fall inspiration

Some Fall Inspiration and Thoughts

October 30, 2021 By kimwheeler 19 Comments

Hi friends. Just a quick little post to share a few good things. How are things in your neck of the woods? We have had the gambit here with the strongest storm we have had in years last weekend and now to warm and sunny again for Halloween. Guess this is fall in California!

It is persimmon season so don’t miss out on those. Just got this bunch from my sweet neighbor…

Last October, I did a fall table post and used the persimmons for the table. I tried to replicate something like it for Thanksgiving…

Anyway, I had a crazy few weeks, and went to see the son on a short jaunt to Salt Lake City. He goes to the University of Utah and it was nice to see his place and get to experience more of the city and also see cute Park City. More photos of it are on my Instagram under my Utah Story Bubble, under my bio. Utah is insanely beautiful and Salt Lake City is surrounded by snow-capped mountains right now. The town was a lot of fun and charming.

It was fun to travel for a weekend and I mainly wore white jeans, sweaters and these Paul Green boots all three days- which a few of you asked about on my Instagram. They were bought a while back, right before the pandemic and I am finally putting them to more use.

They have the nearly same ones still at Nordstrom. This is my first pair of Paul Green shoes and I know people rave about them- the quality and the comfort. I wore these in the snow in Park City and through the airport and all around town and my feet felt great! They were rained on and no marks left. It is definitely worth paying for better shoes that are going to be a go-to and workhorse in your wardrobe. I am wondering about a black pair too. All the gals in Utah wore combat boots with their pants and dresses and it looks current. Sometimes all you need is a great shoe to update everything. The coat is a classic I wear all the time from Emerson Fry.

Right before I left, I hosted a Bunco group. It was the first gathering we have had indoors since the pandemic. We don’t play anymore, just socialize. To make sure we all had space, Max and I spread the sectional and chairs far apart, and took up the whole main space in the house. Everyone was vaccinated and I made individual appetizer platters for each person.

I was hoping to find individual wooden charcuterie boards, from Target, but not having any luck, instead used these slightly larger trays.

What is fun on these individual boards:

Consider the season and add a whimsical touch I added a little pumpkin shortbread cookie for an October vibe.
Seasonal fruits – I went with grapes and clementines, but sliced persimmons, pears or apples could be good for fall.
A triangle of brie, and some chèvre drizzled with honey, walnuts and pomegranate seeds.
A variety of crackers (I like Raincoast Crisps, Italian breadsticks, and rosemary crackers.) Ask your friends who is gluten-free. I had a basket of two kinds of gluten-free crackers. I think it’s nice to have extra baskets of the other crackers nearby also as you never have enough with boards.
A sweet side where I broke up bars of Ghirardelli Salted Dark Chocolate, chocolate powdered almonds and date bite cookies.
A savory side which I added ribboned uncured Italian salami, English Cheddar slices, olives and almonds.

The pros about these size boards versus a smaller ones is you have a bit more room for balancing them on the lap. Cons are- they are bigger, so you need more food. I might have done too much, especially with women. My husband took a tray to his office to eat during the gathering and thought it was the right amount. Consider who you are entertaining! Using them next time, I would do less food and perhaps take up part of the tray with a cute napkin and individual knife rolled up and tied.

These trays are melamine, so they stack well for storage. I bought these with the dark green stripe to use at Christmas and in the summer outdoors, as they can take on a camping look. They also have this cute plaid! Think of the holiday possibilities!

Evening photos aren’t so great, but I had almost no time to photograph them after pulling these together!

One day before the Bunco gathering, I had the nicest lunch ever at Cindy Hattersley’s beautiful new home in Salinas. Cindy downsized from her huge home in the country that you may recall I featured here on Californians at Home.

Her new home was previously a rental for them. They moved to the most charming neighborhood and in swift time, turned this lovely Spanish style home into a sanctuary with the most inviting garden where she hosted six of us for a birthday lunch for Mary Ann and I.

You may have seen on my Instagram, some of the gorgeous pics and a fun Reel I made. It was the loveliest day and Heidi, Elizabeth, Juliet and Annie (all the way from Connecticut) were part of it too. Annie did a great post on the whole day with a lot of photos of Cindy’s gorgeous home and yard- and the pretty table- and fantastic food! See it all here on Annie’s blog. I felt so lucky to be with all these sweet ladies!

Cindy’s home was so inspiring and her fall decor especially, I wanted you to see… How beautiful is this?

Cindy blogs about all of it and has shown the progression of her new place on her blog, Cindy Hattersley Design.

