In honor of her 30th birthday, my nearest and dearest friend Nicole is making it her mission to raise $13,000 dollars to build a school in Cambodia. Literacy has always been a cause close to her heart and, when combined with education, is a great way to help prevent young girls and women from being victimized by human traffickers. This is a cause I believe is completely worthy of being plugged on the blog. Below you'll find her fund raising letter, which provides some additional detail on exactly what she's undertaken. If you know anyone who might be interested in making a donation to this great cause, please forward the information along. And of course, feel free to leave any fund raising ideas in comments and I'll be sure to pass them along!!
Happy 30th Cole!
Fund raising letter from Nicole -
Hello friends and family,
As most of you know, I turn 30 this May, and I’ve been thinking about doing something meaningful to mark the occasion. Everyone who knows me knows that the cause dearest to me is literacy because of my lifelong love affair with books (and newspapers and journals and magazines). So… I have decided that I would like to build a school!
I just finished Nick Kristof’s book Half the Sky, which is full of fantastic ideas to help women around the world, and one project in particular really caught my attention: a non-profit that builds schools in Cambodia, where the low literacy and high poverty rates make it a hub for the trafficking of girls and women. Think of an 8 or 9 year old girl close to you, whether it is your daughter, niece, or a friend’s daughter. Now imagine that girl being sold, at that age, to a brothel. Education is the best weapon we have against such a disgusting trade because it gives wome n options, knowledge, confidence and community.
I’ve checked out this program pretty thoroughly and am satisfied that it is a good one… and the 13k that donors raise to build a school is matched with 13k from the World Bank and then by another 13k from the Asian Development fund – a great value! Here’s the website: http://www.cambodiaschools.com/
I hope that you will participate in helping me reach this goal. I realize that 13k sounds like a lot, esp. in this economy, but I’m not looking for big amounts from anyone, I’m looking for small amounts from lots of people! So the more this is shared, the easier it will be to reach the goal. If you have any connections to businesses or firms with philanthropy programs, or faith communities that you feel comfortable reaching out to, that would be most welcome!
I’ve set up a new email address called letsbuildaschool@gmail.com with a linked PayPal account to help me keep track of fund raising. I’d like to be able to thank the people who contribute, so please email me and let me know who you are (if you aren’t comfortable announcing your identity or donation amount I totally understand, but I won’t be able to tell people’s identities from their PayPal info. to be able to thank them).
I will also send out an update on our total once a month to interested parties.
Thank you so much for helping. I want more women to have as much love & luck as I have.
12 May 2010
09 May 2010
My cup (cake) runneth over
Last night Ben and I had a date night in Tyson's Corner. We went to see the new Iron Man movie and then grab a bite to eat. Except instead of dining in on a healthy meal we opted to take home a cupcake (or three). That's the beauty of being adults. We can eat dessert for dinner and there's no one around to yell at us. Since Nicole was without power for the third day in a row, she came over after our date to indulge in some of our hot water, so we decided to share our date night cupcakes with her too!
The cupcakes themselves are from a place called Cake Love, which has had its 15 minutes of fame more than once on the Food Network and who's proprietor, Warren Brown, is also a frequent host/guest on the network. So we had high hopes for these cupcakes.
Since this was our first try, we each selected one and decided to share them both and then selected a third to bring back for Nicole. Knowing that it's easiest to judge a place when you have a good basis of comparison, Ben selected an old stand by, Vanilla cake with Vanilla frosting or "Vanilla on Vanilla." I chose something a bit less tested, a chocolate coffee cake with whipped frosting (mild vanilla flavor). And for Nicole, we chose a toffee cupcake, knowing her love of the candy.
All in all, we really enjoyed our sweet treats. But there is a note of relativity about that statement. I say this because while they were good, moist and light with tasty frosting, they were not the best I've ever had. Up to this point in life the best cupcake I've ever had comes from Georgetown Cupcake, where the bakers put all other cupcakes to shame. However, the average cupcake from this upscale locale rings up at around $5.00. Cake Love, however, delivers a tasty alternative (even if not as perfect) for just $3.25 and is less than 10 minutes from our new house, where as Georgetown requires me to negotiate the Key Bridge, parking and more Trixies (substitute Georgetown for Lincoln Park) than I care to encounter. That said, they'll be seeing us back at Cake Love sometime soon.
And while we're talking cupcakes, I should note that although I've enjoyed what the metro DC area cupcakeries have had to offer, I am DYING to try a cupcake from my great friend Julie's mom's new cupcake store, Cup.Cake. From everything I've heard and read, I am confident that they'll give even Georgetown Cupcake a run for it's money!
The cupcakes themselves are from a place called Cake Love, which has had its 15 minutes of fame more than once on the Food Network and who's proprietor, Warren Brown, is also a frequent host/guest on the network. So we had high hopes for these cupcakes.
(The top of our cupcake carrier)
(Here's the toffee cupcake, sorry no shots of the other two, Ben and I got a little ahead of ourselves with the eating and forgot to take pics)
All in all, we really enjoyed our sweet treats. But there is a note of relativity about that statement. I say this because while they were good, moist and light with tasty frosting, they were not the best I've ever had. Up to this point in life the best cupcake I've ever had comes from Georgetown Cupcake, where the bakers put all other cupcakes to shame. However, the average cupcake from this upscale locale rings up at around $5.00. Cake Love, however, delivers a tasty alternative (even if not as perfect) for just $3.25 and is less than 10 minutes from our new house, where as Georgetown requires me to negotiate the Key Bridge, parking and more Trixies (substitute Georgetown for Lincoln Park) than I care to encounter. That said, they'll be seeing us back at Cake Love sometime soon.
And while we're talking cupcakes, I should note that although I've enjoyed what the metro DC area cupcakeries have had to offer, I am DYING to try a cupcake from my great friend Julie's mom's new cupcake store, Cup.Cake. From everything I've heard and read, I am confident that they'll give even Georgetown Cupcake a run for it's money!
03 May 2010
House + Birthday = May Madness
And so it begins. In addition to the many, many tasks we will have to complete between now and the May 28th closing date on the house, May also marks a month of birthday madness. Celebrating their entries into the world this month are Ben, Nicole, Melissa and Marika. This is a month that normally finds us out a lot, celebrating the people we love and we usually start with Ben. However, with all the goings on around the house and the fact that saving money is a big priority for us right now, Ben decided this year we'd celebrate his birthday in a low key sort of way - with the home inspection.
We met up with the Inspector at the house at 3PM. I was warned ahead of time that a good home inspection takes about three hours. This was NOT a lie. We wrapped up at just about 6 PM. In the hours in between, I was amazed to realize all the things a home inspector considers when giving a place a clean bill of housing health that would never even have crossed my mind. The roof, the HVAC and the electrical were no-brainers (and the things that we were most concerned about considering the costs often associated with them), but he noticed things that I had never imagined. He taught how to stabilize our railing with silicone capping, how to raise an air conditioning unit at no cost, and he shook our deck to make sure it was stable in a way that scared me so badly I ran back into the house while the deck was still moving (not to worry potential visitors, the deck is stable, he just freaked me out!). But the best part of the whole experience was when he came out of our attic and proclaimed to Ben, "Buy it!" with a thumbs up. All in all, the inspection went very well and while there are a few things on the list to focus on right away, there were no deal breakers.
But with all the house hubbub, I couldn't let Ben's birthday go by unmarked. So on our way home, we stopped off at The Pie Gourmet, a happy local bakery that doesn't look like much at all with their 70s-style bakery cases and no frills locale, but man do they know their way around a pie. Apple, Cherry, French Silk, Boston Cream, you name it, they do it and do it well. Since it was Ben's 29th we were celebrating, I had ordered his favorite - Key Lime.
It took him less than three minutes from the time we walked in the door to be sitting at the kitchen table with a piece of pie. A sweet ending to what turned out to be sweet day!
