Kitchen Mood Board, Tommy’s Margaritas, Summer Travel Style + More

Today on weekend meanderings, our kitchen mood board, Tommy’s Margarita recipe, rejuvenating a favorite stuffed toy, and my summer travel style finds so far. 

Happy Saturday, friends!

It’s time for the weekend post with Kim and Elizabeth. Our weekly roundup of inspirations and goings on.

This week was the first normal week I can recall since we embarked on our selling-and-moving from Snowberry adventure. It feels good not to have 50 tedious tasks and chores on my To Do list everyday and I’m feeling a lot less discombobulated. And, it’s officially summer!

We had a couple of warm – and one hot – day this week intermixed with unusual wind and June gloom. I’m not a fan of the heat so I’m more than happy for the cooler temps and appreciate the visits from Karl the Fog that keep our early mornings and evenings nice and cool.

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Jessica Brydson Photography

We managed to accomplish a few things related to the new house. We visited Freidman’s Appliance showroom to scope out appliances. We’re sticking with Wolf|Subzero|Cove for the kitchen. Wolf is coming out with a 48″ induction top range and I’m leaning toward that. We’ve loved their dual fuel range in our last two houses, but induction seems the wave of the future. It’s also a lot easier to clean which is not a small consideration. Who else hates cleaning a gas range top? Oof.

They’ve expanded their knob finish offerings. We used the stainless bezel with a matte black knob at Snowberry but I’m liking the stainless bezel with brass knob for the new house.

Jim’s scrutinized outdoor grill options. We’ve gone with DCS in the past but he’s considering Wolf and Lynx.

It’s fun looking all the new stuff available for fancy kitchens. Of course, our kitchen won’t be fancy. Here’s the mood board.

 

Tommy’s Margaritas for Cocktail Night

This week I made Tommy’s Margaritas for an early (Tuesday) cocktail night before we settled in to watch game five of the Stanley Cup final. Which turned out to be the final, final. Begrudging congrats to the Panthers. The Oilers collapse was disappointing to say the least, but let’s not dwell on the negative. Let’s drink Tommy’s Margaritas … made famous by Tommy’s Mexican Restaurant in San Francisco.

Tommy’s Margarita is now my favorite margarita, here’s why. The ingredients are fresh and simple … tequila (blanco), lime juice, and light agave syrup. That’s it. No orange liqueur (generally Cointreau), and no – to Jim’s dismay – Grand Marnier float. They taste bright and fresh without being overly sweet or tart.

BTW I’m loving my Livenza textured blown glasses. After my packing fiasco, they were a last minute, panic purchases that turned into true and lasting love.

I used the version of Tommy’s Margarita recipe from Every Cocktail Has a Twist which is slightly different from the Tommy’s restaurant recipe. This one involves making a ‘light’ agave syrup. It’s easy  … bring 4 oz of water to a simmer, add 4 oz of agave nectar and stir until it dissolves. Cool to room temperature. Using this light syrup decreases the sweetness of the margarita and I’m all for it.

 

Salt or no salt? It’s up to you. I’m in the no salt camp, although I did salt the rims for aesthetic purposes. And Jim likes it. I didn’t have margarita salt, so I used what’s in my cupboard, Jacobsen’s Pure Flake Sea Salt. You can watch my mixing Reel here.

 

Zeebee’s Triumphant Return

Zeebee made his triumphant return from Winey Bears Repair in North Carolina. While away he received the full rehabilitation treatment including body lift + filler and new tail. And a Kris Jenner-style face lift including eye lift and lip treatment. Well into his sixth decade, Zeebee’s seen some things but he’s feeling rested and rejuvenated and happy to be home.

If you have a stuffed animal in need of shoring up I couldn’t recommend Winey Bears Repair more.

 

Eyeing & Buying with Summer in Mind

Now that we’ve settled into our pied-à-terre with paired back everything, including closets. I decided it’s time to add a few new things to my wardrobe for summer. Things that work for everyday summer life and vacation getaways.

This week, a woven bag with a pretty scarf tied to the handle, caught my eye in the window of Zahra, a darling boutique that’s just a stones throw away. The proximity could become a problem, but anyhoo … I admired the bag and scarf many times before I finally went into the shop for a look see.

I’m a sucker for scarves tied to a bag handles, and I particularly like this scarf from ClareV. because of its bandana size. It’s also made of 100% cotton. My longer, silk scarves give me fits untying and dragging on the ground or worse, escaping all together. A few weeks ago Jim and I were halfway home when I realized my silk scarf was no longer on my bag. We retraced our steps and found it in our parking space at the post office. Thank goodness we made it back in time because it’s Hermes and they’re not cheap. Note to self: do not tie pricey-scarves-that-if-lost-would-cause-suffering to bags.

Back to the bag and scarf situation. It’s a Zadig & Voltaire basket bag and it’s an ideal summer bag for everyday running around, day trips to the wine country, and  travel. If you’re not a fan of the brand’s signature wings, turn it around to the no-wings side. I kind of like the wings. One of the best features is that it has both tote size and shoulder length handles. The longer handles fall easily into the bag and out of the way. It comes in a mini size too.

