celebrations | kimberly ah

Jun 03 2014

adventures, celebrations, cocktails, some stuff about me

Our 8th Anniversary

Yesterday Naoto and I celebrated eight years together. We both had the day off, so the morning involved a whole lot of relaxing, gift exchanges and, of course, coffee.It was rainy, but we sat out on the balcony to eat breakfast and exchange gifts. According to the Anniversary Gifts by Year (which we have been following all along), the eighth anniversary gifts are pottery (traditional) and linens (modern). I got Naoto a fancy new alarm clock that will hopefully wake him up with light and bird tweets. Not a theme gift, but he is a serial snooze pusher and I’m hoping this alarm clock helps make mornings a little bit easier for all of us. And, for the “pottery” theme, I bought him a cat spoon rest from Chicago’s Circa Ceramics. It will add the perfect amount of whimsey and usefulness to our kitchen counter. Naoto got me a new juicer (the kind I used at North Shore’s cocktail class) and this amazing vintage table runner. It’s currently residing on our dining room table. I’m in love with it. Once the rain stopped, we headed into the city for no real reason. On the way, we decided to go to Little Goat Diner for lunch. You can see our entirely healthy meal above…we had to push back our dinner reservations because we were so full. (Oh, and that’s a Ol’ Blue cocktail above: bourbon, blueberry jam, benedictine and lime…go get it before they change the menu!) Oh, and there was pie…because well, chocolate cookie crust with sea salt caramel and caramelized bananas…how could we not?It was a teeny bit warm, but it really was a perfect day in Chicago. We walked along Michigan Avenue and lingered along the river.

Before dinner, we headed to the garden to check out our plants. (More on that later this week.) We had a late dinner at Golden Steer, our tradition since we moved to Forest Park in 2010. As usual it did not disappoint. For the first time in the history of our relationship, Naoto could not finish all of his steak and we both ended up bringing something home. During dinner, we wrote our 2014 Summer Manifesto–simple but spectacular. (I’ll share tomorrow!)

And with that, eight years are in the books…

Tagged adventures, celebrations, cocktails, forest park

Jun 02 2014

4 Comments

celebrations, some stuff about me

8

Happy 8th Anniversary, Naoto!

Tagged celebrations, wedding

May 11 2014

1 Comment

celebrations, holidays

Happy Mother’s Day

Happy Mother’s Day to all of the moms out there, especially my own!

(This picture was taken yesterday from our balcony. The trees are finally getting leafy!!

Tagged celebrations, forest park, holidays, parents

Apr 21 2014

2 Comments

celebrations, what's for dinner

Easter Sunday & Roasted Grapes

Yesterday was Easter, but even better than that, it finally felt like real spring outside–warm enough to wear a dress and spend some time outside writing letters, and warm enough to sleep with the windows open. Bliss. Even my “anniversary tree” is budding and looking more spring-like. I’m excited to plant some flowers and plan a balcony party or two. We spent Easter evening at our neighbor-friend, Karen’s. We joined her family party, which included Karen’s ninety-nine year old grandmother (who didn’t look a day over seventy-five!)

I made an appetizer of roasted grapes and manchego cheese and like last week, it seemed like a hit. (It really is hard to tell if people are just being polite or if they truly love your cooking.) I love easy and unique recipes (much like my beloved ricotta) and this one is going to be a new go-to for happy hours and dinners around here. Also, I bet it would be tasty with the ricotta…

Roasted Grapes with Honey & Thyme

(adapted slightly from Right at Home)

1 pound seedless red grapes

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon fresh thyme (stems removed)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 tablespoon honey

Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a cookie sheet with foil and set aside.

Wash grapes and remove from stems. Dry the grapes on a tea towel to remove excess moisture and place in a large bowl. Add olive oil, thyme leaves, salt and pepper. Stir to coat.

Pour grapes onto cookie sheet and place in oven until skins pop (about fifteen minutes). There will be a little bit of grape juice in the pan.

Remove from oven and drizzle with honey.

Serve warm or at room temperature with manchego cheese and crackers.

Because I was serving the grapes with cheese and crackers, I used a slotted spoon to transfer them from the pan to the serving bowl. If you were serving the grapes with chicken or desserts, the juice would be a delicious addition. And while the original recipe called for two teaspoons of thyme, I think extra thyme is a welcomed flavor, especially with the manchego cheese.

Karen made her famous pimento cheese (along with a traditional Easter dinner) and made us feel like family. Thanks for a fun time, Karen!!

