pasta, asparagus, broccoli and mint with about half of the dressing. Add more dressing to taste. Add the sprouts, nuts, and avocado. Toss gently and serve. Use the remaining dressing for leftovers...if you have any! 

If you like this salad as much as we did, you'll want to check out this sample menu of some of the recipes from Super Natural Every Day. Let me know which ones you try and like! The book is also $14 on Amazon. 

On a related note: who else is granting access to their Amazon Prime account in the interest of getting free gifts? You can bet I’m gonna leave a lot more items in my “Save for later” section. Thanks Brookie!

The Dailey (or 2 Times a Week) Method

Memorial Day Weekend -- a time for consuming calories in any form -- booze, treats, grub. None of it counts this weekend. 

Alyssa's birthday cake featuring 4 sticks of butter -- just one player in the all-you-can-eat Memorial Day festivities.

Well, if you're like me and your good morning greeting on this Wednesday came in the form of snug jeans and an overpowering craving for vegetables, I have just the thing for you: a workout that will make your thighs scream, your posture erect, and your triceps pinch. 

It's called The Dailey Method -- a fitness potpourri with a Pilates base, a ballet flair, and a reputation for building long and lean bodies -- and it's the only strength workout that I've ever stuck with. In the hour-long class you'll squat and stretch at the bar like a ballerina (a tired and sweaty ballerina), you'll hold plank longer than you want to...like way longer than you want to, and you'll even experience the dichotomy of hilariousness and misery from the trademark thigh dancing.*

Aside from feeling stronger in my arms and abs, I credit TDM with improving my posture and lengthening my running stride. But my favorite part of TDM is that each class challenges you with different and new exercises, so it keeps my interest. Kudos to all of you who touted strength training as essential and efficient long before I did. I get it now. 

I even bought the $10 socks. #Sucker.

If you too want to feel like a wannabe ballerina, here's a list of TDM studios. Note, if you don't live near a studio, TDM is very similar to The Bar Method and other barre workouts. I stuck with TDM studio in Santa Barbara because it's closer to my house than The Bar Method and it has free parking. Amen to that. 

*You'll have to try it to find out. 

My Thoughts on Mountain Biking (or Sliding Down a Mountain in Padded Spandex Shorts)

Jordan exemplifying real mountain biking.

One of the things I initiated during my year-long blogging intermission was my mountain biking career. The use of the word "career" is funnier if you know that I've been mountain biking a number of times that I can count on one hand, and also if you could hear the "woahs" and screams I let out as I "mountain bike" down the trail. 

After a recent mountain bike excursion in San Luis Obsipo, I put together a collection of my thoughts and learnings about the sport, but first let's start with the basics.

The Basics

Okay, Anatomy of a Mountain Bike, Volume 1: Mountain bikes are built to go over rocks and logs and annoying small children. 

They prefer to do so at a quicker speed. 

Left brake slows down the front wheel = death trap. Right brake slows down the back wheel = your friend.

I have also heard mountain bikers use these words: pedals, handlebars, thirsty, Idaho, gears and breakfast. 

Now that you know everything there is to know about mountain biking, I give to you... 

Ramblings of Spandex-Clad Jedi in Training

Montaña de Oro State Park

Montaña de Oro is a one of a few confident peaks on the south tip of a small bay near San Luis Obispo (SLO), in a state park boasting a two lane road covered in arches of eucalyptus trees, stunning ocean views and an excellent beginner mountain biking trail. As you get started on the namesake trail, the incline is gradual and surrounded on both sides by stubby bushes. Toward the top you're challenged by sharper turns, rocky obstacles and rides along steep ledges. To get over and through all of these challenges, the trick is to...

1) Look Where You Want to Go

The best advice Jordan has given me about mountain biking thus far is that you want to look where you want to go, about 10 feet in front of you. When it works, you not only end up where you meant to (yay!), but you also feel like you're a Jedi using The Force to control the bike. At the path you look and continue safely you will; off the cliff you look and die you will. I will admit, however, that when you have a boulder garden* beneath you, this concept is harder in practice than in theory. But I have found that when I am able to completely ignore said boulder garden, I will likely go right over it!, which makes me wish that this look-where-you-want-to-go concept was applicable in other areas -- mainly traffic jams, work days/weeks, and airline seat assignments, among other things. 

*Something that real mountain bikers may refer to as "a single rock." 

2) Embrace Speed as Your Friend (the pushy, show-off kind)

Another thing to keep in mind is that the quicker you go, the more stable you will be. I haven't seen the equation that proves this math, but I have experienced firsthand the slow and inevitable fall a single rock can cause when you so much as touch your brakes before going over it. It's like the rocks on mountain bike trails have a personal vendetta against slow cyclists. So people like me who prefer snail mail speed -- I may get down the mountain in 3-5 business days -- are wise to suit up, sit down and hang on. It's like that scene in Forgetting Sarah Marshall where Chuck (Paul Rudd) is trying to explain to Peter (Jason Segel) how to pop up on a surfboard: The less you do the better. Ya gotta pop down, and never, ever, touch your brakes. 

