Good Friends and Good Food

a.
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b.
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a.
I recently mentioned a road trip down to Austin. The purpose of the trip was to meet with Mel about the paleo cookbook she's writing and I'm designing - with Dave, Mel's rad husband, shooting all the photography. What I didn't know is that we would be eating so much amazing food. The night we got in Mel and Dave generously treated Jeremy and I to Lamberts. Now, if you live anywhere near Austin and haven't eaten here yet I beg you to do so. Tonight. OH, and we were sitting next to Megan Mullally (better known from her role as Karen in Will & Grace) through the entire meal and I didn't even notice.

The next day we had breakfast, went grocery shopping, brainstormed, cooked, ate some more, photographed some food and started the beginning of a life long friendship.

b.
After the photo shoot Jeremy and I headed down to South Congress for some food truck action - and how perfect since I've got my very own food truck client now too (equipped with a vintage Airstream and all)! So we had some food truck research to do. Research that required us eating some sort of amazing mushroom basil lemon crepe and a mango and sticky rice crepe. Research that almost made me go for a third crepe filled with Nutella and bananas.

I like you, Austin, Texas. But I like your people and your food even more.

 

Juice

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I watched a documentary recently called Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead. It's a film about a wealthy man named Joe with an autoimmune disease. He heals it and drops a ton of weight by going on a juice fast for 60 days. But along the way he meets a trucker in Arizona named Phil with the same rare disease. Homeboy also goes on the juice fast and completely turns around his whole life.

So of course, I'm all "I NEED JUICE. RIGHT NOW." The problem is I don't have a juicer and Jeremy isn't thrilled at the idea of dropping $350 on one at a moments notice just because I watched some documentary that got me all riled up. So I threw some kale, an apple, half a lemon and some ginger into my food processor and strained the juice out of the pulp by hand. It's tasty and I feel like I'm taking shots of straight up nutrients that will give me super powers.

Second, I've been hired to do some branding for a juice truck (talk about a dream job!). So I think I'm going to go out and buy a juicer because now it's market research, right?

Do you all ever make your own juice? What's your favorite juice concoction? I think I'm going to explore this whole juice thing some more.

 

Spiced Cantaloupe

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I want to tell you all about the simplest recipe ever that has changed my life.

But first, have I told you all that I'm designing a cookbook!? A while back I posted that I often get questions asking if I'm going to put out a cookbook - the short answer was no, but that I would love to design a cookbook for someone else. Meanwhile, Melissa (aka Mel aka Melicious) started writing a cookbook with her husband, Dave, and was trying to track down a designer. A lovely blog reader put us in touch with each other and it's been a total food & design lovefest ever since. The moral of the story: Put yourself out there. State your intentions. The universe will do what it can to help you out.

But back to the cantaloupe! So Mel posted this cantaloupe recipe and I happened to have all those ingredients on hand. Cantaloupe (fresh from the farmer's market), check. Spices, check. Cut up the cantaloupe, sprinkle with spices. Eat.

You guys. Each bite goes like this: the cardamom is the first to say hello. Then, just like that, the cayenne comes in and kicks you in the face but you're all "give me more!" - followed by the salt who's main job is to calm you down and soothe your taste buds until you're ready for another bite. It's pretty amazing.

I can't wait to share more with you about the cookbook. In the meantime, check out Mel's blog. Tell her I sent you and she'll treat you real good.

 

Anatomy of an Outfit: Summer Staples

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I think the title of this post speaks for itself. A white tank and denim cutoffs are summer essentials - especially when there is no end in sight of days reaching 105F+. There isn't much to talk about other than how hot it is and how terribly busy I've been around here. I'm left daydreaming about Fall picnics and bicycling around Europe (in the works!).