Tagged celebrations, food, forest park, holidays, homemaking

Apr 16 2014

1 Comment

celebrations, Peggy's Parties

Peggy’s 50th Birthday Party

Taking a break from all the Japan posts to share another party hosted by Peggy…

The “other” Peggy in our book group, Peggy L, is turning fifty this month, so a few of us got together to celebrate, and as usual, (hostess) Peggy outdid herself. The table, the cocktails, the dinner and the dessert were “springy” and amazing. The table was full of pastels, bunnies, eggs and flowers. The sun was setting, leaving a dark glow in the room, and showing off the pretty pastels perfectly. I made an appetizer of cheese and roasted grapes (I promise to share the recipe soon!) and Peggy made Rossini cocktails. We drink a lot of sparkling wine cocktails at Peggy’s and I love every one of them, but this one–with the bright strawberry puree–was perfect for spring. While we were eating appetizers and catching up, we used these sweet vintage cocktail napkins. They were hand-embroidered and each said something different: wipe, dab, pat and blot. Aren’t they wonderful? I love the handwritten script.

We enjoyed asparagus soup and a chicken, cashew, swiss cheese, strawberry salad. Then we took a break from eating to open gifts before Peggy brought out the cake. The cake, while not a traditional decorated birthday cake, was divine…coconut and Meyer lemon, moist and delicious. Yum. I regret not bringing a piece home.

Thanks for another fun night, Peggy!

And Happy 50th, Peggy L! Enjoy your Irish Adventure!!

P.S. To see other “Peggy Parties” go here.

Tagged celebrations, cocktails, decorating

Apr 15 2014

4 Comments

adventures, celebrations, cocktails, Japan 2014, My Love Affair with Tokyo

Birthday at bunbougu cafe

When we planned our trip to Japan, I knew exactly where I wanted to spend my birthday…bunbougu cafe. Last year, I fell in love with the cafe that mixes stationery, coffee, letter writing, cocktails and tasty food all in one comfortable and eclectic location. We’d never been to bunbougu at night, so both Naoto and I were excited to try out their one-of-a-kind cocktails. At the risk of this turning into a Hasegawa Happy Hour post, let me tell you about these cocktails!! First there were the Adult Ramune and the Lychee Squash. Ramune is a Japanese soft drink that has a lemon-lime flavor, but really doesn’t taste its American counterpart…it has its own distinct taste that is tangier than the American drink. The Adult Ramune was made with blue curaçao and soda and it was my favorite. Who doesn’t love a blue cocktail? The Lychee Squash was lychee liquor, soda and grapefruit juice. It was so refreshing! (This might explain why it’s called a “squash” if you’re curious.) Neither of these cocktails packed a serious punch, but they were fun and tasty. For our appetizer, we ordered edamame that was sautéed with pine nuts and soy sauce. The edamame, presented beautifully on Japanese paper, was oh so delicious…I can’t even explain how much I loved it. We want to try to recreate it at home. For the next cocktail round, I got the Adult Ramune and Naoto got a Tea Mojito–a mojito that came with a shot of “tea espresso” to pour on top. I didn’t manage to take a picture of our dinners. Naoto had a miso coated pork chop and I had roasted chicken with herbs and apples. You’ll have to take my word for it. Naoto had a third cocktail. It was called “Sketchbook in the Tropics” and the only thing you need to know about it is that it came with a pencil stirrer!! (They sell the stirrers at bunbougu, too!) For dessert, I had Matcha Tiramisu…I’m a big fan of real tiramisu, but dare I say the matcha version is better??? Under the tiny paper box was a bowl of kuromame, sweet black soybeans typically eaten on New Years for good health. Naoto enjoyed those immensely while I ate up the tiramisu. I did a little birthday shopping at bunbougu, but I will share those treats later.

Thanks, Naoto, for taking me to the perfect place!

Tagged adventures, celebrations, cocktails, food, I *heart* Japan, Japan, tea

Apr 08 2014

4 Comments

celebrations, thoughts

Kimberly AH Two Years Later

I know I said I’d only be posting on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays for now, but I couldn’t resist a tiny celebration post for two years of Kimberly AH.

I started this blog two years ago today and apparently I document this tree branch from my balcony to celebrate. (See last year’s post here.) Thank you for another year of reading!

Tagged celebrations

Mar 19 2014

1 Comment

celebrations

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Taking a break from regularly scheduled programming to wish my dad a very happy birthday!

Happy Birthday, Dad! May your year be filled with ripe garden tomatoes, freshly baked bread, glasses of Old Overholt and perhaps a few Portillo’s beefs.

P.S. The picture is from last summer…I can’t wait to start gardening again!!