We met up with the Inspector at the house at 3PM. I was warned ahead of time that a good home inspection takes about three hours. This was NOT a lie. We wrapped up at just about 6 PM. In the hours in between, I was amazed to realize all the things a home inspector considers when giving a place a clean bill of housing health that would never even have crossed my mind. The roof, the HVAC and the electrical were no-brainers (and the things that we were most concerned about considering the costs often associated with them), but he noticed things that I had never imagined. He taught how to stabilize our railing with silicone capping, how to raise an air conditioning unit at no cost, and he shook our deck to make sure it was stable in a way that scared me so badly I ran back into the house while the deck was still moving (not to worry potential visitors, the deck is stable, he just freaked me out!). But the best part of the whole experience was when he came out of our attic and proclaimed to Ben, "Buy it!" with a thumbs up. All in all, the inspection went very well and while there are a few things on the list to focus on right away, there were no deal breakers.
But with all the house hubbub, I couldn't let Ben's birthday go by unmarked. So on our way home, we stopped off at The Pie Gourmet, a happy local bakery that doesn't look like much at all with their 70s-style bakery cases and no frills locale, but man do they know their way around a pie. Apple, Cherry, French Silk, Boston Cream, you name it, they do it and do it well. Since it was Ben's 29th we were celebrating, I had ordered his favorite - Key Lime.
It took him less than three minutes from the time we walked in the door to be sitting at the kitchen table with a piece of pie. A sweet ending to what turned out to be sweet day!
01 May 2010
Welcome Home!
After some crazy weekends spent looking at houses (the craziest point of which was 15 houses in a single day!), we finally found one that met both our needs and nearly all our wants. Just over a mile from the Dunn Loring metro stop with a metro bus stop right at the mouth of our development, it's in a great location for both Ben and me, closer to work for us both. Closing is May 28th and we couldn't be more excited, except for all the stuff that has to be done between now and then! Below are lots of pics of the new place. Consider these the "before" that include some of the prior owner's clutter.
(The front facade. This pic was taken in the winter,
but right now we have lovely green trees lining the whole street)
(The main floor entry way (down a step from the rest of the floor), living room and dining room)
(A closer shot of the living room. It's bigger than it looks,
the former residents had some seriously over-sized furniture)
(A closer look at the dining room. I love that the space is open
but the column makes it seem like it's own room)
(Kitchen! It will need a little work down the road, but it's great for the time being)
(An alternate view of the whole first floor including the half bath door on the left, the stairs
to the lower level and the view into the eat in part of the kitchen)
(Deck off the kitchen, again all the giant stuff on it makes it look smaller than it is.)
(Master Bedroom with vaulted ceiling!)
(Master bath with dual vanities, needs some work but it's a good start)
(First guest bedroom, yes, the wallpaper border is coming down ASAP!)
(The second guest bedroom, again, down comes the border)
(Upstairs guest bathroom)
(Lower level with walkout)
(Backyard)
Now you've seen all the move-in, "before" pictures. As we start working inside I'll post more pictures. Wish us luck on the move, Saturday, May 29th!
30 April 2010
Orange you glad you came to Orange County?
If you boiled my job down to a single sentence, this is what you'd get. "I travel...A LOT." Often that travel is to less than desirable locations (sorry all of you from Dallas, but I just don't like your city, same goes for you Indianapolis) or to really, really less than desirable Southwest Border locations like Nogales, AZ or Brownsville, TX (and don't even get me started on most of Western Texas, El Paso, Marfa, Del Rio, thanks but I'll pass). But now that part of my team is in Laguna Niguel, a town right next to Laguna Beach in Orange County, California, I find myself complaining just a little less about my travel destinations.
I spent the week of April 26-30, working out of our Laguna location. The first perk to this is that we have a great team in Laguna with whom it is always a pleasure to work. The second perk is that while we keep a hectic schedule when traveling that typically starts very early since our DC office is three hours ahead, we get to enjoy all of what this beautiful area has to offer. And we wasted no time on doing so. In addition to myself, another DC native and two of our Indy team, met up with the California lead for sushi and some work scheming at Mahé in Dana Point. What we learned was that this place has great happy hour specials and some tasty and different maki creations as well as a few delicious hand roll options. When you get into the dinner menu, you're quick to realize that, as sushi places go, this place really is only about a B, but it was a great place for a group to get together, chat a little about work, a little about life and enjoy some tasty, if not tremendous, sushi options. Perhaps the greatest selling point to this place is that it's walking distance to the Marriott Laguna Cliffs Resort and Spa, the lovely, laid back resort that offers a government rate and gets my patronage almost every trip. Having recently completed renovations, this hotel is gorgeous and very, very comfy!
Following our Monday night festivities we launched full force into the work week, keeping crazy hours and working too hard. But we did find a couple of occasions to enjoy ourselves, not least of which was the generous offer of a co-worker to have us over for dinner and an evening cruise on their boat around the Newport Beach Harbor. Thanks to my happy little phone GPS we found our way to her home without incident and were immediately welcomed. Her husband had prepared a lovely dinner for us, including twice baked potatoes, roasted veggies and most impressive, grilled tuna steaks, cut down from Tuna he caught! After a lovely meal on their back patio, which is feet from their dock and three boats floating in the Newport Harbor, we boarded their boat for our cruise. My coworker was a wonderful guide as we tooled around in the light of a full moon on the water, pointing out quite a few celebrity homes including the former homes of John Wayne and Nicolas Cage. She also regaled us with tales of the plight of several fellow Newport Harbor residents including one who's boat was just too large for his current dock space, a sad situation that required him to just BUY ANOTHER HOUSE in the Harbor to keep his boat. Really?!? Are you kidding me?!? Sure, let's just buy a multi-million dollar home as a boat house. I wish I had your problems. Aside from choking on stories like this, stories I should add were told with humor by my coworker as she too, even as a Newport Harbor resident, sees the ridiculousness of, we had a lovely tour and were so grateful to have been invited.
(A day time shot of Newport Harbor)
Wednesday and Thursday brought more crazy work hours but a very strong sense of accomplishment that we decided was worth celebrating on Thursday night with another trip out to Newport Beach, this time to enjoy the deliciousness of Villa Nova. This restaurant has been a part of the Southern California landscape since 1933 and boasts some fun celeb-history including its role in a blind date between Joe DiMaggio and Marilyn Monroe. This particular venue (there are two) had suffered a crippling fire some years back and had been rebuilt, restoring exactly the restaurant that had burned. Seated at a table with a lovely Harbor view (we'd passed this restaurant right on the water during our Tuesday cruise), we enjoyed a couple bottles of great Italian wine, courtesy of my boss, and some delicious, if not politically incorrect meat, in the form of Veal Saltimbocca (translates from Italian to "jump in my mouth"). While I have had better versions of this dish prepared elsewhere (Vinci in Chicago, it's one of their best dishes), this one was still very good and, paired with some delicious Italian red, made for a very pleasant celebratory/team building dinner.
Friday morning dawned early as I boarded a flight at 630AM PST while already on a conference call with the east coast, but thanks to lots of United miles, I was able to get a comfy Economy Plus seat on the flights from both Orange County to Denver and Denver to Washington Dulles. All in all, I had a busy but lovely week in Orange County, glad that now this will be a frequent travel destination, leaving me too busy to travel to those less desirable locations. At least that's my plan.
15 April 2010
Stick a fork in me...
I'm done!!! Today marked my graduation from the ESI (George Washington University) Master's Certificate Program in Project Management. A Master's Certificate is not a huge deal since it's only about half an actual master's degree in terms of credits. And this program was contracted through my employer and was designed to allow for relatively easy completion by a working person like me. Specifically, the classes were presented as one-week intensives on a subject rather than having to sign up for semester classes. All well and good except my work schedule is murder and for four of the nine classes, I couldn't be there, meaning I had to make them up at other times or in other formats (online). This took what should have been an easy program to complete and turned it into a bear! But I'm done. Today. I graduated. Now all I have to do is apply to PMI (which involves cataloging 4500 hours of project management experience), get accepted, study like mad and take (and ultimately pass) the PMP exam, the professional certification exam for the project management professionals. My goal is to have the exam taken and passed before my 29th birthday!
13 April 2010
Meatloaf Sliders
Total deliciousness stolen right from the pages of the Food Network Magazine! Every weekend is a new challenge to plan interesting and reasonably healthy meals for the week ahead. So when I found this one while flipping pages, I got really excited. They were quick and easy to make and very tasty! We served them up with hearty helpings of steamed broccoli to get a little dose of green veggie into the mix.