So let's talk about you all instead. What have you all been up to? Any vacations or mini-adventures? Have you watched any neat documentaries lately? Do you have any healthy no-bake summer recipes?

white tank - bdg
cutoffs - paper, denim & cloth
shoes - eastlands

 

Weekend Mini Adventure: Kayaking

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We spend all weekend, every weekend with our families. And now that my parents moved to a house on a small lake our weekends just got a lot more entertaining. Jeremy and I woke up early on Saturday so we could get in some quality time on the kayak before the heat became too unbearable (we've had something like 35+ consecutive 100F+ days - it's sad).

We fished for a little bit but caught nothing but branches. I was secretly glad - even though I was raised on a boat with a bass fisherman it still kind of stresses me out to take a hook out of a little fish mouth.

Related posts:
Gone Fishin' (one of my favorite memories with my dad, to date)
My Dad is a Serial Killer (written by my sister, Tara, at Kind of a Sideshow)

 

Mermaid's Tears

a.
MermaidTearsPolish

b.
LittleMermaid

a.
This week has been a little bit of a bummer. I'm having a hard time shaking the summer blues. So I thought I'd try a little pick-me-up by painting my nails. When I went to photograph the bottle of pretty aqua polish for this post I noted the name for the first time - Mermaid's Tears. How appropriate. P.S. I love pairing this color with a sparkly gold polish on my ring finger.

b.
And speaking of mermaids. My sister just posted about my parents new lake house and in it included an old photo of me in my home made little mermaid costume circa 1989. I kind of lived in that pink lamé bra and am surprised I didn't get sent home the day I wore it to school for Halloween exactly as pictured above. 29-year-old inappropriate me is totally high-fiving the inappropriate 7-year-old me. And I'm not surprised to find that we still rock the same inappropriate sense of style - pink bra and all.

 

The Most Spontaneous Jeremy Has Ever Been

a.
NightTime

b.
Vaccination

a.
A few years ago I read a blog post about some girl being surprised by her husband with a getaway to Paris. Since then I've had this unrealistic fantasy of Jeremy calling me up on afternoon and telling me to grab my passport, a bikini and to meet him at the airport. I've even told Jeremy about said fantasy - you know, kind of like telling someone how badly you want a surprise birthday party.

But, I have to tell you all something about Jeremy. The dude has his routines. For example, every night when we decide that we're ready for sleep, Jeremy goes through his ritual of cleaning out the cat box, washing his hands, brushing his teeth (for a solid 3 minutes), taking off an article of clothing, folding it, hanging it or tossing it in the hamper. Then he calls for Mister Scooty Boots (by whatever pet name he has for him that week - this week it's "Keister") and pets him a little, sets the alarm and crawls into bed. What's most impressive is that he even goes through this routine on nights like this. Meanwhile, I'm in bed with all my clothes on the floor in about 3 seconds flat. I'll put them away on Sunday. And my teeth. I'll deal with those in the morning. Jeremy likes structure and organization - I could go into how sexy that can be in its own way, but this story isn't about that.

b.
So the other day Jeremy picks me up for lunch (we go to lunch together once a week - it's our routine) and as he pulls into the driveway he says "grab our health records - they're in the file cabinet under 'Health Records' where I neatly tucked them away in alphabetical order." I was caught a little off-guard but at that point it felt almost as if we were going on a spontaneous adventure. Except, instead of "we're going to the airport" he said "we're going to the health department."

Jeremy was taking us to finish out our vaccinations. We started our round of Hep A&B vaccines before we left for Nepal and were months overdue for the third round of shots. The nurse asked us if we were traveling abroad as she shoved the spring-loaded syringe into my shoulder. I couldn't help but have a glimmer of hope that the airport was our next stop.


Are you all spontaneous? Or are you more of a methodical planner? What's the most spontaneous thing you've ever done?

 

Freelance Matters | Getting Paid

MoneyMattersFreelance

When I hear stories about freelancers not getting paid it makes me cringe. So today I want to talk to all of you freelancers about getting paid and how I go about it. I know asking for payment is really uncomfortable for a lot of freelance designers, photographers, crafters, etc. But here's what I've learned - it's only awkward if you make it so. Do you feel weird about handing over a copay when you go to the doctor? Do you feel funny when you pay your waiter for a meal you just enjoyed? No? Then you shouldn't get all stressed out about asking for money for your services and talent.

