The Adventuresome Road To Where?

2010

2011-04-09T11:46:00.003-05:00

I mentioned a while back that aside from blogging, I've been working on creating "yearbooks". Luckily I've been consistent the past 3-4 years with uploading and organizing my photos. The biggest task was reorganizing them all by year and then selecting the pictures for the book. Organizing them on shutterfly was a breeze with only one glitch in the end. Initially I chose to auto load the images so to speak. These means shutterfly automatically builds the book in chronological order based on the pictures selected. Well, I learned that when you complete your books this way, versus custom, you can't have text on the spine. So, after completing 2008-2010, I remade them all custom style so that I could have the year noted on the spine.

I finally ordered my first book last week! Without coupons these can get pricey fast. I ended up using a $20 off coupon, free shipping and a 20% off 12x12 books special. The total ended up being just over $100. When you think about how much it would have cost to print the pictures and buy in albumn, shutterfly seems like a steal! I feel like the books have much more longevity that actual albums as well. The photo albums I have from years past are not in great shape.

Take a look at 2010! I am so happy with the way it turned out. The online version doesn't do it justice, the book is really cool. I can't wait to order 2008 and 2009! It's such a good feeling to actually do something with the pictures I take!

Click here to view this photo book larger

Happy Mardi Gras

2011-03-11T20:40:00.009-06:00

This year I was really feeling Fat Tuesday. I am totally missing Nola, and our darling Purrl was spayed Tuesday so it was the perfect excuse to stay in and make a meal. First things first, I cranked the cajun pandora station took care of the costume:

All the cooking made me thirsty, luckily I was prepared:

Dinner took a some time to prep since I was making a vegetarian friendly jambalaya:

I found a recipe for Jambalaya with Shrimp and Andouille Sausage on Cookinglight.com. Below is the original recipe with my modifications noted.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups)

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 tablespoon minced garlic
6 ounces andouille sausage, sliced I used Soy Chorizo Sausage
1 cup uncooked long-grain white rice I used brown rice and increased the cooking time about 20-25 minutes since brown takes longer than white
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1 bay leaf
2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth I used low sodium veggie broth
3/4 cup water
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce I used cayanne red pepper
1 (14.5-ounce) can no salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained
1/2 pound peeled and deveined medium shrimp
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley I left this out since I didn't have any

Preparation
Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion, chopped bell pepper, minced garlic, and sausage; sauté 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Add rice and the next 7 ingredients (through bay leaf); cook 2 minutes. Add broth, water, tomato paste, hot pepper sauce, and diced tomatoes; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes(longer for brown rice. Add shrimp; cook 5 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes. Discard bay leaf. Stir in parsley.

The final product was so delicious and tasted pretty authentic!! Will be making this again soon, bad picture though:

Finally, I picked up a special dessert. I thought the colors where pretty fitting for Mardi Gras, I do wish they would have had purple too. These fantastic cake balls came from Bleeding Heart, my favorite vegan bakery. The red was red velvet and the green was cookies and cream. These were so amazing, a splurge I will be adding to my go to list when I need a sweet treat:

Here comes the sun

2011-03-01T18:05:00.002-06:00

This has been a brutal winter. I am not sure if winters get tougher the older you get or if maybe this one was just extra crappy. Aside from snowstorms,and random power outages, o and a minor electrical fire in which I pulled every muscle in my body getting all my animals into cages or on leashes and outside, it's been a fairly uneventfull winter.

Many exciting things coming up though! Mike and I are returning to Playa Del Carmen, where we honeymooned three years ago, in May for a week long visit! I plan to lounge, and lounge and cannot tell you how excited I am for this vacation.

Once the weather gets better I have a list of fun things I want to do around the city that I live in as well. I am due for a trip to China Town, need to go to the skybox at the top of the Willis, and hit up some museums. I also plan on taking full advantage of the free concerts at Pritzker Park as soon as they kick off!

Enjoy the thaw and let's cross our fingers spring is upon us soon!

O blog, how I've neglected you

2011-01-19T18:57:00.002-06:00

I miss blogging quit a bit but I made a New Years Resolution to start documenting my life in a way that won't just *poof* go away some day. I've been working on making photo books online for each year going back to 2008, because really? what did I have going on in my life pre-Mike. In all actuality, I had a lot going on before 08' and probably a lot more interesting pictures since I was a little more wild. The truth is, I didn't have a digital camera...and I am certainly not going to challenge myself to scanning a decade worth of pictures, o and ummm, well, developing them too.

I finished 2008, 2009 and 2010. I still need to do a final proof and then save up my pennies to actually order the darn things since they are a bit pricey. I know they will be worth it though, and I can't tell you how great it feels to actually do something with all the photos I take!

I just wanted to take a minute for a quick update, and to wish everyone a happy new year! I'll be back soon once I wrap up my projects!

Quick and Easy Almond Cookies, LOVE these

2010-12-18T15:39:00.001-06:00

Last Sunday was just frigid and snowing. On Saturday I made the decision that I was not going to leave the house on Sunday which meant forgoing my usual trip to the grocery store. Around 9pm I started to get a hankering for something sweet. With limited ingrediants on hand I found this recipe online and happened to have everything. These were quick, easy, and tasty!

I plan to make these again and experiment with some add ins. Chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, maybe cranberries. We'll see!

QUICK AND EASY ALMOND COOKIES

3/4 c. sugar (I used splenda baking sugar)
1/3 c. butter, softened
1/3 c. oil
1 tbsp. milk
1-2 tsp. almond extract
1 egg
1 1/2 c. flour (I used whole wheat)
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. sugar (splenda again)

Heat oven to 375. In large bowl, beat 3/4 cup sugar, butter, oil, milk, almond extract and egg until light and fluffy. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup; level off. Stir in flour, baking powder and salt; blend well.
Spread evenly in ungreased 15x10x1 inch baking pan; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar. Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 5 minutes; cut into bars. 4 dozen bar cookies.

Although, I will say this made about 16 bars...not 4 dozen. Those would be TINY!

Dixie Kitchen and a good pie!

2010-12-16T10:22:00.003-06:00

This post is a little overdue but I still wanted to share this recipe from cookinglight.com. My family came to Chicago to celebrate my Dad's birthday. With the cold weather approaching we decided to go to Dixie Kitchen for a little bit of the south. The food there is great, southern with a cajun twist. The drinks are pretty good too, slightly reminiscent of Pat O'Briens in Nola.

Instead of a cake I made a pie. I thought that my Dad preferred pie to cake, but then my mother informed me that they got in a fight one year when she made him a pie. Luckily he didn't fight me!

Since his birthday was in November I thought a pumpkin pie to be appropriate! I really like this version because of the crunchy streusal topping! It gives the pie a nice little crunch! I also love anything with oatmeal! The amount of oats we go through in this house is insanity!

Pumpkin Streusal Pie

Ingredients
1/2 cup granulated sugar (I used splenda sugar)
1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar (I used splenda sugar)
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour ( I used whole wheat flour)
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin
1 can (12 oz.) evaporated milk ( I used light)
2 large eggs, beaten to blend
10-inch pie pastry for a single-crust pie (for leaves, see notes above)
Walnut streusel
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 375°. In a bowl, mix granulated sugar, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and ginger. Add pumpkin, milk, and eggs; whisk until well blended.

2. Pour mixture into unbaked 10-inch pie pastry in pan. Sprinkle walnut streusel evenly over filling.

3. Bake on the bottom rack until a knife inserted in center comes out clean, 60 to 65 minutes.

4. Set on a rack until cool to touch, about 2 hours. Cut into wedges.

Walnut Streusal
Ingredients
1/2 cup firmly packed light or dark brown sugar
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup all-purpose flour (I used whole wheat flour)
1/4 cup (1/8 lb.) butter
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Preparation
In a bowl, combine all ingredients and mix until crumbly.

I Finally Did It!

2010-12-15T21:08:00.004-06:00

Dixie now smiles for the camera! Look at those pearly whites!

weekender muffins

2010-12-12T22:01:00.005-06:00

After many rounds I finally mastered my muffin base recipe about 6 months ago. Since then, I make a variation of the below muffins almost once a week. The great thing is, you can mix up your add ins. A few of my favorites include the variation I made today:

1/2 a bag of frozen raspberries, juice of a fresh lemon and a teaspoon, give er take, of the rind

1 ripe banana mashed with 1/2 a bag of frozen blueberries, or a chopped apple

or just blueberry or raspberry...the possibilities are obviously endless!

Mix all the dry ingrediants, then the wet, blend. Fold in your fruit. Bake these for 19 minutes at 400 degrees and you are set! This makes 10 muffins, and in case I am not the last person in the world to figure this out... foil baking cups are AMAZING. You don't lose the bottom of your muffins when unpeeling!

1 1/4 cups 100% Whole Wheat Flour
1 1/4 cups Quick Oats Oatmeal
1/4 tsp Baking Soda
2 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 cup Vegetable Oil
2 tablespoons Splenda Brown Sugar Blend (or 1/4 a cup of brown sugar)
3/4 cup Vanilla Almond Milk (unsweetened)(sweetened works as well) (or just plain milk -just add a little vanilla extract)
1/4 cup Egg Whites (or one egg)
1/4 tsp Salt

Little Lost Kitten

2010-12-06T13:52:00.002-06:00

A few weekends we had a major scare. One of my greatest fears is one of the animals getting out or running away and I learned it is a fear for a reason. It started off as a normal day for us. Mike ran out to get us starbucks, we relaxed and drank our coffee in bed, I made some breakfast. After a while I thought to myself, "I haven't seen the kitten in a while." This happened a few times in the past, she is a kitten and kittens hide. So I started with all of her normal spots. Then I moved on to some new spots where I thought maybe she would be. As a last resort I shook her food bowl since she always comes running when it's time to eat. When she didn't come running I started to panic. My heart was racing and I just kept repeating to Mike, "The kitten is gone, the kitten is gone."

After checking all the possible places she could be again, we realized she wasn't in the house. We replayed all of the morning events back in our heads. Mike had gone out to get coffee, and come back in the front door. He also ran out quickly to check a paint swatch for his car and came back in. The dogs had gone out in the back yard too, so we weren't even sure which door she escaped from thus our search and rescue mission began.

Mike started walking the neighborhood. I checked around the back yard and alley. I also checked the laundry room and stairwell. Every time I came in the house I expected to see Purrl pop out of a hiding space, but she didn't. I decided to take to the streets too with a little bell toy to shake that usually sends the kitten into a frenzy. I hoped that she would recognize the sound and run out.

About an hour or so later Mike and I ran into each other and I decided to pass the toy off to him and go home and make some flyers. I ended up posting about 25 - 30 of these babies around the neighborhood while sobbing and repeating to myself out loud "the kitten."

After trekking the neighborhood with no luck knowing that dark was approaching I decided to take a break and sit on my porch in the cold and just hope. I also made some calls to PAWS Chicago and animal control to see if anyone had brought her in. Right about this time my neighbor was returning home. Him and his wife just had a baby so I congratulated him and explained to him what I was doing outside. A few minutes later he came down and said "Meet me in the back, I think I found your little guy!" Again, my heart started racing but in an entirely different way. He met me in the stairwell where he moved two giant doors that were just hanging out up there on the second level. Sure enough, crouched in a little ball was a very scared little kitten. I grabbed her and held her as close as I could, then thanked the neighbor over and over again.

I came in and texted Mike. When he returned home I asked him how he wasn't sobbing like me while she was lost. He basically said he was on the inside but had to keep it together. Awwww. We were so happy and relieved to have our kitten back. The next day we went out and bought her a collar and name tag. It's funny because we actually had one before but she did not like it! We thought we were doing her a favor by taking it off but she is out of luck! From here on out the kitten wears her collar!

O, and we did have to go retrieve all those flyers before dark!

Breakfast for Champions

2010-12-05T12:35:00.000-06:00

If I recall, as I was sitting in the Taco Bell parking lot listening to the Iowa game with my mom and sister a few weekends ago, aka my own personal hell... Iowa lost the game against North Western. However, I still needed to prepare a breakfast for champions, the Just Dance champions. I made two dishes and luckily they were both really good! The first was Overnight Stuffed French Toast:

1 tub (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA 1/3 Less Fat than Cream Cheese
3 Tbsp. sugar (I used splenda sugar)
8 slices cinnamon-swirl bread
4 eggs
1/2 cup milk
2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
1 cup blueberries

MIX reduced-fat cream cheese and sugar until well blended; spread onto bread. Place 4bread slices, cream cheese-sides up, in 8-inch square baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Cover with remaining bread slices, cream cheese-sides down.

WHISK eggs and milk until well blended; pour over bread. Cover; refrigerate overnight.

HEAT oven to 350ºF. Bake, uncovered, 30 to 35 min. or until center is set and top is lightly browned. Serve topped with fruit.

The second dish was Do Ahead Egg Bake, I actually made this again the following weekend but halfed the recipe just for me and Mike:

8 eggs
3 cups milk
8 cups French bread cubes (3/4 inch)
1 pkg.(10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry
12 slices OSCAR MAYER Bacon, cooked, crumbled (I used turkey bacon)
1 pkg.(8 oz.) KRAFT Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese, divided (I used 2%)

WHISK eggs and milk in large bowl until well blended. Stir in bread. Add spinach, bacon and 1-1/2 cups cheese; mix lightly.

POUR into 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray; top with remaining cheese. Cover; refrigerate overnight.

HEAT oven to 350ºF. Bake, uncovered, 48 to 50 min. or until top is puffed and golden brown.

Full House

2010-12-04T11:20:00.001-06:00

You might remember a while back I blogged about the new addition to our family. It was tbd at that point whether or not we were keeping the little kitten. Well, she has worked her way into our hearts and is here to stay in our overpopulated family. Three pets was almost manageable, four pets is insane but there is no way we could ever get rid of any of them.

As you can imagine, with a new kitten in the house, there are all sorts of kodak moments. Here are just a few that I have managed to snap with my camera and/or blackberry.

New Treats

2010-12-03T17:52:00.000-06:00

When my family visited a few weeks back I used it as an excuse to test out some new recipes! There were definitely a few keepers!

Friday night we kicked off their visit with some wine and appetizers. I whipped up a few things that I will make again. The first were Rosemary Parmesan Crisps:

1 can (11 oz.) refrigerated thin pizza crust
1/4 cup KRAFT Tuscan House Italian Dressing and Marinade
1-1/2 tsp. dried rosemary leaves, crushed
1/2 cup sliced kalamata olives
1/3 cup KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese (I used the fresh, shredded type)

HEAT oven to 400ºF.

UNROLL pizza crust on baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray; press into 15x12-inch rectangle. Bake 5 min.

BRUSH crust with dressing; top with remaining ingredients.

BAKE 6 to 8 min. or until crust is golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature.

These were delicious! Another successful test recipe was the Chipotle Apricot Cream Cheese Spread:

1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened (I used light)
1/2 cup apricot preserves
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, finely chopped (I used the entire small sized can)
2 Tbsp. water
1 green onion, finely chopped

SPREAD cream cheese onto bottom of pie plate or platter

COOK preserves, peppers and water in saucepan on medium-low heat 5 min. or until preserves are melted, stirring occasionally. Stir in onions; spread over cream cheese.

SERVE with crackers.

Both recipes were super easy, fast and a hit!

Just Dance!

2010-12-01T19:58:00.008-06:00

Is this game amazing or what? A few weekends ago my family came to stay with us. I wanted to get something to spice things up and as luck would have it, I thought of this game! I texted Mike to stop at Game Stop on his way home from work. Within the hour he decided to test it out to make sure we could explain the game to our guests if need be. All the sudden I hear Rhianna's SOS blaring from the living room and what I saw after was a site I will never forget! Mike dancing to some sassy hip hop!

