Author Archives: kkregel

by | December 5, 2012 · 7:45 am

Holiday Gift Guide: For Kids & Pets

Anne’s Picks

For the little girl in your life, you can’t go wrong with a pair of fringe boots.  Warning: if your little girl is anything like mine, putting these cute boots on will also add a touch of sass to her attitude.  You also can’t go wrong with any of the Olivia books which documents the adventures of a smart and creative little girl.


1. Olivia book ($18)  2. Fill and Spill Picnic Basket ($25)  3. Wee Wonderfuls Fern doll ($39)  4. Fleece Mouse Robe ($40)  5. Tall Boot ($30)  

Stef’s Picks

For the budding chef in your life, the MiMi the Sardine organic cooking aprons are the perfect gift. They are super easy to wipe off and have adjustable ties, so the apron grows with your little one. I’m also a big fan of the kid-tough Fisher Price digital cameras. Now your mini Ansel Adams can keep his paws off your camera and create his own masterpiece.

1. Curious George Matching Game ($8)  2. Train Sound Puzzle ($11)  3. Veggie Tales Christmas Collection ($15)  4. Organic Cotton Child’s Apron ($20)  5. Kid’s Digital Camera ($38)  6. Battatt Bristle Block Set ($24) 

Katie’s Picks

I’ll always have a soft spot for sparkly pet collars but this year I’m also intrigued by the Bolt laser toy.  Whether you’ve got a dog or a cat, your furry companion will be very entertained by this laser pointer.  The best part?  You’ll be equally entertained by their antics as they chase the beam around your home.


1. Chevron Pet Bed Cover ($59) 2. Sparkle Dog Collar ($23)  3. Interactive Laser Pet Toy ($16)  4. Cat Scratcher Lounge ($49.95)  5. Soggy Doggy Slopmat ($24.95)

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by | December 4, 2012 · 7:45 am

Holiday Gift Guide: For the Guys

Anne’s Picks

Most men love a clean shave and the starter kit from The Art of Shaving will give them the tools to do just that.  If scruff is more your man’s style grab him some Man Candles.  Scents like Saw Dust and Fresh Cut Grass will be perfect for any man cave.


1. Clarkson Belt ($35)  2. Leather iPhone case (from $20) 3. Lambswool Half-zip Sweater ($75)  4. Man Candles ($15)  5. Art of Shaving Kit ($115)

Katie’s Picks

Handcrafted and artisan are all the rage right now so I love the idea of giving the guy in your life (those of legal age, of course), spirits to match his tastes and attitude.  If he likes to have the best brought to him, choose a bottle of his favorite kind of liquor from a craft distillery like Templeton Rye or Death’s Door. If he’s more of a “do-er”, he’ll love a starter home brew kit from Northern Brewer.  If your guy doesn’t imbibe, let him savor the flavors of Ted’s Butcher Block Bacon of the Month club instead!


1. Quilted Puffer Jacket ($98) 2. Bacon of the Month Club (from $78)  3. You the Man mug ($16)  4. Artisan whiskey or gin (prices vary)  5. Homebrew Starter Kit ($80) 6. Kiehl’s Ultimate Man Set ($58)

Stef’s Picks

While you can never go wrong with a bottle of wine from Da Coach, my top pick this year is the subscription to mlb.tv. If you have a baseball fanatic with an affection for personal electronics, mlb.tv streams games straight to your laptop or iPad.

1. Wool Puffer Vest ($80)  2. MLB.TV package (prices vary)  3. Mike Ditka wines (prices vary) 4. Hand Printed Whiskey Glasses ($24)  5. ESPN 30 for 30 Blu-Ray set ($55)  6. Personalized Whiskey leather shaving kit ($60)

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by | December 3, 2012 · 7:47 am

Holiday Gift Guide: For the Ladies

Every year we get excited to put together our holiday gift guide. Whether we’re making a list for our friends and family (or doing a little virtual window shopping for ourselves), we’ve found there’s no better way to start off the season. Join us all week as we share our favorite picks!

