WELCOME TO PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION!

Well, I'd like to say that it feels so great to be back at work.  Things were a little slow today but that's how it goes on your first day right?  I highly suggest everyone take a 6 month sabbatical.  It will make you LOVE to work again.  Surely everyone else gets in funk and thinks man... I wish I didn't have to work.  Well after about 6 months of no working and just talking to your cats for most of the day... a day at work is fantastic!

I took the 'El' home today and it was pretty packed... after the first stop I was able to snag a seat which was pretty awesome.  Everyone was reading on their way home.  The lady next to me was reading out loud.  So weird!!  It was more like a mumble, I didn't know what she was really saying but she was definitely making noises that sounded like she was humming the words to her book.  I'm sure I will be running into all sorts of characters during my new adventure...

Today I went to eat here... it was yummy!  I'm so excited to be downtown!!  The city is so alive...

A couple things I liked about today.

• My walk to and from the train.  I think it will be even better when the weather is nice.  And when I start making some money, could be dangerous because all of the great stores!
• The office I am working in is really beautiful.  I'll have to sneak a couple of pictures... they did a great job designing and building.
• The feeling of being inspired... I hope it lasts!  I think being around all these people, in this large city, with this new exciting job is just really helping me want to do great things.  (There is going to be so much to do so I hope it doesn't get overwhelming...)
• Coming home to the kitties... 'cause I missed them today!
• I liked that I forgot how tired you can be after working all day... it will make spending the weekend with Mr. D that much more special.  

XOXO

REAL GOOD BarBQ

This week we got back from an exhausting vacation!  We took a 'little' road trip from Chicago to St. Louis to New Orleans to celebrate Mardi Gras with some friends.  Total driving time was probably about 16 hours give or take, driven in less than 24 hours.  It was a great time but we are happy to be home and back into our regular sleeping patterns!  I thought I'd take a couple of posts to talk about our trip.

First things first.  Food!  I hate to say it but we didn't really have any mind blowing food... usually on vacay we seek out some yummy eats and then rave about it later but that just didn't happen in NOLA.  I'm kind of bummed about that but I guess it gives us something to go back for.  BUT... we did stop in Memphis on the long drive and found some BBQ that definitely rivals my fav St. Louis BBQ.  It's called Tom's BarBQ and Deli and it was fantastic!

I went with my usual the pulled pork sandwich and it did not disappoint!  The rest of the group got the Rib Tips (which I believe is what was featured on Triple D).  We must not have looked like locals becuase the guy at the counter started chattin' it up with us and we ended up with what he called a sampler (more like another couple meals) of their Ribs, Bologna (also known as the Tennessee Round Steak, marinated-dry-rubbed-thick sliced-bologna) and Strawberry Shortcake.  The Bologna was good!  But the Ribs were the best I've ever had.  Needless to say by the time we walked (or waddled?) out of there we were STUFFED!

I would definitely return and suggest if you are in Memphis to check it out!

So I have to say that was the best meal of the trip... a lot of the places we went in NOLA seemed more touristy than anything.  But I guess we weren't there for the food... we were there for the party!  More on that later...

XOXO

I'M BANANAS FOR THIS BREAD!

After a successful attempt at cinnamon rolls (admittedly with significant help from my mother), last Friday I thought it would be fitting to tackle the monkey bread recipe I found. Mr. D has occasionally over the years brought up how much, as a child, he liked the monkey bread his mother made.  So that was the plan!

Here is the recipe we started with... I spied it on Brown Eyed Baker.

Now I'm just going to follow this with some pretty images... things started off strong!  We mixed the the ingredients as directed until the dough came together and looked smooth. The electric mixer really works wonders!

Then you want to kneed the dough for about 5-ish minutes on a lightly floured surface.

In a lightly greased bowl you want to roll your ball in the oil so it is just slightly coated and you are going to cover with a towel an place in a warm spot.  This is where the yeast works it's magic.  Come back in and hour and a half or so and if all goes well it will grow to double it's size.

So now you want to pat down the dough into an 8"x8" square and divide the dough in to 64 one inch balls.  This is where my smarts come in!  I suggest you use a sharp pizza cutter.  This worked wonders for me and all the dough was cut in a matter of seconds! You can make a quick guide by lightly rolling over the dough and making an indention and then go over it again with a little more pressure and it's done!  No fuss! 