These girls are so kind and generous and I got three books I am LOVING. They are all so enjoyable and true treasures for your library..and yes great gifts if you need some. Julia Reed’s South is wonderful if you are into cooking and entertaining with great stories and recipes. Athena Calderone’s Live Beautifully has some of the freshest and modern, but pretty homes and kitchens to inspire you. Romantics and Classics invites you into some of the beautiful historic homes never seen in the English countryside!

I also got the coolest wooden carved salad servers from Mary Ann. They would make a lovely gift for a hostess or friend with a block-print towel like this one.

I couldn’t wait to put them with my wooden spoon collection..

Also Cindy gave me the sweetest olive wood bowls from one of my favorite shops in Carmel, Tancredi & Morgan. I’m in love with them!

I’ve got the holiday season on the brain and have been trying to find small treasures like these before the holidays hit! Anthro has a nice collection of block-printed kitchen towels ..

Pairing a towel with a small thing like a candle- like the one below, or a small bowl- (like this one -also from Anthro), or candle holders or these little vases are all good and not too pricey gifts for girlfriends or hostesses.

I try and buy several and then keep them on hand for upcoming gatherings during the season.

Also, on my radar, if you are a tennis player as I am, and love design, you may have noticed the Marimekko tennis collaboration with Adidas..My friend Jeanne had one of the looks on the other day and it was SO cute! I want the skirt and there is also jackets, dresses and a shrug to protect the arms, as well as tennis shoes, swimsuits, sweats and more. The whole collaboration can be seen here, but has already sold out on some pieces, so don’t wait if you like it! Also more of it at Nordstrom too.

Lastly, I ended this crazy week with my first colonoscopy. I waited longer than most people because of surgery for a fibroid, and then the pandemic. I knew I wanted to get this done, as my dear friend Wendy passed away at age 45. I hate stuff like this, but I can say it wasn’t bad and the actual procedure felt like a small nap. The prep was the hardest part, drinking 64 ounces of Gatorade with Miralax in two separate sequences. I honestly couldn’t get it all down, but the procedure went fine, and not really any after issues

either. Colon cancer is one of the most treatable cancers if caught early, that’s why everyone needs a screening as early as possible.

Please friends, do not put this off. I now am good for ten years!

I hope you have a great Halloween weekend and some fun. We are making our usual chili and quesadillas and hoping we get a few little goblins after really missing them last year.

Thanks for stopping by!

Kim

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Cashmere, Smoothies and a Great Fall Dish to Make

October 28, 2018 By kimwheeler 6 Comments

Happy weekend! We had a great day at our Trina Turk event and I’ve posted pictures on the Northern Cal Style Facebook page with all the gals who came by and kindly modeled for us! More about Trina’s fall styles and link to her site on my previous post. I felt so lucky to do this event and Suzanne and I had a lot of fun.

It looks like fall in my yard! It’s warm, but the leaves are turning amazing colors this week.

I’ve been obsessing on a few things like cashmere ponchos-I bought a small cashmere topper at a boutique in Los Gatos and I just have worn it non-stop this week. The boutique is called Kismet (isn’t that cute?) and they’ve been in business 16 years. Nice people and if you cannot get to their shop, I looked for the same thing online to share here. I haven’t had much luck finding the same chambray like color and small sized topper.

I did however notice this similar style right now at Nordstrom in many colors. Ponchos seem flattering to everyone and why is it a gal with one of these on always look so chic? I especially love them in fall with jeans and boots, especially here in California where they can be just right for autumn temps.

Speaking of cashmere, I had an opportunity to check out the Cashmere Sale pop up while I was in Burlingame this week. It’s a few blocks off the avenue and runs until December 10. It’s a great place to get some wonderful pieces like new versions of your winter staple- the cashmere pullover, in some darling designs. I came back with this fun oversized stripe version I will wear a ton this winter.

They also have gorgeous capes, wraps, scarves and ponchos and even track suits! I was drooling at all the fabulous choices!!! We had fun meeting the lovely ladies who run it and they dressed us up – me in a wrap and Suzanne in a beautiful sweater coat. If you are in Burlingame, stop in and see what they have. It’s while supplies last so things are gone, they are gone, so go soon. More info on their Instagram account.

Keeping in that fall mindset, I made a dish last week that was a huge hit in our house and that doesn’t happen often. It’s Baked Penne With Butternut Squash and Sage. It’s perfect for right now as it’s comfort food and smells like fall. Bear with my feeble attempts at food photography..

This was before baking… and after, below paired with a fall spinach, kale, pear and pomegranate salad with toasted walnuts.

Everyone from my pickiest son to my dad loved it. It makes a great lunch the next day too! (Recipe at the end of this post.)

