Category: yummy

summer salad

i find summer to be a bit difficult in terms of preparing my meals.  even though i have more time during summer to cook/meal prep, because i live in a building that is literally 90 years old, i do not have full fledged central air.  instead, i have these wall units in both my living room and my bedroom (which i am incredibly grateful for since i live on the second floor and heat rises to the top).  with that being said, i hate turning on my stove or oven after 10am and before like 10pm.  this can be problematic for someone like me that makes an effort to fast intermittently day to day.  my standard eating window is from 12pm to 8pm which is when my apartment tends to be the warmest.  one of the things on my to do list for this summer was to come up with a few meals that are easy to prep and do not require me to turn on my stove or oven.

 

i have always loved a good caprese salad but usually see it as more of a starter versus a meal as i am typically not full after consuming one.  this summer, i found the perfect additions to make it more complete.

 

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all of the ingredients can be purchased from trader joe’s or your local market.

 

ingredients for k. tap’s summer salad:

  • coppa, prosciutto or salami (above, coppa is used)
  • mozzarella balls (these mozzarella balls are marinated in both olive oil and pesto so you can choose to add in fresh basil if you wish but it is not required)
  • grape tomatoes
  • scoop of guacamole or 1/2 of a mid sized avocado (diced)
  • balsamic vinegar
  • garlic salt
  • black pepper

 

i typically start from the outside and work my way inward.  i lay between 6 to 8 pieces of coppa down.  then, i place the mozzarella balls.  next, i add the grape tomatoes.  i gently spoon the guacamole or avocado in the center.  i generously drizzle balsamic vinegar over the mozzarella, tomatoes and guac.  lastly, i sprinkle garlic salt and black pepper.

 

not only is this salad tasty but i am typically full for 3-4 hours after eating it.   it is perfect because it only takes five minutes to throw together, is essentially carb free, packed with flavor and the best part of all?  i do not have to turn on my stove or oven to prepare it!

 

if you love caprese salads, try it my way and let me know how you like it.

 

xoxo,

k. tap

 

p.s. if you are lucky enough to have central air and don’t mind turning on your oven, click here for the recipe to my savory southwest salmon salad – it is one of my go to meals!

britt’s bachelorette in the big easy

if you are following along via instagram, you know i was in new orleans aka the big easy this past weekend.  the occasion was a special one – my very first girlfriend from undergrad, brittany, was celebrating both her bachelorette party and 30th birthday.  not only does she have family ties to new orleans but what a fun city to celebrate two amazing events in?!  her little sister, bridgett, the maid of honor, planned the best trip ever for a type a human like me.  there were typed booklets that included full fledged itineraries and kits with useful things for the weekend and life thereafter.

 

let’s first start with the airbnb – it was absolutely gorgeous.  there was tons of natural light, beautiful exposed brick and lots of open space – perfect for hosting a large group of women.  with it being in the arts/warehouse district, we were within a ten minute ride to wherever we wanted to go.

 

as soon as i walked into the airbnb, in addition to being obsessed with the huge navy tufted sofas on either side of the living room, i saw these cute, personalized gifts for each of us.  at first glance, i thought that the canvas item with our names on them were tote bags but to my surprise, they were aprons!!

 

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little did i know, we would be using them to make beignets with chef syrena johnson, a chopped champion who is a new orleans native!  she prepared an amazing dinner that included gumbo, jambalaya, an outstanding salad with fresh berries and goat cheese and of course, beignets with homemade caramel, a berry compote and fresh whipped cream.  our starters included a roasted beet and goat cheese bruschetta and catfish fritters.  the flavor profiles were UNREAL. she was an absolute pleasure to have around and ridiculously humble.  it felt like we were catching up with an old friend who knew how to cook better than all of us.

 

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*pictured here with brittany (the bride) and garnette

**pardon my hair – i had been in a dad cap all day and so it was a little more unruly than usual

 

*chef syrena and the bride, doing their thang

 

we stayed in after dinner and played a variety of games and had some in home entertainment.  what i can say about this group is that there was never a dull moment.  i think we will be 80 years old and still have inside jokes about this weekend.

 

saturday, we went to brunch at cavan.  this place was a dream.  i want a chandelier and a bar like this in whatever home i own longterm.  the service was great and our waiter was so personable.  she answered all of our questions about the menu and was more than willing to make modifications as requested.  the things i would recommend for sharing are the biscuits and gravy, the pancake (it is both sweet and spicy) and the rosé sangria (which has bourbon in it).  for my entree, i had the salmon cake benedict and it was to die for.   there is not a bad cocktail on this menu – we tried several from the bloody mary to the delta pearl – all were flavorful and smooth.