He did so well that I made him demo the game to the same song for my family :) To save him a little face I did it with him. Since that weekend we have had some very fun dance offs with family and friends! I wake up every morning and I just want to dance!

Fake chicken soup for the sick soul

2010-12-01T19:48:00.007-06:00

There has been a lot of this around the house this week:

I am so lucky to have my loyal, little, white babies to keep my comfy during this cold. I came down with this beast on Sunday and to be honest, it is not that bad. I can still function, work and breathe for the most part. It is just incredibly annoying and has left me house ridden all week. Tonight I took matters into my own hands and decided to make some fake chicken soup for my sick soul. It turned out to be quite delicious! Much better than anything I could have gotten out of a can, ick! The recipe is:

Ingredients:

•1/4 cup + 1 tbsp olive oil
•4 carrots, chopped
•4 stalks of celery, chopped
•1 large onion, chopped
•2 garlic cloves, minced
•1 large mushroom, chopped
•2 vegetarian (or vegan) chicken patties or equivalent, defrosted
•1 tsp herbs de provence (rosemary, marjoram, thyme, sage, anise seed and savory) or a combo of above herbs.
•6 cups vegetable broth
•1/3 lb pasta (the recipe called for cute little o's or alphabets or broken spaghetti, I used whole grain rotini)
Directions:

1.Cook pasta in a separate pot.
2.Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in soup pot over medium heat and add onions, celery and carrots. Cook until softened (about 10 minutes).
3.Add the garlic, mushrooms, herbs de provence and cook another 5 minutes.
4.Add the broth.
5.Add the cooked and drained noodles.
6.Reduce heat to low, cover. Cook about 20 minutes on a simmer.
7.Cut fake chicken into thin strips.
8.In nonstick skillet, add 1 tbsp oil and heat on medium.
9.Add the strips and brown on both sides.
10.Cut browned fake chicken into bite-sized cubes and add to simmered soup.
11.Stir and serve.

I didn't have all the seasonings the recipe called for, so I winged it with some rosemary, a little celery salt and fennel. I also used 4 quorn chicken cutlets cubed. It REALLY hit the spot, and Mike enjoyed it too. Even better it made a huge pot so I can have some for lunch tomorrow too!

Sick and you tubing

2010-12-01T16:53:00.003-06:00

Sometimes I get on a tangent of youtubing old music videos since they have ceased to exist anywhere else. This song makes me want to pucker up with my bonnie bell lip smacker and head to the nearest basement for some make out time. Sigh...memories

Vote and you shall receive...

2010-11-18T08:22:00.003-06:00

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release
November 17, 2010

Statement by the President on the Paycheck Fairness Act

I am deeply disappointed that a minority of Senators have prevented the Paycheck Fairness Act from finally being brought up for a debate and receiving a vote. This bill passed in the House almost two years ago; today, it had 58 votes to move forward, the support of the majority of Senate, and the support of the majority of Americans. As we emerge from one of the worst recessions in history, this bill would ensure that American women and their families aren’t bringing home smaller paychecks because of discrimination. It also helps businesses that pay equal wages as they struggle to compete against discriminatory competition. But a partisan minority of Senators blocked this commonsense law. Despite today’s vote, my Administration will continue to fight for a woman’s right to equal pay for equal work.

I feel like I am being a bit if a political bully lately but COME ON! The press release below is infuriating. What century are we living in and what kind of message does this send to all the hard working women out there? Woman can and certainly are doing it all, and for less.

What makes me the most upset? For all the people out there that are jumping on the "republicans are going to get the country back to where it needs to be" marketing/PR extraveganza! Well you can sleep well knowing that not a SINGLE republican supported the Paycheck fairness act.

Remember the dog and pony show the republicans put on after the recent elections? The one where they proclaimed they want Washington to work better? Well, blocking a common sense measure to ensure women get equal pay doesn't leave a good taste in my mouth!

My sentiments exactly...

2010-11-07T12:31:00.002-06:00

I am amazed at how selfish people have become in this county. The next two years should be...interesting.

Hot Woks Cool Sushi

2010-10-24T15:56:00.002-05:00

Finally, a new sushi place has arrived in our neighborhood! We live in walking distance to many great restaurants but have been lacking a good sushi option close by. Mike and I were ecstatic to see Hit Woks open up literally overnight!

I have been meaning to blog about this place for a while, the pictures are from our first dining experience about a month ago, and we have already since been back! This is due mostly to the fact that their menu rocks the roll of all rolls, in my opinion.

The Mega Vega!

It's not just for vegetarians. Mega Vega is packed with tempura sweet potato, broccoli, beets, cucumbers, avocados. It is amazing! I almost didn't order it because I am not a fan of broccoli, but I have to say, the broccoli provided a nice nutty flavor that really makes the roll.

The Mega Vega even inspired a new salad mix that we have been enjoying at home. Greens, beets, broccoli, avocado with a sweet vidallia onion dressing, yum!

I really like the decor at hot woks, simple, modern, with a nice color palette of brown, green and orange that really pops!

They even have a sense of humor that comes through in their menu, check out the Mount Fuji!

Before and After

2010-10-24T15:25:00.005-05:00

Look at little Purrl! I can't even believe that this is the same sick little kitty Mike found 2 months ago. She has really beat the odds and is thriving as a fun, playful little kitten!

Last night Dixie got her room back and Purrl had free reign of the apartment with her sister Kira while we slept. Dixie's bed had temporarily been relocated to the living room while Purrl got the rest, and strength she needed sleeping alone in our 2nd bedroom. This morning when we woke up, everyone was still alive and settled in their beds, phew!

All the animals are getting along which is great! There were a few rough weeks when none of them would settle, but everyone is adjusted now. I even caught Dixie and Purrl sleeping butt to butt yesterday. So, cute!

If anyone ever finds a feral kitten, don't be afraid! It is possible to help them come back with some good ol tlc.

Upholstery 101 Graduate

2010-10-11T19:55:00.002-05:00

Last week my beginners upholstery class wrapped up. I completed my final project and passed with flying colors. I managed to snap some images of all of my class projects.

My first project was in a previous post. It was a bar stool cover if you need a memory jogger.

My second project was a pillow, I also learned piping. It was a great way to brush up on my sewing skills, that I hadn't applied since college. Notice the slightly messed up fleur de lis I stitched on the front! Had to add my own personal twist!

For the third project I learned more about construction. This technique could be used in creating an upholstered head board or a chair. I stitched a pattern on the front for fun and used foam, board and a staple gun to secure the materials. I also honed my piping skills on this one. Again, my personal twist here was green for Mike, his favorite color and a shout out to Halloween/Day of the Dead, two upcoming holidays.

The fourth project was to learn how to insert zippers. This is great to know since I plan on making pillow covers soon to replace the current ones on my couch.

For my final project I opted to make a sewing machine cover for my sewing machine that has officially found a home on what used to be my desk. I didn't want to be overly ambitious on this final project. My main goal was to really learn pattern making. All in all it turned out great!

The class was a success and I really enjoyed myself so much so that another student and I worked out a second class with the instructor which I am super excited about. Next up is intermediate upholstery and I am ready to tackle some furniture pieces including a green chair that I have had forever! Don't worry, there will be before and after pictures!

The new class will meet every Monday and Thursday starting next week for two hours a night. I am excited to keep up with upholstery and keep telling myself that in 10 years I will be an expert! Afterall a great craft takes time!

kittens, stitchin and beer

2010-10-01T22:23:00.006-05:00

i have been busy, busy, busy lately. between work, raising a new kitten and my upholstery class i have had zero time. i suppose that's a good thing but right about now i could use some veg time. in fact i am writing this blog from my bed at 10:25 on friday night. ok, i'll admit, it is partly because i am trying to trick my body into falling asleep early since i have to get up at 7:30 tomorrow, waaaah.

i have had so many blog posts running through my head lately but just haven't found the time... so we'll do a little catching up here. hopefully next week i can get back on track!

a couple weekends ago mike and i went to iowa for our annual decook/brown tradition, the brew haha. the brew haha is a beer fest that takes place every september in iowa, the brew stands for the beer tastings that take place with several tasty vendors, the haha is well, because they have comedians performing while you peruse the the tastings! it is always a blast. unfortunately jeff could not make it this year and mike had a bad cold, and it was sprinkling on and off all day. that didn't stop us and we still managed to have a great time. of course i had camera in tow:

afterwards jeff joined us and we continued our tradition with dinner at huckleberry's. the BEST pizza place in iowa! something about beer all day and then gorging on pizza, sigh, you just can't beat it!

some other exciting things have been happening. little purrl is growing up, and slooowly being introduced to her family. we have 4 pets now people, we are borderline animal hoarders! they haven't all taken to each other as nicely as we hoped. purrl is so sweet and fearless, i am afraid the others are going to ruin her. dixie just wants to pounce on her and play, kira just growls and hisses, and finn wants to eat her. it's been a challenge to say the least. purrl gets to come out of her room and be with the others a few hours every day. we keep increasing the time every few days and they all seem to be getting a little more comfortable, sort of.

dixie is just obsessed with purrl. i call purrl her little white baby. hopefully things continue to get better, four pets are a LOT of work.

lastly, i am coming up on the last week of my upholstery class. i have had so much fun and really learned a lot. i will miss my class so much, what will i do on tuesday and wednesday nights? o blog. i will post a recap of my class and pictures of all my projects soon. hopefully i can talk the instructor into starting an intermediate class!

and p.s, after 6 years i FINALLY figured out how to thread my brand new, never used sewing machine! whoo hoo!

Upholstery 101

2010-09-10T23:23:00.003-05:00

This past week I started my much anticipated upholstery class. I decided to take this class for a few reasons, 1.) I have a sewing machine that has been sitting in my closet for over 5 years because I can't figure out how to thread it! I figure after this class I should at least me able to do that! 2.) I have a hideous green chair that I love that I picked up when I was about 16 and have always wanted to do something cool with it. 3.) I think it will be really cool to learn the construction of things. 4.) Someday when my husband is done with school and gainfully employed maybe I can do some side work!

My first class was Tuesday evening. I met my classmates, it is a small class, only 3other people and the teach. It is a very laid back class and the teach is very fun. The first day we learned how to thread our machines and bobbins. Which sounds simple, but as mentioned, I have failed at this for over 5 years. At any rate, with his great skills I was able to pick up pretty quickly. The machines we are learning on are industrial so I felt even more accomplished. On Wednesday I had my second class and look what I made!

The lines aren't really a design or anything, we were simply practicing sewing straight lines, but the final project was a bar stool cover! I was quit proud of my creation and a little amazed I was able to do this in just 2 classes. This is a 5 week class so I am excited for all the new techniques I will be learning! Will keep the blog posted of course!

Wedding Porn!

2010-09-10T23:01:00.005-05:00

Yes, it is my fav kind of porn by far!! I love a good wedding and last weekend we went to the fabulous wedding of Bret and Christine's. As luck would have it the ceremony and reception was less than a mile from our place right here in Chicago.

The ceremony was short and very sweet on a gorgeous day. The sun was just beaming through the atrium and it truly was a sight to see. After the lovely ceremony and cocktail hour we were escorted to dinner which was, well, brunch! The food was amazing, I especially liked the deep dish french toast and eggs benedict.

After, we were off to literally tear up the dance floor. I was super excited because Bret and Christine had the peeps from Toast and Jam dj their wedding which is who I totally would have gone with had I been married in Chicago. Mike and I literally danced ALL NIGHT! Sort of similar to our own wedding! It was by far the most fun we've had at a wedding!

My most favorite part of the wedding was the desserts that were passed throughout the evening. I thought this was such a great idea. The worse part about being at a wedding is a few hours after dinner when some munchies would be great and there is nothing. We attempted with cheese and crackers at our wedding, but the desserts were just a fantastic idea! Over the course of the evening I tried a mini rootbeer float, many varieties of mini cupcakes, there were also some desserts in dishes that looked like icecream and various things, but by that point I was way to in to my dance routine. At the end of the night they even had mini cheeseburgers and fries! How fun!

Here are just a few pictures from the evening. I was having so much fun I neglected my camera, but hey, that is what the photographer is for I guess!

A new family member

2010-08-30T22:27:00.004-05:00

Thursday morning I receive a random text:

As far as I know Mike is at work. I reply, "Where are you?", he responds, "At work." I respond back, "Where is that picture from?" Mike goes on to explain that he found a kitten at the gas station next to his work cowering in fear under a cement barricade. Being the animal lover that he is, he went back to his office, grabbed his sandwich and coerced Kitty out of her hiding spot. As luck would have it Mike's coworker had borrowed Kira's cat carrier a few weeks ago and still had it in her car. This would be Kitty's home for the afternoon.

Mike and I chatted throughout the afternoon trying to decide what to do. We made some calls to a few no kill shelters without much luck. Mike headed out of work early to take Kitty to our vet. On the way Kitty did not look good, she was laying on her face, not moving. Mike panicked. When he got to the vet he ran in with Kitty, they immediately rushed her into the back and administered fluids. Mike waited nervously, as I received text updates, while the vet worked on Kitty. About 30 minutes later we had an update, "Much longer and Kitty would not have made it." Weighing a measly 1.3 lbs she was severely dehydrated and malnourished. The vet estimated she was about 6 weeks old.

With her condition stabilized for the time being, the vet put together a treatment plan to get Kitty healthy. Mike and I knew we wanted to help Kitty, who was now Purrl, but we weren't sure how. See, we already have 3 pets of our own, 2 dogs and a cat. Mike decided to take Kitty to PAWS, a no kill shelter in Chicago, along with her recommended treatment plan. PAWS rehabilitates strays and abandoned animals and helps adopt them into good homes. When Mike arrived, PAWS could not take Purrl, they were too full and told Mike of some other shelters. They also said that because the shelters are overloaded right now, Purrl would probably be put down because she is sick.

That made our decision very easy. Mike headed back up to our vet to begin Purrl's treatment. Poor little girl was poked and prodded for hours. Afterwards, the vet asked Mike if he would like to hospitalize her or take her home. At this point, costs were really weighing in, so with a 40% survival rate, Purrl came home.

In the meantime, I was out buying Purrl a bed, litter box, toys and food to help her feel safe and comfortable in her new home. Due to her having a respiratory virus, the vet said she must be quarantined for 10 days at least, 30 to be safe. I set up her new digs in our spare bedroom and distracted Dixie, Finn and Kira while Mike snuck her in.

So here we are, day 5. We had a rough couple of moments and a few scares but Purrl seems to be coming around! The others know something is up in that back room, but they are unsure of what. Dixie is especially suspicious because Purrl's room used to be hers and she is now sleeping in the living room.

We are hoping to find Purrl a good home eventually(maybe). For now, we are just so glad we were able to help little Purrl.

Here are some pictures of her journey.

From here to Maine and back again

2010-08-28T21:38:00.008-05:00

Mike and I returned from our trip to Maine last Saturday. We have a new addition to our family, which has kept me very busy this week and I am just now, finally finding a quiet moment to blog! Don't worry, the new addition will have a proper introduction coming soon!

Mike and I spent a lovely week in Maine visiting his parents, and seeing his mom and David's new home. His parents recently retired, sold there home in Rhode Island and moved to Maine to fulfill a lifetime dream. Their house looked fantastic and is in the a quaint, cute, charming town of Wiscasset, ME. Wiscasset is an interesting mix of vacationers, locals and some quirky birds that own the local businesses.