Ingredients
Cooking spray
1 pound extra-lean ground beef
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup grated onion
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
24 slider-size hamburger buns, split
Instructions
Ingredients
Cooking spray
1 pound extra-lean ground beef
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup grated onion
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
24 slider-size hamburger buns, split
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place a cooling rack on top. Mist the rack lightly with cooking spray.
Combine the beef, egg, 1/4 cup ketchup, the onion, breadcrumbs, Worcestershire sauce, parsley, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper, and the garlic powder in a large bowl. Use your hands to mix everything together.
Shape tablespoonfuls of the meat into small, thin patties, about 2 inches in diameter. Place on the prepared rack on the baking sheet. Brush the patties with the remaining 1/4 cup ketchup and bake about 20 minutes. Serve each meatloaf slider on a prepared bun.
03 April 2010
Black Bean Wraps
Saturday at lunch time usually finds me standing in front of the refrigerator wondering what tasty creation I can whip up with what's left in the fridge from the week and what's in the pantry. This is due in large part to the fact that grocery shopping gets done on Saturday afternoon or Sunday morning. So this Saturday, inspired by a Food Network magazine recipe I'd debated for the week to come, I threw together what was sitting around and came up with the tastiest wrap.
Ingredients (per sandwich):
1 Mission Jalapeno Cheddar wrap (low-fat variety)
1/2 avocado
Pinch kosher salt
1/2 cup heated black beans
1/4 cup shredded jack cheese
1/3 cup pico de gallo
Handful mixed greens
Instructions:
Heat up your canned black beans. Lay the wrap on a large plate. Cut the avocado in half, remove the pit and scoop out half of the avocado and place on the wrap. Smash the avocado with a fork and spread evenly along the center of the wrap. Sprinkle with salt. Drain the black beans and spoon 1/2 cup into the center of the wrap, on top of the avocado. On top of the beans, sprinkle the cheese and the pico de gallo. Top with a small handful of mixed greens. Wrap up burrito style and enjoy!!
Ingredients (per sandwich):
1 Mission Jalapeno Cheddar wrap (low-fat variety)
1/2 avocado
Pinch kosher salt
1/2 cup heated black beans
1/4 cup shredded jack cheese
1/3 cup pico de gallo
Handful mixed greens
Instructions:
Heat up your canned black beans. Lay the wrap on a large plate. Cut the avocado in half, remove the pit and scoop out half of the avocado and place on the wrap. Smash the avocado with a fork and spread evenly along the center of the wrap. Sprinkle with salt. Drain the black beans and spoon 1/2 cup into the center of the wrap, on top of the avocado. On top of the beans, sprinkle the cheese and the pico de gallo. Top with a small handful of mixed greens. Wrap up burrito style and enjoy!!
25 March 2010
Lemon Orzo
I've been looking for a tasty spring time side to serve with fish, shellfish, etc. that wasn't as heavy as risotto or potatoes, but had more heft to it than green beans or asparagus. And here I found the perfect solution. Thanks much Cooking Light! This lemon orzo is super easy! For this meal, I served it with served scallops and steamed asparagus.
Ingredients
Cooking spray
1/2 cup prechopped onion
1 cup uncooked orzo (rice-shaped pasta)
1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons olive oil
Instructions
Heat a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion to pan; sauté 3 minutes. Stir in pasta, broth, wine, and thyme; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and pasta is al dente. Stir in chopped chives and lemon juice.
Ingredients
Cooking spray
1/2 cup prechopped onion
1 cup uncooked orzo (rice-shaped pasta)
1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons olive oil
Instructions
Heat a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion to pan; sauté 3 minutes. Stir in pasta, broth, wine, and thyme; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and pasta is al dente. Stir in chopped chives and lemon juice.
16 March 2010
Little Shop of Horrors!
As promised in a previous post, I owe a review of Little Shop of Horrors and Ford's Theater.
Survey says, "What a fun show!" And I agree. We saw one of the first preview performances, and overall it was a great, fun, springtime show. Built on the backs of a small ensemble, Little Shop delivered some great voices, with special nods to the husband and wife duo, Christopher Kale Jones and Jenna Coker-Jones that brought Seymour and Audrey to life; some great laugh-out-loud moments not least of which was the belting of "Dentist!"; and some morbid hilarity in the form of the giant "Audrey II" plant manned by two separate puppeteers! All in all, it was a cute, funny (if not a little morose) production of an old favorite.
The theater itself reveals little of what it was in Lincoln's days, having been renovated many times over the years. But the Presidential box remains, roped off and vacant, paying homage to our fallen leader. As one of the few historical sites in DC I had never visited, this place appealed to me and I'm glad to have seen it.
Survey says, "What a fun show!" And I agree. We saw one of the first preview performances, and overall it was a great, fun, springtime show. Built on the backs of a small ensemble, Little Shop delivered some great voices, with special nods to the husband and wife duo, Christopher Kale Jones and Jenna Coker-Jones that brought Seymour and Audrey to life; some great laugh-out-loud moments not least of which was the belting of "Dentist!"; and some morbid hilarity in the form of the giant "Audrey II" plant manned by two separate puppeteers! All in all, it was a cute, funny (if not a little morose) production of an old favorite.
(The pic that adorned our programs and tickets)
The theater itself reveals little of what it was in Lincoln's days, having been renovated many times over the years. But the Presidential box remains, roped off and vacant, paying homage to our fallen leader. As one of the few historical sites in DC I had never visited, this place appealed to me and I'm glad to have seen it.
14 March 2010
Go west, old man, go west
Saturday of our Michigan visit was devoted entirely to Operation Surprise Party. My job, whether I'd chosen to accept it or not, was to get my dad out of the house for long enough that my mom and Ben could get everything ready for the 40 odd guests who would descend on them at 7PM. My plan? Lie through my teeth and get him to go to the west side of the state with me.
I have some friends, Scott who I've known since high school and his wife Shannon, who live just south of Grand Rapids, MI with their five kids. The house was purchased semi-recently (READ: I still hadn't seen it even though they've lived there quite a while) and I've been meaning to get up there every time I'm in town. Especially since their twin boys were born last August and I've only seen them once, when they were 8 weeks old. This made for a perfect way to see people I care about and oblige my mother by getting my dad far, far away from the house. We told him that Ben had to go to his Dad's in Kalamazoo and couldn't go with me. In truth, Ben stayed behind to help my mom. But after that it was easy to convince my traditional Greek father not to let his only daughter drive two hours alone on the big bad Michigan freeways. Also, did I mention it isn't totally weird that I'd bring my dad along on this excursion since he too has known Scott for almost 15 years and loves kids? Oh yeah, and they were in on the surprise.
We left Brighton at about 1 for the two hour drive west. Made it there without incident, save the moment we realized we'd just missed our exit and I closed my eyes while my dad may or may not have used an "authorized vehicle only" emergency turn around.
We spent just over two hours visiting with Scott, Shannon and their whole family! While I know they made a point of having all the kids nap and eat before we arrived, which makes for happier munchkins in general, I still give them a lot of credit. They really do make five kids look easy. And I'm sure it's not. I can't imagine the amount of work it must be and the patience it must require, but they make parenting their big family look like the simplest thing in the world. We had a great visit and I really wish I could have spent more time with them. Sadly, we had to strictly adhere to our planned departure time (which we really didn't do a very good job of) in order to be home in time for what my dad believed to be a dinner reservation and I knew to be his party.
Back in the car, now headed east and bound for home, we started talking and somehow ended up going west on I-96 instead of east. This could have been quickly rectified had my father believed me when I pointed this out. That was the point at which I got out the GPS and he told me he didn't need a GPS, that he was his own GPS. I asked how that was going for him since home was east and we were going west. Insert five minutes of father-daughter snarkiness here. Finally, the GPS lady made him believe it and we turned around, now nearly 20 minutes late (on top of our later than planned departure). The rest of our drive home was without incident, save some rain.