Anne’s Picks

Buying clothes for the lady in your life isn’t always easy, but any girl could use a good quality, basic long sleeve t shirt.  The JCrew vintage long sleeve tee is a perfect fit and comes in amazing colors.  Pair it with a chic (and surprisingly inexpensive) bubble necklace for an instant outfit.

girls-anne
1. Glitter iPhone case ($29.50)  2. Bubble necklace ($9.50)  3. Vintage cotton long sleeve tee ($34.50)  4. It’s Raining Men body wash ($28.95)  5. Joan of Arctic Snow Boots ($150)

Katie’s Picks

They’re a big splurge but if you have a special lady on your list, you can’t go wrong with a pair of Frye boots. She’ll love both you and them forever. For stocking stuffers and girl friends, Julep’s chic grey polish set is a perfect of-the-moment pick.


1. Fair Isle Sweater ($98)  2. Trinity post earrings ($28)  3. Bracelet watch ($180)  4. iPhone glam case ($40)  5. Melissa button boot ($328) 6. Shades of Grey nail polish set ($16)

Stef’s Picks

At the top of my Christmas list this year is a Jo Totes camera purse. It’s a chic purse from the outside but a DSLR camera bag on the inside. It makes lugging your camera around so much more stylish. I’m also shouting out some blog love this year with published works by some of our friends around the world wide web. Confessions of a Scary Mommy is a blog turned book, with some funny, touching and sometimes scary notes for the mommy in your life.

1. Bina Brianca Wrap ($42.50)  2. Confessions of a Scary Mommy ($10)  3. Tadasana Wrap ($99)  4. Jo Totes Camera Purse ($89)  5. Color Block Mary Janes ($50)  6. Sylvan Beaded Stretch Belt ($48)

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by | November 19, 2012 · 8:38 am

Smoky White Bean Soup with Rosemary

I have a tendency to experiment with cooking more when the hubs is out of town. He’s not a picky eater by any means but when he sees “bean soup”, “kale salad” or “veggie pesto” on our menu board he tends to think the “healthy” stuff will leave him still hungry and feeling like a rabbit.

As far as veggie-based soups go, this one is pretty hearty and doesn’t even seem veggie-based thanks to the rich beans and smoky bacon. Plus it was easy to make. I’ll be resurrecting this again – whether the hubs is around or not!

white bean soup
Smoky White Bean Soup with Rosemary
5 slices smoked pepper bacon, chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 large clove garlic, minced
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
3 15 oz cans cannellini beans
3 1/2 C low sodium chicken broth
1 C chopped kale
1 Tbsp sherry
1/3 C parmesan cheese, shredded
1 spring rosemary, chopped
kosher salt, to taste

Place chopped bacon in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook for about 5 minutes until bacon begins to crisp and brown. Add in onion, celery and garlic. Drizzle in olive oil if extra fat is needed to prevent burning. Some browned bits on the bottom of your pan are ideal though! Let vegetables and bacon cook until vegetables begin to soften, about 5-7 minutes.

Next, add 1/4 C of chicken broth to the pan and use the moisture to scrape and release browned bits into the liquid. This will add additional flavor to your base. Add in sherry, beans, remaining broth and rosemary. Let simmer over medium low for 10-15 minutes.

Use an immersion blender or transfer to a blender or food processor to puree soup until smooth. Mix in parmesan and chopped kale and stir. Season well with salt until flavors pop and let simmer until kale is cooked.

Serve with french bread or pretzel rolls.

white bean soup

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by | November 7, 2012 · 8:49 pm

Pumpkin Apple Streusel Muffins

With the holidays just around the corner, I’m still hanging onto the last little bits of fall. Let’s face it, as soon as it slips away it’s going to be awhile before us cold climate people see signs of outdoor life again without freezing our fingers off.

As an homage to all the best fall flavors, I’m sharing these Pumpkin Apple Streusel muffins that my mom used to make for us as kids. Consider them tasty little bites of autumn that you can bust out when the winter blues set in…or just for every weekend prior.

Pumpkin Apple Streusel Muffins
2 1/2 C flour
2 C sugar
1 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 C pumpkin
1/2 C vegetable oil
2 C peeled, finely chopped apples

Preheat over to 350. In a large bowl, combine eggs, pumpkin and oil. Beat in dry ingredients, working in flour and sugar one cup at a time. Stir until batter is fully mixed. Using a spatula, fold in apples. Spoon batter into paper lined muffin cups, filling about 3/4 full.