We did our fair share of exploring this trip which kicked off with a 4 hour drive to Rhode Island. My husband loves the Washington County fair. He grew up living for this fair all summer as a kid. Mike's parents are members of the local grange so they also drove back for their annual ticket selling shift. About a month in advance we did a little research online and decided to book a room at the General Stanton Inn. It looked familiar to me on the website and was close to the fair. It also hosts an outdoor flea market that takes place every weekend. Perfect...or so I thought.

We arrived, checked in, even had a beer at the bar before heading to the flea market. Spent some time at the fair, had a great dinner at one of our local favs. Upon returning to the Inn, we decided to walk to the nearby gas station to grab some water. This is when it hit me why the Inn looked so familiar. "Um, sweetie? Was the Inn on an episode of Ghost Hunters? Is this the place you told me was right by your house growing up when we were watching it?" Not a word, but I got a look. I quickly said "Don't tell me I don't want to know." Followed by a "You're not saying anything, it is the place!" AHHHHHH, and so my adventure and sleepless night began.

To make a long story short, we snuck into some rooms with crazy old antiques. I faked being possessed several times and then Mike fell asleep. I think around 2am I dozed off for 25 minutes, had a dream the General was choking me, and pretty much layed awake for the rest of the night. No paranormal experiences, just me being a freak.

The rest of a trip was a blast. Went on a Midcoast wine tour with Mike's mom and David where we visited local farms and wineries escorted on a Trolly. We explored Wiscasset which is known for having great antiques as there are 22 antiques shops, which is a lot for such a small town! We ate great food, visited Portland, hung out with Bobbi Brown and really fell in love with the area. It is now on my list of possible places to live along with Austin and Nola.

We were sad to leave and plan to stay for 2 weeks next year! Mike is already planning a trip back in January. Here are some pics of the fun times we had!

Dixie Does The Beach!

2010-08-08T18:32:00.002-05:00

I forgot how much little Dixie loves the doggie beach. The problem is the sand and her hair = not so fun clean up. Well, this weekend she was in need of a bath so we figured we'd let her have a little fun beforehand. She played, she barked and she swam! She is quit the little swimmer! My guess is we will try to squeeze in a few more trips to the beach for Dixie before summers end.

P.S. we are well aware of how obsessed we are with our animals, the great thing about the dog beach is, we fit right in lol!

Being a Tourist

2010-08-08T12:46:00.003-05:00

This weekend my parents came down for a fun afternoon in the city. They arrived Friday afternoon on the most perfect weather day we've had here in a long time. We had a lite lunch, including a new recipe I was experiementing with. I made a white bean pesto flatbread and will post the recipe next time I make it and snap a picture. Next, we trained it downtown and perused jewelers row before an afternoon Wendella boat ride. We took the 75 minutes architectural river tour and it was just stunning. I really take for granted all the beautiful sights that surround me here in Chicago. It was nice to take a minutes and listen to the history while relaxing with an icy cold beer along the river. I snapped some cool photos while on the tour.

Later in the evening we had a really good dinner at Dunley on the Square, where I introduced my mom to ceviche. She's not a big fan of fish, but seemed to really enjoy the citrusy ceviche! We stopped for a nightcap along the way home then ended the night with a little Wii bowling.

The next morning Mike suprised us all by stopping at Bleeding Heart Bakery and boy, am I glad he did! I think I will be dreaming about these pastries until the next time we get them. I thought about getting more this today, but figured, I better pace myself and wait until next weekend at least!

Mike picked up a blueberry muffin, banana walnut muffin, almond raspberry crossiant, chocolate croissant, strawberry rhubarb scone and a chocolate cherry scone. We decided to all share so we could taste everything. They were all really, really good. If I had to pick one favorite it would be the almond raspberry crossiant, the strawberry rhubarb scone was right up there as well. I managed to make an egg white omelet with some roasted veggies and mozerella to balance these out with a little protein lol.

Bakery Treats

2010-08-08T12:33:00.004-05:00

I mentioned in the previous post Mike brought home dessert on our anniversary. After reading some reviews that proclaimed Sweet Mandy B's has the "best cupcakes in Chicago" he decided to swing by. He picked up a caramel apple cupcake and a flourless chocolate mini cake. We ended up splitting them up so we could try them both. Delicious, tasty, the best? I think my favorite bakery remains Bleeding Heart. They were both a great treat though!

Mike also brought home a gorgeous bouquet of flowers! Now on to year 3!

Twing!!!

2010-08-02T19:39:00.007-05:00

Two years ago I married my "sweetie". It was one of the best days of my life by far. In honor of us, we decided to go out to dinner on Saturday night to celebrate, afterall, we did get married on a Saturday so it felt more like our anniversary. We decided to go to Geja Cafe. I had been there once before years ago and Mike had never been. It is known for being one of the most romantic restaurants in Chicago, but even better, they serve fondue and when done right fondue is GOOD!

Once we were seated, first and foremost, we ordered a bottle of wine. I just love the Cueva de las Manos Malbec, and noticed that on the wine list was the Cabernet Sauvignon. A new variety, delicious winery. Score! After selecting our dinners we started with the Geja Salad, it was light, crisp and fresh! Next came an amazing cheese fondue served with fruit such as apples, grapes and bread. My favorite course by far!

The main course was up next, I ordered the veggies and asked for broth as well as oil, I remembered last time I had fondue the oil was so good, but so heavy, so I wanted to be able to mix. Mike ordered veggies with steak, lobster, chicken and scallops! I may or may not have stole a shrimp or scallop or two, but it didn't matter, there was a lot of food!

Right about this time Vince Vaughan and his posse came and sat right next to us! My heart skipped a few beats, I am guilty of celebrity stalking. The rest of my night consisted of listening in on his conversation lol. That is, until the dessert course came! Chocolate fruit, marshmallows and poundcake dipped in chocolate with a great cup of coffee, I died!!

Unfortunately I only managed to snap a few photos! Once Vince was there I felt awkward taking snap shots even though I kept telling Mike, "I do it all the time"!!

Here are the few I got:

On to bigger and better...

Twing = 2 years + new bling!

I finally met my jewelery soulmate at Jewelers Row last time Mike and I went. This is one of my favorite ways to spend a Saturday, perusing the jewelers cases and amazing designs. I wasn't really expecting to change my setting but when I tried this one on, my eyes lit up and I couldn't stop smiling. This is the same thing that happened the first time I met Mike, so I new the bling was mine! It's funny because when we were looking prior to getting engaged this is EXACTLY what I wanted. Problem was A. I couldn't find this setting anywhere and was too nervous to have something custom made and B. I felt I needed something more unique.

Well, I've had my new ring/aka early anniversary gift for about a month now and I'm just in love. Ladies, if you ever want to switch things up, have something made, or look at some great pieces let me know! I will take you to my jewelry soulmate! This ring was one of her designs, originally made in white gold, we had it re-made for me in platinum which took about a week. I have 3 projects in the pipeline right now with her! She is going to be, overtime, creating some amazing things for me from my original engagement ring.

As for tonight, our real anniversary, Mike and I are having a low key dinner in between his studying, and later indulging in some delicious desserts he brought home! Stay tuned for a review later this week!

Cheers to twing! xoxo

I Wish I Was In Nola Cajun Shrimp Orzo

2010-08-01T20:41:00.006-05:00

I didn't intend on changing my blog this evening but I got to playing around and, well, this is what happened! I kind of like the new look. Better colors, cleaner layout. Maybe I'll even get a new slide show up here eventually

I recently took a brief hiatus because I was blogging so much about food. I think I am going to cave and start archiving new recipes on here again. This has been the summer of my "test kitchen" and I have really come up with some great new dishes. Including one I made tonight:

I'll call this "I Wish I Was In Nola Cajun Shrimp with Orzo"

Ingredients
1 cup of orzo
1 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, minced or 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of minced garlic in water
1 can of diced tomatoes, any variety really
1 pound peeled and deveined medium shrimp or precooked shrimp
1 1/2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup fat free half-and-half

Preparation
1. Cook orzo according to package directions, omitting salt. Drain. Place pasta in a large bowl; keep warm.

2. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and tomatoes; sauté 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Sprinkle shrimp with Cajun seasoning, red pepper, and salt. Add shrimp mixture to pan; sauté 3 minutes if using raw, 1-2 minutes if already cooked; remove from heat. Stir in half-and-half. Pour shrimp mixture over pasta; toss.

This was so good served with salad and bread! Also quick and easy, what I like! I have some other recent success's I will post on here soon, they are just too good for me to forget!

Also, stayed tuned tomorrow for a special 2 year anniversary post! That's right, my sweetie and I have been married a whopping 2 years! It's scary how fast time is going! We've also been dating/married now for a grand total of...drumroll....3 years and 1 month! That is a record for me! Most of you who know me, know that I could never make it past the 2 1/2 year mark. I just got bored or decided enough was enough, or in one case, got dumped(after I initiated it of course), lol. My sweetie sure is a keeper, whether he likes it or not!

Club 32

2010-07-25T11:26:00.008-05:00

Mike celebrated his 32nd bday on Friday! I decided to throw him a welcome to the club party since I have been here for a few months!

I started off by surprising my sweetie with homemade manhattans. I think he liked the surprise and liked that this gift will keep on giving, for a few weeks at least.

We had a few drinks while we waited out the Friday night storms, since we can't leave Finn alone when it's thundering, then headed to one of Mike's favs, the previously blogged about Revolution Brewery

We started with a few beers while we waited for a table. I had a Rosie, a brew that includes hibiscus flowers, and Mike had the Bottoms Up Wit. I really enjoyed mine and the interesting glass it was served in. Next we ordered up an appetizer and tried one of each of the bruchettas below, I did not go for the duck. My fav was the califlower variety.

Bruschetta (4 pieces, choose your own)
-Roasted cauliflower, white bean, arugula, lemon-infused oil
-Duck confit, cremni mushrooms & fontina cheese
-Roasted beet, belgian endive & goat cheese
-Plum tomato, red onion, basil, fresh mozzerella

Before ordering our entrees we got another beer. I was SO excited to see that they had Abita Satsuma, I read about this new brew recently and HAD to try it.

This Abita blend was a Harvest Wit, and um, DELICIOUS. I just kept looking at the bottle, something about the colors just made me happy! or maybe it was my buzz.

For our entrees the bday boy ordered the fish and chips, he splurged on the fat factor being that it was his day. I however, went the opposite route. I think I ordered the healthiest thing on the menu, not on purpose.

Beluga Lentils, Quinoa & Winter Vegetables
Sautéed asparagus, turnip, parsnip, roasted carrot ginger sauce, almonds

My entree was really, really good. I will definetely be going back for this one. I managed to balance out the healthiness by stealing a few of Mike's fries!

After a little debating on whether or not to go have another drink somewhere, I explained to Mike that Club 32 limits alcohol tolerance and intake even further and that it was best for us to go home. I had one more surprise waiting for him...get your minds out of the gutter, it did not require me "slipping into something a little more comfortable" lol!

I stopped at Bleeding Heart Bakery, another previously blogged about joint, and picked up some tasty little cupcakes. I like cupcakes because it eliminates having a giant cake around the house that I will inevitably overindulge in. I picked up the Chocolate Peanut Butter for Mike and the Veruca Salt for me. We ended up splitting these so we could each try both. They were amazing! The chocolate was rich and just the right amount of moistness and the Veruca Salt, well any salty caramel concoction can do no wrong in my book!

Eye think this is nuts

2010-07-25T11:20:00.003-05:00

Last weekend Mike and I took the train downtown to check out "the eye" at Pritzker Park. The first time I read that "the eye" was coming I seriously thought it was a joke until a coworker of mine forwarded me an article in the Suntimes verifying that this was indeed no joke.

I snapped a couple photos as I gazed at "the eye". Odd, random, and pretty cool sums it up for me!

A Fantastic 4th!

2010-07-05T19:23:00.005-05:00

After much debate Mike and decided to press our luck by leaving Finn unsupervised and headed up to see the fireworks in Evanston. I sort of have my own tradition which entails eating dinner at Davis Street Fish Market then walking to the fireworks along the lake.

We started off with some po-boys and long island ice teas. I had crawfish and Mike had shrimp, they were both so amazingly good! Then we stocked up on some snacks from Whole Foods to compliment our loaded beverages, walked to the lake and staked out our spot. After settling in and a few cocktails we enjoyed a spectacular display of fireworks set to some festive music, Abba's Dancing Queen was a highlight for me.

Here are a few pics!

When we got home Finn was a little shaken up. He rearranged some furniture in the living room and not only knocked the gate in front of our bedroom door down, but he opened the bedroom door! Him and Kira were lounging on the bed when we got home, jerks! O well, at least we were pee and poop free!

Happy 4th!

2010-07-04T12:47:00.007-05:00

The 4th of July is such a great day, especially when the weather cooperates! Since I was a kid it's always been one of my favorite holidays. Probably because it was the one day of the year my parents were good for taking me out late and letting me stay up late.

Maybe it's self induced karma, but the 4th has remained and a great holiday for me! Four years ago, after months of looking, I finally made a connection with a pup and brought little Dixie home. I remember I had a 4 day weekend because of the holiday and figured it was a great time to try my luck with a new puppy.

Then, one year later, on July 5, 2007, Mike and I had our first date. We met at Ten Cat, a bar close to both of our places after learning that we lived less than a mile from each other. Little did I(or Mike I'm guessing) know then that 7 months later he would be proposing to me outside of the bar :) Apparently the 4th of July is a lucky holiday for me!

This is the earliest picture I have of me and Mike. It was taken on St. Patty Day night 2008. Unfortunately I lost a bunch of photos from 2006-2007 :(

I hope everyone has a safe and happy 4th of July! I'll report back if anything "lucky" happens this year!

i am so mia

2010-06-22T22:47:00.001-05:00

i haven't blogged for a bit! i am still taking pictures of food, but realize that i have maybe been blogging too much about food lately. i'll be back when i have something good! until then, happy summer!

Cranberry Oatmeal Bar Detour

2010-06-08T21:20:00.005-05:00

Two days ago it was in the mid 80's today the mid 60's, stupid Chicago weather. This combined with the fact that my allergies are killing me and I feel like I have a cold made me skip on the Mojito Freeze in the freezer and want something warm and oaty.

After a 1/2 successful dinner of ceviche tacos I was still kind of hungry. My dinner failed due to shrimp gone bad. I bought the damn shrimp from the seafood counter on Sunday! Two days later they were stinky although Mike still felt the need to taste test one and pronouced them "ok". I said, we are not risking it with seafood!!

Unfortunetly I'd already spent 30 minuted chopping avocados, tomatos, cilantro ect. so I ended up cooking up some fake chicken aka quorn and served it all together it was ok.

Anyways.. back to my Cranberry Oatmeal Bars:

The recipe is as follows thanks to cookinglight.com, but first my changes were:

splenda brown sugar, whole wheat flour, water instead of oj, fat free sour cream and no orange zet, basically I had nothing orange related in the house. I also double the crust recipe and for the filling I added 1/2 more of everything so that I could use the 9x13" pan that I have!

Ingredients
Crust:
4.5 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 cup)
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 tablespoons butter, melted
3 tablespoons orange juice
Cooking spray

Filling:
1 1/3 cups dried cranberries (about 6 ounces)
3/4 cup sour cream
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon grated orange rind
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 325°.

2. To prepare crust, weigh or lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 5 ingredients (through cinnamon) in a medium bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Drizzle butter and juice over flour mixture, stirring until moistened (mixture will be crumbly). Reserve 1/2 cup oat mixture. Press remaining oat mixture into the bottom of an 11 x 7–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.

3. To prepare filling, combine cranberries, sour cream, granulated sugar, and remaining ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring well. Spread cranberry mixture over prepared crust; sprinkle reserved oat mixture evenly over filling. Bake at 325° for 40 minutes or until edges are golden. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.

