I Need to Spend A Little Time with My Kitchenaid Mixer

You know what made my day?

Seeing a recipe for homemade Pop Tarts on Smitten Kitchen.

I will have to make these soon.

Picture shamelessly stolen from Deb at Smitten Kitchen, who I pretty much want to be when I grow up.

Hooray!

I am a huge fan of babies.

They are pretty much my favorite thing in the world, other than holiday-shaped Reese's peanut butter cups.

And, in November, my sister-in-law will be bringing a little one into the world, making me an aunt for the very first time.

My credit card may get a bit of a workout.

Well, hello Baby Gap...

Make-Up Monday: Burt's Bees Pomegranate Lip Balm

I keep two of these in my giant purse at all times, so that when I reach in, I have a better chance of grabbing a tube.

That's how strong my love is.

The Kinnes' Guide to Southern Maine: Where We Visited

Except, as I look through the pictures, this is a little bit like "where we ate, part two".

We drove up the coast from York to Kennebunkport, stopping along the way.

Our first stop was the Nubble Lighthouse, which is apparently the world's most photographed lighthouse. (We kept accidentally calling it the Hubble Telescope).

Then, we stopped in York Beach for kettle corn and cupcakes. Clara's Cupcake Cafe was not as cute as I had pictured it in my mind, but the cupcake was delicious.

After that, we kept going and passed the Bush Compound. (Every time we drove past an older gentleman in the area, we would nod and say "Mr. President" quietly to ourselves. We are easily amused).

Then, we headed back to York, where we drove to the top of Mount Agmenticus, which had really pretty views. (Apparently, hiking up the mountain was also an option. We did not choose that option).

Also in York was The Cliff Walk, a gorgeous trek along the edge of the water.

Just down the road was a ginormous Stonewall Kitchen store, which was a great place for tasting samples... but not the most exciting place to visit.

Finally, we finished up our trip at the Kittery Outlets and a lovely little place called When Pigs Fly Bakery. This place was a carb-lovers dream. We left with a loaf of Baby Spinach, Onion and Garlic Ciabatta bread, but we taste-tested plenty of others.

We also went to a super chintzy mini-golf place, because it was the only one open in the off-season. We wouldn't recommend it... unless you're desperate to play mini-golf.

The Kinnes' Guide to Southern Maine: Where We Ate

Because, seriously, we ate.

Our first night, we went to Lobster Cove in York Harbor. The restaurant has gorgeous ocean views, and the lovely waitress offered to make my lobster sliders with butter instead of mayonnaise. (God bless that woman).

The next day, we ate lunch at The Ramp in Kennebunkport, just down the street from the Bush family compound. (Apparently, George Bush Sr. will drive his boat up to the dock to get his food). Mr. Kinne got a yummy, hand-pressed burger, and I ate clams Portuguese-style. This was another place with a fantastic ocean view, plus the walls were covered in sports and political memorabilia.

Dinner at Clay Hill Farm was amazing. (Really, all we could talk about on the ride back to the Inn was how great everything was). We started with grilled flatbread and seasonal salad. Then, Mr. Kinne ordered roast duckling and I got the haddock. We finished with cheesecake and something called "Chocolate Oblivion." (How could I not order something with that name?)

There were tons of places to eat in Maine, but we actually finished our trip with a quick stop in Peabody, Massachusetts. We visited my one true fast-food love: Sonic!

The Kinnes' Guide to Southern Maine: Where We Stayed

Because who better to write a guide than someone who visited for two days in the off-season?

Admittedly, I am not exactly an expert in all that Maine has to offer, but we did have fun exploring a little corner of it.

It helps that we stayed at a bed and breakfast with the most helpful owners. They were so welcoming, and they made sure we found lots of places to go.

Plus, the Inn at Tanglewood Hall is just as lovely as the name suggests. It is in an old Victorian home, and it was probably the most cozy place we've ever stayed.

(Seriously, look at those chairs by the fireplace!)

(Just ignore the creepy ceramic cat.)

Also, breakfast was amazing. I wish I had someone offering homemade granola and "eggs in a cloud" at the start of every day.

And! And the inn has package deals with a local restaurant where we ate ridiculously good food.

I wasn't sure I was a "bed and breakfast" person-- I mean, I'm happy with the Holiday Inn Express-- but I would go back to Tanglewood Hall in a heartbeat.

Home Again

Mr. Kinne and I are back from Maine, and we had so much fun on our mini-vacation.

I promise I will tell you all about the little Bed and Breakfast and the mini-golf and the many, many places we ate.

(Seriously, we just kept eating).

But, for now, I will leave you with a picture of me being eaten by a comically large lobster.

Sometimes, I Crack Myself Up

Whenever Barney puts his paw over his face like this, I like to say, "Oh, the humanity!" in a melodramatic voice.

My Attempt at Marble Cake

My experiments with making cake from scratch tend to be hit or miss.

My last couple tries?

Well, they have been misses.

Mr. Kinne's birthday cake was one of those misses. It was my first marble cake, and I turned to Martha for assistance.

The cake was lovely... but a little too dry and dense. It was like a pound cake masquerading as a birthday cake.

At least, it looked swirly.

Make-Up Monday: Tokidoki Brillante Glitter Eyeliner

I didn't need new glittery green eyeliner, per se.

But, I am a sucker for good packaging... and this eyeliner is so very sparkly.