Roll these squares in to one inch balls.

So now we've got our melted butter and our cinnamon sugar goodness all ready.  And we've also got our 'bundt' pan all buttered. What you will do is dip the dough balls in the butter and let any excess drip off.  Roll the dough in the sugar mixture and align them in the pan.  Just keep stacking until they are ready to go.  Since we did all of this on Friday night and we were cooking on Saturday morning I covered the pan with plastic and put in the fridge until the morning. 

In the morning I got up and started the oven.  I made a quick powder sugar frosting (which you can find here) and got the monkey bread out of the fridge.  As soon as the oven was all heated in they go!  

The smell of all of that cinnamon and sugar and baking dough fills the air.  It's really heavenly!  It came out looking fantastic.  And I was so ready to eat.  But I knew... I need to wait.  To see the final product you've got to read more!

A BLIZZARD IS COMING!!!

And I make Popsicles (or better known as flavored ice on a stick because Popsicle is apparently a brand)!

This was my second attempt at making them with my Zoku and they really are super easy.  This one is Mango juice with a pretty star fruit on either side.  What the star fruit lacks in flavor it makes up with interest because this would be a pretty boring frozen treat without it!  I just used some store bought mango juice (pretty sure we picked it up at Whole Food's but I've also seen it at Target... Bolthouse Farms Amazing Mango) and a pretty star fruit, that was also purchased at WF's.  All I had to do was slice the star fruit, get out my super frozen Zoku and stick the sliced fruit to the sides.  Then you shake up the mango juice and pour it in.  It's seriously that easy.  In minutes it's frozen and ready to eat!

My first attempt at making pop's was when Mom was in town.  We made Raspberry Lime-aid and they were delish!  Super tart... which I'm down with and so pretty!  If you have a Zoku... here's the recipe.

The Zoku makes frozen treats in minutes... it's fantastic!  But maybe not the best thing to be making in the dead of winter... with what is being called the blizzard of a lifetime in our near future.

XOXO

I FOUND MY APPETITE

Well, my mother helped me find my appetite.  I'm not sure how it came up but during her last day here in Chicago cinnamon rolls were put on the menu and hello sweet tooth! They have all been devoured and I must admit that I was the one that ate them all!  (That is not usually the case in this house.)

We made the dough the night before and let it all settle in and absorb all the flavors overnight (covered in the refrigerator).  Here they are... the smell of the dough and cinnamon just filled the condo with the most delicious smells!

Here they are post-bake and smelling up the house even more on Saturday morning.

While they were baking we made the frosting... which I must have with my rolls (Mr. D prefers his frosting-less... huh?)!  It's a little butter, a lot of powder sugar and a splash of milk and vanilla.  So easy and so sugary.  And this is what you end up with.

This was something that I'd never made before and am really surprised how easy it was.  I'm glad to know how simple it was because those will be on the menu more often now.  Mr. D mentioned monkey bread so that might be the next sweet treat to tackle. This looks like a great monkey bread recipe to start from.

Leave it up to your mama to help you get your appetite back!

XOXO

**Recipe Update -- Read more!**

YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT?

I really don't know... I suppose it's up to you to decide.  But I feel like it's worth a listen...

It's 20 minutes, but it's interesting.  Jamie does a great job of keeping your attention and emotionalizes the US's obesity problem with faces of children.  Even if you don't believe it all... it should at least make you think. And that's a good thing in my opinion!



There are so many other videos on this website... TED is about getting ideas out there, what ever they may be.  I watched a few videos, some I like, some I didn't...

XOXO

I DREAM OF NUGGETS AND FRIES

Photo by Omar Omar - Flickr

Beginning on December 23rd, 2009  Mr. D and I decided (after me reading too much about the fast food industry) that we would try to go without eating any 'fast food' for 1 year.  He didn't think that we could do it and at first we agreed that we should do a test run for a month.  A month flew by so quickly... and easily and then it was our challenge!  Month after month we were so proud.  And to this day, January 7th, 2011, we still haven't given in. 

Although, the other night I had a very vivid dream of a certain fast food chain.  What I remember to be particularly funny is that Mr. D didn't know I was there... I was totally hiding my visit to Mickey D's from my anti-fast food accomplice!  I ordered chicken McNuggets and fries (my childhood and adult favorite fast food meal) and ate it all...