These were really good, but now Mike and I are very angry. While we were out of the room our freak of nature dog ate the entire pan, minus the two bars we had eaten, poo.

Mojito Freeze

2010-06-08T20:59:00.005-05:00

I have been experimenting a lot in Kitchen a la Violet (sounds good to me?) I have a few winners to share starting with a tasty dessert from the summer Kraft Food and Family mag.

I wanted a quick dessert. I usually have homemade brownies on hand, I make a pan about once a week, but with the warm weather I was in the mood for something different! I perused my Kraft mag and cookinglight.com and ended up going with the Mojito Freeze.

I made this on Sunday so we have already had a chance to indulge twice. The recipe said to let it freeze 4 hours before serving. I waited about 2.5 and it was perfect.
The next night it was really frozen so it needed to sit out for about 30 minutes before indulging. This was a great treat, it really tasted like a mojito, which, well, made me want a mojito! The recipe some alternate options such as below. I may try the strawberry version next time!

On a side note, the leftover mint leaves make a great addition to ice tea! I've been tearing up 2 or 3 leaves and throwing them into my crystal light green tea along with a lime for a refreshing summer mocktail!

To keep this on the lighter side I used fat free cream cheese and splenda sugar. I also use blue bonnet butter because I find it to be slightly less in fat than other brands. I went with regular cool whip because, hell, a little fat is good for you!

What You Need!

1 cup finely crushed pretzels 1/4 cup
(1/2 stick) butter melted
1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese softened
2/3 cup sugar
Zest and juice from 1 large lime
2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh mint
2 cups thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, divided

Make It!
MIX pretzel crumbs and butter. Press onto bottom of plastic wrap-lined 9-inch round pan. Freeze until ready to use.

BEAT cream cheese, sugar, zest, juice and mint with mixer until well blended. Whisk in 1-1/2 cups COOL WHIP; spoon over crust.

FREEZE 4 hours. Serve topped with remaining COOL WHIP.

Kraft Kitchens Tips

Strawberry Margarita Freeze Omit Mint, Mash 1 and 1/2 c strawberries. Add to cream cheese mixture with coolwhip.

Pina Colada Freeze Omit lime zest, juice and mint. Add 1 can (8 oz.) DOLE Crushed Pineapple in juice and 1/4 cup toasted BAKER'S ANGEL FLAKE Coconut to cream cheese mixture with the COOL WHIP. Garnish with additional coconut, if desired.Make AheadDessert can be stored in freezer up to 24 hours before serving.

treat

2010-06-06T20:33:00.006-05:00

Sunday morning I met up with my good friends Erin and Maureen for brunch. Maureen is expecting and I hadn't seen her baby bump yet! We decided to try out a new place so we could catch up and the bump could be revealed :)

Treat is an inventive restaurant in an up and coming neighborhood called Humboldt Park in Chicago. It features American fare with inspiration from India. I really wasn't sure what to expect but I was very pleasantly surprised by the fresh, flavorful creative dishes!

I decided to go with an omelet, I ordered one up with leeks, mushrooms and spinach. It came with rye toast and fantastic spicy potatoes. They were so good!

I kept on my very bad streak and also ordered a single pancake. I really wanted to try them because they sounded to good to pass up. I figured eh, what the hay.

The pancake was topped with honey chevre mousse and chai syrup. I was so glad I ordered it, I only ate about half, but would have finished it if I could!!

Treat is now on my top 5 brunch spots in the city and this is despite the fact that they don't serve alcohol. A bloody mary and/or mimosa are pretty integral parts of the brunch equation for me, but Treat is so good, I have no problem forgoing. In fact, I already told Mike we are going next weekend!

a fabulous weekened of good eats and shopping

2010-06-06T20:13:00.008-05:00

this weekend was just off the charts as far as food goes! i have to admit, i went into the weekend knowing i needed to be bad. i just felt empty and like i'd been too good all week.

friday night we dodged a thunderstorm, which would have left us house bound because of Finn, and headed out to Dunley's on the Square. It was not an easy decision, sometimes when I am really hungry my expectations are unreasonable, but as it was we figured it out.

One thing I LOVE about Dunley's is their ceviche, a citrus marinated dish served as an appetizer. SO GOOD! I inhaled this along with am AMAZING cocktail that really hit the spot, it was some sort of bourbon, triple sec and lemonade concoction. O yes, it was a dream, and yes I ordered another.

We hadn't been to Dunley's since before we moved so you can imagine how excited I was when I saw a new addition on the menu, the grilled vegetable platter. I was in heaven and snapped a pic after I had already dug in.

Mike ordered the cuban sandwich, a fav of my Dad's, he enjoyed his too.

After a lovely dinner outside, we decided to walk around the square a little bit to burn off some cals, lol. I snapped a few pics.

On the way back to the car I spotted New Wave coffee house and got a chai tea, and umm a vegan chocolate chip cookie. Yep, I ated a lot Friday night!

my treasure

2010-05-29T12:22:00.005-05:00

As mentioned in my previous post, last weekend Mike and I went to Volo Antique Mall with a guy Mike works with and his wife. We spent a few hours going through 4 of the 5 buildings just filled with antiques. It was quit a treat!

My lovely mother in law sent me some birthday money so I had a little bit to play with all in the name of a gift for yours truly. Towards the end of the day, in the last building, I saw a print that caught my eye. I am constantly on the lookout for new art work and rarely find things that I love but at first glance, I loved this print!

Mike ended up making a "deal" and we got 10% off the asking price, despite the fact that the owner had just put it on the floor that morning. Nicely done sweetie!

I came home and googled my treasure and after some searching I found it!

What I purchased was a Deco Courcelles Print Lady and the Fish Bowl c. 1920-1930 by a French Artist.

Description: We offer a wonderful Deco print from the hand of Courcelles. It shows a reddish haired woman gazing at a fish bowl in her diaphanous robe. It is entitled "Meditations". A stunning larger item that is beautifully done. Please excuse glass reflections.

My print came framed in a pretty cool looking old frame, but eventually I will probably have it redone. I have to say I was quite happy with my purchase! I waited for buyers remorse to kick in but it didn't! After learning the value I was please that we paid only a fraction of what it is listed at here. Score!

take a hike

2010-05-29T11:59:00.007-05:00

This mornings recipe was inspired by a trip to Bleeding Heart Bakery last weekend. Bleeding Heart is pretty close to us and I'd wanted to hit it up for a while. We decided to stop on our way to Volo Antique mall for some coffee and muffins.

I was intrigued by the Take A Hike scone as I read somewhere that is was their specialty. Mike ordered the blueberry scone. I obviously like mine because I tried to take a stab at recreating it myself this morning, plus I've never made scones and it sounded fun.

The recipe is as follows:

8 oz Earth Balance buttery stick vege oil spread or other vegan margarine (do not use shortening)
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup organic light brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats
3/4 cup dried fruit, cut into small dice (any combinations: cranberries, apples, apricots, or other fruit)
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
4 tbsp flaxseeds
3/4 cup plain soy milk

Cut the buttery sticks or margarine into chunks and freeze for a minimum of 1 hr.

In the bowl of a electric mixer, stir together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder and baking soda. Mix in the oats. Using the dough hook attachment on med-low speed, cut frozen margarine into dry ingredients until pea size chunks are left, 2-3 min. Scrap down the ingredients as needed as they creep up the sides of bowl.

Briefly mix in the dried fruits, pumpkin seeds and flaxseeds. Add soymilk (mixture will look soggy, but keep mixing until it reaches a thick, oatmeal-like consistency and isn't runny, about 1-2 min).

Scoop the dough onto a lightly floured surface; with hands, pull the dough together and roll to a thickness of 1 1/2 inches. Cut out scones with a 2 1/2 inch round cutter. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with a parchment paper and bake for 25-28 min at 375 degrees. Scones will puff up and crack on the top. Cool completely. (makes 9 or 10)

I tweaked this a little. These are meant to be vegan but I used 4 oz of butter instead and added an egg yolk. I just couldn't bring myself to but in two sticks of butter. So I guess you could say mine were a slightly less fat version. I also used dried apples and cherries.

I had to improvise a but on the mixing since I don't have a pastry mixer or dough hook attachment. I think I just about killed my mixer, but in the end all was mixed.

I also realized I don't have a circle cookie cutter, so I busted out the christmas cookie cutters and used the roundest shape I could find, a bell.

This recipe made a ton! Granted they are on the smaller side, nowhere near as big as the ones from Bleeding Heart but they are so hearty one is all I needed.

BTW, the cupcake flavors at Bleeding Heart looked phenomenal. Next time I want to indulge I will be hitting them up! They also do breakfast baskets and what not so if you come visit me you can try them for yourself!

A day to remember

2010-05-28T20:58:00.007-05:00

Aside from Gary Coleman(RIP) and the 20th year anniversary celebration on E!, not really, but summer is approaching and aren't days more memorable in the summer? Whenever I find myself reminincing it's always some sort of memory that took place in the summer, sigh. Well it seems as though summer is here. We had a bit of a scare earlier this week, temps in the 90's AC cranked, maybe a bit too much summer, but now windows are open, people are out an about and snow boots are in the closet for good! Time to enjoy some good weather FINALLY!

This week has been a good one. I am settling into my new routine at work and Mike started his summer classes. We had a great laugh this morning as we were waking up at 8:45 for the 5th day in a row. I mean, how lucky are we! I wake up at 8:45, let the dogs out and am working by 9. Mike gets up, brews the coffee, gets ready and is off to work or class by 9:15. We feel so lucky to have this schedule right now. I am not an early bird so staying up till 12am and still catching a good 8 hours of sleep suits me just fine!

It's been a bit since I've blogged so here are a few picture highlights!

I have two new friends in my back yard, and while doing yard work snappped a pic of one.

We spent some time last weekend exploring a beautiful, historic cemetary in Chicago that I haven't been to in probably 6 or 7 years

I have also been making some delicious salads for dinner inspired by then newest Kraft Food and Family magazine! YUMMMMmmm

I'm off to enjoy the holiday weekend! I hope to have some fun adventures to report back on and a few new recipes too, including "Take a Hike Scones"!

Birthday #2

2010-05-17T22:54:00.008-05:00

Saturday my parents decided to FINALLY come to Chicago for a visit and to celebrate my birthday! It had been a long time coming so I was pretty excited for them to finally make the 3 hour drive.

They arrived around 1-ish and we had a light lunch at home. Well, light until my mom busted out the cupcakes.

We decided to take a walk around the neighborhood to burn a bit of those cupcakes off before we headed out to do a little shopping. We hit up West Elm, Pottery Barn and Restoration Hardware, I don't think any of us bought anything but it was still fun.

We had a 7:00 dinner reservation at Fiddlehead in Lincoln Square. I agonized over this decision for a week. I wanted something that had interesting food and a good wine selection. After checking out their menu online it seemed like the perfect place. Some unique entrees, a great wine list that even offered flights, excellent beer selection AND a cheese menu! It seemed to have everything!

First we ended up ordering flights and a cheese plate. The cheese was amazing and the wine was good, except for one glass that my mom had to choke down. Mike ordered the sangria and really enjoyed it.

After we finished our cheese we ordered our entrees. I decided to go with the pan roasted salmon with artichoke hearts, peas, asparagus, fava beans with romesco sauce, other entrees ordered were the house smoked brisket, organic half roast chicken and special of the day white fish. I really enjoyed my salmon and veggies, I think everyone else enjoyed theirs as well.

The next morning I made omelets and muffins and we watched New Moon, great for me and Mom, not so exciting for Mike and Dad, lol. O well, we were still celebrating
Mother's Day and my birthday, they can pick next time!

It was a fun visit, hopefully they come back again soon!

Karyn's On Green

2010-05-17T22:22:00.009-05:00

Friday night I turned the big 32, I know this is hard for most of you to believe since I don't look a day past 25, lol. I wanted to have dinner with a few of my best girlfriends and my hubs and was looking for something new and different for the group. I did a roll call, and let's see, I had one vegetarian, one gluten free, one flexitarian and two carnivores. Karyn's On Green made sense to me!

I'd been wanting to try this self proclaimed "sexy vegan" restaurant a for a while and was thrilled to learn that no one else coming had been there yet! Upon our arrival, I was already impressed with the open, airy,modern atmosphere. There were some very contemporary, gorgeous light fixtures above us and an excellent view of the Willis Tower from where we were sitting.

The menu was very innovative and interesting, I wanted to try everything! It was a little confusing because the menu lists meat items, but there is NO meat in anything served, beautiful!

I have to admit, when I checked out the menu online before deciding, the amazing drink list sealed the deal for me. First things first, we ordered some cocktails. There were a few takers of the Upper East Side Manhattan, it was all white, how clever. I went for the Chicago River Run which was Beefeater, Aperol, St. Germain, fresh lime, orange bitters and flamed orange, it was mightly tasty with a nice kick. Also tried was the Southside and a Caiprinha.

Once we all had a little buzz on our appetizers arrived, we tried the raw cheese plate and the hummus and olives. Both were great and very different. I really enjoyed all the varieties of cheese and their individual complexities.

After taking a look at the entrees I knew I had to go for the meatiest non meat item I could find. It's not everyday a vegetarian can order meatloaf off the menu, so that's what I did. It was so delicious and very filling, in fact, I didn't even finish it and I always finish my food!

I also snapped a few quick pics!

Last, it was time for dessert, the waiter literally had to twist my arm and entice me with dessert for my birthday, I can't believe I was THAT full! I ended up ordering and luckily, by the time it came, I was not so stuffed. I ordered the Ice Cream Cookies, it was phenomenal and vegan. I ate every last bite! My favorite was the almond icecream, the chocolate and banana were very good as well.

Erin went with the Banana's Foster, Mike the Tiramisu and Trish the Raspberry Panna Cotta.

Thanks again to my lovely friends who celebrated with me! I will definitely be going back to Karyn's On Green again, the sooner the better!

2010-05-13T23:02:00.008-05:00

Things have been busy for me lately, but in a good way! Mike finished up his semester at Loyola last weekend and I've had a partner in crime again! It's been weird to have him around in the evenings, I mean, usually he is here just off in studying lala land. We've been indulging in some good dinner, good drinks and more good drinks.

Last week we went to Handlebar again,I have blogged about this place many times before, it is one of my fav vegetarian places. I tried something new this time. I believe it was called the green meanie sandwich. It was so, so good and fresh! It had a goat cheese spread and avocado, two of my favs and these amazing, huge sprouts. I have to figure out what these are because they are not your average sprouts. I also ordered it with a fantastic side salad!

Another thing that comes with the season is beer! It never fails, spring comes and I just crave beer. Mike and I have become very fond of Stone Brewery out of Cali lately. Mike and I were at Long Room, one of our fav local bars, the first week they had Stone available, we tried the IPA and loved it. The next time we went back we had, what I now say is my favorite beer of all time, Sublimely Self Rightous Ale. The beer is so delicious, and I have been back several times to indulge since!

Beer Advocate gave it an A-, not too shabby!

Poured from bomber into a tulip glass.

Appearance: Pours almost a stout like black with one finger of fluffy tan head that settles after a bit.

Smell: Citrus and piney hops, smokey malt and some chocolate notes.

Taste: Bitterness from the hops hit at first, followed by burnt malt, coffee and a dry finish.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied, well carbonated and slightly hot.

Drinkability: A very enjoyable beer from Stone. I had this when it was the Anniversary beer and loved it then. Extremely glad they brought this back, at $6 a bomber, this is a great deal.

Serving type: bottle

Last, but not least, we recently made out way back to the Killer Margarita. These strawberry banana babies speak for themselves!! Ahhhh, summer!

and some love from the bug

Imagine...

