Sisterhood is a real gift.  If it were nothing special, college girls wouldn't be inventing ways to gain pretend sisters through sororities; high school girls wouldn't plan to dress alike with the sole aim and hope that some stranger might mistake their relationship for being a familial one; and best friends wouldn't claim to be "closer than sisters."  Sisterhood is the standard. 

That's what I saw in these two: a real, close, been-there-for-a-lifetime kind of bond; a relationship that can only come from a whole life of vacations, meals, fights, laughs, and memories.  Theirs is the kind of tie that sororities and friends the world over are trying to emulate. 


I should explain the title of this post...
Erica is a fellow LOST-obsessed fan.  She's proved to be more devoted than me, though, because she actually follows and discusses different theories... in-depth.  I love hearing her latest ideas about the show - she always has a great connection or explanation to offer.  In most of these pictures, Erica is describing a LOST instance to her sister.  Either that or something to do with 30 Rock... or just some hilarious Erica story. 

Ingredients for a perfect night out:


Ambiance (warmth, space, simplicity, elegance)

A dear friend (not just any friend will do)



An impeccable meal [find at Mua: Roasted Prawns, Sautéed Shiitake, Prosciutto & Coppa, and Ahi Tuna Sashimi (blow-your-mind-good)]

My baby sister Kensey loves to cook -- and, fortunately for us, she's really good.

Our all-time-favorite Kensey specialty is gourmet mac & cheese.  Sounds like an oxymoron, right?  Wrong.  Forget everything you know about macaroni & cheese and try this delicious, savory, grown-up meal.

Here are a few words from the chef herself:

K: What first inspired you to perfect gourmet mac & cheese?
Kensey: I don't like the boxed stuff.  You know, Kraft.  It's too processed... and... you know that sound when you stir it?  I hate that sound.

K: Ok, so we have the recipe (below)... any secrets that make it uniquely your own?
Kensey: Add fontina cheese.

Please enjoy this recipe from Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa Family Style cookbook (with Kensey's perfect addition in bold).

MAC & CHEESE
serves 6 to 8

Kosher salt
Vegetable Oil
1 pound elbow macaroni or cavatappi (Kens chooses to use cavatappi)
1 quart milk
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
12 ounces Gruyére cheese, grated (4 cups)
8 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar, grated (2 cups)
8 ounces Fontina cheese (2 cups)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
3/4 pound fresh tomatoes (4 small) [optional]
1 1/2 cups fresh white bread crumbs (5 slices, crusts removed)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Drizzle oil into a large pot of boiling salted water.  Add the macaroni and cook according to the directions on the package, 6 to 8 minutes.  Drain well.

Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don't boil it.  Melt 6 tablespoons of butter in a large (4-quart) pot and add the flour.  Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk.  While whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a minute or two more, until thickened and smooth.  Off the heat, add the Gruyére, Cheddar, Fontina, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and nutmeg.  Add the cooked macaroni and stir well.  Pour into a 3-quart baking dish.

Slice the tomatoes and arrange on top.  Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, combine them with the fresh bread crumbs, and sprinkle on the top.  Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the macaroni is browned on the top.




Crunchy on the outside, creamy on the inside, and wonderfully cheesy throughout...

I remember the first time I saw the necklace.  A long, coppery-colored gold chain draped in my mom's hands as she showed me the small diamond-shaped metal pendant that hung from it.  The tiny opals set into the pendant looked like mermaid scales to me.

"This is what your great-grandmother left to you, Katy." 

She tucked it back into the black velvet box and told me that she would keep it safe until I was old enough to wear it.  This past year, we found the box again and I was overjoyed to see the necklace - the image that I had held in my memory for so many years.  Monetarily, I have no idea if it is worth anything at all - but to me, the necklace is more precious than anything else I own.

It is a strange and valuable feeling to hold a thing in your hands that was treasured by a young girl in the early 1900's.  She looked in the mirror at the piece drooped around her neck, unaware that one day in the next century her great-granddaughter would be doing the same.  We stand on both sides of the mirror - decades between us - but connected by this single gold chain with an opal pendant.

These were the very last shots of Dani & Sheldon's Berkeley shoot... and I think they're my favorites from the whole day. 

I'm crazy about the warmth emanating from Dani & Sheldon here - especially because I remember that it was actually freezing cold...