3) Never Use Your Brakes (Ever)

This tip might confuse some of you, but seriously the brakes on a mountain bike are one of the most dangerous features. They are known to cause flipping, sliding, falling, bloating, headache, dizziness, vertigo, and sometimes death. My advice, just take them off. Waste of space. All you have to do is look where you want to go. 

On my way down Montaña de Oro last November.

What are your newest or favorite adventure sports? Any other ideas where the look-where-you-want-to-go rule should apply? 

The D Club (and Welcome Back!)

I like dogs as much as Ron Swanson likes bacon, maybe more. So naturally I like taking pictures of dogs, to savor the excitement and revisit them later. And don't even get me started on dog parks. Best invention ever. I'd like to thank Leslie Knope for that idea. Who else could it be?

So as an intro to my revamped blog, I wanted to introduce you to my favorite dogs. I will tell you ahead of time that I do indeed know of some these dogs in real life. (Collective inhale.) With some, I'm on nickname basis. Others are dogs I have socialized with, near or around. No matter my relation, however, I hope you enjoy what I'm calling...

The D Club 

Bella Lucinda/Louis Speilberg 

I start with the pup dearest to my heart, Bella Lu (Louis Speilberg, Belly, Lucinda, Lulu). Bella is sassy and cuddly and quite laid back for being a Little Dog, all of which makes up for the fact that her face is squished and her eyes look like they might pop out of her skull if she sneezes too hard. My favorite thing Bella does is the way she greets you when you walk in the door. When she sees you, she starts to charge your way in an excited gait, and then, right before she gets to you, she flips over onto her back mid-stride, sliding beneath you in perfect belly rub position, as if saying "You're home! And, I know you've been waiting all day to pet my belly." 

Bella in proper belly rub form. 

Coco & Woofy Komaiko 

Coco and Woofy Komaiko are sisters by association, not by biology, and man what a ruckus these two make. The Komaiko family (Jordan's sister, her husband and two darling kiddos) rescued Coco last year and brought her home to Woofy, the mini Schnauzer. Like something out of a rom-com, these two were best dog friends since first sight. Together they've eaten bags of Halloween candy (and subsequently gotten their stomaches pumped), and made a habit out of snuggling on the couch. But the best thing these two have contributed to our weekly Wednesday night dinners is entertainment in the form of what we call Wrestlemania. Woofy and Coco rarely tire of wrestling with each other, and when they're wrestling, it's hard to tell tail from head. Like a blonde and gray yin and yang tumbleweed, they make their way around the house growling and biting each other (with love). 

Coco & Woofy Komaiko

Working dogs

An outstanding job perk for a dogless girl like me is a dog-friendly office like the one I work in. In the interest of savoring my professional relationships by not going into detail about how much satisfaction I get when other people bring their dogs to work, I will let this photo of Noe the Labradoodle and Riley the Lab mix speak for itself.

Chewbacca the (Crazy/Happy) Golden Retriever

This smiley golden ball of love came into my life last weekend. I won't say we know each other well, but we did snuggle on the couch (read: Chewbacca jumped on my lap, attempted to lick my chapstick off my lips and then hastily made his way to his owner) at a birthday party last weekend. I didn't say he was a gentlemen, but I had to include him on the list, because look at his face! And because Golden Retrievers are my favorite. 

Neighbor dogs

These three King Charles Cavaliers live a few houses down from me and they can be admired laying out on their driveway sunbathing while their retired parents garden and enjoy their yard. I had the pleasure of meeting them one morning when Bella was in town. I only remember that one of them is named Pollyanna. 

Bella meeting the Canon Drive King Charles Cavalier posse.

Pippa Kimball

My mom will kill me if I don't include a blurb on her other dog, Pippa (Bella's roommate.) I say roommate, because unlike Woofy and Coco Komaiko, Bella and Pippa do not have a happily ever after-themed friendship story. In short, they're not friends. And while Pippa has a mind of her own, she can be quite snuggly and cute when she wants to be, so we love her all the same.

Pippa Kimball at work.

Dogs I Don't Know But Have Seen (or Pictures of Dogs Sent to Me Electronically)

I'm fortunate to have two dog-crazy sisters and a sweet boyfriend, all of whom send me pictures of dogs on the reg. Here's a collage of my favorite ones from the last week. 

As a full-time dog obsessor, I'd love to see pictures and read stories about your favorite furry things! Twitter: @kmdediego