I've written before about estimating & billing but here are a few more tips (or reminders) on how to get paid:

1. Your client is not the enemy. I think this is important to note first. I hear so many horror stories about designer / client-from-hell situations and it makes me as uncomfortable as witnessing that unhappily married couple that always bickers in public. A lot of this is about determining a good fit upfront (which I'll get more into later). But basically, if your client likes you they're going to want to pay you.

meandSana
Sana and Kathleen: An example of a client / designer love-fest.

2. Work in flat fees.
This way everyone knows what to expect. If a client can't afford you then they know it upfront. I talk a lot about estimating and flat fees here.

3. Get a deposit before you even begin the project.
I like to ask for 50%. This establishes a clear commitment between the designer and client.

4. Get your final payment prior to final file delivery or before you send anything to print. But make sure you receive final approval, in writing, on all work first.

5. Have an invoicing and estimating process and stick to it every single time. The more you estimate and invoice the easier it becomes to know what you're worth and ask for payment.

6. Have a contract. Make expectations clear for what you and the client can expect. If you don't have a contract you can A) make it up (it's better than nothing), B) hire a lawyer or C) refer to a book - like this.

7. Be nice. If you aren't getting paid sometimes it's a simple miscommunication. A friendly reminder can go a long way.

So those are a few tips on how I get paid with freelancing. I've never not received payment from a client so I think it's a pretty solid system.

Do any of you have issues or tips for getting paid? I'd love to hear your point-of-view. Or if you have additional questions I would be more than happy to answer them in the comments section.

Related posts:
• Freelance Matters | Estimating & Billing
Freelance Matters | Project Management
• Money | Matters

Next up on Freelance Matters:
• Working for Free (aka ProBono): How, when and when not to work for free

 

Creatives Near You

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Jeremy and I were recently interviewed by my new friend, Meg Lopp, of Green Couch Design for a feature called Creatives Near You. She asked a lot of really great questions about how we juggle our personal and professional lives, how we keep creativity fresh and what a typical date night is like.

Here's an excerpt:
Q.) Everyone has a different approcah toward balancing business and life. For J&K how do the two coexist?

A) KATHLEEN: I believe that business and life should go hand-in-hand. I’m passionate about what I do – who I am in my professional life is the same as my personal life and nine times out of 10 my clients become great friends. Meanwhile, Jeremy is more of a “working for the weekend” kind of guy. He’s good at what he does and is a hard worker 40 hours a week but when he’s home he’s not thinking about work – and he likes it that way.

A) JEREMY: I don’t work THAT hard. Ha. Though, I do fantasize about being passionate about my work. It’s just not practical for me. I’m better off keeping work and play separate.


Click here to read more. Thanks, Green Couch Design for having us over.

 

Watercolor Wedding Invitations

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Dominique (aka Dom) was a regular blog commenter since the beginning - back when I only had a handful of readers and didn't know how to properly size my photos. She first emailed me back in March of 2010 to ask about my invitation rates and process (back when I was charging pennies and didn't really have much of a process at all). Over a year later she was ready to pull the trigger and I was ready to design some invitations for someone who already felt like a friend.

I knew I wanted to do something really special for Dom and Lucas. I wanted their invitations to feel as if they were designed completely by hand but still have a modern vibe. So with that I drew each letter by hand (based on existing typefaces) and used watercolor as a primary design element.

Dom and Lucas loved the initial design concept but were hoping for something a little more whimsical. When Dom asked for a drawing of the couple with their dog running off a leash and swirls following behind him I was able to give it to her straight, like a friend, and told her that her wedding invitations weren't the time or place. And the best part is - she listened.

