Follow My New Collaborative Blog

Now I know that I've been MIA on this blog, but I hope that you will all check out my latest project with my twin sister, Kelcy.  It's a collaborative fashion, design, food, music, media, & worldly inspiration blog.  

It's called BKC².

Follow our blog & Twitter and please tell your friends!  We will be posting daily!

Let me know what you think :)

what happens in vegas, stays in vegas...kind of

Everyone always comes back from Vegas saying that they can't wait to go back.  I'm totally one of those people.  It being my second trip to Vegas, with most of the same crew, it's safe to say that I had an AMAZING time.  Everyday was a new adventure. YOLO was the motto.  And I can't stop looking at pictures from the weekend or unpack my suitcase because I never want it to have to end.  

And now, a recap of the weekend.  Not everything...but enough to fill you in.

THURSDAY:

Olivia, Kelcy, and I drove to Vegas.  We got there once the sun was down, which was perfect because Vegas is way prettier at night!  We met up with the Thursday crew (the three of us and four of the boys) at the Cosmopolitan and didn't wait too long to get the night started.  We went to PURE nightclub at Caesar's Palace, and it was hard not to quote Allan from the hangover all night long.

the best boys you'll ever meet

"the magnificent seven"

FRIDAY:

Lunch at Holstein's at the Cosmopolitan with Kelcy and Olivia for the best burgers and shoestring fries I've ever had.  Everyone we knew happened to be in Vegas that weekend too, so we met up with Natalia and Chelsea at O'Shea's to get some beer pong in.  Mikey and PJ joined us too!  It was like we were in Arizona, only we were obviously in Vegas...you could tell because of all the flashing lights and casino sounds.  After meeting up with friends, we joined the boys at Planet Hollywood to meet with the rest of the boys that showed up to party Friday and Saturday and the ten girls who were there for Friday night only.  Stephanie, our roommate last semester, met up with us too! We all went to Chateau that night and met up with a friend from Arizona living in Vegas, but we didn't stay too long.  Even so, we didn't get to sleep until the sun was already up and chewy bars were thrown at passing taxis that were giving us obscene gestures through their half-cracked window.

Chelsea & Natalia!

PJ and Mikey!

the second half of the best boys you'll ever meet
minus the guy in the middle...he wasn't part of the crew

another amigo from AZ!

Stephanie!! :)

SATURDAY:

Breakfast/Lunch with the boys, Deborah, and Sharina.  We then went to the famous Fat Tuesdays to get the even more famous "Yard drinks."  We hadn't been outside yet, so some of the crew decided to take a walk along the strip.  I don't know who's idea it was, but it was genius.  Our next stop was New York, New York to ride the roller coaster. Yeah, it was $14.  But it was SO worth it.  By the time we got out of NY, NY it was already dark.  We made our way back to the hotel to shower and get ready.  Then, it was time for Marquee!  Dancing, jumping, glow sticks, raining money...needless to say it was probably the best night of the weekend.

SUNDAY:

We woke up from our slumbers and made our way back to AZ.  We stopped at Chipotle, of course, before getting onto the freeway.  And Starbucks coffee drinks were involved to make up for the lack of sleep we'd gotten all weekend.  Vegas gives you special powers though, it can make 3 hours feel like 8.  

  

I can't wait to go back!!

how to: make the best zucchini "pie" ever

The other night, Sheri's roommate, Valentina, had her friends over for a dinner party.  Sheri and I watched her as she made this amazing looking zucchini dish.  We had her walk us through it, and two days later, we made one of our own!  It was so easy, and it tasted so good that I am still craving another bite.  

See below for instructions:

Step One: buy three zucchinis, a container of ricotta cheese, flaky dough, and two eggs.

Step Two:  Make slices of the zucchini.

Step Three:  Let the zucchini sit in oil and cook.

Step Four:  While it's cooking, crack two eggs open and fork/whisk them until you can't see the difference between the yolk and the egg whites anymore.

Step Five: Once the zucchini appears cooked, add in the ricotta cheese.  And then the whisked eggs.

Step Six: Lay the soon-to-be flaky dough onto a oven-safe dish. Then place the mixture you just made in the middle.  And if you like it spicy...add some crushed red pepper flakes!!

Step Seven: Make the pastry look pretty by scrunching the sides and making the dish appear more "pie"-like. 

Step Eight:  Put it in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (I'm guessing because we used a Celsius oven).  Keep your eye on it, and when it is GBD (Golden Brown & Delicious), take it out and enjoy!! :)

Courtesy of your favorite chefs: Brooke & Sheri

the past two turkey days

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

I've got to admit, I haven't had a "traditional" Thanksgiving for the past two years.  Last year, my Dad was out of town.  But we still managed to make it to my Aunt's, and then Thanksgiving night consisted of Spinach dip and Keeping Up With The Kardashians with Mom, Kelcy, her boyfriend (Nick), and moi.  