Tagged celebrations, parents

Feb 10 2014

2 Comments

celebrations, crafty adventures, Olympics, what's for dinner

Mini Olympics Party

On Friday night, I hosted a mini party for the Olympics Opening Ceremony. Even though it was a small party, I felt compelled to decorate just a little bit. (I find the decorations distract guests from my messy desk.) I searched Pinterest for some ideas and found this fun flag print-out. I trimmed out the flags of participating countries (they all weren’t represented, sadly) and pasted them around some baker’s twine. (Presley helped. She’s on Team USA.) I made two separate garlands and hung them up over the TV–front and center with the Olympic action–and right next to the official Adami Hasegawa Medal Count board. Naoto and I have a medal count competition–USA v Japan. For snacks, I made these cheese crackers and these salami crisps. The cheese crackers were delicious and couldn’t have been simpler. I made the dough early in the afternoon, rolled it into the log and kept it in the fridge. Then, right before the guests came, I sliced the crackers and popped them in the oven. My house smelled delicious and the crackers were amazing right out of the oven.

The sausage crisps were easy too. I used thinly sliced Trader Joe’s Chianti sausage and instead of Giada’s recommended basil, I used dill for topping…I love dill, and I felt like it was more “Russian”.

It was a fun way to welcome back the games and to gear up for two weeks of snow and ice (both on TV and outside…I don’t think our snow is going to melt until April.)

P.S. I really wanted to make these Olympic torch snacks.

P.P.S. For another Olympic party, go here.

Tagged celebrations, crafts, diy, food, Olympics

Jan 08 2014

4 Comments

celebrations

Operation NH40: Surprise Party

Naoto turned forty on Sunday and on Saturday night, we threw him a surprise party. I say we because it really did take a village to pull this off. I could have never done it without the help of our neighbor friends, who sat through many planning and plotting meetings, lied their collective pants off to keep the secret and helped gather, prepare and–most importantly–hide tons of food, beer and wine. Since Naoto works a million hours a week, I thought it would be easy to plot and scheme the party details, but with all the text messages, emails, tweets and invitation responses flying around, I was on edge for a month…every time my phone would ding, ping or light up, I had a small heart attack, especially when Naoto was around.

Naoto thought a few of us were going to go out to dinner and then coming back to our place for cake and drinks. This cover story made it easy because I had an excuse to be cleaning house and decorating for the “after party”. But instead of a tiny party, I invited a lot more people–office friends, Trader Joe’s friends, old friends and new friends. And, instead of going out, we kept the party at our place and served Freddy’s meatballs, SPAM musubis and other tasty snacks.

Because we were trying hard to be sly, we decided that Brett and I should take Naoto out for a snack and some errands–some ridiculous errands, especially since it was snowing like crazy Saturday afternoon. You can see in the picture above how quickly the snow was falling and accumulating as we walked from the Vietnamese restaurant to the bar for a drink.

Stacy and Karen stayed back and set up the food and welcome the guests. Then, we brought Naoto back for the surprise. Does he look surprised? I think he was. It was incredibly hard to keep a straight face as we walked down the hall to our apartment. And the group was so quiet that Naoto got almost all the way into the dining room before he realized anything was happening. It was awesome. I was so thrilled that so many people were able to make it in spite of the weather. Our good friends from Iowa made an attempt to drive to Chicago, but sadly, they got snowed out. That was the only bummer of the night though…otherwise the party was perfect and Naoto was joyful. (Even more joyful than normal.)I ordered the cake from Kay’s Bakery in Forest Park and it was delicious. Chocolate cake with fudge filling and white buttercream…yum! I had them keep it simple and then I made an easy cake “topper” with some scrapbooking numbers I had in my stash. Karen and I made the “pouf installation” last week using our handmade tissue poufs, my gold glitter New Year’s Eve garland and some gold glitter rosettes (made by Jackie and me) . It added fun color to the corner of the dining room. It’s going to hang up there for the rest of the month (at least). I made my usual stamped kraft paper table cloth (it featured Happy Birthday, coffee and random Japanese stamps) and because I am foil-printed coaster happy lately, I ordered some special coasters for the occasion. The only other decorations at the party were adorable pictures of young Naoto scattered around the apartment. (I shared one yesterday.)

Thanks to everyone who made the night possible and so much fun. It meant a lot to Naoto that you braved the snow and the cold weather to celebrate this milestone with him. And a huge thanks to Naoto’s colleague Kristen for taking most of the wonderful pictures in this blog post. (If it weren’t for Kristen, there would be no pictures!)

Tagged celebrations, decorating, diy, forest park