Mint Strawberry Meringue Pie

I put up a little poll on the side of my blog - (what would you like to see more of?) - so far, FOOD is in the lead, tied with fashion! So... i will satisfy your hungry hearts (and tummies!) with this little ditty I whipped up a few weeks ago!

Mint Strawberry Meringue Pie (RECIPE HERE)

Here's a picture of my finished pie:


This was my first time making meringue ... and it was quite a rough experience. I started the pie the night before, and messed up... and before starting over, I read some tips on how to make meringue, and found out that it won't keep well overnight! So, I started over on Easter Sunday morning.
I didn't realize how fussy meringue is to make - you start with egg whites, and add ingredients while mixing with an electric mixer. BUT BEWARE! If you have the slightest bit of yolk in your egg whites, they wont whip up properly! (This is the mistake I made...) So, carefully separate your yolks and whites... and then whip up the meringue until it's the consistency of Cool Whip!
The recipe calls for lemon curd - I think you can buy this in jars, but I'm not sure where ... so I just looked up a recipe to make lemon curd, and it's simple and quick: Lemon Curd Recipe

As I was looking for other recipes, I stumbled across this one that looks AMAZING:
Lemon Pound Cake with Mint, Berries, and Cream
Unfortunately, I felt like this recipe was one better suited for pre-prepared plates. I needed to make something to set up on the counter that people could grab a slice and go, and not be too messy... this recipe didn't fit the bill. BUT it looks sooo delicious and I plan on making it for another occasion! (as soon as i can think of an occasion...)

<3 kim

college fashionista round two: fashionista spotlight!

hey all! remember a couple weeks back when i posted the article from CollegeFashionista about my wintertime outfit?
weeeeeellllllll, emma poprock did an interview/photo of me for the Fashionista Spotlight! wooo!
read the interview here! http://www.collegefashionista.com/school/view/fashionista_spotlight_kim_kovach/

here's the picture from the article:

blazer: Gentle Fawn "Battalion Jacket" (via NOTO)
dress: Gentle Fawn jean dress (via NOTO)
boots: DSW two tone riding boots

and I just decided to paste the interview here:

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Fashionista Spotlight: Kim Kovach
May 18, 2011
Emmalee Poprock

This is my first time breaking away from my normal Style Advice of the Week, and presenting a Fashionista Spotlight. I am so excited to put a name to a face to one of the Fashionistas here at Kent State University. This Fashionista caught my eye in my Programming for Electronic Media class and is in my opinion one of the most fashionable people I have seen on the Kent Campus.

Name: Kim Kovach
Major: Electronic Media ProductionYear: Junior

CollegeFashionista: How would you describe your personal style?

Kim Kovach: I'm all about vintage styles and items inspired by nature. If I had to give my style a name, it'd probably be "Leather & Lace" ... with a hefty helping of floral prints as well. The majority of my closet is tan/peach/mauve and almost all my shoes are brown leather boots/sandals/oxfords. I love high-waisted shorts and skirts, in addition to dresses with a cinch at the midriff... and I pretty much wear a cardigan with every outfit.

CF: Where do you pull your inspiration from?

KK: As far as inspiration for clothing, I really just shop around different places looking for stuff that catches my eye... sometimes in person (shops like H&M, Forever21, and a little boutique called Noto), but especially online my favorites are Modcloth.com and Threadsence.com. Sometimes I pull ideas from movies and I totally try to have Zooey Deschanel's hair. And as far as jewelry, I definitely get my inspiration from nature. I make my own jewelry ("Kim Kovach's Handmade Jewelry" on Facebook) and I use mostly earthy & vintage things like feathers, cameos, leather, wood, and pearls... I always wear a good amount of jewelry - I just love it!

CF: Going into summer. What trends do you see popping up?

KK: This is finally going to be the summer of high-waisted shorts. Last summer it started popping up a bit, but I really think this summer will have a lot of mainstream brands carrying shorts/skirts with a high waist and I am stoked!. Also, of course, floral prints, lace, and pearls... if possible, all three simultaneously!