While at Zahra I tried on Xirena’s Florence dress in Cappuccino. Love the ruched top and pockets … I can no longer tolerate a dress without pockets.

Forgive the dreadful photos. It seems finding a home with a suitable photo spot continues to allude me.

Xirena is a new-to-me Los Angeles designed brand hence it’s laid back, casual vibe like this light blue chambray shirt dress. It looks so soft and easy to wear for summer.

Also this poplin maxi is right up my alley. I’m leaning toward navy, but the seagrass color is gorgeous too. Hmmm.

I ordered this Gap cotton gauze set with vacation in mind. It’s not actually sold as a set … the separate pieces are a Dolman shirt and pull-on barrel pant.

I’m wearing this linen blend barrel pant in the photos below because the cotton gauze wasn’t available. The good news is that the two pair beautifully together and I can’t tell there’s a difference in fabric. It might be because they’re black, not sure the same would hold true in a lighter color. Anyway, the pants I’m wearing are a medium and a little big, I’ll take them to the tailor and see if we can adjust the elastic waistband. Otherwise I appreciate the extra roominess.

The next day I checked the cotton gauze pant again and it was suddenly available in a small. I ordered it, of course, and it will arrive Monday. The bottom line is that both pant options work. TBD which I prefer.

Anyway, whichever pant I settle on, the set is going to be my travel ensemble for Cabo next month … as well as something I can wear around the resort.

While shopping – online – at Gap I also bought this straw gingham tote. It’s really good size and will make a great bag for the plane as well as a pool and beach bag.

Two straw bags in one week … excessive?! Maybe, but I’m going to get a lot of use out of both of them.

Wing Basket Bag | Scarf | Gingham Straw Tote

After talking about it for years, joining my friends to share outdoor summer table ideas was the push I need to finally order bamboo flatware. That, and I remembered the Serena & Lily gift card I won in a drawing at a Serena & Lily Holiday House event I attended with Kim last fall.

I know the timing purchase is strange. We’re in temporary quarters and there will be no alfresco dinner parties happening this summer, but I did it anyway. I ordered eight place settings, and yes, it exceeded the amount of my gift card, but brought down my out-of-pocket expenditure considerably and I’m thrilled.

My parents had bamboo flatware that they brought back from the Philippines. I’m not sure if it was from there or Japan where they bought a lot of their furniture. Anyway, I could kick myself for not keeping it. I honestly don’t remember what my sister and I did with it back in 1999, we probably donated it. Tragic, but no sense crying over spilled milk, or donated flatware.

Serena & Lily offers this two piece salad set too. I’m tempted but will hold off until we’re ensconced in the new house with a dinner party on the horizon (or there’s a sale).

 

Odds and Socks ~

With summer coming it’s time to replenish sunscreens and self-tanners. They have a shelf-life that expires in a 6-12 month timeframe (check packaging). I just ordered a new bottle of SaltyFace Tanning Water. Last year I gave it a try, alongside the less expensive Tannologist Face and Body Drops. Overall I prefer the results of Saltyface, but there is a big price difference.

Also in the replenishment category it’s time for a new workout set. I’ve shared my love for ALO Yoga in past dispatches, specifically the airlift high-waist leggings. I bought a matching airlift bra tank top. I’m totally boring and stick with basic black, but they offer pretty colors too.

When it warmed up for a couple of days this week and I had to break out my summer hat for walking the dogs and errands around town. My hat was many years old and had seen better days. Jim said it was a disgrace and ordered me a new one. Turns out it’s a man’s hat – which is why my prior attempts to replace it went nowhere because I was searching women’s hats. Anyway, it’s the men’s Scala Toyo Sausalito Safari hat.

Speaking of hats, Kim and Cindy featured summer hats on their Signature Style series this month. Many of the options they shared are packable, and provide good sun protection. I need both. Be sure to check out their recommendations and get your hat situation sorted for summer.

Kim’s Summer Hat Style | Cindy’s Stylish Sun Protective Hats

Last weekend Mary Ann (Classic Casual Home) shared this recipe for Cavatappi with Sun-dried Tomatoes and Cannellini Beans. I made it for lunch this week … it’s easy and delish. It’s a meatless meal, but you could easily add Italian sausage or something like that. I took creative license and added chopped broccoli.

Currently Watching ~

Have you seen Mountainhead? A satire revolving around four tech titans – you guess who they’re modeled on – gathering for a weekend retreat to play poker but each arrives with an ulterior motive. As they gather at a mountain home the world explodes in chaos due to one of the tech bros new AI release.

I didn’t enjoy this movie … and Jim thought it was profoundly disturbing … maybe because it’s not as far fetched as it seems. Still, I couldn’t stop watching … or thinking about it afterwards. It’s a little disjointed and they sort of abandon the original story line which left me wondering what happened with the world chaos stuff.

The movie is written and directed by Jesse Armstrong, creator of Succession, and stars Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman, Corey Michael Smith, and Ramy Youssef. If you watch it, buckle in and don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Current Favorites ~

 

That’s what I have for you today.

Let’s see what’s inspiring Kim and Elizabeth.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA STYLE

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