People that hire me to design their custom wedding invitations usually have placed a huge priority on their paper goods. They're paying a lot of money for their invites and often want to see A LOT going on in the design in order to justify those costs. So then, it's not only my job to design an invitation but to convey with a creative rationale what makes my design worth it. My friend Cole, an amazing hair stylist, once told me that's it isn't always about the hair that's taken off, but the hair that's left on that makes a stylist great - I'll never forget that. I feel the same way about invitation design. It's not about embellishing for embellishment sake - it's about creating a beautiful and hopefully timeless invitation that my clients can feel good about forever.

Dom and Lucas were thrilled with their final invitations. They thanked me for guiding them to a final look that received lots of compliments from friends and family and I thanked them for trusting me and letting me be a little part of their big day.

NOTE: I am no longer designing custom wedding invitations. If you're looking for a wedding invitation designer please check out the sponsors at Oh So Beautiful Paper and A Practical Wedding.

 

Anatomy of an Outfit: Summer Smoothie

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I've been wearing the same thing every day this summer. My cut-offs, those wedges and that hot pink bra. Sometimes my shirt changes. Sometimes. So now I've taken to accessorizing with scarves and my drink of choice. It makes me feel very Nancy Botwin.


Cut-offs - Street
Wedges - Aerosole
Belt - Target
Top - Urban Outfitters
Bra - American Apparel
Scarf - A gift from Merl
Drink - Thai Green from 105 Degrees

 

About Dinahsaur

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Most of you are familiar with Scooty Boots (top left, being sweet) but you may not know Dinahsaur (top right, plotting your demise) quite as well. There are a couple of reasons for that:

1. Dinahsaur and Scooty are twins so sometimes it's confusing which is which.
2. Dinahsaur is a total spaz - even when she's trying to be sweet. The little bit of personality she has is far from charming.
3. Scooty Boots is our favorite. In the past, I've only ever had one pet at a time so I figured like a good mom I wasn't supposed to have a favorite. But she kind of acts like a teenage girl who hates my guts.

I was beginning to feel really guilty about Dinahsaur. Like, my attitude about her was feeding her unfriendly & spazzy demeanor. I wanted us to be close - start fresh.

So recently one my favorite clients stops by my house to join Jeremy and me for dinner after a long day of press checks. Dinahsaur crawls into his lap and he's petting her - he has a couple cats of his own and didn't mind. I wanted to say "She's a total bitch. Watch out." But I was trying to turn it around with her - I mean, I would probably be a total bitch too if someone was constantly telling the world how evil I was. I was trying not to project and she was being sweet (I mean, regardless of her annoying nature she usually doesn't mean any harm). And that's when all of a sudden she spazzes out (for NO reason) and jumps off the lap of my client - he grabs his finger - apparently she bit him - hard. But then I notice two huge bloody scratches on his arm and we all start freaking out. I'm freaked that my cat just attacked my long-time client in my own home and he's never going to work with me again and here he's worried about bleeding all over my furniture. I grab a towel and everyone recovers. A few beers later and we're laughing about it. I'm still not positive I'll ever get hired again, though.

So if you wonder why you don't hear about Dinahsaur as much this is why.

Do any of you have an evil cat? Do you feel bad about picking favorites? Please, share your stories so I don't feel so alone over here.

 

Kathleen and Kendi. Everyday.

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It would be awesome if the story went something like this:
So, Jeremy and I were walking around South Congress street in Austin last week - just shopping and eating when we stumbled across a Kendi Everyday photoshoot! You guys know Kendi, right!? The kindofabigdeal fashion blogger who is all unicorns and rainbows! And for you dear, readers, I totally photobombed it.

But that's not the truth.

The truth is Kendi, and her fantastic husband Bryan, hired me to design their brand identity for their photography business (more on that later). And through this experience of working together we decided that we should probably be best friends too. So when we were all working in Austin on the same weekend we had to get together for a drink.