We rolled into the apparently quiet house at about 8:15, forty-five minutes later than my mother would have liked, but still within reason. He took his own sweet time in the garage, cleaning trash out of the car. By some miracle I managed not to rush him into the house and give anything away. Finally he starts toward the door waiting for me to go ahead of him. Feigning forgetfulness, I head back toward the car to "get something" and he gets impatient and goes to the door. All 40 people were stacked up in the kitchen to shout surprise when he walked in! And he really, really was surprised! The funniest part I think, was when he turned around and said to me, "Did you know about this?" "No Dad, obviously dragging you with me to the other side of the state was just a coincidence." (add liberal doses of sarcasm here).
I have some friends, Scott who I've known since high school and his wife Shannon, who live just south of Grand Rapids, MI with their five kids. The house was purchased semi-recently (READ: I still hadn't seen it even though they've lived there quite a while) and I've been meaning to get up there every time I'm in town. Especially since their twin boys were born last August and I've only seen them once, when they were 8 weeks old. This made for a perfect way to see people I care about and oblige my mother by getting my dad far, far away from the house. We told him that Ben had to go to his Dad's in Kalamazoo and couldn't go with me. In truth, Ben stayed behind to help my mom. But after that it was easy to convince my traditional Greek father not to let his only daughter drive two hours alone on the big bad Michigan freeways. Also, did I mention it isn't totally weird that I'd bring my dad along on this excursion since he too has known Scott for almost 15 years and loves kids? Oh yeah, and they were in on the surprise.
We left Brighton at about 1 for the two hour drive west. Made it there without incident, save the moment we realized we'd just missed our exit and I closed my eyes while my dad may or may not have used an "authorized vehicle only" emergency turn around.
We spent just over two hours visiting with Scott, Shannon and their whole family! While I know they made a point of having all the kids nap and eat before we arrived, which makes for happier munchkins in general, I still give them a lot of credit. They really do make five kids look easy. And I'm sure it's not. I can't imagine the amount of work it must be and the patience it must require, but they make parenting their big family look like the simplest thing in the world. We had a great visit and I really wish I could have spent more time with them. Sadly, we had to strictly adhere to our planned departure time (which we really didn't do a very good job of) in order to be home in time for what my dad believed to be a dinner reservation and I knew to be his party.
Back in the car, now headed east and bound for home, we started talking and somehow ended up going west on I-96 instead of east. This could have been quickly rectified had my father believed me when I pointed this out. That was the point at which I got out the GPS and he told me he didn't need a GPS, that he was his own GPS. I asked how that was going for him since home was east and we were going west. Insert five minutes of father-daughter snarkiness here. Finally, the GPS lady made him believe it and we turned around, now nearly 20 minutes late (on top of our later than planned departure). The rest of our drive home was without incident, save some rain.
We rolled into the apparently quiet house at about 8:15, forty-five minutes later than my mother would have liked, but still within reason. He took his own sweet time in the garage, cleaning trash out of the car. By some miracle I managed not to rush him into the house and give anything away. Finally he starts toward the door waiting for me to go ahead of him. Feigning forgetfulness, I head back toward the car to "get something" and he gets impatient and goes to the door. All 40 people were stacked up in the kitchen to shout surprise when he walked in! And he really, really was surprised! The funniest part I think, was when he turned around and said to me, "Did you know about this?" "No Dad, obviously dragging you with me to the other side of the state was just a coincidence." (add liberal doses of sarcasm here).
13 March 2010
Times gone by
My dad turned 60 on March 12th! Ben and I made the trek back to Michigan to celebrate with him on Friday and to help my mom get everything together for his surprise party on Saturday (unknown to him of course!).
Friday night my mom, dad, Ben and I went to Greektown for dinner to celebrate. We've been going to Pegasus in Greektown for as long as I can remember and I can't recall an occasion when my dad didn't run into someone he knew from the Greek community. So as soon as we walked in for his birthday dinner I started laying odds with Ben on how long it would take before he was absorbed in conversation with some guys he's known for a million years. I didn't have to wait long. Before we were even seated my father runs into some guy he used to go to Red Wings games with when he was 19.
We get seated at a booth on the far side of the restaurant and commence with deciding on which of the many mezedes we want to order for the table. Settling on kefalotiri, octopodaki (baby octopus), saganaki, a mixed olive plate, and tiropita we then decide on whether or not we should even both ordering meals or if we should just gorge ourselves on the appetizer selections. In the end we each decide on something small, soup or salad, as our mains since the first course is so large. And here's the funny part. The food arrives. It's a solid "B". Yet I can't stop smiling. And then I figure it out. It's not the tasty treats I'm smiling over. It's the fact that I've been coming to this place with my dad for almost thirty years, sometimes with the whole family, sometimes just the two of us. This place is so tightly wrapped into my childhood conscious that even now, when I can objectively say the food is only pretty good, not great, I want to keep coming back.
The irony is that I tease my dad brutally about his recollections of Red Wings games past, yet here I am taking my very own trip down memory lane. And it gets worse. We leave the restaurant to head over to the MGM casino and I start having more flashbacks. Not the horrible, acid-induced kind. But the kind where you see, hear or smell something and you're right back in the moment you first encountered it. We're walking down the street from the restaurant to the car, noticing how much the area has grown up since I was young and something triggers the memory. I'm 6 or 7 and we're on the way from the restaurant to our car in the same place we've been parking for years and I'm clinging onto my dad's hand for dear life. Nothing scary has happened, yet I've grown up listening to my parents talk about Detroit and I'm scared and holding onto my dad like he's bullet proof, because as long as he's with me I'm safe. In the here and now I can't believe how afraid I was of Greektown with its well lit streets and secure parking structures, but then again, it was a rougher neighborhood when I was a kid. Now I also have the benefit of an adult's understanding of cities, crime, poverty, all the factors that fed into the fear I didn't understand at 6 or 7. Yet there's still something to be said for the childish innocence that allowed me to really believe that as long as I held my father's hand, everything would be okay.
Back in the present we motor over to the MGM and park. Once we're in the casino we split up, my parents looking for a roulette table and Ben and I heading to the craps pit. Fast forward and hour and half, Ben and I have lost all we're willing to lose and can't decide who at the table we'd rather have "on our team" (for those of you familiar with the game, "That's on Your Team"), the guy at the end of the table with more gold teeth than chips or the guy to our right with a handle-bar mustache and an NRA jacket. We quickly decide that while the MGM-Detroit may be themed after a Vegas casino, it lacks the fun you find there because the smell of desperation is too thick to even smell the smoke through. While this isn't a surprise considering the current economic climate, it's still sad. My parents, who both like to gamble from time to time as well, have come to the same conclusion and we book to the parking lot without a second thought.
Friday night my mom, dad, Ben and I went to Greektown for dinner to celebrate. We've been going to Pegasus in Greektown for as long as I can remember and I can't recall an occasion when my dad didn't run into someone he knew from the Greek community. So as soon as we walked in for his birthday dinner I started laying odds with Ben on how long it would take before he was absorbed in conversation with some guys he's known for a million years. I didn't have to wait long. Before we were even seated my father runs into some guy he used to go to Red Wings games with when he was 19.
We get seated at a booth on the far side of the restaurant and commence with deciding on which of the many mezedes we want to order for the table. Settling on kefalotiri, octopodaki (baby octopus), saganaki, a mixed olive plate, and tiropita we then decide on whether or not we should even both ordering meals or if we should just gorge ourselves on the appetizer selections. In the end we each decide on something small, soup or salad, as our mains since the first course is so large. And here's the funny part. The food arrives. It's a solid "B". Yet I can't stop smiling. And then I figure it out. It's not the tasty treats I'm smiling over. It's the fact that I've been coming to this place with my dad for almost thirty years, sometimes with the whole family, sometimes just the two of us. This place is so tightly wrapped into my childhood conscious that even now, when I can objectively say the food is only pretty good, not great, I want to keep coming back.