2010-05-08T11:10:00.004-05:00

...walking into your house after being gone for just about 20 minutes. The oven door is open, toaster on its side, fridge magnents and papers on the floor. This is what I walked into on Thursday and I immediatly knew the culprit.

We have some medicated pups in our house lately. Finn is taking steriods and allergy pills to overcome a horrible bout with some sort of seasonal allergy he decided to partake in this year. He also frequents the xanax train now that storm season is amongst us. OY! Steroids and xanax make for one weird dog.

And little Dixie, well she officially started her phenobarbital this past Wednesday after, yet another, seizure. I had to face my fear,bite the bullet and tell myself that she is better off.

All these meds don't come without their side effects. Dixie is drinking and eating so much, which in turn means she has to go out A LOT. The meds have also made her much more excitable, she doesn't settle as easily and she is, believe it or not, a little bit more of a barker. Hopefully these symptoms subside after the levels of meds stabalize.

Now Finn, he is just a walking mess. He is very thirsy all the time, hungry like a monster and, well, this hunger apparantly makes him act CRAZY! The scene that I walked into? Well, he was trying to get the pill pockets. He succeddded in getting one bag, even ate the bag! I had left his three pills on the counter to remind myself to give them to him when I got home and the little bastard didn't eat those of course.

No Finn fiasco would be complete without a suicide attempt. He managed to get ahold of Dixie's phenobarbitals. 57 of them in fact, thank god the medication was in a child proof container and I wasn't gone long enough for him to chew it open or we would have had another exciting night at the emergency vet.

Absinthe Minded

2010-05-01T21:06:00.005-05:00

Last night me and two girlfriends met up at In Fine Spirits, a wine bar in Chicago, specifically Andersonville. I am a HUGE fan of wine bars, they are great to go to with friends and great for a date. They usually serve smalls plates which means you can taste many different items and even get a little romantic if you are with your sweetie!

Now, I know this is a wine bar, but they are also known for their amazing cocktails. I decided to start with a cocktail and work my way into wine. I ordered up a Chrysanthemum, not the flower, the drink. I mostly ordered this because it had Absinthe in it, but unfortunately I did not hallucinate. It was still a mighty fine drink!

We decided to order a cheese plate that featured 5 different varieties, olives and a bubbling crock of something really good! I tried a Malbec from Washington that was delicious and a Syrah that had words like "lurking", "forest", and "floor" in the description which made me think odds were pretty high it might taste like a basement. If you've read my previous blogs you know I love a red wine that tastes like grandma's basement!

During our last round of drinks I took some pictures of course! Note, I am not in any of them because too much stress, salt and stress has not been kind to me lately.

Even better I was hangover free today! Always a beautiful thing!

Gardein

2010-04-28T18:39:00.003-05:00

A few weeks ago I was walking the meat aisle aka the freezer section since I am a vegetarian, and was so excited to see a NEW product! Don't get me wrong, I love my staples but it's always a treat to try a new meatfree product! Even better when it tastes GREAT! The product I am speaking of are by Gardein. Initially I picked up the beefless tips. I made these on the stovetop and cooked them plain. In my opinion they do not even need a sauce! I served these with homemade curry rice and zucchini. This combo was so good, I made it again this week! Mike was on board too!

Tonight we tried the buffalo wings. Mike made a sandwich out of his. I ate my alone, with brown rice and a salad. These were super tasty as well. I really hope my Jewel adds more Gardein products to their offering. These are some of the best meatfree products I have had in a long time! Give em a try!

The high and the lows

2010-04-27T20:55:00.010-05:00

Last week was a long one, I worked over 60 hours and was stressed to my limit! A few big things happened, after much thought I decided to transition into a part time position with my company. I could still very well be working a 40 hour work week, but I am saying good by to the last minute travel. It was taking a toll on me physically and emotionally, let's face it, I am no spring chicken, and that is a tough lifestyle to live! It was not an easy decision, but it is where I am at.

April 23 my mom and my dog had birthdays! I will not share my mother's age, but my little baby turned 4! Dixie has been having a very tough time lately. So, sorry mom, she gets the slideshow this year. Dixie was recently diagnosed with canine epilepsy. We found out one night on a trip to the emergency vet after she had 2 horrible seizures in a row. The Dr. told us if she had more than one a month we would need to look into seizure management options.

I am sad to report my little girl had one last Wednesday and on her birthday Friday. Saturday we made the dreaded appointment to take the plunge into drugs. After additional bloodwork and much conversing our little baby was given a prescription for phenobarbital. It really saddens me that she has to get on medication for life at such a young age but I am grateful this is something we can hopefully control and she can live a long and happy life.

I opted not to put her on the drugs right away and see if, just maybe, they would go away. I gave it one more shot but she had another small seizure this morning. The seizures are really hard to watch and cause brain damage each time, so it is time for me to but my personal feelings aside and do what is best for little Dixie.

In honor of her birthday and what this little dog means to me, I created a slideshow. I even made it from Dixie's perspective(maybe just a little crazy) This little dog has taught me so much. She showed me a lot of love through some tough years and continues to stand by my side (literally all the time)

Here is my homage to my little Dixie, doodlebug, angel butt, booga boo, boogie, muffin head, angel muffin head, angel muffin butt, dixie wixie am I missing any?

Revolution Brewing Co

2010-04-18T17:54:00.007-05:00

Last night Mike and I hit up a new brewery in Chicago called Revolution Brewing Company. We took a beer class a few years ago where we made our own beer and since then we've kinda been beer snobs, which is a beautiful thing, trust me!

When we arrived we were told it would be about a 2 hour wait, it was already 8ish but we thought, eh, we'll get some beers and hang out. I started off with the Working Woman Brown. I chose this for two reasons, first, it sounded great and second, I myself and a Working Woman Brown, so how could I go wrong? This beer is currently not listed on the website so I can't give you a detailed description but it was dark, but not heavy, I think it was an ale, and I would definitely order it again! Mike started with the Iron Fist Pale Ale. We both tried each others and liked what we ordered for ourselves the best. Next up we went for the Samadhi Double IPA. These were fantastic and served in a snifter vs a pint glass which I love.

We were seated shortly after ordering our second beers, only 45 minutes later, SWEET! We were hungry but full of beer so we decided to skip on the apps, which was unfortunate because they looked delicious, and went straight for entrees. I ordered the Smoked and Grilled Tofu sandwich with blue cheese potato salad. Mike ordered a monster burger, the Smokehouse Burger which has pepperjack cheese AND South Carolina style pulled pork. He had his with fries and apparently has no worries when it comes to his waistline!

The food was good, the beers were GREAT! Next time we go I think I will do beer and apps. Just so I can drink more beer without getting full and try more items on the menu!

Spring Blooms and Muffins

2010-04-18T17:34:00.006-05:00

Last year we moved back to Chicago in August. You might remember we worked really hard and taming the "wild flower garden" in our backyard and creating a respectable area with some grass for our doggies. Well this spring we've had our fair share of surprises popping up. Tulips, daffodils, come really pretty purple flowers and a bunch of others. We've moved things around and made sense of the yard again and I have to say it's looking pretty good! One thing we missed out of last year was this awesome tree in our front yard! When we moved in it appeared to be just a run of this mill small tree. I took a few snapshots today, how pretty!

I wonder what it is!

Spring has also inspired me to try some new muffin flavors. I had a bag of frozen strawberries in my freezer so I did a little recipe search and came up Strawberry Muffin recipe. I have made these two weekends in a row and both times tweaked the recipe significantly so I am now claiming these gems as my own. These are really tasty and it it rare for me to make the same muffins back to back but I just couldn't help myself with these. I'll call this my Summertime Strawberry Muffins, only because I think these will be even better with fresh strawberries when they are in season. You can tweak this recipe yourself if you prefer to use real eggs and real sugar.

1/4 cup of vegetable oil
1/4 cup of egg whites
1/2 cup of milk
2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup of splenda baking sugar
2 tablespoons of splenda brown sugar
1 and 1/2 cups of flour
1 cup of chopped strawberries

Heat oven to 375

Whisk first four ingredients and set aside, unless you use a real egg instead of the white stirring works just as well.

Next mix dry ingredients, then stir in chopped strawberries. Pour in milk mixture and stir all together.

I make my muffins as big as I can and get about 9 out of this.

Bake for 25 minutes, cool on wire rack.

RIP

2010-04-16T21:16:00.004-05:00

Today I learned that one of my favorite singers from the band Type O Negative passed away last night at the age of 48 from heart failure. I really fell in love with this bands hard edge and romantic goth style when I was in college. One of my best memories of the band was driving from Western Illinois, where I went to college, to Chicago on a Tuesday night with Julie. We parked in the McDonald's parking lot because we didn't know any better, managed to not get towed and saw them play at the Metro. It was truly and amazing experience despite driving there and back in one night and not getting back to Western till 5 am.

I saw them a few times after I moved to Chicago as well, and one of my favorite things to do around Halloween is watch the old classic Nosferatu, a silent vampire movie from 1929. In 1998 they took the original movie and applied Type O Negative music to narrate. It was genius, so amazing to see two great things old and new come together so beautifully and illustrates that true beauty can be found in darkness.

I have been saddened by this news all day. I can't believe I will never see Pete Steele on stage along side his bottle of red wine. One of Pete's songs is titled "Everything Dies" and such is true, but not everyone leaves behind timeless masterpieces as did he.

2 outta 3 aint bad!

2010-04-16T20:40:00.008-05:00

This week I make a real effort to bring some new dinners to our table. Maybe it's the change of seasons but I've been a little burnt out on dinners lately. Sunday afternoon, before heading to the grocery store, I decided to peruse cookinglight.com. Just my luck they had a link highlighting 20 meat free entrees. I quickly opened an account, saved a few in my recipes and the best part, printed my grocery list right there based on the recipes I selected!

I have to admit, I started to hand write the typed list I printed out because I felt a little nerdy going to the grocery store with it, god forbid I look THAT organized, but then Mike told me I was silly so I took the list as is.

The first night I made and entree and a side I found on the website. First was the
Grilled Portobello Goat Cheese Pitas

The side dish I chose to go with was Yellow Squash Ribbons with Red Onion and Parmeson.Both were delicious! I love goat cheese, and topped with the fresh basil made for a nice. light, summery dish!

The side dish was very tasty! I really try not to have carb based entrees or sides which eliminates a lot of easy options. Since I had used the pita, I wanted to make sure the side was super low carb. This is a great option if you are looking t omix things up a bit!

Next up wasn't a complete failure but it was just boring and bland. I made a Tofu Curry I actually make Tofu Curry quite often, but it is my own rendition combined with Trader Joes red or yellow curry sauce. I learned here not to mess with a good thing, I should have known by the way the recipe instructed to cook the tofu, that way never works for me! I always press out the water in my tofu by wrapping it is paper towels, cube it, then cook it in the oven for about 20 minutes on 400 before adding it to a stir fry or dish. The pics look pretty so I'll still post them, but it was overall just bland.

Last but not least, actually the best, was a pasta dish I made tonight, Pasta with Sundried Tomato Pesto and Feta Cheese. Now, I made this on Friday because, even though it is fairly healthy, I consider it a splurge. For me, anything with pasta is a treat and a splurge especially when I'm not using whole grain pasta. This dish was fun to make, easy and I even got to use my food processer! You could not make this successfully without one.

This was my favorite out of the three and goes great with a hearty red wine! And, little Dixie loved it too!

Can you believe this is fake?

2010-04-12T19:33:00.006-05:00

I have blogged about the Chicago Diner a few times on here and yet again, we dined there this past Saturday. We were starving and wanted something great to eat but also healthy. We hit up the vegetarian places in Chicago quite a bit but this time Mike suggested the Diner! I was so happy!

As always, our dinners were fantastic. We each had Peak Organic IPA's to drink and shared the vegan potato skins appetizer. For dinner I had to get the radical reuben, it is a true fav of mine, Tender seitan roast ‘beef’ with grilled peppers & onions, sauerkraut, melted soy or swiss cheese and our homemade vegan dressing, on toasted marbled rye. I opt for the soy cheese versus the swiss. This was served with a side salad that was equally amazing! I love their sprouts! I took half home since I knew we were going out "dancing" after and snapped a picture the next day when I was eating it for lunch. Can you believe that it is fake meat!

Mike had the Dagwood sandwich with a side of mac and cheese, Seitan roast & corned “beef”, “bacon” & cheeze, with lettuce, tomato, onion, pepperoncini & spicy sauce on a hoagie. He was a happy camper.

Again, because of the dancing, we opted to skip dessert. But next time that peanut butter puck, neopolitan cheesecake or chocolate chip cookie dough looking cake is mine!

a picture is worth a thousand words

2010-04-12T19:24:00.004-05:00

It's times like these I am REALLY glad I carry my camera around with me. Since I've been so busy it is a great reminder of the things that happened this past week. This past Thursday Mike got a random text from a cousin. His cousin Casey was in Chicago for work and had a few hours to get together! Mike and Casey hadn't seen each other in maybe 10 years or so, so when she showed up at our apartment, as I controlled the dogs, I could hear them both a little shocked to see their adult selves face to face! After a little bit of catching up and some introductions to Finn, Dixie, Kira and me, we headed off to show Casey Chicago. It was already 9:00 so we drove down the block to Wrigley, then headed to one of our fav neighborhood bars, Black Rock. We had some drinks, Casey and Mike caught up and it was a great time. We parted ways and Casey headed back to her hotel to catch a 7am flight back to Florida, yikes!

ketchup

2010-04-12T18:59:00.007-05:00

Phew, it's been a while since my last confession, oops, I mean blog! Truth is, I have been swamped. Between a trip to Iowa last weekend, being swamped at work and some hush hush circumstances I have been having a hard time, well, finding time! It appears as though things are not slowing down either but I decided to take a break tonight and spend some time with my blog.

As I mentioned Mike and I spent Easter weekend in Iowa. We finally made it to the neighborhood wine bar, it was great! I can't believe we never went the year we lived there. I really enjoyed the flight I had. My favorite was the syrah and not the malbec this time, big shocker as I am a malbec lover!

On Sunday we celebrated the start of spring and easter at The Lodge. I am also a lover of The Lodge, I believe I said "I just love the Lodge, no matter what you come for you know you are going to have a good time" The brunch was good, and so was my mimosa. We ate in the banquet area rather than the restaurant which was kind of a bummer as the ambiance wasn't as great but good times were had by all, and man do they do an unbelievable amount of business on easter!

After brunch the easter bunny made a visit to the casa. We all found our gifts, including my parents this time, we turned the tables and hid something for them too!

And last but not least, Easter Doodle!

tequila

2010-03-30T19:10:00.007-05:00

Spring fever is definitely in the air and this past Friday night it led Mike a me to a blast from my past. "The Killer Margarita" When I first move to Chi I lived about a block from this place and would go quite frequently. I have never lived more than a few miles from Killer but I find when I leave or move to a new neighborhood I rarely go back to my old spots but rather, find new ones.

Once I learned Mike had never been I was on it! For our first round we got the jumbo size, aka medium, this isn't even the large! I got a strawberry banana and Mike got a mango. I am usually a rocks margarita drinker, but the frozen at Killer are the way to go, unless you're eating. Then stick with the rocks to avoid getting too full. That's my strategy at least!

After some major arm twisting, haha, we ordered a second round. This time we ordered smalls. I got a banana and Mike loved my first strawberry banana so much he ordered one for himself.

These were so good, we are already planning another trip back!