It's always a little awkward meeting with a blog friend in real life because a blog is just a little snapshot of what we decide to share with the world. Kendi was worried I was going to think she was all unicorns and rainbows (she IS but not in a sugary sweet Pollyanna way - more like in a rad and genuine Lisa Frank kind of way) and I always worry about coming off as if I couldn't actually kick ass in the post-apocalypse. I also have to reassure new friends that Jeremy is just as quiet in real life as he is here on this blog - that he's not secretly judging you.

So we chatted (but mostly laughed) over margaritas and beers. I told my favorite story about how I met my number one celebrity crush, Alan Cumming (and Cyndi Lauper!), and Kendi told me about the time she touched Mandy Moore's hand. And as we parted ways we all assured each other that we would stay best friends forever and I swear, you guys - I saw a psychedelic unicorn waiting around the corner for Kendi to saddle up.

Photos by Bryan Skeen.

 

Yay New York!

My friend Meg from A Practical Wedding emailed me just a little over a week ago requesting a really rad favor. I couldn't refuse when she asked me to design all the materials for a wedding equality celebration that will take place in New York in late August. Even though I've officially declared that I'm done designing invitations and other wedding-related things I came out of retirement for this one. I couldn't reply to Meg quick enough to tell her how in I was.

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I will definitely be posting more later on how the design came to be but for now, head over to A Practical Wedding to learn more details about Yay New York! and marriage equality.

 

Education | Matters

EducationMatters

I get asked a lot about my design background and education. Stuff like this:

I'm working a desk job that I want an escape from. Through the reading of crafty blogs and design blogs I have found that I think I might have an intense love for all things design. Did you go to school for it? What specifically did you study?

And this:

i really want to pursue a career in advertising, but i have no idea on where i would like to go to college. i am fresh out of high school and am going to attend a community college first but i was wondering how did you get your advertising job? did you go to college and get a degree and if so where did you attend school? or did you know someone through the grapevine?

I hope that I make design and freelancing look somewhat effortless and easy - it means I'm doing my job right. But I'm going to tell you that there were a lot of impatient tears and awkward moments over the last 10 years to get me where I am today. And I'm not done yet. There are still daily struggles but it's gotten a lot easier from where I started. But back to the topic at hand...

IN SHORT:
I graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 2004 with a bachelor's degree in fine arts with an emphasis in visual communications (VisCom). There we studied typography (type was about 50% of my coursework), composition, layout, color theory and more. We did learn software (the now obsolete Adobe Photoshop 6 and Macromedia Freehand) but the emphasis was more on technical hand skills. In art school I also studied studio arts such as painting, drawing, ceramics, screen printing, and moving images (film & video). I also studied art history and had a fair amount of gen ed coursework in my first two years of college.

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MY BACKGROUND:
My siblings and I grew up drawing, painting, writing, playing musical instruments and acting. The arts were in our blood. My sister was the first to go to college and got her fine arts viscom degree in 1997. My brother went on to get his associates degree in film & broadcasting at a community college but decided to pursue his career as a sideshow performer in NYC.

When it was my turn to go to college I was torn between pre-medicine (I was a little bit of a science nerd and I still love the idea of healing) and art. Ultimately, I decided to follow in my sister's footsteps and stay close to home (where college cost pennies) and study art. I thought I was going to major in screenprinting or painting. I was so uninterested in graphic design and didn't really have the computer know-how to be a designer. But, when portfolio reviews for the highly competitive program (100 students would apply every year for 18 spots in the VisCom program) I couldn't help but apply. I made it in and the rest is history.

DIVIDERDots

ART SCHOOL:
In art school I received an amazing foundation for what would become my livelihood. I also made some lifelong friends (including Daniel). School was one of the hardest times of my life. It was competitive, scary and challenging and I while I was a really hard worker and could feel that I had talent lying dormant somewhere, I wasn't a good designer (yet) and that was hard to face.