Here it is on me:

(I spent more time than I would like to admit photographing my own eyelids. In related news, blogging may be the most narcissistic thing I have ever done.)

The Birthday Boy

That man with the fried pickles right there is turning 27 today.

I'm so glad that he was born... and that he loves me enough to put up with all my craziness.

Brussel Sprouts Can Be Delicious

Seriously, they can.

After I tried fried brussel sprouts at a nearby restaurant, I decided I would try to recreate these yummy veggies at home.

However, I opted for baking rather than frying, for a couple reasons:

1. I try to make healthy foods for me and the mister.

2. I am afraid of frying things in hot oil.

Luckily, I found the perfect recipe, and these brussel sprouts could not be easier.

Baked Brussel Sprouts (from bakingbites.com)

Brussel sprouts sliced in half (I used a package of frozen).

Olive oil

Salt and Pepper

1. Spread brussel sprouts on a baking pan and toss with olive oil.

2. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

3. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes. (They are ready when they look brown and crispy).

4. Enjoy.

Tapas

The end of the week just flew by! I rushed to get a million things done-- and now I have a week off to do not much of anything.

I love being a teacher.

I also love eating lots of yummy Spanish food, which is what we did at our little Tapas Party this week. ("Tapas" is the name for any number of little appetizers usually served in Spain).

Our menu included olives, cheese, crackers, focaccia bread, chorizo and a Spanish omelette.

I wish I had gotten a picture of the focaccia bread right out of the oven, because it looked like something you would order in a restaurant. (My kitchen experiments usually taste good-- but they rarely look like they could be featured in Martha Stewart Living).

I browned the chorizo in a pan and served it alongside the Spanish omelette. There were about a billion recipes for Spanish omelettes online, and I cobbled them together to make mine.

Spanish Omelette

4-5 potatoes, peeled and slice thin

1/2 onion (I used a few shakes of dried onion flakes, because I am a hot mess when I try to cut raw onion)

6 eggs, whisked

Salt and pepper

About a 1/2 cup of oil (enough to almost cover the potatoes in the pan)

1. Heat oil and onion flakes in a pan.

2. Add potato slices and heat, covered, for 20 minutes. (I stirred them every few minutes)

3. Place softened potatoes and onion in a greased 13x9 baking pan.

4. Whisk eggs and pour over the potatoes.

5. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.

6. Slice and enjoy.

Coming Soon to a Blog Near You

We hosted a Tapas Party tonight with some of our very favorite people, and I have lots of yummy recipes to post.

However, right now, everyone in the Kinne house is feeling like this:

I pinky-promise I'll share tomorrow.

Hello, Summer Shoes!

My parent-teacher conferences went smoothly today!

Yay!

I celebrated by picking up some Double Chocolate Milanos.

I might extend the celebration in the next few days by adding these super cute sandals to my collection. They are so summery, and they have just-enough heel for a not-so-coordinated girl like me.

Tomorrow

I have Parent-Teacher conferences tomorrow, and I am a little nervous.

Whenever parents walk in the classroom door, I have to remind myself that I am a grown-up with important information to share.

Because, otherwise, I feel like a little kid who is wasting these lovely people's time.

I think I will brew an extra cup of tea tonight.

Make-Up Monday: Coupon Edition!

I got this coupon in my inbox, and I started wishing that Mr. Kinne and I weren't sticking to a budget....

Good Old Fashioned Pancakes

I grew up on Bisquick. My dad would make Mickey Mouse pancakes with chocolate chip faces, and I would gobble them up.

(He would make them for sleepovers, too. I had the coolest dad in the neighborhood).

When Mr. Kinne and I moved in together, I started making more things from scratch, which meant leaving behind that white box of pancake mix.

Luckily, we found this easy recipe from allrecipes.com, and it is the perfect way to fill the void.

They come together so quickly that we make them almost every weekend.

Plus, they taste delicious with chocolate chips.

Love!

I saw these on Old Navy's website and actually gasped a little.

The pink!

With the heart!

In comfy flip-flop form!

I think I need these.

Breakfast of Champions

I had a bowl of Cupcake Pebbles this morning.

They taste just like Rice Krispie treats-- without the hassle of melting marshmallows.

I Love Sheldon, Too

Mr. Kinne and I have been catching up on "The Big Bang Theory" through the magic of Netflix, and I am loving Penny's apartment.

It is is so bright and cluttered and girly. Essentially, it is what my apartment would look like if I didn't live with a boy.

Also, I would have a Hello Kitty toaster.

A Little Getaway

Mr. Kinne and I will be spending a couple days at a little bed and breakfast in Maine very soon. I am looking forward to shopping and sightseeing and eating seafood.

I am also super excited to sit on our little porch and read books for hours.

(Number one on my list? Kristin Chenoweth's autobiography because of my deep love of "Pushing Daisies" and the "Wicked" soundtrack).

One Week Until "Glee"!

I am so excited!

Make-Up Monday: Clinique High Lengths Mascara

I wouldn't want to live in a world without mascara.

I would never feel completely put-together, and frankly, I would always look a little more sleepy.

But, luckily, I live in a world with a gajillion different kinds of mascara, and sometimes I get a free sample of one in my Clinique Bonus bag.

This mascara makes my lashes look longer and darker and generally prettier. It takes several coats to get dramatic lashes, but one coat is perfect for work.

Plus, the brush? It's my favorite color.