A Big Day For The USA

2010-03-23T21:40:00.003-05:00

I have to admit I never thought this would happen in my lifetime, at least not until I was old enough that it didn't really matter. BUT it has, and we are well on our way to universal healthcare thanks to our prez, Obama. I will never understand why certain people out there don't believe that everyone should have the right to see a doctor if they are ill, or to prevent illness. Why are people upset that the healthcare insurance industry who takes as much as from you as they can while you are healthy and looks for any reason to drop your coverage when you need them the most will finally be held accountable? I just don't get it! I'm sure there will be growing pains with this plan, but how can anyone argue that isn't the right step for our country? I guess that's politics!

I saw this "letter" from Michael Moore online, I couldn't say it better(granted it's a little swayed). It's time to put the argument to rest, move forward, and celebrate this monumental day!

To My Fellow Citizens, the Republicans:

Thanks to last night's vote, that child of yours who has had asthma since birth will now be covered after suffering for her first nine years as an American child with a pre-existing condition.

Thanks to last night's vote, that 23-year-old of yours who will be hit one day by a drunk driver and spend six months recovering in the hospital will now not go bankrupt because you will be able to keep him on your insurance policy.

Thanks to last night's vote, after your cancer returns for the third time — racking up another $200,000 in costs to keep you alive — your insurance company will have to commit a criminal act if they even think of dropping you from their rolls.

Yes, my Republican friends, even though you have opposed this health care bill, we've made sure it is going to cover you, too, in your time of need. I know you're upset right now. I know you probably think that if you did get wiped out by an illness, or thrown out of your home because of a medical bankruptcy, that you would somehow pull yourself up by your bootstraps and survive. I know that's a comforting story to tell yourself, and if John Wayne were still alive I'm sure he could make that into a movie for you.

But the reality is that these health insurance companies have only one mission: To take as much money from you as they can — and then work like demons to deny you whatever coverage and help they can should you get sick.

So, when you find yourself suddenly broadsided by a life-threatening illness someday, perhaps you'll thank those pinko-socialist, Canadian-loving Democrats and independents for what they did Sunday evening.

If it's any consolation, the thieves who run the health insurance companies will still get to deny coverage to adults with pre-existing conditions for the next four years. They'll also get to cap an individual's annual health care reimbursements for the next four years. And if they break the pre-existing ban that was passed last night, they'll only be fined $100 a day! And, the best part? The law will require all citizens who aren't poor or old to write a check to a private insurance company. It's truly a banner day for these corporations.

So don't feel too bad. We're a long way from universal health care. Over 15 million Americans will still be uncovered — and that means about 15,000 will still lose their lives each year because they won't be able to afford to see a doctor or get an operation. But another 30,000 will live. I hope that's ok with you.

If you don't mind, we're now going to get busy trying to improve upon this bill so that all Americans are covered and so the grubby health insurance companies will be put out of business — because when it comes to helping the sick, no one should ever be allowed to ask the question, "How much money can we save by making this poor bastard suffer?"

Please, my Republican friends, if you can, take a quiet moment away from your AM radio and cable news network this morning and be happy for your country. We're doing better. And we're doing it for you, too.

Yours,
Michael Moore
MMFlint@aol.com
MichaelMoore.com

another lovely whole foods trip

2010-03-21T21:32:00.005-05:00

Today was possibly the best Sunday ever. I laid in bed until around 1:30 then hit the gym getting 3.5 miles in and some butt lifts before heading off to Whole Foods with Erin for an afternoon, turned evening indulgance. First we hit the wine bar and each had a flight, then we ordered a glass of wine and a french mountain cheese plate. It was all amazing per usual. Before leaving we picked up a few groceries. I headed to the gelato bar and tried a sample of the salty caramel gelato Erin recomended. It was, how do I say this, freakin amazing!! I picked up a pint and took it home for me and my sweetie aka mike to indulge in. That pint was gone in a matter of seconds, it was seriously one of the best things I have ever tasted!

I didnlt take as many pictures tonight but when we headed out to the parking garage I couldn't help myself, the skyline was so gorgeous!

I felt like I was cheating

2010-03-19T23:14:00.007-05:00

One of my best gal pals, Erin, and I have a new favorite past time. We like to go to the new Whole Foods, have flights at the wine bar, and check out men while they grocery shop, lol. Don't worry I fessed up to my hubs tonight, surprisingly this is not the reason I felt like I was cheating..but rather because I went there with him instead of Erin! I felt like I was letting him into my secret life!

Anyways, I took some pictures with my blackberry, unfortunely I forgot my camera. After a long week we had a nice dinner together at Sushi Luxe then headed off to Whole Foods. This Whole foods is new, and not like the others that exist in Chicago, I'll just let the pictures speak for themselves. Let me start off by saying...sigh, xanadu

After the wine it was really hard to decide in one treat to take home for dessert. We browsed the vegan treats a while, gelato, bakery and finally decidede to get a few cookies from the cookie bar.

We came home and shared a few marzipan macaroons, almond crescent cookies and a butterscotch cookie, all sooo good!

Back on track

2010-03-19T22:53:00.009-05:00

This week I really tried to be creative with our dinners and get us back on track after our monster muffin extravaganza. After traveling I always feel bloated and sick so my goal for the week was to keep things fairly low carb without cutting us off cold turkey. I thought I'd post a few of the highlights from the week:

My breakfast of choice this week was an egg with a whole grain piece of toast, rotating with a bowl of special k cinnamon pecan crunch.

Next up, I finally made a great stir fry! I have tried for years and failed but this time it worked! I cut and cubed my tofu baked and flipped on 400 for about 20 minutes. Then I sprayed a skillet with a nonstick spray and threw in a bag of fresh veggies I picked up at Jewel. Next I added three serving of a delicious sauce I also picked up at Jewel. I let the veggies and sauce steam, covered on low heat for about 15 minutes, stirred in the tofu and magic! Served ontop of brown rice made for a great meal!

Another great new favorite. Tilapia has been a weekly staple in my diet for years but just recently I started cooking it differently. Mike loves it and thinks it is the best he's ever had. Start with a mix of flour and sea food seasoning, I use Chef Paul Prudhommes blackened seafood seasoning. I used about 1/8 of a cup of flour mixed with 2 tablespoons of the seasoning and lightly coat the fish. Next up I spray the pan and throw on the fish. Cook for about 3-5 minutes on each side. Serve along side some asparagus cooked at 400 for 15 minutes coated with a little salt and pepper and nonstick spray and some parmesan cous cous... YUM!

I also have to give props to the organic Jewel herb green blend salad, honestly the best blend I have ever had!

After some healthy eating and logging in 14 miles in 4 days at the gym I am ready for the weekend and splurging a little!

DAVE'S COFFEE!

2010-03-17T19:33:00.005-05:00

After another day of training and my work holiday party Friday, we went to bed fairly early. I was so beat and I knew that we had the drive to Rhode Island ahead of us in the morning not to mention DAVE's COFFEE which I'd been looking forward to for months!

Saturday morning we had set the alarm for 8am, but I swear, I was like a kid on Christmas morning. I woke up before 7 and said to Mike "Let's get ready and go to Dave's" and that we did!

We got to Dave's around 11. This place is nostalgic for Mike because it is right next door to the house he grew up in! Unfortunately his parents moved just a few years after Dave's opened in 1997.

Dave has delicious coffee and muffins that are literally to die for!! As we ate them Mike and I discussed how the heck they get these giant muffins to be so perfect. I am not sure what the secret is, but I sure wish I knew!

After our fix we went to Mike's parents. We relaxed a little bit, went to an antique store by their house then headed back to a different part of Massachusetts to have dinner with his Aunt Bernice, Aunt Linda, his Uncle Arnold, and Mike's parents too of course. It was great to see his fam, they are much smaller than my side and don't get together as often so when we do, it is very special.

The next day Mike ran back out to Dave's and brought us all muffins and coffee. Yum, again! We did a little shopping with his parents and then had to head out to the airport. It was a quick visit but nice because living so far away we don't get to see them too often.

Our flight was on time and we were home by 7. Thanks to my Dad, our babies were waiting for us when we got home. After a love fest and many sloppy kisses we ordered Pockets and passed out!

kickin it in the EC day 2

2010-03-17T19:26:00.006-05:00

I won't bore you with the details of my training, but after a long day, I got back to the hotel. Mike and I decided to hit the gym. With all this travel in my life lately I have to FORCE myself to work out on the road, otherwise I will blow up! After our work out I gave Mike a few choices for dinner. It was between Sierra Grille and Mama Iguanas. Neither of us could decide so he flipped a coin and Mama Iguanas it was!

I had shrimp tacos which were tasty, light and pretty healthy.

Mike, well day 2 of non healthy for him. He has a massive steak burrito.

And then it was bedtime.

East Coast or bust

2010-03-17T19:09:00.007-05:00

After a few days without our babies Mike and I were ready to get out East. We were missing them a lot and the house just didn't seem the same. We headed off to Northampton Mass again where my company is located. I had two days of training and a work party Friday evening. Mike was able to come out with me since he was on Spring break, lol, it's no Cabo, but at least I had a travel buddy. I worked all day Thursday and Friday but we managed to have some fun after hours.

Wednesday evening, after we arrived, we walked around the town. I was able to show Mike where I lived for over a month of my life lol. After we made the rounds we decided to hit up the brewery. I had the forty love brew, and Mike topped off my red head discrimination day(for all of those on FB you know the story) by ordering a red headed step child brew. For those of you who don't know, the short of it is, an airport employee asked me if Mike was my husband, then asked him where his red hair was and said he thought we were supposed to stick to our own kind... ummm IDIOT is all I will say. Both beers were delicious and exactly what we needed to shake off the jet lag.

Later in the evening we hit up Spoleto's. A local italian restaurant. I had some sort of pasta and mike chicken parmesan.

After our dinner we met up with a coworker of mine for a drink and then headed off to call it a night.

From the Midwest to the East Coast and Back Again

2010-03-17T18:51:00.007-05:00

Most of you know Mike and I were out East last week, but with two dogs and a cat the planning has to start much sooner. Needless to say the past two weeks have been a little cray cray. Our fun kicked off two weekends ago. Friday night we ordered one of my staples, Pockets, it's a salad fast food joint if you will. My favorite is the Berry Blue salad, mixed greens, dried cranberries, cucumbers, edamame, sliced almonds and blue cheese with fat free raspberry dressing. I went for the large and enjoyed every bite!

The next morning we got up around 6am to head to Iowa. We had to get there early to take Finn to his old vet. He'd been having several problems with his ear, eyes and skin. We had to make it before they closed at 11, so we hit up Starbucks first! After a relaxing afternoon and Finn got his meds we headed to Dubuque, Iowa, another hour and a half drive, to celebrate my grandparents 60th wedding anniversary. Can you believe it? 60 years, that is a LONG ASS TIME! We had dinner at an interesting restaurant called Morocco. To my disappointment it was not Moroccan food, but the family picked it because it's been around forever, so long that my Dad even went there when he was a kid!

My Dad and his parents aka my gram and gramps! The gorgeous and delicious cake was made by my aunt Renee.

The non Moroccan Morocco

Mike's din

After dinner we celebrated with cake and puppy chow(yum alexis!) and headed back to Davenport. The next morning we got dropped Finn off at the boarder, left Dixie with her grandparents and headed back to Chicago. I also received a blingin text that happened to be my cousin Alysia's engagment ring. Her boyf popped the question Sunday morning, we are so happy and excited for them!

Phew, and then it was Monday!

The friend that always wants to hang out..

2010-03-03T20:40:00.004-06:00

Wine? Ok, maybe wine and I have become a little too close lately, but I blame it on old man winter. I love a good glass of wine on these cold Chicago nights as much as I love a cool, crisp beer on a hot summers day. Tonight I just finished off an excellent bottle that I purchased Sunday at Whole Foods after and evening of, well, wine tasting.

My friend Erin and I have a new favorite past-time. We like to go drink flights and try new wines at the new Whole Foods on Clybourn. This is not your ordinary Whole Foods, as Erin put it, "It's like a little town" inside that is. There is your normal salad bar, bakery, cheese section ect. BUT this Whole Foods also has a full out bar, and a wine and cheese bar, in other words pure bliss!

After we both had the "Pacific Flight" and a glass we headed off into the aisles for some shopping. I had two purchases in mind, a sweet and a bottle. I will be the first to admit that after a flight and a glass my decision making powers were not at their finest. I saw a women who knew what she wanted walk into the department and pick up 4 bottles of a Cabernet Sauvignon from Brownstone Winery in Cali. I quickly snatched one up before heading to the bakery and picking up a slice of vegan cookies and cream cake from my fav, The Chicago Diner.

Neither let me down. Mike and I shared the slice of cake two nights in a row! It was a delicious and umm, big!

I am partly noting this wine to share with you all and so I don't forget in the future. I prefer a deep, rich (basement) flavor in my wine versus a grapey fruity flavor. As my palate continues to refine I'm sure I will be able to tell you the specific grape variety but for now, well here is the description straight off the bottle. "Blended for maximum flavor and color, this wine has rich cherry, tobacco and oak components with supple tannins and smooth finish", I am starting to see a trend here with "oak" maybe that is the basement flavor I am so found of. At any rate, if you see this wine, pick up a bottle, at $10.99 it is a bargain for the deliciousness it will dazzle your palate with!

An epiphany or something like it..

2010-02-26T21:04:00.005-06:00

Tonight Mike and I grabbed a bottle of wine we had on hand and headed to our favorite byob Thai Restaurant, Thai Classic. This is actually the first Thai place I ever ate at in Chicago when I moved here over ten years ago. It's remained a staple in my dining rotation throughout all these years, yes, it is THAT good.

Tonight I ordered something different. After our appetizers, spring rolls and shrimp dumplings, I order the tofu curry noodles. As I was eating them in awe, I had my epiphany. If my teenage self could see me now I would be so jealous! I can't tell you how many times I have shared one of my favorite memories growing up with Mike. What is it? Well on Saturdays I lived for my lunch of ramen noodles and strawberry soda while shutting myself in the basement and watching mtv or a lifetime movie depending on the day. So sad, right? hahah. Seriously, I loved those ramen noodles and as I was eating my curry noodles I thought, wow, not much has changed! Except the curry noodles are a definite step up from ramen, and well, these days wine beats strawberry soda! I didn't have my camera but I snapped a few picks with the blackberry.

I then preceded to get really angry at my parents, cursing them for never enlightening me to Thai food in my younger years. Mike quickly reminded me that the Quad Cities didn't really have a lot of Thai food back then. I quickly remembered and said, O, I guess you are right!

Hangin with my QC peeps

2010-02-24T19:53:00.019-06:00

First, let me start off by saying I am a bad bad blogger lately. I started a new job in September and my blogging just kind of dropped off. I have been working my a$$ off, not literally unfortunetely and finding a work life balance has been really challenging. I work harder and longer hours than I EVER have in my entire life! Needless to say I am working on the balance thing for sanity.

Anyways after a long week of working in Houston, I enjoyed some good food and good company with my sister and her hubs. It started on Friday evening, they got in around 8, Mike and I decided to cook at home. I need something fast, healthy and good. I was able to flip through the most recent better homes and gardens on the plane and decided to try out a recipe called Beef, mushroom and onion tart:

12 oz lean ground beef, I used a bag of morningstar farm crumbles to make this a vegetarian friendly meal for yours truely
1 8oz package of sliced mushrooms
1/2 a medium red onion cut in thin wedges
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of pepper
1 13.8 oz pkg refridgerated pizza dough (I used the pillsbury thick because it had the least fat)
oregano and or italian seasoning to taste
3 oz of blue cheese crumbles (I used reduced fat)

Heat oven to 375, In 12" skillet brown beef or fake beef, with onions mushrooms salt and pepper for about 8 minutes, drain if you use beef

Grease or spray large baking sheet,roll dough to fill 15x12 inch pan.