Streusel Topping
2 Tbsp flour
1/4 C sugar
3/4 tsp cinnamon
5 Tbsp butter

In a small bowl, combine flour, sugar and cinnamon. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle on top of batter in each muffin cup. Bake for 25-30 minutes.


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by | October 17, 2012 · 10:25 pm

Butternut Squash, Sweet Potato & Fennel Soup

I have a serious thing for butternut squash. I would call it a problem if it weren’t for the fact that it’s a healthy obsession to have.  Last weekend I made this butternut squash soup that tastes so rich and satisfying that it sets a new standard for “health food”.

As a bonus, my one year old also gobbled it up and, besides the tedious vegetable chopping, the rest of the process is pretty hands-off – perfect for a weekend afternoon.

Butternut Squash, Sweet Potato & Fennel Soup
2 medium buttnernut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed
2 small or 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed
1 bulb fennel, chopped
3 cloves garlic
1/2 onion, chopped
2-3 Tbsp olive oil
4 C low sodium vegetable stock
2 Tbsp sherry
1/2 C half & half (optional)
2 sprigs thyme
kosher salt, to taste
cracked black pepper

Optional toppings:
dried cherries
pepitas
pancetta

Trim and chop squash, sweet potato, fennel and onion. Place vegetables, plus peeled garlic and thyme sprigs, on cookie sheets and toss with olive, salt and pepper until lightly and evenly coated. Roast vegetables at 400 for 40 minutes, removing part way through to flip for even browning.

Transfer half of roasted vegetables to a food processor or blender.  Begin pulsing the food processor and slowly incorporate two cups of vegetable stock, processing until mixture is smooth. Scrape into a Dutch oven or stock pot. Move the other half of vegetables into the food processor and repeat process of incorporating stock.  Add in sherry and puree until smooth.  Transfer second batch to the Dutch oven.

Heat puree over medium-low heat.  Season with salt to taste and stir in half and half if desired. Let soup simmer for at least 30 minutes.

Serve with pepitas, dried cherries and pancetta if desired.


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by | October 1, 2012 · 7:32 pm

And the winner is…

Thank you to everyone who entered to win our anniversary week giveaway from Rosy Rings candles plus all the extra Facebook love! We wish we had enough to go around to everyone but one lucky winner has been chosen at random…drumroll please…

Congratulations to Jennie!  She’ll be snagging that Honey Tobacco scent she was coveting, along with two others to get her ready for a heavenly smelling fall.

Happy Monday!

Winner chosen using Random.org. Blog giveaway sponsored by Rosy Rings.

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by | September 24, 2012 · 8:12 pm

{Giveaway!} Rosy Rings Apothecary Jar Candle Set

A few years ago three girls sat mindlessly chatting about recipes over lunch when the topic of a blog came up. At first it was more of a pop culture discussion than anything until that proverbial light went off. Why not start their own, they thought. It would make all that recipe sharing so much easier and it could be fun(!) and cute(!) – the things you say when you’re a girl. Soon after, our little blog was born.

Things at HAP have changed a bit over the years as our families and jobs have grown and changed. At the end of the day, we write for fun about real things, real food and the special touches of “hauteness” we try to bring to every day things.

In honor of our third blog-iversary, we’re giving away a swoon-worthy candle set with the help of our friends at Rosy Rings! We were smitten with the rustic-chic packaging of their Apothecary Jar Candle line, not to mention the classic-with-a-twist scents they come in like Fireside or Honey Tobacco – so perfect for fall.

Enter to Win!

You may have seen these pretties at Anthropologie or Nordstrom’s but today you can win them right here! In standard blog fashion, there’s a few ways you can enter to win:
1. Leave a comment sharing which Rosy Rings scent would light your fire this fall.
2. Like us on Facebook and leave a comment to let us know.
3. Like Rosy Rings on Facebook and leave a comment to let us know.