How To: Want a look like today’s Fashionista, here’s how! Start out with a great blazer like the Poets Society Blazer from Modcloth. Then pair with a dress like this one from Forever 21 and these riding boots from Zappos. For jewelry like today's Fashionista you can get the jewelry that this fashionista designs, just visit the Facebook page.

Style On,

Emmalee Poprock


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<3 <3 <3
kim

small-space gardening: the shoe-organizer

ReadyMade magazine features a ton of ways to create a garden in an urban/suburban setting... my favorite thing so far has to be a hanging garden made from a shoe-organizer. a pouch for each plant! how brilliant! here, have some fresh mint from my mint-pouch! oh, is it basil you want? snip some from my basil-pouch! add a pinch of lavender from the lavender-pouch! want to make your own as much as i do? read the how-to here!

the abandoned barn

ah, my first outfit. jeff and i went out to an abandoned barn near my neighborhood... hiked through the thorns and brambles (ended up with a few scratches, wah) and snapped photos...I was worried about standing on this giant spool.. it was very old and weathered, and every time i moved, it would crack a little bit... luckily, i made it out alive!it was SUCH a nice day... it was definitely one of the nicest days of the year so far! 75 degrees and sunny... hooray, cleveland! before the shoot, jeff and i went on a little hike around a lake to find sunbathing snakes... we saw ten water snakes, and jeff caught one! (just to hold... then he let it go) it had a bump in its belly... must have just eaten a frog or something! crazy!
This was my first time 'modeling' and it was pretty fun... harder/more awkward than i thought! it's easy to feel like, "oh, i can do that..." but when you actually try it... i kept asking jeff what i should do, how i should pose... it's hard to think of so many different looks (that aren't just ridiculous!) all in good time.

Cardigan: H&M

Shirt: Forever21
Pocketwatch necklace: ModCloth
Bird nest ring: I made it myself! You can buy one here
Belt: Aldo
Skirt: Forever21
Shoes: Kohls (Candies)

thrift mania in cleveland!

today, two of my lovely ladyfriends (olivia, nina) and i went on a thrifting excursion in Cleveland, checking out Chelsea's Costumes and Vintage Clothing and The Cleveland Shop!
of course, we had to get dressed up just to go... check out these ladies' street style:
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This was my first time going to these two thrift stores... I walked into Chelsea's and I could nooooot handle it - clothes from floor to ceiling in a huge huge place... so overwhelming!!

after Chelsea's, we bopped over to the Cleveland Shop... they had some wonderful hats as well!

All in all... quite the thrift trip. Wish i had more time to dig through all those clothes!

<3 kim

Sweet Green Tea Scalloped Shorts

well, these are perhaps THE cutest shorts i've ever seen. 
"Sweet Green Tea Scalloped Shorts"  at Ruche

I'm 99% positive I can't pass these up... i'll be sure to post pics if and when i buy them :)

Also - heading out tomorrow morning to go to a vintage thrift store called Chelsea's - somewhere around the Cleveland area - my fashionable friends are taking me there... Nina described it as PILES AND PILES of VINTAGE DRESSES... i don't think i'm going to be able to handle it!! SO EXCITED! will definitely post pictures, outfits, etc. :)

<3

College Fashionista

A few months ago, my friend Emma Poprock (yes, best last name ever) became a blogger for CollegeFashionista! she did a short feature on my winter gear called "Style Advice of the Week: The Wool Trenchcoat"
you can read her full article here! this is the picture from the post:

all i have to say is... thank God that it's not snowing outside anymore. this winter was far too long and cold. i do sort of miss all the layers, though - when I couldn't decide what to wear, i'd just wear both items i was deciding between! in this outfit, the coat & scarf are from H&M, boots are from DSW, headband from Chinatown in Chicago, and the bag is from the Brooklyn Flea in NYC.
a couple weeks ago, i had the chance to do another picture with emma, along with a little interview! it should be posted on CollegeFashionista on Wednesday... i'll be sure to post a link to it here!

polyvore, lulu guinness

so I recently discovered a site called Polyvore - it has a ton of clothing, shoes, accessories, decorations... everything. and it also has places to create collage-type images of all the items you like.  that's what those two pictures above are - i pulled a bunch of items that i loved... super addicting.  almost as addicting as roller-coaster tycoon (which, as it turns out, i have a hankerin' to play... so that's what i'm going to do in a few minutes!)
Polyvore isn't just a place to make designs - you can find amazing things and buy them too... LIKE THIS UMBRELLA.