I just find this terribly funny.  After our challenge was up we talked about where to go from here.  And we've decided that some places that we'd banned for the year will go back in our, lets get something quick and cheap list but McDonalds isn't one of them!  

I guess I will just have to keep on dreaming 'cause nuggets are no longer on the menu!

XOXO

THAT TIME OF YEAR

This weekend Mr. D and I went back to St. Louis to check on the house and celebrate a good friends 30th birthday.  We had a nice Saturday night filled with good food (our first visit to The Bleeding Deacon... only negative was it was a smoking establishment) and good drinks (visited the new wine bar, Winehaus, on Watson... great location for south city dwellers!).

But my favorite part of the evening was when we were on our way back to the house and we decided, cause it's that time of year, to drive down Candy Cane Lane!  Unfortunately it was pretty late and there were no crazy neighbors outside dressed as Santa or in a Christmas light-suit.  But it was magical (as it always is when we are out having a good time)!  It really is neat to drive down the block... all the neighbors participate in the holiday celebration and if you go at a reasonable time you might meet some of them.  Hot cocoa and candy canes, a fire pit and a Christmas movie on the big screen in the background. What a fun tradition, I'm so happy we were able to see it this year.

The night ended with some cupcakes from Jilly's... a birthday celebration isn't complete with out some cupcakes!

Hope you had a nice weekend... I think that winter is here to stay!

XOXO

CULINARY ADVENTURES

This December I'd like to make a few things that I've never attempted before.

For my birthday my mother bought me a pasta maker... because of all of the craziness of life associated with our move it's really just sitting there.  This weekend I will be brining it up in hopes of making some delicious fresh pastas.  I'd like to make some sort of pesto filled tortellini but should probably start with something a bit more simple like spaghetti and meatballs!

Photo from Our Best Bites Blog - Single Serving Pie In a Jar

I'd also like to make a pie... crust and all.  I planned on doing that for our first Thanksgiving here in Chicago (the plan was to go eat some good BBQ and then devour a pie at home). We instead decided to surprise the family with a visit to KC.  But pies are totally a winter food and can be enjoyed at any time, holiday or no holiday, in my opinion!  Last year I found these cute mini pies which are presented in those small Kerr canning jars... maybe I will work on making those too!  

More desserts are on the list.  Mr. D asked for some sort of Heath Bar ice cream... which sounds delish!  (The ice cream maker was also birthday gift, from my in-laws, and has gotten much use!)  And I'd like to make some festive holiday cookies that I spied in Martha's Everyday FOOD magazine.

Oh! And also some chicken wings... which I've made before but not for awhile!  An assortment of flavors of course.

This list could go on and on for sure!  Stay tuned for an update... will it be a catastrophic failure or a joyous success?

XOXO

EXPLORING ON FOOT...

On Sunday we decided to take it easy.  It wasn't until about 1:00 when we left the house. The plan was to get some food in our bellies.  Pizza Metro was the destination, only a little over a mile away from the condo.  It was a nice day and a walk was in order!  While we were exploring a street we hadn't been down... thinking, wow, that house is HUGE... it dawned on me.  This would have never happened in St. Louis.

We just didn't walk to get somewhere.  It was so much easier to drive, maybe more convenient is the right term.  I suppose here it's just easier to walk, parking never seems to be where you need it to be.  And then there is the fact that people in Chicago are actually out and about... it's just what you do.  So I'm enjoying the change of pace, walking to our destinations has been fun.  Mostly we are headed to restaurants but there are other places to go too... there is a 7-11 if we need a Slurpee, a dentist if it's time for a teeth cleaning or even a little neighborhood market if I need to stop to pick up some limes on my way home.

I'll get back to you when it's below zero... I may have changed my mind about walking by then!

Oh, and by the way, the pizza was yummy!  (As were the Suppli and Potato Crocchetta appetizers.)

XOXO

A FEAST...

This year we are a bit misplaced for the holidays... I think we both kind of feel out of sorts with the move.  But last year was a different story!  Mr. D and I hosted Thanksgiving at our home in St. Louis with our family.  His family and grandmother and my mother.  It was a nice gathering... with lots of food!