Top dough with beeef mixture, keep filling within 1 1/2" of all edges, fold efges over the filling pleating as needed.

Bake tart for 15 minutes. Top with oregano and italian seasoning.

I cut this into 4 pieces and we each sprinkled on our blue cheese.

Each serving was roughly 14 grams of fat and 450 calories, served along side a salad for a healthy, quick meal!

We talked had a few drinks then hit the sack!

The next morning I wanted to start off with a healthy breakfast because I knew we'd be induldging later with a late lunch/early dinner or dunch as I like to call it.

I made an egg white scramble with spinach and a little 2% light cheese along with a fruit salad. No, I did not cut pineapple into stars as Mel thought, I simply cut up a tasty starfruit.

After an episode of Real Housewives and showering we headed out to Kuma's, which I previously blogged about. I knew Mel and Jeff had to experience it.

We arrived at Kuma's around 4 and there was already a 2 and 1/2 hour wait. Wow, this place never stops! We got smart this time and headed over the Square Bar across the street to wait it out where we enjoyed some tasty beverages, a delicious hummus platter and took some artsy photos.

The hummus deserves honorable mentioned because it was so good!

Around 7 we were FINALLY seated for dunch and served around 745. Yowza!

Mel and I ended up ordering the same thing, the Iron Maiden, we were good and ordered veggie burgers instead of beef or chicken and salads instead of fries!

My favorite to drink with this delicious feast is a dry cider they serve, light and refreshing with a lil alcohol for kicks.

Mike opted to not go healthy and did the Kuma Burger and fries, look at that!

We all enjoyed our dinners, took a few more pics and headed out.

The next morning we had brunch at John's Place, a cute restaurant around the corner from us, got our bloody mary on and headed off to Ikea before saying a tearful goodbye.

a little disclaimer, spell check is not working this evening! apologies for typos

King Cakes, Hearts and Babies

2010-02-15T16:57:00.005-06:00

This weekend has gone way too fast, even with it being 3 days and all. Saturday night we drive out to the burbs to visit our friends Shay and Bianca. They cooked up an amazing southern style dinner, fried catfish, greens, blackeye peas, fried okra and cornbread. It was delicious!! We also got to meet their new little bean, two month old Amelie Maeve. She was so good, and very cute. Mike and I brought a King Cake for dessert in celebration of Mardi Gras. As luck would have it, I got the baby, which contrary to what my friends believe it means, actually means a year of good luck. Yay for me!

Sunday was Vday and also the 2 year anniversary of our engagement, awwww. We spent the day relaxing, got in a good workout at the gym. Busted out the champagne around 530 and headed out the dinner at Red Light, one of my fav restaurants.

We started with cocktails and lobster rolls, then ordered our entrees. I had the pan seared diver scallops with porcini mushroom polenta and jakarta coconut sauce. Mike had the asian paella, chinese sausage, mussels, clams, jumbo prawns, with basmati rice and lobster tamarind sauce. A little different than they do it out East.

After dinner we ordered dessert. I really came for Jackie's Chocolate Bag, it is a must whenever dining at Red Light. It is literally a milk chocolate bag filled with Belgian white chocolate mousse, with berries and raspberry sauce. We skipped the coffee and ordered champagne to go along side. So good!

After, we made our way home and sang a little karaoke lol, it was quite a site. Tomorrow I am off to Texas for work until Friday :( I am dreading being away from my sweetie after a great weekend.

Hope everyone else had a fabulous Valentine's Day! xoxo

A little lost bug

2010-02-11T20:15:00.005-06:00

We got dumped on this week, literally!! I think in the end we got well over a foot of snow, one for the all time record books in Chicago during the month of February. Lucky us!

Our babies, unfortunately, are the ones that pay the price. Mike shoveled a little potty spot for them but Dixie aka Doodle Bug is just a lost little pup when she has to go. Her favorite spot is in the back corner of the yard and there is no way she's making it back there!

Boy, did I need this!

2010-02-11T20:05:00.007-06:00

Tonight I was really craving something sweet. A 100 cal pack of chocolate cookies or a soy ice cream sandwich(my only options) just weren't going to cut it. I did some fridge digging and decided to experiment. It was quite simple in the end actually.

I cut up a banana, heated up a skillet on low, sprayed the bananas with a little spray butter, sprinkled them with some splenda brown sugar and cooked them for a few minutes.

Next I pulled out some fat free vanilla. I definitely prefer Breyers to any other brand. Funny thing is I tried the Breyers light and I actually think the fat free is better!

I ended up with one amazing dessert! Best thing, it's totally guilt free!

love is in the air

2010-02-07T20:08:00.006-06:00

It's hard to believe that 2 years ago this Valentine's Day Mike and I were engaged. It's not so hard to believe that it's been two years, but rather how much we did in two years! Phew, talk about the fast track. We both laughed a little about this the other night. When we were married we had only been together just over a year! Seems so crazy to think about now, but when you know, you know! And lucky for us things are better than ever!

A couple great friends of ours have also recently taken the plunge into engagement.

If you attended our wedding I'm sure you remember Bret and Christine, they tore up the dance floor. And many of you know my bff since my freshman year of college Julie and her wife-to-be Trish!(I even got to help Julie pick out the ring, which is gorgeous) I am so happy for my friends, I know the ups and downs of being single and it's so great to see them finally meet their match!

I also am very excited to attend their weddings since they are at amazing venues in Chicago. I really wish I knew the industry in the city better because I would love to be a day of planner. Maybe their weddings will inspire me to take the leap.

Mike and I have some special plans for vday. I'll share next week!

It's been too long and a long time coming...

2010-02-05T22:06:00.005-06:00

Wow! I am currently in food como on the couch fighting the urge to unbutton my pants. Why? Tonight Mike and I fought starvation, we fought exhaustion, we endured a long two hour wait to eat at Kumas!!

I dined at Kumas when it first opened a few times but it was in my younger years when my love of alcohol outweighed my love of food and Mike, well he was a Kumas virgin! Kumas is the place to go for the best burger ever! Lucky for me, you can order all of their concoctions with a burger, chicken or a veggie burger, you gotta love a veggie friendly city!!

Tonight, against the odds, we were seated around 8:15 and let me tell you...it was WELL worth the wait!

I forgot my camera and it was too dark for me to take pics with my blackberry, believe me I tried. Luckily, I was able to steal some photos off the internet.

Have a look:

This is not what I had, but it paints a good picture. Above is the "Kuma Burger" topped with bacon, a fried egg and chedder cheese. Wow! What really sets these burgers apart, in my mind, is the pretzel bun, so good!

At Kuma's most of the burgers are all named after heavy metal bands, which adds to the charm. I had the Iron Maiden veggie burger with avocado, cherry peppers, pepper jack and chipotle mayo. This is my fav! Mike had the Kaijo with bacon, blue cheese and frizzled onions. I opted for a side salad instead of the waffle fries which had a super fresh basil dressing. I still managed to sneak in some of Mike's fries!

Just a few weeks ago Lady GaGa made a stop while playing a show in Chicago, yes, it is go good Lady GaGa had to try it!

Just for fun I googled to see what she had. She had the Judas Priest, bacon, blue cheese, dressing with apples, walnuts and dried cranberries.

A little nostalgia...

2010-01-31T13:54:00.005-06:00

When Mike's parents were here over Christmas his mom mentioned, when looking at our gas fire place, that she had a green ceramic pot that would match just perfectly. I didn't think to much of it at the time, until she recently sent it to us.

According to Mike this is a very special pot. This pot sat on his stove his entire childhood. His mom would fill it with water and cinnamon sticks or other good smelling treats and the aroma filled their home.

Once we received the pot in the mail, along with cinnamon sticks, Mike filled it up and put it on the fire stove. Within a matter of minutes our home smelled lovely and Mike said "This is really reminding me of home" awwww, it was truly cute the way he said it.

I love the Mike has this little piece of his childhood now. It reminds me of how hard it must be for him living so far away from his family. Little reminders like this are fun to have around.

O, and again, my little nosey shadow had to pose.

Blue Additions

2010-01-31T13:27:00.006-06:00

A while back I blogged about one of my favorite artists, George Rodrigue and a project I was working on to incorporate some of his artwork into my home without busting my bank account.

Well, I am happy to report I did finish this project a few months ago! I ended up ordering two art books to get the final result that I wanted. It took me a while to decide which prints I wanted to use. I wanted to make sure there was an element in the 5 that I chose that tied them all together, I also wanted to make sure the ones I chose would pop on our light blue wall.

Take a look:

Surprisingly I didn't end up using my favorite print.

I thought that the blue based prints would blend in to much with the walls and the rest of the room. I opted for yellows and pink so that these doggies would really stand out!

This ended up being a pretty simple project. I scanned in the prints I chose, printed the small ones off on photo paper and ordered the large one from Shutterfly. For the framing I bought them all at Ikea and used the mats that came with them the small frames. The large print didn't quite work with the mat that came with the frame so I went to a framing shop and had them cut a mat in the size I needed. All in all this project cost around $150 including the books! I hope George doesn't mind that I am borrowing his artwork. I mean I did pay for the books, and I plan on buying a print or an original someday!

O, and the little ham wanted to pose with her blue dog friends!

Sunday morning tweets

2010-01-31T13:09:00.003-06:00

Mike and I Tweeted this morning, not as in Twitter but as in Tweet the restaurant. We meet up with Julie and Trish, this was their recomendation, we had actually never been before! Let me tell you, I did not think anything this weekend was going to beat the buffalo chicken(seitan) wrap I had at Handlebar Friday night, but my brunch at Tweet sure did!

First things first, ordered the drink:

I could have had 2, or 3 of these, but I settled for one and practiced self control.

After much, much debate, because there were so many great options, I picked my entree. Veggie Country Benedict. Being a vegetarian this was quite a treat!

It came with a yummy fresh fruit cup

This was definetly a bit of an indulgance for me. An opened face bisquit with two veggie sausage patties and 2 poached eggs smothered in a meat free gravy. Delicious! I am happy to say, even though I polished off the bisquits and gravy, I hardly touched the hashbrowns! Woo hoo!

Mike's Irished out and ordered the corn beef and hash. He liked his as well. Now on to enjoy a lazy, gym free Sunday!

I'm feeling quorny

2010-01-26T19:52:00.005-06:00

I was a vegetarian for about 10 years, took a year off to dabble with meat, reconfirmed that it is not for me and have been eating vegetarian for the past several months again.

I have been a little burnt out lately when it comes to meal ideas so this week when I went to the g store I made a real effort to buy some new things.

I tried Quorn products a few years ago when they first came out(in the Chicago area) but they quickly fell off my radar. I noticed them again in the freezer aisle this week and decided to give them another try. I remember the products being good but just being leery of what the products were derived from.

Tonight I made Quorn Chicken along with some seasoned veggies and brown rice.

Dinner was great! So I decided to do a little research and figure out just exactly what Quorn is. Believe it or not Quorn comes from a fungi, you know like mushrooms. The website states that "The principal ingredient in all Quorn products is mycoprotein (“myco” is Greek for “fungi”). The mycoprotein comes from Fusarium venenatum, which was originally discovered growing in a field in Buckinghamshire, England. In the late 1960s, initial product development began, soon recognizing mycoprotein’s potential as an efficient and nutritious protein source."

I checked out the back of the box and sure enough, these are packed with protien! I will definetly be adding this product into my diet. It opens a lot of options up for me since meat is just not for me. Give it a try and let me know what you think!

O and P.S for all of you with access to Trader Joes. Their organic brown rice saves my life! I eat a lot of veggies, but everyone needs a little bit of carbs to stick to the ribs, these come in microwavable packets and take just 3 minutes. LOVE IT!

Squirrel Meet Skunk!

2010-01-26T19:37:00.005-06:00

Most of you have had the pleasure of meeting my perfect little angel bug, Dixie. She is the sweetest, possibly the loudest, 10 pound bundle of joy I have ever come across. Well, that is most of the time. When she gets around her toys she turns into a crazy little monster bug!!

Dixie's Grandma Mashl bought her an amazing toy for Christmas this year. For all of you dog people out there you will appreciate this. Dixie received a stuffing free toy! It's a toy with none of that tempting stuffing to pull out which causes the toy to be destroyed in a matter of minutes and also makes a mess BUT is still has the squeakers. I cannot say enough about these clever toys! They are called Skinneeez and I found a link to a site that sells them!

Unfortunately squirrel did meet his match, Finn got ahold of him. You can see he is still intact, just not as cute and squirrely as he once was. Fortunately, last weekend Gma Mashl sent skunk!! Skunk is a total upgrade, and even though he was meant for Finn, Dixie claimed him as her own!

Check out some great action shots:

My Impromptu Breakfast

2010-01-26T19:24:00.005-06:00

Sunday morning I was his by the food bug. I decided to raid my cupboards and see what I could pull together. Turns out I did a decent job.

I made apple, banana, oat muffins, I kind of just made them up
as I went:

1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1 cup flour
1/3 cup brown brown sugar
1 cup of oatmeal
3 tsp baking soda
1 tsp of salt
1 medium apple chopped
1 banana mashed
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 tablespoons oil

Bake on 400 for 20 minutes. I made 9 muffins out of this, but I like my muffins big!

I wanted some protein to go along with the carb fest so I whipped up some eggs:

I opted for a scramble rather than my normal omelet and these turned out just great.

I beat about 6 eggs, added in 1/2 a cup of pressed and drained spinach, a little garlic powder and some pepperjack cheese.

All in all this was a healthy breakfast for me. I only indulged in one muffin. Funny how as of this morning they are all gone...I wonder who else has been indulging!

Chi Town Situation

2010-01-17T17:53:00.004-06:00

This weekend Mel and JJ came into town! We had a weekend of many firsts, Mel lost her fist pump virginity. We battled it out at Black Rock and definetly vibed off one another. O, did I mention we watched a Jersey Shore marathon? LOL.

We had a great time though. We spent some time at Dave and Busters:

Had a great dinner at D'Augustinos and all experienced the deliciousness of sweet tea and vodka. YUM. Sunday we did a little shopping at Trader Joes, hit up the Crate and Barrel outlet and grubbed on Chipotle while keeping up with our marathon.

Now, if only I can get them here more often!

just what i needed!

2010-01-10T20:04:00.006-06:00

If you have or haven't talked to me recently you may or may not know that I have been very stressed and burnt out. I spent most of the Fall training for my new job, then the holidays kicked in and then my job got CRAZY!! I told my husband recently that I feel like I haven't talked to him in forever, I've just been on auto pilot lately and not really by choice.

This weekend was all about resting, relaxing, having some fun and, most importantly, being at home!!

Friday night I had a kick ass dinner at one of my favs, The Chicago Diner an all vegetarian diner. I worked an 11 hour day in the burbs and when I got home at 7 I was starving. I had the radical reuben, Mike had the philly cheese steak and for dessert we split a piece of vegan carrot cake that was so, delicious. While we were dining we learned that on Monday TLC will be at the diner doing a segment on the radical reuben for a new TV show. Looks like I chose a winner!

Saturday we slept in as much as Dixie would allow. I made my way to the couch where I watched bad TV I'd DVR'd and took a nap. It was wonderful, I was seriously so tired and really needed the extra sleep. Around 9 we got a little stir crazy so we went out for a drink at Late Bar. It was 80's night so we even danced a little, mostly just me.

Sunday Mike and I were super hungry when we woke up so we decided to try out a neighborhood restaurant Mike had been eyeing for some time, John's Place. I had the Roscoe Village omelet which had leeks, tomatoes, goat cheese, roasted garlic and zuchinni. It was great! Mike had the omelet of the day and he enjoyed his as well.