In my design courses I specifically learned stuff like:
• Typography (I cannot emphasize more how important a background in type is)
• Color
• Composition
• How to use an X-acto blade (SO important)
• How to create mock-ups by hand
• How to present and talk about your work
• How to critique others' work
• The importance of sketching
• Bringing your work into the computer
• Printing basics & setting your files up to print

DIVIDERDots

POST-SCHOOL:
What I learned after graduating and even reflecting on the whole school thing right now is that school wasn't the be all and end all of my design education. In fact, I just went through my college portfolio with Jeremy the other day and I realized that my art school education barely scratched the surface of uncovering the designer I am today. But that said, it was a solid foundation and a great start.

KathleenThirdDegree
Me... Working. Photo by David McNeese.

After graduation I went on to get a job as an entry-level designer at the alternative weekly newspaper here in Oklahoma City. It was there that I really started to learn how to use computer software. I made some really great friends and connections and started to dip my toe in art direction on photoshoots. After a year there I was hired at one of the ad agencies I interned at while still in school. I worked my way up to Senior Art Director there over the next 5 years and worked on branding campaigns for a variety of clients, I designed and produced countless commercials and photoshoots and best of all - I got to work with Daniel, Hallie, Liz, Tara and lots of other really great people. From there I went on to freelance and have been doing so for the last year.

DIVIDERDots

MY ADVICE TO YOU:
Go to school but don't get too caught up in learning the software. Focus on typography and design concepts. Work hard and be nice. Make real and lasting connections. Be patient and trust your instincts.

I would love to continue this conversation in the comments. Do you have any additional questions about my education & experience as a new designer? If you're currently working in the creative field how did you get your start? Any tips you'd like to share with J&K readers?

Top photos of the Fred Jones art school at OU via ou.edu.

 

Summertime

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I always have these romantic notions about summertime. In my head it's all play and no work. Sun-kissed shoulders and bare faces. Lakes, bikinis and boats. Picnic blankets and camp fires. Open roads, wrap-around porches and cold strawberry beers. Farmers markets filled with peaches and zucchini. And all these notions exist within a :60 second clip with an equally beautiful soundtrack to accompany.

What doesn't exist in this Volkswagen commercial of my summer is the oppressive heat and pesky mosquito bites. Bruised feelings and blistered skin. Deadlines and disappointments. The constant question of "what's next?" - while exciting and full of potential sometimes it's just exhausting and overwhelming. And, according to my favorite place to buy microbrews in bottles, there has been a shortage of strawberries.

The hedonist and art director in me can't help but want life to be picture-perfect. And I truly believe it can be. Even the downs can be beautiful if scored to the right music. But the thing is, I don't want this summer to be some slow & quiet, character-driven indie-flick. No. I want my Volkswagen commercial filled with love and lightning bugs. I've got a couple more months to make it happen - starting now.

 

Broccoli and Tofu Fried Rice

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Tofu fried rice is one of the first things I learned to cook on my own as an adult. I remember it being really complicated and coming out mushy (from not having my rice technique down) and brown (from having ZERO veggies in the mix). These days, I consider fried rice as one of my quicker meals to throw together and now it's chock full of tasty veggies.

Broccoli and Tofu Fried Rice
1 head of broccoli
1 bunch of medium leeks
1 small yellow onion
1 block of sprouted tofu, firm
1/2 cup of brown rice (uncooked)
2 tbs. sunflower oil, divided (or another high heat oil)
2-3 tbs. yellow curry
1-2 tbs. sesame seeds
liquid aminos or shoyu (soy sauce)


First, make your rice. I use a pan to make mine but you can also use a rice cooker. Use whatever rice cooking technique is your favorite but make sure you do this in advance (either in the morning or the night before - if you're self-employed and work from home you can do it in the middle of the day like I did.) After your rice is cooked put it in a wide, shallow bowl and stick it in the fridge.

When you're ready to get started with cooking begin by draining your tofu. Check out this recipe for my tofu-draining technique. Then cube in little half-inch chunks (or larger - whatever floats your boat).