 

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*there was tons of cute outdoor seating but it was far too humid for that

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*this is that chandelier/bar combo i was saying i need for my future home

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*elisa and i (you might recognize this beauty from my post about spain)

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*the salmon cake benedict

 

after brunch, all eight of us had tarot card readings at the dark lady.  while i know this is not everyone’s cup of tea, the eight of us had a wonderful experience and i think each person took something of value from our session.

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we went home to rest up/change for dinner and headed out to the commander’s palace.  while for the most part, dinner was good, there were a few mishaps but they were properly addressed by management.  when making a reservation, ask to sit in brandt’s section – he was honestly one of the best waiters i have ever had in any restaurant.  i would highly recommend the pecan crusted fish as an entree and the creme brûlée as a dessert.

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*britt and her boos

 

post dinner, we headed home to play another game before heading out for drinks and dancing on both bourbon street and frenchmen street.  while enjoyable, i honestly do not know how anyone braves the outdoors during summer in nola.  this frozen little treat definitely helped.

 

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while many of the girls had to leave early sunday morning to catch flights, a few of us were able to enjoy a phenomenal brunch at shaya before heading to the airport.  the best advice i could give is to go with other foodies so you can order pretty much everything.  this may have been the best meal we had in a restaurant setting throughout the entire trip.

 

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i would definitely go back to the big easy but in the fall or winter when the humidity is a bit less intense.

 

if you’ve been to nola, what was your favorite part?

 

xoxo,

k. tap

 

 

 

 

national donut day

even though i am a sucker for savory foods, i could not pass up treating myself (and my friend jess) to donuts in honor of national donut day.

 

when i am in la, my favorite place to get a good donut is at great maple – they have these maple bacon donuts that are lightly dusted in powdered sugar that are to die for.  one order comes with three so it is the perfect dessert to share after a meal.  you can read more about great maple here.

 

since i am kicking off my summer vacation in the bay area (which was the place i called home for 10 years), i had to stop by my favorite hole in the wall donut shop.  best donuts is located at 24 washington street in santa clara, ca.  the name is fitting because their donuts, service and pricing are the best.  if i had to choose just one donut to get from best donuts, it would have to be the maple bar.

 

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a very close second would have to be the glazed coconut donut.

 

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both are always fresh with the perfect ratio of glaze to dough.  while i do not eat sweets often, it almost seems like it would be sinful to not stop by best donuts while i am in santa clara.

 

what is your favorite donut shop?  do you have a go to donut?

 

happy friday!

 

xoxo,

k. tap

veuve clicquot polo classic 2019 – east coast edition

for years, i have wanted to attend the veuve clicquot polo classic.  and yearly, i had to turn it down due to grad school or work commitments.  here’s the odd thing: i never even knew that there was one on each coast.  i had only ever seen my friends post about the one in la.  then, earlier this year, when i was looking into purchasing tickets, i saw that there was one on the border of new york and jersey.  being that one of my favorite people from undergrad, teki, had recently moved to new york and i was overdue for a trip there (hadn’t been since march of 2017), i figured it would make more sense to make a trip of it.  and let me tell you, i am so glad i did.

 

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*photo cred: inny 

**this little black off the shoulder dress i am wearing is by city chic and can be found at nordstrom for under $100 – a true steal. it was breathable and perfect for the event.  i plan on getting this in a few other colors/prints!

 

even though the gates to the event officially opened at 11am, i wouldn’t consider any of the girls in our group to be morning people.  we decided that the best place to meet for brunch (and a little pregame) at our friend jasmine’s apartment.  we had not seen each other since summer of 2017 – it was right when i wrapped up grad school and moments before she moved to new york.  it is insane how quickly time flies.  as soon as we saw one another, it was as if we had just seen one another.  she hosted the most amazing brunch.  a couple of bottles of champagne and iced shots may have been served in addition to the deliciousness you see below.

 

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we arrived around 2pm via ferry.  if you are someone who gets seasick, this is definitely something you need to know about.  the ferry was incredibly rocky but the ride was short.  the walk from the dock to the entry of the event is about 20 minutes are so.  if your plan is to wear heels, i would highly recommend packing a flat as well.  it will make the walk much more bearable.

 

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as soon as we got inside, our first mission was to find inny.  leslie and i met inny while we were in spain for elisa’s wedding.  it was great to reconnect and she also took some great photos of our group before she left for the day.  she is truly a gem.

 

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*leslie and i with inny!