The irony is that I tease my dad brutally about his recollections of Red Wings games past, yet here I am taking my very own trip down memory lane. And it gets worse. We leave the restaurant to head over to the MGM casino and I start having more flashbacks. Not the horrible, acid-induced kind. But the kind where you see, hear or smell something and you're right back in the moment you first encountered it. We're walking down the street from the restaurant to the car, noticing how much the area has grown up since I was young and something triggers the memory. I'm 6 or 7 and we're on the way from the restaurant to our car in the same place we've been parking for years and I'm clinging onto my dad's hand for dear life. Nothing scary has happened, yet I've grown up listening to my parents talk about Detroit and I'm scared and holding onto my dad like he's bullet proof, because as long as he's with me I'm safe. In the here and now I can't believe how afraid I was of Greektown with its well lit streets and secure parking structures, but then again, it was a rougher neighborhood when I was a kid. Now I also have the benefit of an adult's understanding of cities, crime, poverty, all the factors that fed into the fear I didn't understand at 6 or 7. Yet there's still something to be said for the childish innocence that allowed me to really believe that as long as I held my father's hand, everything would be okay.
Back in the present we motor over to the MGM and park. Once we're in the casino we split up, my parents looking for a roulette table and Ben and I heading to the craps pit. Fast forward and hour and half, Ben and I have lost all we're willing to lose and can't decide who at the table we'd rather have "on our team" (for those of you familiar with the game, "That's on Your Team"), the guy at the end of the table with more gold teeth than chips or the guy to our right with a handle-bar mustache and an NRA jacket. We quickly decide that while the MGM-Detroit may be themed after a Vegas casino, it lacks the fun you find there because the smell of desperation is too thick to even smell the smoke through. While this isn't a surprise considering the current economic climate, it's still sad. My parents, who both like to gamble from time to time as well, have come to the same conclusion and we book to the parking lot without a second thought.
05 March 2010
Ladies who lounge
My last night in Chicago brought with it a fabulous girls night out. After taking my final exam and getting in a little bit of office work, my friend Erin picked me up and we headed north to Belmont to meet her sister, Lisa. I was fortunate to meet these fantastic ladies through Teresa in the last six months or so I was living in Chicago. Although we only see each other every couple years, every time I get to spend time with these two I'm sorry to have to leave, they're so much fun! (Fingers crossed that Erin's travels bring her to the DC area sometime soon!)
We started our evening at Lisa and her husband Clark's AMAZING apartment. I think it took me less than two minutes after greeting Lisa to ask if perhaps she wanted to adopt me so I could live there forever. They're on the top floor of a building near Belmont and Racine, walking distance to the Southport Corridor and not far from the popular locales offered near the Belmont red line stop. The picture below is the view of the skyline from their apartment. Again, it's a little fuzzy since it's a cell phone shot, and it doesn't really do the view justice, but when seen live, it's captivating.
After spending about an hour at Lisa's warming up with wine and meeting her friend, Laura, who joined us for the evening, we walked over to a tasty spot on Southport, Coobah, where Lisa had scored a reservation earlier in the week. This is a latin fusion restaurant that takes a lot of its inspiration from the Caribbean. I ordered a tasty zazuela, essentially the latin version of cioppino served with a tomato-based broth and lots of toasty baguette. The dish was filling and quite tasty.
But the highlight of the night, by far, was the company. It is always a pleasure to sit at a table with three smart women and just chat. We're all in slightly different places in our lives with jobs and relationships and everyone had a unique perspective to offer the conversation. I knew we'd be there for a while when the subject came around to the notions of marriage as a social construction and whether we'd raise different children than our mothers did due to the change in times and attitudes about a woman's role.
When we finally decided that if we didn't get up soon, since three hours had passed, the server might actually throw us out, we chose a close-by watering hole, Mystic Celt, to move on to. One drink later we were back on street headed for SoPo, a happening little lounge situated unsurprisingly on Southport Ave, having realized we were a wee bit "mature" for the crowd gathered at Mystic Celt. Just after arriving at SoPo we lucked into a table by the windows after a gaggle of very drunk girls departed (but not before stopping in to make friends with us). We spent the rest of the evening if another flurry of chatter, talking about jobs and parents and more. I finally had to call it quits at almost 1AM, so that I could catch enough sleep to make my train out to the 'burbs to meet up with Teresa and Nick in the morning. Thanks, Erin, Lisa and Laura for a great night out. I really wish we didn't live to far away from each other!
We started our evening at Lisa and her husband Clark's AMAZING apartment. I think it took me less than two minutes after greeting Lisa to ask if perhaps she wanted to adopt me so I could live there forever. They're on the top floor of a building near Belmont and Racine, walking distance to the Southport Corridor and not far from the popular locales offered near the Belmont red line stop. The picture below is the view of the skyline from their apartment. Again, it's a little fuzzy since it's a cell phone shot, and it doesn't really do the view justice, but when seen live, it's captivating.
After spending about an hour at Lisa's warming up with wine and meeting her friend, Laura, who joined us for the evening, we walked over to a tasty spot on Southport, Coobah, where Lisa had scored a reservation earlier in the week. This is a latin fusion restaurant that takes a lot of its inspiration from the Caribbean. I ordered a tasty zazuela, essentially the latin version of cioppino served with a tomato-based broth and lots of toasty baguette. The dish was filling and quite tasty.
But the highlight of the night, by far, was the company. It is always a pleasure to sit at a table with three smart women and just chat. We're all in slightly different places in our lives with jobs and relationships and everyone had a unique perspective to offer the conversation. I knew we'd be there for a while when the subject came around to the notions of marriage as a social construction and whether we'd raise different children than our mothers did due to the change in times and attitudes about a woman's role.
When we finally decided that if we didn't get up soon, since three hours had passed, the server might actually throw us out, we chose a close-by watering hole, Mystic Celt, to move on to. One drink later we were back on street headed for SoPo, a happening little lounge situated unsurprisingly on Southport Ave, having realized we were a wee bit "mature" for the crowd gathered at Mystic Celt. Just after arriving at SoPo we lucked into a table by the windows after a gaggle of very drunk girls departed (but not before stopping in to make friends with us). We spent the rest of the evening if another flurry of chatter, talking about jobs and parents and more. I finally had to call it quits at almost 1AM, so that I could catch enough sleep to make my train out to the 'burbs to meet up with Teresa and Nick in the morning. Thanks, Erin, Lisa and Laura for a great night out. I really wish we didn't live to far away from each other!
04 March 2010
The Atwood at last and an Iberian adventure
When I was in grad school, my friend Jill and I stopped into the Atwood Cafe for a drink on more than one occasion, but that's all we ever got because, being graduate students, even that was more than we could afford. So when Teresa and I were deciding on a location between her office and my hotel for dinner, the Atwood was my first thought, followed closely by, "and now I can actually eat there (at least this once!)."
I was able to make a reservation online the night before and when we walked in for our early dinner, we were escorted to a great table, the seating for which was composed of blue velvet settees rather than chairs. The Atwood has a simple menu that, while fairly small, offers lots of flavors nonetheless. This is great for me, as I easily fall prey to menu overload. Of course Teresa and I launched right into chatting and annoyed the server no end since she had to keep coming back to our table to see if we wanted to order. Finally, we shelved the chatter and perused the menu. Every possible selection looked delicious. In the end, Teresa chose a beef brisket and goat cheese ravioli while I selected a port wine braised short rib. Both meals were fantastic! I attempted some photo taking, however, I only had my cell phone on me so the quality is pretty poor.
While I was waiting in the lobby for Teresa to arrive, I had talked with my friend Nicole, who had worked at the Atwood Cafe when she was in college at Loyola Chicago. As soon as she heard we were at the Atwood, she immediately blurted out, "get the bread pudding!" With that gleeful a recommendation, Teresa and I decided we couldn't ignore it and ordered that to share for dessert. Sadly, it's not banana season and some of the bananas in the dish, which is actually called warm-roasted banana, white chocolate bread pudding, were a little bit hard, but in general, the flavors were great and I see why Nicole holds a place in her heart for this treat.