Pears are fantastic right now and often get overlooked. Go to your market and feel the top by the stems. If it gives slightly they are ripe and a pear adds so much to salads and cheese plates. If you don’t love pears, persimmons are another go-to for fall. I also am crazy for those big bags of organic kale. The curly bits make great soup toppers and a good addition to salads and smoothies. Do you make your own dressing? I always do and my favorite fall dressing is a good olive oil, champagne vinegar, a squeeze of lemon, a few turns of pepper, malden salt and a teaspoon of real maple syrup and some minced shallot if I have it.

On the subject of smoothies, I’ve never been a big fan, but I have to say I am now a convert. I succumbed to a headline about the Protein Packed Smoothie Jennifer Garner swears by. I was intrigued because first, I love Jennifer and the ingredients looked pretty good, especially the chocolate coconut collagen protein powder. I found it at Whole Foods…

It is $39, which seems pricey, but it makes the smoothie which tastes delicious without the strange aftertaste many protein shakes have. You only use a scoop in the smoothie which typically makes enough for 3 of us in the morning. My 16 year old loves it too and I honesty feel energetic and not at all hungry until after lunch if I drink this, possibly because of the mix of good fat, protein etc. My family like it with a banana added. Recipe here on Camilla Styles.
Are you ready for Halloween? I was in Bunches, my favorite floral place in town and I love to see their selection of special pumpkins. It’s hard not to buy a few for decorating the table or the porch. I always use mine until Thanksgiving, do you? I just love the look of them around the house.

I think on Halloween night we will make our usual a big pot of chili and a few piles of quesadillas in case kids bring their friends by or friends or neighbors stop in. We have had many a Halloween with parents crowded in the kitchen having a glass of red wine and a quick bowl of chili before running out to chase the kids, and goblins trying to jam a quesadilla in before heading out for treats! I love it.

Below is my recipe which was torn out of a magazine that looks pretty old. I have modified it and I honestly do not know where it came from originally so if anyone knows, I’d be happy to give credit. I was just searching through my recipe binder to look for recipes with butternut squash as my dad is harvesting a bunch of it now. The butternut squash is so easy to cook quickly when you slice it, peel it and place the 1 -2 inch cubes on a big tray tossed with olive oil. It cooks perfectly when baked at 400 for 20 minutes to add to the pasta.

Baked Penne With Butternut Squash and Sage

1 pound penne pasta

3 T fresh sage chopped

Olive oil

Salt & pepper

2 T flour

2 C milk

2 C of Italian Blend Cheeses (usually found in a bag shredded- Pecorino, Fontina, Parmesan, etc will work)

Bread Crumbs or coarse bread for crumbs

Parmesan for topping

Bake cubed squash tossed with olive oil, sage, salt and pepper on a sheet pan in oven at 400 F for about 20 minutes or until tender. Remove and set aside.

Cook penne according to directions for al dente, cool with ice water and toss with olive oil.

Make a roux – melt butter in sauce pan over low heat, slowly whisk in flour then milk. When it begins to simmer, add cheese while whisking continually to prevent lumps. When all is smooth, remove from heat and add salt and pepper to taste.

For the topping, grind 2-3 slices of bread to crumbs, mix in 2 tablespoons of melted butter, 1 tablespoon of sage and 1/3 c parmesan cheese.

Add cheese sauce to pasta and mix then transfer to a 9 x 13 baking dish or oval casserole dish. Sprinkle with topping and add sage leaves to decorate top. Bake at 400 F for 15 -20 minutes.

Enjoy!!

Half Moon Bay a few weeks ago!

All photos NorthernCalStyle.com unless noted.

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Hello Fall!

September 23, 2014 By kimwheeler 17 Comments

It’s finally here! I am so excited for fall. After what seems like ages of so much warm weather, I am looking forward to cool nights, fires, soup, sweaters, boots, scarves and that goes with the loveliest season of all.

So many gorgeous shades of fall!

I’m fluffing the house, getting it cozy, and rearranging with all my fall toned favorites.

Charleston Mag

I’m looking forward to many evenings of homemade soup!

Pumpkin Sage Soup! Recipe here.

A few new things to smarten up the wardrobe would be nice too.

And then there’s the entertaining…So many good reasons to get together with friends!

Pear, walnut and ricotta crostini. Recipe here.

Curb appeal is big in autumn, so you’ve gotta get your gourds on people!

Coats!!!! I love them soooo much!

Vintage Vogue.

I think some chunky sweaters and a little leopard would be nice.

Branches, twigs !!

Camel is my favorite color come fall.! Supergas sneakers similar to hers here. Finding a camel color coat seems a challenge this year, but I found this Anne Klein on sale and also this one, and also a shorter version by Kenneth Cole and I like the design and slim look of this Tommy Hilfiger version as well. All are on sale at Macy’s right now until Sept. 30th I believe. I hope to add one this year to my wardrobe as I finally donated my own camel coat which had a decade at least on it. Always a classic that won’t go out of style!