We’ll announce a random winner next Monday morning so best of luck! And in case you aren’t the lucky winner, Rosy Rings candles are reasonably priced plus they donate 15% of proceeds to charity every year making them a gift you can feel good about giving…even if it is to yourself.

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by | September 10, 2012 · 7:48 am

Grilled Fish with Toasted Coconut Couscous and Spicy Melon Salsa

Last week the hubs came home from a fishing trip to Florida with a stack of fresh saltwater fish including grouper, snapper and mackeral. Living in the Midwest, these fish don’t make it to my table very often and I was too excited about the dish I created to wait to post it.

Back in May, we had taken a trip to Florida together and eaten plenty of fresh catch with bold tropical flavors. Taking a cue from the trip, I made a slightly sweet coconut couscous and a spicy cucumber melon salsa to serve with our lightly seasoned grilled fish. Big and bold yet light and fresh while still playing up the fish…made me wish I had saltwater fish to eat every day!

Grilled Saltwater Fish
1 lb grouper, mingo snapper, mahi mahi or similar saltwater white fish
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
garlic powder
ginger powder
Old Bay seasoning
kosher salt

Form a “plate” with aluminum foil and place fish on foil “plate”. Rub with olive oil so that fish is lightly coated. Season very lightly with garlic, ginger, Old Bay and salt. No need to measure specific amounts here – just lightly dust each piece with the spices. Grill fish for 5-7 minutes. Fish should be flaky and opaque.

Toasted Coconut Rice
1 1/4 C Israeli couscous
1 can lite coconut milk
1/2 C water
1/4 C coconut flakes
1/4 tsp kosher salt

In a large sauce pan, combine couscous, water and coconut milk. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cover. Cook for 10-15 minutes until liquid is fully absorbed. Meanwhile, in a small saute pan, toast coconut over medium heat until golden brown, taking care not to burn – approximately 6-8 minutes. Add toasted coconut to couscous and season with salt. Fluff couscous with a fork and keep covered until other components are ready.

Spicy Melon Salsa
2/3 C diced cantaloupe
2/3 C diced pineapple
1/2 cucumber, diced
1 Tbsp mint, finely chopped
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp honey
1/2 Tbsp lime juice
red pepper flakes, to taste
pinch kosher salt

In a small bowl, combine cantaloupe, pineapple and cucumber. Mix in mint. In a separate small bowl, combine oil, honey and lime juice, whisking until combined. Toss gently over fruit. Dust with salt and red pepper flakes to taste and mix to combine. Salsa should be the right mix of spicy, sweet and tangy for your taste.

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by | August 27, 2012 · 7:45 am

Earl Grey Creme Tea Cookies

I recently helped host a bridal shower for a dear friend at Anaba Tea Room, a local tea room/restaurant plus home and garden boutique. Considering the location, we continued a “tea in the garden” theme throughout the shower including these delicate tea cookies that I made as shower favors.

Using a Martha Stewart recipe that I’d been wanting to try for awhile, I incorporated my favorite black tea, Earl Grey Creme, which has an amazing aroma and subtle vanilla undertones. The results were spot on for an elegant afternoon event.

Earl Grey Creme Tea Cookies
1 C butter
2 C flour
1/2 C powdered sugar
1/2 tsp fine salt
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 Tbsp finely ground Earl Grey Creme black tea leaves

Preheat oven to 350. Use a spice grinder or coffee grinder to grind tea leaves into a fine powder.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, salt and ground tea with a whisk to fluff. In a separate large bowl, beat together butter and powdered sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Gradually beat in dry mixture, taking care to scrap dough from the sides of the bowl, until all dry ingredients have been incorporated but mixture is still solid and not beaten to the point of crumbling.

Divide dough into two balls and set on two pieces of parchment paper.  Roll dough into a long tubular shape using the parchment paper. Reposition dough tube on the parchment, rolling it tightly and tucking the ends under. Freeze dough for 30-45 minutes.

Remove dough from freezer and unwrap from parchment, placing parchment on a baking sheet. Slice dough into 1/4″ slices and place on cookie sheet. If cookies are slightly misshapen you can let the cookies sit for 10-15 minutes so that dough thaws enough for you to gently reshape the cookies.

Bake for 13 minutes.

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