After perusing Filene's and a quick cab ride from downtown to River North, I was seated in the bar at Cafe Iberico with Emily, who had been Ben's and my roommate in Lincoln Park in 2004. Since we'd both already eaten dinner, we opted for drinks in the form of the Cafe's well known red sangria. The interest thing here is that I've had better sangria, even better sangria in Chicago. But I have a soft spot in my heart for this happy tapas location (and if you decide to eat, they do have fantastic tapas), having spent a new years celebration here and several office happy hours, one of which ended with a stunning tale of a good friend of mine (who shall remain nameless) falling off a bar stool, a story still makes us both laugh. The bottom line, while I could pay more for better sangria elsewhere, sitting in the bar at Iberico makes me smile.
Even better than the fun memories this locale evokes, was the chance to catch up with another old friend. Over a half pitcher, we caught up on jobs, friends, men, you name it. It was wonderful to see her again and I'm hopeful that it won't be years between visits this time. And now I'm trying to lure her to DC for a visit. (Come on, Em, you know you want to!)
I was able to make a reservation online the night before and when we walked in for our early dinner, we were escorted to a great table, the seating for which was composed of blue velvet settees rather than chairs. The Atwood has a simple menu that, while fairly small, offers lots of flavors nonetheless. This is great for me, as I easily fall prey to menu overload. Of course Teresa and I launched right into chatting and annoyed the server no end since she had to keep coming back to our table to see if we wanted to order. Finally, we shelved the chatter and perused the menu. Every possible selection looked delicious. In the end, Teresa chose a beef brisket and goat cheese ravioli while I selected a port wine braised short rib. Both meals were fantastic! I attempted some photo taking, however, I only had my cell phone on me so the quality is pretty poor.
Beef Brisket and Goat Cheese Ravioli
Port Wine Braised Short Rib
While I was waiting in the lobby for Teresa to arrive, I had talked with my friend Nicole, who had worked at the Atwood Cafe when she was in college at Loyola Chicago. As soon as she heard we were at the Atwood, she immediately blurted out, "get the bread pudding!" With that gleeful a recommendation, Teresa and I decided we couldn't ignore it and ordered that to share for dessert. Sadly, it's not banana season and some of the bananas in the dish, which is actually called warm-roasted banana, white chocolate bread pudding, were a little bit hard, but in general, the flavors were great and I see why Nicole holds a place in her heart for this treat.
Warm-Roasted Banana, White Chocolate Bread Pudding (I know, the picture is terrible!)
Since Teresa lives in the Chicago suburbs, she needed to catch the 7:40 train back home, so we parted on State Street, her for Union Station and me for the giant Filene's Basement to kill a half hour before meeting up with my friend and former Chicago roommate, Emily.After perusing Filene's and a quick cab ride from downtown to River North, I was seated in the bar at Cafe Iberico with Emily, who had been Ben's and my roommate in Lincoln Park in 2004. Since we'd both already eaten dinner, we opted for drinks in the form of the Cafe's well known red sangria. The interest thing here is that I've had better sangria, even better sangria in Chicago. But I have a soft spot in my heart for this happy tapas location (and if you decide to eat, they do have fantastic tapas), having spent a new years celebration here and several office happy hours, one of which ended with a stunning tale of a good friend of mine (who shall remain nameless) falling off a bar stool, a story still makes us both laugh. The bottom line, while I could pay more for better sangria elsewhere, sitting in the bar at Iberico makes me smile.
Even better than the fun memories this locale evokes, was the chance to catch up with another old friend. Over a half pitcher, we caught up on jobs, friends, men, you name it. It was wonderful to see her again and I'm hopeful that it won't be years between visits this time. And now I'm trying to lure her to DC for a visit. (Come on, Em, you know you want to!)
02 March 2010
Opa! in my mouth
Today was my first day of project management class on scheduling and cost control. In addition to a few new cost estimating techniques (I know - boring!), I also learned that most Canadians, including my instructor, say, proh-cess, proh-ject and rezources (thought you'd like this Alyce!). After adjusting my listening skills so as not to focus on the different pronunciations and to actually pay attention to the subject matter, class sped by quickly with me counting down the hours until I could meet an old friend and his fiance in Greektown for dinner.
We decided on Greek Islands and at 8:20 I hopped into a cab to meet them there. Ten minutes later Ben, Lindsay and I were standing in front of a case of fresh octopus waiting for our table. Once seated we must have driven the waiter crazy, we took more than twenty minutes to make up our minds, but the meze menu is lengthy and nearly everything is good. For Ben and Lindsay, who had never been there before, the trick was deciding on what items looked best. For me, having frequented this restaurant during my Chicago dwelling days AND on nearly every visit, it was deciding which of my many favorites dishes I could live without and which I absolutely had to have. To add another complicating factor, we'd opted to meet for a late dinner to give Ben time to play dodge ball (Chicago has leagues) and me time to catch up on all the office work that had accumulated during my in class hours. That meant none of us wanted to weigh ourselves down too much with food, but wow, the choices.
We finally settled on splitting a few mezedes among us and then each choosing something for ourselves. We shared tzatziki that was almost as good as the stuff my aunts and now I make, bread, kefalotiri and kalamata olives. Kefalotiri is a personal favorite of mine. I believe in the sharper and stinkier the better for most cheese (with some exceptions) and this one NEVER disappoints. Hard and tangy, it's typically made from sheep or goat's milk and is nearly always imported direct from Greece. For my "meal", I ordered an old favorite, something I make at home but that Greek Islands does well too, Horiatiki Salata (Greek village salad). Light and tasty, it made for an authentic greek meal and happy Greektown dining experience without being too heavy for a later dinner.
Ben chose loukaniko, which is a greek pork sausage that is typically flavored with fennel and orange.
He also chose a cold octopus salad which is basically just grilled and chopped baby octopus, chilled and dressed in a light vinaigrette. As anyone who's ever made a wrong turn with a clam, octopus or squid dish knows, it's very easy to cook these wrong and end up with what tastes like a plate of rubber bands rather a delicious delicacy. Thankfully, this dish is something of a house specialty at Greek Islands, underscored by the fresh, not-yet-cooked octopus in the entry way case, and they do it well every time. Lindsay opted for a more traditional Greek salad as her light entree and was pleased with it too.
All in all, a very successful meal filled with good food and great company. It was great to catch up with Ben and get to know Lindsay a little better. Ben has always been a great guy, and it appears he's snagged a great girl. They'll be married in May and I wish them all the best. Moreover, I wish for more trips back to Chicago to spend time with them and all our other wonderful Chicago friends.
We decided on Greek Islands and at 8:20 I hopped into a cab to meet them there. Ten minutes later Ben, Lindsay and I were standing in front of a case of fresh octopus waiting for our table. Once seated we must have driven the waiter crazy, we took more than twenty minutes to make up our minds, but the meze menu is lengthy and nearly everything is good. For Ben and Lindsay, who had never been there before, the trick was deciding on what items looked best. For me, having frequented this restaurant during my Chicago dwelling days AND on nearly every visit, it was deciding which of my many favorites dishes I could live without and which I absolutely had to have. To add another complicating factor, we'd opted to meet for a late dinner to give Ben time to play dodge ball (Chicago has leagues) and me time to catch up on all the office work that had accumulated during my in class hours. That meant none of us wanted to weigh ourselves down too much with food, but wow, the choices.
We finally settled on splitting a few mezedes among us and then each choosing something for ourselves. We shared tzatziki that was almost as good as the stuff my aunts and now I make, bread, kefalotiri and kalamata olives. Kefalotiri is a personal favorite of mine. I believe in the sharper and stinkier the better for most cheese (with some exceptions) and this one NEVER disappoints. Hard and tangy, it's typically made from sheep or goat's milk and is nearly always imported direct from Greece. For my "meal", I ordered an old favorite, something I make at home but that Greek Islands does well too, Horiatiki Salata (Greek village salad). Light and tasty, it made for an authentic greek meal and happy Greektown dining experience without being too heavy for a later dinner.
Ben chose loukaniko, which is a greek pork sausage that is typically flavored with fennel and orange.
He also chose a cold octopus salad which is basically just grilled and chopped baby octopus, chilled and dressed in a light vinaigrette. As anyone who's ever made a wrong turn with a clam, octopus or squid dish knows, it's very easy to cook these wrong and end up with what tastes like a plate of rubber bands rather a delicious delicacy. Thankfully, this dish is something of a house specialty at Greek Islands, underscored by the fresh, not-yet-cooked octopus in the entry way case, and they do it well every time. Lindsay opted for a more traditional Greek salad as her light entree and was pleased with it too.