The kitchen can be a dangerous place :)

This year, I'm in a place where they don't even celebrate Thanksgiving!  Luckily, the friends that I've made living in the international dorms, Arcobaleno, organized a pot luck Thanksgiving dinner.

I hope you all have a great day! Enjoy the time you have with your friends and families...it's on this day that I realize how important that is :)

spontaneous village trip

This past weekend was incredible!

Sheri and I received a text from our friend, Lorenzo, on Thursday morning inviting us to his hometown from Saturday until Sunday!  We decided to take him up on the offer, and we boarded the train for Arona on Saturday afternoon!

Once we got there, we visited the town of Arona, Lago Maggiore, and then made our way over to Orta Lake! 

Once we got to our friend's town, we started preparing a classic, Italian dinner: risotto con i funghi.  It was complete with red wine from their personal wine cellar!  After all, in Italy "you cannot cook well without a good glass of wine in your hand." We continued to have a dance party to our favorite songs (including Demi Lovato: our latest guilty pleasure).

The next morning, we got our things together to head to the Alps!  We thanked Lorenzo's grandpa for letting us stay at his place, and he showed us his old American Western movies and the shrine he had set up to commemorate his late wife.  It was precious.  Once at the base of the Alps, in a town called Premia, we went to a thermal spa!! It was a huge public swimming pool (indoor and outdoor) that had natural hot water!! It was amazing!  We did a bit more exploring, and then boarded the train back to Milan.

It was an unbelievably spontaneous trip, but I am so glad that we got to experience "Classic Italia"!!

paris, je t'aime

Paris with Kelcy and Sheri was perhaps the most AMAZING trip I will ever have.  There was nothing to complain about. Everything went flawlessly. And we had an amazing time--plus, we were able to see just about every attraction Paris has to offer...in just three days.

WEDNESDAY:

Kelcy arrived at Linate airport and I was there to greet her!  There were two doors to choose from, and of course I chose the wrong one, but when we finally found each other it was like no time had passed!! :)

Sheri and I made her our favorite homemade meal [spaghetti with pesto and vegetables] before we headed off to Stazione Centrale to catch the bus to Bergamo Airport.

THURSDAY:

We arrived in Paris early in the morning.  We checked into our hostel [which was actually really cool! I was so proud of us for finding it] and walked around the city!  We bought 3 days metro passes, which definitely came in handy!!  We went to the Louvre and got in free because of our student visas!  Even Kelcy got in free because we're twins and the lady probably assumed we went to the same school :)  We checked out the Pont des Arts where the heart locks are! [see post]  And then, after taking a much needed nap, we got dressed up for an Italian three course meal! <3

FRIDAY:

This was our big day.  We grabbed a couple baguettes from the hostel and headed towards the metro stop.  We went to the Eiffel Tower, where a man was playing those Native American-esque flute things to the tune of "My Heart Will Go On".  It was magical.  Then we headed to the Champs Elysee, Arc de Triomphe, and the Jardin des Tuilleries.  We enjoyed Starbucks, nutella crepes, and macaroons from La Duree!!

That night, we went to dinner before heading to the club.  It was incredible!  First, we got sat in the back of the restaurant, but after a couple of minutes we were upgraded to the front table by the window!  Then we headed to The Social Club, which was littered with 16 year olds.  So we got a taxi to Champs Elysee and tried to get into Queen...but we didn't have IDs.  So we're wandering around the Champs Elysee, and stumbled on this hole in the wall place that was insane!! It's called Le Milliardaire.  The bouncers told us to come in, but we were hesitant. When they said free entry, we opted to try it.  And I'm so glad we did! It was gorgeous. Once we entered, we were greeted and sat at a table.  And then the bottle of champagne came, and was opened right before our eyes, and poured into three glass champagne flutes. FOR FREE. Not only that, but the music was perfect.  I swear we screamed, "I love this song!", to every song that came on.  It was a perfect night <3

SATURDAY:

We wandered over to China Town in hopes of finding fake Louis Vuitton's and Chanel bags.  No luck.  It must be a U.S. thing.  Then we made the journey to Sacre Coeur (so many steps!) and watched these amazing street performers doing the craziest things with soccer balls.  We saw Moulin Rouge, and then headed to Luxembourg Palace.  It was beautiful! And they have chairs there for you to just relax and take the beauty in. We were going to go to the movies at 7:50, but we decided that it might be a good idea to check the bus schedules back to the airport.  It's a good thing we did because we had to book it to the metro station in order to make the airport but by 7:50! We made it, though, and all was well.  

SUNDAY:

Back in Milan, Sheri and I showed Kelcy around our new city.  We went to our favorite restaurant, walked into the Duomo, went shopping, and had our favorite gelato--Cioccolati Italiani!  We just relaxed that night and had another homemade spaghetti dinner. It was a perfect end to a perfect trip.  And unfortunately, Kelcy left Monday morning to go back to Arizona.  It was amazing, but it ended much too soon.