(my new favorite thing, ever.) i had to call a few warehouses in London and NYC to track it down because it was sold out on so many sites... but i eventually got it (for a whopping $60, ugh, but WORTH IT!) this particular umbrella is sold out, but you can check out this designer's other umbrellas at LuLu Guinness!

<3kim

Pie is where the heart is.

To me, nothing feels more like home than working in the kitchen. It's where I spend my time when I'm back from Kent for holidays that involve a great deal of food (Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc), so cooking at home just reminds me of jolly holiday times. Chopping fruits & veggies, baking pies, making side dishes, and playing my latest favorite record... Ah! It makes me feel all warm inside.
We're having family over tomorrow for Mothers Day, and I baked an Almond Coconut-Creme Pie for the occasion...




The recipe I used is for a crustless pie, but we had a crust sitting in the fridge, so I decided to just put the filling in a crust. I used a store-bought crust (Pillsbury, rolled up dough) and poked holes in it with a fork, popped it in at 450 degrees for 10 min... This makes the crust all fluffy and flaky! The recipe for the filling is here: Coconut Creme Pie Recipe
I added 1/2 tsp almond extract to the filling as well. While the pie was baking, I toasted some coconut & almond slices in a pan... I accidentally burnt them a bit and had to open up the windows, haha! When the pie was done, I layered the coconut-almond mix on top. Voila!

It's the Summer of George!

So, I was thinking the other day... Classes just ended for the semester at Kent, and that means that it is SUMMER! (Although the weather doesn't quite agree!) But, this isn't just any ordinary summer.  I just finished my junior year, which means (dun dun dun) this is my last summer before needing to get a full-time job.
How weird is that? I still feel like a little kid.  I'm not saying that I'll totally have to grow up next year, but this is going to be the last time in a loooong time where I actually have a lot of free time. Kind of depressing.
This undoubtedly means I have to use every single second of this summer time to the fullest! My wonderful boyfriend Jeff and I have already started a list of things we want to do... You know when you say, "We should totally do that!" - well, this summer, write it down and actually do it! With all this in mind, I officially proclaim this... THE SUMMER OF GEORGE!
And, for those of you who are thinking, "Uh, why is it called the summer of George?" watch this short clip:
Video clip of "The Summer of George"

bringing back the 1950s neck scarf

Yesterday, i decided to tie on a simple bandanna with a button-down blouse...



A super easy way to take something plain and make it your own! I bought this blue blouse a couple years ago to dress up like Rosie the Riveter for a 1940's themed New Years party, but haven't worn it since. Adding the peach bandanna to the collar gave my old clothes new life!
<3

ancient roman / lavender lady

 

    Last weekend was Kent State's Student Media Banquet - I ended up getting all dressed up like it was prom, which was definitely a lot of fun.  Getting dressed up for prom is one thing I miss about high school... not a lot of occasions for such dressy attire (until people start getting married... woohoo!)

   I snagged this gorgeous lavender dress for only $38 at Figleaf (www.figleafshop.com) in downtown Kent, and decided I'd go all out with gladiator sandals and a braided leather belt... I originally wanted to do a crown braid, but after my hair-stylist at the salon couldn't do it, I ended up with a half curly, half braided hairstyle.  This is what I originally had in mind: 

 

Does anyone have any ideas on how to successfully create a crown braid?
My lovely friend Nina shared this link with me... pretty similar - much easier to do, it seems. Have a look:
Refinery29: The Perfect Summer Braid We Can't Wait to Try

<3 <3 <3