All in all, a very successful meal filled with good food and great company. It was great to catch up with Ben and get to know Lindsay a little better. Ben has always been a great guy, and it appears he's snagged a great girl. They'll be married in May and I wish them all the best. Moreover, I wish for more trips back to Chicago to spend time with them and all our other wonderful Chicago friends.
01 March 2010
"My Kind of Town, Chicago"
Mr. Sinatra had it right when he said, "My kind of town, Chicago/My kind of people, too/People who smile at you/And each time I roam, Chicago/Is calling me home." In fact, I couldn't have said it better myself.
I was fortunate to get sent here by work to take the last required class for my Master's certificate in Project Management and I'm loving every minute! I just arrived today, dropped my bags at the hotel (Marriott Downtown Mag Mile!) and headed off to drink in the city I love and dearly, dearly miss! For the first hour I just strolled the streets around downtown with my hot beverage, because it is, after all, colder here than at home. In fact, it's always like this in the winter here. While it might be 40 degrees there is a biting wind that doesn't quit. It's the kind of cold that chills you through and takes quite a while and more than one cup of coffee to warm up from. But that really is the only downside to a place where strangers smile when you pass (and they're not crazy like in DC), you can still score dinner for $10 bucks even downtown and that can, just by sharing in the city's understated but omnipresent mid-western hospitality, make you wish with everything that you are that you could still call this place home. In short, Chicago is calling me home. And if weren't for the wonderful man and the great job I have back in DC, I'd find myself a nice little Lakeview apartment and stay forever.
But enough waxing poetic about how this city touches my heart, even though it does, instead lets move on to the heart of this blog - food! First stop tonight was FoodLife. If you've never been, you're missing out! FoodLife is a food court for the wealthy, the tourist, the student, you name it and you're sharing a dining room with them. Walk into FoodLife and get your reusable card. Once you've been assigned a table you can walk up to any kitchen (of which there are 14!) and order from their simple, tasty menus. Julie's and my favorite during our tenure in residence here was SoupLife, where for $5.99 (then anyway, it's $6.99 now) you could get a bottomless bowl of soup that would allow you to eat your way through all 8 of their selections should your heart desire. But my fancy tonight was the $10 special. For $10 I snagged a cup of soup or small salad, an entree, a beverage and a dessert. How can you go wrong with that? $10 for dinner in downtown Chicago!! It took me no time at all to decide on seafood gumbo, nachos made fresh in front of me and a tasty chocolate brownie. An eclectic collection, I know, but why not sample all my old favorites for such a small price?!?
Happy and full after my not-so-fancy, but oh-so-yummy meal, I meandered back out onto Michigan Avenue and window shopped my way back to the hotel, stopping in Borders just to stand in the top floor window and look out on the Magnificent Mile, all lit up. At certain moments I'm just another tourist, enjoying all the pretty sights and happy moments Chicago has to offer while at others I'm just a displaced Chicagoan, looking for a way to come home!
I was fortunate to get sent here by work to take the last required class for my Master's certificate in Project Management and I'm loving every minute! I just arrived today, dropped my bags at the hotel (Marriott Downtown Mag Mile!) and headed off to drink in the city I love and dearly, dearly miss! For the first hour I just strolled the streets around downtown with my hot beverage, because it is, after all, colder here than at home. In fact, it's always like this in the winter here. While it might be 40 degrees there is a biting wind that doesn't quit. It's the kind of cold that chills you through and takes quite a while and more than one cup of coffee to warm up from. But that really is the only downside to a place where strangers smile when you pass (and they're not crazy like in DC), you can still score dinner for $10 bucks even downtown and that can, just by sharing in the city's understated but omnipresent mid-western hospitality, make you wish with everything that you are that you could still call this place home. In short, Chicago is calling me home. And if weren't for the wonderful man and the great job I have back in DC, I'd find myself a nice little Lakeview apartment and stay forever.
But enough waxing poetic about how this city touches my heart, even though it does, instead lets move on to the heart of this blog - food! First stop tonight was FoodLife. If you've never been, you're missing out! FoodLife is a food court for the wealthy, the tourist, the student, you name it and you're sharing a dining room with them. Walk into FoodLife and get your reusable card. Once you've been assigned a table you can walk up to any kitchen (of which there are 14!) and order from their simple, tasty menus. Julie's and my favorite during our tenure in residence here was SoupLife, where for $5.99 (then anyway, it's $6.99 now) you could get a bottomless bowl of soup that would allow you to eat your way through all 8 of their selections should your heart desire. But my fancy tonight was the $10 special. For $10 I snagged a cup of soup or small salad, an entree, a beverage and a dessert. How can you go wrong with that? $10 for dinner in downtown Chicago!! It took me no time at all to decide on seafood gumbo, nachos made fresh in front of me and a tasty chocolate brownie. An eclectic collection, I know, but why not sample all my old favorites for such a small price?!?
Happy and full after my not-so-fancy, but oh-so-yummy meal, I meandered back out onto Michigan Avenue and window shopped my way back to the hotel, stopping in Borders just to stand in the top floor window and look out on the Magnificent Mile, all lit up. At certain moments I'm just another tourist, enjoying all the pretty sights and happy moments Chicago has to offer while at others I'm just a displaced Chicagoan, looking for a way to come home!
23 February 2010
Cabernet Braised Short Ribs
Cooking Light strikes gold again! I found this recipe as I was leafing through some old issues of the magazine trying to figure out what I wanted to tear out and save and what I could toss when I stumbled onto this absolute feast of deliciousness! I would recommend making these on the weekend since they are quite time consuming, but they are so tasty they're worth it. I recommend serving these with smashed Yukon gold potatoes.
Ingredients
Cooking spray
2 pounds beef short ribs, trimmed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups fat-free, less-sodium beef broth
1 cup cabernet sauvignon or other dry red wine
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 1/2 cups (1-inch) slices celery (about 2 stalks)
1 cup (1-inch) slices carrot (about 2 medium)
6 garlic cloves, sliced
2 (6-inch) rosemary sprigs
1 medium onion, cut into 8 wedges
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
Chopped parsley (optional)
Preheat oven to 300°. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle ribs with salt and pepper. Add ribs to pan; cook for 8 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove from pan. Add beef broth to pan, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Combine broth, wine, and tomato paste in a medium bowl; stir with a whisk. Place ribs, celery, carrot, garlic, rosemary, and onion in a 13 x 9–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Pour broth mixture over rib mixture. Cover with foil; bake at 300° for 3 1/2 hours or until ribs are very tender.Uncover dish; strain broth mixture through a sieve over a bowl, reserving liquid. Reserve ribs; discard remaining solids. Place a zip-top plastic bag inside a 2-cup glass measure. Pour reserved liquid into bag. Seal bag; carefully snip off 1 bottom corner of bag. Drain liquid into a small saucepan, stopping before fat layer reaches opening; discard fat. Add flour to pan, stirring well with a whisk. Place pan over medium heat; bring to a boil, stirring constantly with a whisk. Reduce heat, and simmer 3 minutes or until thick, stirring constantly with a whisk. Serve sauce with ribs and potatoes. Garnish with chopped parsley, if desired.