After brunch my sweetie was nice enough to chauffeur me around so I could run in and out of a few stores to pick up some things I've been wanting. First, I made a stop at the Coffee and Tea Exchange. I have really been getting into tea lately and wanted to buy the loose leaf type. I spent some time with the great saleswoman sniffing teas and making some concoctions. I also purchased a diffuser. I selected three types to try: chamomile and lemon peel, mango organic green tea and apricot orange herbal. So far I have tried the chamomile and the apricot and let me tell you, these are AMAZING. Never will I buy a bag again. If you go on their website you can take a look at some of the tasty tea concoctions!

Next stop was the Body Shop were I picked up some new lotions that I was in need of. I chose a raspberry body butter and hand lotion and a almond spray lotion. I love the Body Shop. The fragrances are not as overwhelming as Bath and Body.

After a much needed grocery trip to Trader Joe's Mike dropped me off at home and he headed out to watch some football. I have very much enjoyed my alone time today, I baked some cookies, drank my new tea and even watched a movie, Revolutionary Road, never mind that it was a downer.

All in all this weekend is just what I needed. Let's just hope this work week is a calm one!!

GOOD LORD!!

2010-01-08T22:43:00.002-06:00

I am crashing fast so I am going to make this a quicky. It's been sooo long since I've been able to blog and I REALLY miss it! This past week was a crazy one. I worked over 60 hours, which is INSANE for me. I am a 40 and under work week kinda gal.

I have been so busy working that I have nothing fun to blog about. However I never posted my NYE pictures, so have a look! NYE was fun, but as predicted, I spent the next day recovering from just a few drinks. What a light weight I've become in my old age!

On to the next!

2009-12-31T13:53:00.004-06:00

I am a huge fan of NYE. NYE means a new start, new hopes, new chances, new dreams and a little bit of bubbly. My hopefullness usually comes to a crashing halt the morning of Jan 1 when my hangover kicks in, but for one night it is a glorious feeling.

I wish I had a blog devoted to NYE only. I'd say from 16 on my NYE celebrations have been something for the books, minus the 2008 To Catch A Predator marathon Mike and I got sucked into before finally heading out to our fav bar around midnight lol.

Hmm, I think 95 was the year I spent at my friend Carly's house dancing around the living room to Rancid all night then a morning mountain at Ross'. Nevermind that we spent the next day sanding her parents coffee table before they got home.

Then there was 2000 spent at JR's, the best dance bar ever in the Quad Cities that is no longer.

2001 was Spin in Chicago where my ex gay boyfriend was drugged, I think. Julie and I threw him in bed then went out for breakfast. That was a fun one, in fact, I just used one of the commemoritve champagne glasses this past weekend.

Julie and I through one in 2002 at our place. I remember pretty lights, being in the neighbors apartment and that's about it.

There were a few at Neo. A year where I hit up parties at both Erin's and Julies places and last year at the Lodge.

This year Mike and I are having a little pre-party at our place before heading out to Late Bar. I am so excited to go here since it just opened this past Saturday and my favorite Chicago DJ is the owner. With our great group of friends going I am SURE there will be fun pics to post once my hangover subsides. Late Bar will be rockin the 80's tunes all night, and I found the perfect dress for the occasion yesterday.

NYE is always so random and this year I look forward to the new with a sparkle in my eye. LOL

Feliz Navidad Dos

2009-12-31T13:40:00.003-06:00

After Mike's family head back to the East Coast, Mike and I headed to Iowa for another Christmas. My Mom had her annual day after party two days after Christmas this year so we were able to see the entire family, minus Brad and clan.

We arrived Sunday for another gorge fest of cookies and pizza. There was lots of family, food, presents and fun times. We also ate at Thunder Bay Grill. This used to be one of my favorite restaurants in the QC for years, but it went downhill for a while. I'm happy to say they revamped a bit and now have a full tapas menu. I tried a mahi mahi taco, caprese martini and old bay style shrimp cocktail. It was all very tasty!

I snapped a couple of great pictures, but unfortunately missed out on the men in the family. I swear, they do exist on the Wilbricht side!

A Christmas of New Traditions

2009-12-25T21:40:00.003-06:00

This Christmas has been full of new, exciting traditions. For one, this is my first Christmas in ten years in Chicago. I absolutely love Chicago during the holidays. It is just so relaxing and laid back since most of the city is off of work and in good spirits. This year Mike's parents came from Rhode Island to spend the holidays with us. Aside from a flight delay and then delayed luggage we have been having a lot of fun.

I made Christmas Eve dinner, lots of wine, cheese, pasta and a yummy pecan pie. I then attended my first Catholic mass. Christmas morning Mike made us all a great breakfast and I made the mimosas. YUM! After breakfast we opened gifts from Santa and Mike's parents. Mike and I and Dixie, Finn and Kira all enjoyed our gifts. I love surprises and well, was actually surprised this year!!

During the afternoon we visited the Garfield Conservatory to stretch our legs, then had a cozy dinner at Fireside Grill. I have to give a shout out the the awesome peppermint mousse with crushed chocolate Mike and I shared for dessert!

Tomorrow we are going to have a low key breakfast at home then head out to the Museum of Science and Industry and then a sushi dinner. Mike parents leave Sunday and the time has just gone too fast. I really enjoy their company and wish we got to see them more.

Merry Christmas!

We all miss the sun

2009-12-10T21:24:00.004-06:00

Unlike her brother Dixie has a new habit that is pretty darn cute. She must be missing the sun because she sure loves it when I put the computer lamp on the floor so she can "sun" herself.

A message from Bobbi Brown

2009-12-10T21:17:00.003-06:00

Last week we received an early Christmas gift from Mike's Dad and Heidi. This past August when we visited them in Maine we had so much fun playing their Wii, so they sent us one of our own! I love the special note from Bobbi, Mike's lil sis. Now I don't have to feel guilty when I skip the gym because it's ZERO out!

Remember the nine lives?

2009-12-10T21:11:00.006-06:00

Well now our big buddy has a death wish.

Our big monster has picked up a new habit. Let me tell you, I am about to stop drinking coffee because they are such a pain to clean up.

a list to beat all lists

2009-12-08T17:22:00.003-06:00

i am such a sucker for lists. top ten, year in review, embarrassing moments ect. and this is the time of year that the media likes to go crazy with them. you can bet my dvr is set for what i consider to be the kick off, Barbara Walters Most Fascinating People of 2009.

tonight while perusing perez i came upon a funny video and although i think they missed a few things, this was obviously made pre-Tiger drama, i got a laugh out of it. it kind of reminds me of the E Hollywood wrap up every friday night on the Daily 10, which is always a treat when i catch it.

and before the tree

2009-11-29T20:32:00.005-06:00

I hope everyone had a great holiday weekend!! I spent time with family and ate plenty of delicious treats and figured I'd share my favorites.

The hubs and I, along with our dogs headed off to Iowa Wednesday evening. We waited until 7 to beat, or wait out, the traffic. We managed to get there in just under 3 and 1/2 hours. Not bad!! We spent Wednesday night at my parents and then headed further into Iowa Thursday morning for a traditional Thanksgiving feast at my Grandparents. I was able to finally eat Tofurkey, it was so good, along with mashed potatos, corn, salad and good ol' green bean casserole. Mike was the opposite of me and my tofurkey. I believe he had ham, turkey and pork! What a carnivore!

There were several pies for desert. Apple rhubarb, pumpkin, caramel apple, and my gma's infamous chocolate pie. I also brought an oatmeal pecan pie from cookinglight.com. The pie was delicious and healthier than a regular pie. I am already planning on making another one this week!

The other eating highlight of my weekend was getting my parents to go to Le Mekong. I blogged about Le Mekong a while back. Everything was as good as ever on Friday. We got a little crazy after dinner and headed to Jumers Casino and then to the Lodge for my fav lounge singer.

Which leads me to the pizza I ate Saturday evening while I laid on my couch and veg-ed. We ordered from Chicago Pizza, before Mike and I moved in together Chi Pie was my neighbor for years. I ordered half light on the cheese, this is a little trick I have to save some calories. It was delicious.

Despite all my eating, when I stepped on the scale this morning, I lost two pounds. I managed to squeeze in two workouts over the long weekend but honestly, my body confuses the hell out of me. For the past week and a half I'd been eating low carb and been miserable without the scale budging! I'm not complaining but it makes me wonder why I bother!!

a first at 31

2009-11-29T20:21:00.004-06:00

Yes, it's true. This is my first full size Christmas tree! I don't know what got into me, well yes I do. I stumbled upon a line of holiday accessories that were all purple and silver. The line was also named "Twilight" and that's all it took to get me into the holiday spirit! I even thought about watching the first Twilight while decorating but restrained myself. All in all I am very happy with my Twilight Tree.

Basements Taste Good

2009-11-22T18:42:00.005-06:00

I have a new requirement in my wine, red in particular, it must taste like a musty basement. I'm sure there is a proper term for this, so please, share if you know! It's actually very ironic that I now associate this taste with good wine because I have a vivid memory from when I was 22 years old. I had just started to drink wine, I had graduated from keg parties in college and my palate was becoming slightly more refined, basically I was drinking Chardonnay and Zinfandel. I opened a bottle of wine that my Dad had received as a gift, it was red, I spit it out after taking a sip and remember saying "This is bad, it tastes like a musty basement, it's spoiled!" What I didn't say out loud just to myself was, "I bet this is what good wine is supposed to taste like, and I bet I'll get it when I'm older."

Well, I FINALLY get it! Last week my friend Erin and I went to a wine bar by my place called Volo. I tried a Malbec from Argentina, since that region is known for their Malbecs. It was good, but then, I tried a French Malbec and it was AMAZING. Erin and I both said, it tastes like a basement. When I looked up the wine the next day, one of the reviews said it was reminiscent of grandma's basement! My palate was right on!

This week I picked up two different Malbecs. One was French and good but the other was from Argentina and jackpot, basement again! I've learned that Malbecs from 2005/06 are so, so tasty. Must have been a good year for the grapes!! Below is a review for one of my new, favorite, basement wines!

Cueva De Las Manos | Malbec | Argentina | 2006

Deep red/purple color, expressive notes of ripe cherries, plums, violets and chocolate. Full bodied with chewy black fruit and spicy oak. Good balance and finish.

You're Never Too Old

2009-11-18T22:04:00.002-06:00

To learn to use public transportation!! After 10 years of living in Chicago I broke major ground today. I took the train to work, and then to the gym after work and then home from the gym!! I have only been on the train a handful of times since living here for many reason, #1 it scares me, #2 it gives me anxiety, #3 it confuses me. Today, however, I was enlightened.

I loved my remote control

2009-11-16T19:28:00.003-06:00

Tonight while at the gym, listening to my Ipod and zoning out to CNN on the tv screen, a headline flashed before me on the bottom of the screen that caught my attention. It read " Ken Ober host of MTV's Remote Control dies at 52." Instantly my childhood idols from MTV flashed before my eyes. Tabitha Soren, Kurt Loder, Dave Kendall, Steve Isaac, Riki Rachtman, Downtown Julie Brown, Colin Quinn, Kennedy, Duff, Martha Quinn, Adam Curry, Ed Lover, Pauly Shore and my all time fav Matt Pinfield. I could keep going too. Thinking about his death, I was reminded of how much I loved MTV and how much I loved the show Remote Control. MTV was so different in the 80's and 90's than it is now. I understand all things evolve over time, but it truely was music based back in the day, edgy, inspiring. I miss it!

Hearing of Ken's death made me sad. Sad for him and sad for the good ol' days of MTV. I went digging on you tube for some old clips, my homage to Ken Ober, had to get the theme song in! RIP.

Pug Party!

2009-11-15T21:13:00.003-06:00

This evening the pugs, Stella and Lola, came over for a play date with Dixie. The pugs are pretty mellow and Dixie has recently become an aggressive, territorial spaz which made for a chaotic play date. We spent time in the backyard, took a long walk to Starbucks, and then came home and had dinner with Julie and Trish. Dixie is absolutely pooped now and I've learned she really needs help with her issues. Next week I am signing her up for half days at doggie daycare. I hope this helps her get back to being a non-socially ackward dog!

Last Night In Noho

2009-11-15T21:05:00.002-06:00

Phew... It's over. I completed my training in Northampton on Friday and have been catching up on life all weekend. I've slept a lot, spent time with the hubs, caught up with friends, did laundry and grocery shopped for lots of vegetables and fruits. My last night in Noho was one that I will remember for a while. After much, much stress it was nice to let loose and have a nice dinner with coworkers and play some trivia and karaoke at the World War II Club aka le deuce. I paid the next day, completing my training text with a hangover and then having to fly, but, it was worth it for sure!

A trip to corn country

2009-11-10T21:43:00.003-06:00

Last weekend I took a break from Noho and visited my fam in Iowa. My nephew Eli and brother were in town from Arizona, I hadn't seen my brother in over a year! It was a much needed visit. I managed to capture a couple of photos!

Adios Noho

2009-11-10T21:29:00.005-06:00

This past month has been the most stressful time of my life. Being away from home, learning a new job, being in a new town, being sick for weeks, living in a hotel and the list goes on and on. I have three days left of training before I head back to Chicago which I am absolutely thrilled about. One thing, or person rather, that has helped me make it through the last month is my new, dear friend Margaret.

Margaret and I arrived for training on the same day, her from NYC and me from Chicago. Not knowing what to expect, we made it through the first day and had our first of many dinners later that evening. After many long chats, glasses of wine and new restaurants Margaret and I are not only co-workers but friends.

I am excited to head home but sad to leave Margaret behind, she still has one more month to go. Lucky for us we have technology on our side. We may not be sitting across from each other any more but we'll always have g-chat! I hope you get to leave early girl!

I am alive!

2009-11-02T18:38:00.002-06:00

I've been neglecting a lot of things in my life lately. My home, my pets, my hubs and my blog! I am still in Northampton Mass training for my new job, two and a half weeks in and two weeks to go. It has been pretty stressful being away from home this long and still trying to well, manage things at home. Luckily I have a great hubs who is taking it like a champ and spends most of his time making sure I am ok. I've had some crazy experiences while out here, my tire flew off my rental while driving on the expressway, I seriously could have died. I came here with a cold and picked up another one a few days ago, a cancelled flight and sprinting through the airport all on top of learning a new job. OY!

The plus side is I've made a couple new friends out here and have enjoyed spending time with them. I was also able to experience a New England fall. The colors have been so beautiful. Once I get back to my "normal life" I'll pick back up on the blogging again.

Blue Dog

2009-10-24T21:15:00.006-05:00

A blue living room deserves a Blue Dog. What's a Blue Dog? Well, I have been in love with a Blue Dog for years. Blue Dog is the subject matter for George Rodrigue, an artist from New Orleans. Last time Mike and I were there we went to the gallery to buy a print. Little did we know that prints, PRINTS, and the smallest ones, that we saw, start at 2k. YIKES. We did not walk out with our print that day.

There are so many reasons that I love this artist. First I love that he is a Louisiana native. Most of you know, Nola has always had my heart. I would live their in second if I could find employment there. I love how he integrates Nola into many of his paintings, the moss, the plantations homes, mardi gras ect. I love the Blue Dog's eyes. It's that empty gaze that my dogs give me quite often, although when you know the dog you know it's not empty. Last, I love the colors.

Because I know that this Blue Dog would looks so, so amazing in my living room I've figured out a way to get what I want, I think... There are a few books that I've found online that are collections of prints. I am looking at the dimensions of the books and one is 10 x 12. I figure that I can buy this book, pick 2 or 3 of my favorites, have them matted and frame them myself. I just hope that the prints are full size. Wish me luck on my project!

p.s when you see the real deal, painting not print, in my living room some day, you'll know that i have "made it"