Eggs Poached in Tomato Sauce

Getting home at 8:45 PM is bad enough... realizing that you dont have any food in the house just makes everything so much worse.  Last Thursday I was looking for something easy, minimal ingredients, and QUICK. Smitten Kitchen came through (as it always does) with an easy-peasy, no fuss, recipe using ingredients that I had at home already making this dinner pretty much a no-brainer. I added a little to her recipe by using pre-made sauce already seasoned with herbs so I just added salt and a bit of crushed red-pepper to taste.  I also rubbed the bread with garlic which gave it a little more flavor.  The fact that I had finished eating by 9:30 was just the cherry on top of a perfect, super quick, dinner recipe.

"Green Goddess" Quinoa

I dont know what it is about Jet Blue flights, but I always end up watching the food network.  For my 30 minute flight from ACK to JFK Claire Robinson's 5 Ingredient Fix was on, and although I had never seen the show before, I knew I had to try out her green goddess rice.  I used her recipe here and just substituted the rice for quinoa, my favorite grain.  I would reccomend possibly increasing the amount used simply because the texture was a little too soup-y for my taste, but it makes an excellent side dish for outdoor parties and can be served cold or warm!

Pretty Things

fresh cut flowers on dresser

All birthdays are awesome but the day after is always a bit of a let down.  The build-up is over and its a little sad knowing that you have to wait three hundred and sixty five days more until the next one.   A few pretty things are keeping my spirits up though.

madewell birthday dress

birthday cards with pretty ribbons

xx. Kaitlyn

Silver Linings

double rainbow

Yesterday was my birthday, and in typical me fashion I tried to make sure everything was perfect.  I arranged lunch with my mom at a new place that I LOVED (post to come later) and planned to pick up the rest of my family for a nice dinner outside on the water.  Well, as I was heading to pick up my sister it started pouring throwing my plans into the wind, and although dinner was lovely I was a little bummed it didn't go quite as planned.  However, as soon as we finished I looked outside to find a full rainbow stretching across the bay.  It really is the little things in life, and seeing that rainbow was the best birthday present I got this year.

xx. Kaitlyn

view of the bay

Songs of Summer: Long Drives

I mentioned before that I have an hour commute to work.  If I can do anything productive with this time, its discover EXACTLY what songs are fun to drive to.   My favorite part about my commute is the fact that I can sing along with the radio and these songs will keep me singing the whole drive.

1. Rolling in the Deep - Adele

2. Knee Deep (feat. Jimmy Buffet) - Zac Brown Band

3. Good Life - One Republic

4. Skyscaper - Demi Lovato

5. Pants - Walker Hayes

6. Every Teardrop is a Waterfall - Coldplay

7. Sweet Child O' Mine - Guns n' Roses

8. For the First Time - The Script

9. Somewhere Only We Know - Keane

10.  Moves Like Jagger (feat. Christina Aguilera) - Maroon 5

La Vie en Rose

beautiful dahlias

Despite the fact that I speak absolutely NO french, I tend to live by french phrases. La vie en Rose, taken from a famous song, accurately describes the mood I was in last evening on the way home from work.  I have an hour drive to and from work that takes me essentially the whole length of the North Fork and gives a really good feel for the area.  It was a little cloudy and rainy on the way home, just slightly depressing, but as soon as I got home the sky had parted to let the sun through and the breeze had picked up.  It was the perfect summer evening. "the magic spell you cast, this is la vie en rose"

sun breaking through the clouds

fields of wildflowers

DIY: Embroidered Napkins

With my mother's birthday fast approaching, and her love of new trinkets for the house, I decided to put the skills my grandmother taught me to use! I broke out the needle and thread after seeing this tutorial from heart of light.  I decided to use the names of towns on the North Fork, and a simple straight stitch on pre- made napkins.  It took mere hours and the result is super cute (and my mom loves them!)

xx. Kaitlyn

The Vine

The Vine

The vine has been one of our favorite restaurants on the North Fork for some time now, and we always make a point to go once or twice a summer.  Located in Greenport, the atmosphere is inviting, and the perfect place to spend an evening dining al fresco.  So when the temperature dipped below 80 degrees we decided to pay a visit.  Our favorite part of the vine is the fact that we can order our childhood favorites, but somehow they are now acceptable for adults.

French Fries Provençal 

Spaghetti and Chicken Meatballs with Pine Nuts

Fried Calamari with a trio of aioli sauces

Truffled Macaroni and Cheese

xx. Kaitlyn & Olivia

A Summer to Remember

Welcome to girls in their summer clothes! Inspired by our low-key, rustic, and naturally beautiful surroundings on the North Fork of Long Island, we have created this blog to exhibit all the awesome aspects of "the other fork" (a.k.a. not the Hamptons) that we love and look forward to coming back to every summer. Documenting the adventures of two best friends, this blog will take you from sandy and calm beaches to fields of wildflowers, from quaint hamlets to old-fashioned diners. We hope you will come to love the North Fork as much as we do.