Now, heat a large saute pan over medium heat. Toast your sesame seeds until browned, remove from pan and set aside. Then add about 1 tbs. of oil. Let that get hot and add your tofu chunks - sprinkle with a little yellow curry powder and liquid aminos (or soy sauce).

Now get your veggies ready. Chop your onion. Then peel your leeks, slice them in half (vertically) and gently wash off all the dirt that may be trapped between layers. Then chop your leeks into .25" sections (so you'll end up with little half moons). Wash your broccoli and cut up the florets into a size that makes you happiest. Make sure your keeping an eye on your tofu - turn off the heat on that pan when they're good and browned.

Now, if you have a wok now is the time to get it out. If not, just remove the tofu from the large saute pan and use that. Heat another tbs. of oil in the pan (or wok) over medium heat. Add the onions and leeks. Once they become a little translucent sprinkle with more curry powder. Now add your broccoli on top of the onions and leeks - cover for 3-4 minutes until the broccoli is the perfect color of bright green. Then add your tofu chunks and cold rice. Sprinkle with more curry powder and liquid aminos or soy sauce. Stir. Once everything is good and mixed up and the rice is heated through it's ready to serve. Sprinkle with the toasted sesame seeds.

Serves 6. Aside from the rice prep it takes about 30 minutes to cook. This meal is vegan and gluten-free if you use liquid aminos.

 

The iPhone Diaries: Roadtrip to Austin

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It felt like Jeremy and I had just returned from our beach vacation when we loaded up the car to visit Austin, Texas for a long weekend. We've been meaning to make the 6-hour drive down to Austin together for a while now and a drink with Kendi & Bryan, as well as the best dinner of my life, brainstorming, cooking and photoshooting with Melissa (aka Melicious) & Dave seemed like the perfect excuse to make the trip.

On our way through Texas we stopped at our favorite rest stop - The Czech Inn (off I35 in West, Texas, just before you hit Waco). The kolaches are amazing - we picked two: peach and pumpkin. And from the time we hit Austin our weekend was full of cold drinks, delicious food and even better conversation.

I have a whole lot to share with you all about my upcoming project with Mel and how that lemon she's holding (bottom right photograph) totally violated a piece of pork. And more on Kendi (not all rainbows and unicorns - but close!) and her beer chugging abilities. But first, I need to warm up to the beginning of a new work week - I've gotta get my head on straight and put on my thinking cap.

In the meantime, let's catch up. How was your weekend? How have you all been? Have you been on any road trips or eaten anything delicious lately?

 


J & K started this blog project to document the remodel of their 1929 historical home in the heart of Oklahoma City. It has now turned into a documentation of life, food, fashion, freelance, inspiration, design, adventures and details around the J & K house.

Kathleen works as an award-winning brand consultant and designer specializing in small business branding at Braid Creative & Consulting. Jeremy is a software engineer and is the left-brain to Kathleen’s right.

You can contact Kathleen at
jeremyandkathleen (at) gmail (dot) com.

All photos and graphics by Kathleen unless otherwise stated. Feel free to use them with permission or credit.

Anatomy of an Outfit



Sometimes I like to get dressed and take pictures of myself. For all of my outfit posts click here.

Freelance Matters



Freelance Matters: A series about how I tackle freelance issues such as estimating, billing, to-do lists and how to fire a client.

Trekking to Everest



In October 2010 Jeremy and I trekked through the Himalayas to Mt. Everest Base Camp. It completely changed my life. Read about the entire adventure, day-by-day, here.

My Business



Braid is a creative & consulting business I own with my sister. We do branding and business visioning for creative entrepreneurs. On the Braid blog I share branding adventures, how-to articles and advice on the creative process. If you need a little brand therapy of your own visit Braid or subscribe to the Braid blog RSS feed here.



What We Eat



We like to eat really good food - at least 3 times a day. Sometimes I blog about it - click here for recipes and yummy ideas.


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