 

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*clockwise starting with me – jasmine, mandy, leslie and teki

 

a few of us set up our little picnic area while two of the girls went to go grab our first two bottles of champagne.  now, initially, i thought about getting a table in the rose garden but after realizing that i did not fully know what to expect and looking at pricing, we figured we would try general admission.  our tickets were just under $100 each and it was worth every penny.  i would absolutely do it again and did not feel like we missed out on anything.  we were in close proximity to the dj and danced freely.  we met a ton of amazing people and also reunited with old friends.  we consumed bottle after bottle of veuve in prime weather conditions.  we reminisced about old times and talked about life and love.  we were surrounded by so many beautiful people of color in outfits that were absolutely to die for.  we kicked off summer in the perfect way.

 

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*can we just take a moment to admire mandy’s amazing jumpsuit and flawless skin after getting literally no sleep the night before – how is this goddess even real?!

 

before we left, we had to get a couple of shots in front of the gorgeous flower arrangements:

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*teki and i

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*mandy and i

 

oh – i am sure you are wondering where the shots are of people playing polo.  i literally had to steal a video a friend took because i had no interest in watching the actual match.  it was starting right when we arrived and i was more concerned with popping open our first couple of bottles and finding an area to stake out.  i have absolutely no regrets.

 

would i go again? absolutely.  the east coast veuve clicquot was so extraordinary that i am almost afraid that i won’t love the la one as much.

 

most of us went out afterwards.  i cheated and went to teki’s apartment to take a bath before rallying until 7am.  rallying was well worth it since the bar teki and leslie recommended ended up being the hot spot that night – so hot that michael b. jordan ended up being there later that night just a few feet away from us. and yes, he is just as dreamy in person and was incredibly gracious/humble with the wait staff – how could you not just love him?

 

the veuve polo classic was amazing.  new york treated me well.  the best part of it all is who i shared the weekend with.

 

have you ever been to this event in la? ny? both?  if you are on the fence and have questions, don’t hesitate to let me know.

 

xoxo,

k. tap

 

 

 

 

le grand verre – french wine by the glass

hey lovelies!  while i hope those of you that had the day off, my true hope is that everyone remembers the significance of why we have the day off – so many people sacrificed their lives to fight for our country.  i couldn’t let memorial day pass without saying a little something.

 

recently, i was asked to be an ambassador for la grande verre – it is a french wine company that sells wine by the glass.  the second i heard about this, i was intrigued.  then, i saw how cute the bottles were and they are incredibly practical, especially with them being plastic and twist tops.  i thought to myself about how many times i may have wanted just a glass or two but would be frustrated when having to open an entire bottle (and more importantly, dealing with storing the bottle afterwards).  i figured if i ended up liking this wine, this could be the answer to all of my prayers.

 

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now, you all know that i love wine but before agreeing to be an ambassador, i had to do an official taste test to see if this was a company i could get behind.  since my friend alan was in town, i thought there was no better person to participate in this taste testing with me.

 

the box was made with 100% recycled materials which i appreciated.  i got alan and i a few glasses and we started tasting:

  1. stollen ruby relaxed red is 70% cabernet sauvignon and 30% merlot – alan described this one as light, fruity, smooth and a little tart whereas i thought it smelled like vanilla, tasted a little like blackberries and was subtly sweet.  this was my favorite red because it was just so easy to drink and not as heavy as a lot of red i have tried.  it is a red i think is even doable in the summer which is rare for me to say.
  2. domaine de la pagerie is a pinot noir – this was alan’s favorite!  he described it as medium bodied with hints of cherry and was balanced from start to finish.  for me, this was floral for a pinot.  it was also lighter than i anticipated but not as light as the first red.
  3. clos roussely is a sauvignon blanc – alan described this one as fruity and sweet compared to either of the reds.  i was obsessed with this one and that is probably because it smelled and tasted like peaches, which i absolutely love.  it also had these subtle floral notes and it just reminded me of summer.
  4. anjou vieilles vignes is 85% chenin blanc and 15% chardonnay – alan described this one as smooth, soft and thought it tasted like apple.  i thought it smelled tart but tasted a bit sweet – almost like honey.  this was incredibly easy to drink.

 

the pours are 6.3 ounces each which is a healthy glass.  i would also suggest these if you were spending a day at the park for a picnic and wanted something easy to transport and if you want to avoid dealing with glass.

 

you can build your own box or you can pick a box that has been preset for you.  knowing what i now know, i would build my own box because i would want more than one sauvignon blanc – one glass just isn’t enough when it is that good.

 

whether you are getting this for yourself or for someone as a gift, le grand verre will not disappoint.

 

which wine sounds like it would suit you best?

 

xoxo,

k.tap