I remember being so excited to plan the meal and get to cooking.  My mother and I cooked for days!  Those are memories that I'll have forever...


The menu was quite aggressive... most of the items chosen I'd never attempted before! 


While the turkey was cooking we started things off with a Thanksgiving cocktail and appetizers...
The signature cocktail was the The Poinsettia, a yummy champagne cocktail with cranberry and orange liqueur.  The appetizers consisted of Spinach and Artichoke Dip, Stuffed Mushrooms and (we planned on making Baked Brie with Pear Chutney, but change of plans... instead we made...) a brie round with mixed nuts and fruit (pears and apples).

Dinner... which was a little later than planned (good thing for the appetizers!)... included a variety of Thanksgiving staples but with a little twist!  I consulted all sorts of magazines, websites and favorite cooks and chefs and ended up with the following mix of deliciousness! 

• Martha's Rolled Turkey Breast with Sausage-Pecan Stuffing (a gravy was also made)
• Mom, had an alternate main course... a Stuffed Wheat Meat Roll, but everything else was veggie friendly.
• Tyler Florence's Grainy Mustard Mashed Potatoes 
• A find of my mothers, which I can't get enough of... Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Warm Chutney Dressing
• Real Simples Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pecans (one of our all time favorite veggies!)
• A beet salad.
  
• Everyday Food's Balsamic Glazed Pearl Onions
• Martha's Cranberry-Ginger Relish 
• and last but not least Alton Brown's Southern Biscuits

And of course there was still dessert!  We had a variety of goodies... there were chocolate coffee cookies and a blueberry crumble (YUM!), a powdery snowflake cookie, and a Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake (Mrs. Paula Dean's of course).

It was quite the feast!  I remember being so worn out from cooking that I wasn't even hungry... but I also remember everything being so tasty!  It was so nice to have our family celebrating with us in our home, something we were very thankful for.

Wishing a Happy Thanksgiving to all of you and your loved ones... Safe travels!


XOXO

EVERYONE'S FAVORITE VEGGIE?

Well, probably not.  But in our house Brussels sprouts are the boss when it comes to veggies.  We don't always make them but when we do... we are never disappointed. Thanks to our lunch the other day we ended up concocting a pretty good recipe. Combining how we've made Brussels in the past (a great Real Simple recipe, we subbed pecans for almonds) with cooked Pork Chorizo.  It was delicious!  Served it with a little organic short grain brown rice (and for me a glass of wine) and we had a really nice dinner. The Chorizo was from Whole Foods... they have a great selection of pork and chicken sausages (as were the sprouts).  Add a little olive oil, garlic, almonds, salt & pepper and a hot oven and that's about it.

I must thank Belly Shack for the idea...

XOXO

Mmm... LUNCH!

This afternoon, after a morning of watching Zombieland (and actually liking it!), Mr. D and I braved the chilly and drizzly weather to go grab some lunch.  I've been talking about going to Belly Shack for a few weeks now and from our experience today I will be back.  Initially, I liked the look of their causal style and the sound of the unique menu.  And in the end we were not disappointed!

Belly Shack is located at Milwaukee and Western right below the Blue Line stop.  The sound of the L going by is definitely part of the charm.  The interior is pretty minimal with an exposed plywood soffit and plywood counter, dark grey walls and industrial light fixtures.  There are also graffiti like sketches and decals on the walls that match the Belly Shack logo and fit in perfectly with the music playing.

And here's what we ended up with!

Mr. D ordered the Korean BBQ Kogi with Kimchi & SSam Paste - DELISH!

I ordered the Asian Meatballs with Somen Noodles & Korean Chili Paste - there was a hint of mint in the meatballs, it was very interesting.  Very good and very filling!

 Now, my favorite part of the meal was these fries, Togarashi Fries!  They were salted with chili powder and lime with a Curry Mayonnaise dipping sauce.  SO TASTY!!!  The chili and lime were such a great combo.

Have I mentioned we will be back?  A couple of other things I'd like to try... well, the rest of their main courses (!), the Brussels Sprouts with Chorizo and their soft serve ice cream (Hucklerberry-Lime and Mint Brownie sound good to me!  Mr. D will be getting the Bacon Chocolate Chip, I'm sure...)

XOXO