Makes 6 servings (serving size: 2 short ribs and about 2 1/2 tablespoons sauce)
CALORIES 499 (includes 2/3 cups noodles from the original recipe that I did not serve with this)
FAT 22.8g (sat 9.2g,mono 9.7g,poly 1.2g);
FIBER 1.7g
Ingredients
Cooking spray
2 pounds beef short ribs, trimmed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups fat-free, less-sodium beef broth
1 cup cabernet sauvignon or other dry red wine
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 1/2 cups (1-inch) slices celery (about 2 stalks)
1 cup (1-inch) slices carrot (about 2 medium)
6 garlic cloves, sliced
2 (6-inch) rosemary sprigs
1 medium onion, cut into 8 wedges
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
Chopped parsley (optional)
Preheat oven to 300°. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle ribs with salt and pepper. Add ribs to pan; cook for 8 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove from pan. Add beef broth to pan, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Combine broth, wine, and tomato paste in a medium bowl; stir with a whisk. Place ribs, celery, carrot, garlic, rosemary, and onion in a 13 x 9–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Pour broth mixture over rib mixture. Cover with foil; bake at 300° for 3 1/2 hours or until ribs are very tender.Uncover dish; strain broth mixture through a sieve over a bowl, reserving liquid. Reserve ribs; discard remaining solids. Place a zip-top plastic bag inside a 2-cup glass measure. Pour reserved liquid into bag. Seal bag; carefully snip off 1 bottom corner of bag. Drain liquid into a small saucepan, stopping before fat layer reaches opening; discard fat. Add flour to pan, stirring well with a whisk. Place pan over medium heat; bring to a boil, stirring constantly with a whisk. Reduce heat, and simmer 3 minutes or until thick, stirring constantly with a whisk. Serve sauce with ribs and potatoes. Garnish with chopped parsley, if desired.
Makes 6 servings (serving size: 2 short ribs and about 2 1/2 tablespoons sauce)
CALORIES 499 (includes 2/3 cups noodles from the original recipe that I did not serve with this)
FAT 22.8g (sat 9.2g,mono 9.7g,poly 1.2g);
FIBER 1.7g
21 February 2010
"Feed me, Seymour!"
In keeping with the inexpensive theater options in DC about which I just raved, Nicole, Melissa and I scored $12 tickets to Little Shop of Horrors on Tuesday, March 16th. Perhaps the best part of this, however, is that the show plays at Ford's Theater, the historic site where President Lincoln was shot. A DC landmark, I've never had the opportunity to attend anything at this venue, so I couldn't be more excited. Adding to my excitement is the show itself. While I've seen the movie version of this very popular, if not a bit bizarre, rock musical, I've never seen it on stage! Review forthcoming!!
20 February 2010
Cocoa Brownies
Somehow we ended up with 3, count 'em, 3, containers of unsweetened dutch processed cocoa in our cupboards. In the interest of clearing some space, not wasting food and fueled by a brownie-filled episode of Bobby Flay's Throw Down on the Food Network, I decided to give Alton Brown's Cocoa Brownies recipe a shot. So glad I did. Served hot out of the oven with an ice cold glass of milk - so tasty!!
Ingredients:
Soft butter, for greasing the pan
Flour, for dusting the buttered pan
4 large eggs
1 cup sugar, sifted
1 cup brown sugar, sifted
8 ounces melted butter
1 and 1/4 cups cocoa, sifted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup flour, sifted
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Ingredients:
Soft butter, for greasing the pan
Flour, for dusting the buttered pan
4 large eggs
1 cup sugar, sifted
1 cup brown sugar, sifted
8 ounces melted butter
1 and 1/4 cups cocoa, sifted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup flour, sifted
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Butter and flour an 8-inch square pan. Line the bottom only with parchment paper.
In a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the eggs at medium speed until fluffy and light yellow. Add both sugars. Add remaining ingredients, and mix to combine.
Pour the batter into the greased, floured and parchment paper lined 8-inch square pan and bake for 45 minutes. Check for doneness with the tried-and-true toothpick method: a toothpick inserted into the center of the pan should come out clean. When it's done, allow to cool in the pan for 1 minute. Invert a plate on top of the brownie pan, flip the pan-plate combo so that the brownies slide out of the pan and onto the plate. Serve warm with cold milk!
19 February 2010
Roundhouse Theater's "Permanent Collection" earns my praise
One of the things I love most about DC is the amount of affordable theater readily available. Part of what makes it so affordable is the wide-spread participation in the "30-and-under program." As participants in this program, theaters select performances to offer cut rate tickets. The seats are seldom the best in the house, but since many of the venues are more intimate settings, having a seat slightly to the left or right or in the balcony doesn't detract from the viewing experience.
Taking advantage of the $10 tickets, Nicole and I hit The Roundhouse Theater in Bethesda tonight to see Permanent Collection, an intense production about race, influence and art. Set against the backdrop of an Arts Foundation with an expansive and impressive impressionist collection, the show explores the racial themes that emerge when the new-on-the-block Director of the foundation, appointed at the behest of the foundation's eccentric and recently deceased founder, challenges the founder's willed vision that the foundation's permanent collection remain static in favor of adding 8 additional pieces of African Art. Bucked by a long-time staffer, the proposed addition quickly becomes a divisive force that, in the end, nearly destroys the foundation both the Director and staffer seek to preserve, each in their own way.
Built on the back of a small but powerful cast, the show spectacularly highlights the tensions that bubble just under the surface in today's society and the mutual destruction that often ensues when tensions bubble over. Particularly poignant in this production was the actress who played Kanika, the new Director's African-American assistant who inadvertently becomes the arbiter of the conflict. Her ability to lure in the audience with her warmth and exuberance and to keep them with her ferocity will, I hope, make her a staple in the Roundhouse Theater's casting repertoire.
A win with this production makes the Roundhouse Theater two for two this season. Nicole and I also checked out their production of The Picture of Dorian Gray, the stage adaptation of Oscar Wilde's 1890 novel. Here as well the Theater succeeded, this time bringing to life Gray's depravity in ways that actually made my skin crawl. Next up, My Name is Asher Lev, assuming the $10 dollar ticket option is available for the next performance of course!
Taking advantage of the $10 tickets, Nicole and I hit The Roundhouse Theater in Bethesda tonight to see Permanent Collection, an intense production about race, influence and art. Set against the backdrop of an Arts Foundation with an expansive and impressive impressionist collection, the show explores the racial themes that emerge when the new-on-the-block Director of the foundation, appointed at the behest of the foundation's eccentric and recently deceased founder, challenges the founder's willed vision that the foundation's permanent collection remain static in favor of adding 8 additional pieces of African Art. Bucked by a long-time staffer, the proposed addition quickly becomes a divisive force that, in the end, nearly destroys the foundation both the Director and staffer seek to preserve, each in their own way.
Built on the back of a small but powerful cast, the show spectacularly highlights the tensions that bubble just under the surface in today's society and the mutual destruction that often ensues when tensions bubble over. Particularly poignant in this production was the actress who played Kanika, the new Director's African-American assistant who inadvertently becomes the arbiter of the conflict. Her ability to lure in the audience with her warmth and exuberance and to keep them with her ferocity will, I hope, make her a staple in the Roundhouse Theater's casting repertoire.
A win with this production makes the Roundhouse Theater two for two this season. Nicole and I also checked out their production of The Picture of Dorian Gray, the stage adaptation of Oscar Wilde's 1890 novel. Here as well the Theater succeeded, this time bringing to life Gray's depravity in ways that actually made my skin crawl. Next up, My Name is Asher Lev, assuming the $10 dollar ticket option is available for the next performance of course!
14 February 2010
Big bubbles taste, small time operation
As I've mentioned time and again in previous posts, Ben and I have what can only be described as an addiction to the Vienna Vintner, a small, locally-owned wine shop on Maple Avenue in Vienna. The guys that own this place, Kirby and Vic, really know their stuff, buy phenomenal wines at often more phenomenal prices, and really make the regulars feel like royalty as we duck in every Saturday to try the five or more wines they have on the tasting block and to spend plenty of our hard earned dollars on what is always an unintended half case or more of wine.
For Thanksgiving they put together a spectacular spread complete with all the homemade fixings - turkey, cornbread, you name it - AND thirteen different wines to taste. Among those wines was Charles Orban "Le Carte Noire" Brut Champagne.
For Thanksgiving they put together a spectacular spread complete with all the homemade fixings - turkey, cornbread, you name it - AND thirteen different wines to taste. Among those wines was Charles Orban "Le Carte Noire" Brut Champagne.
Now anyone who knows me well knows I love the bubbles! And this bottle did not disappoint. We tasted it first on it's own and then with turkey and were absolutely blown away. This champagne, in addition to having great crispness, has a refreshing figgy flavor that is the perfect balance of sweet and dry.
Additionally, this champagne is what is referred to as a "Grower Champagne." Essentially what this means is that the same vineyard that grew the grapes produced the champagne. There's a bit more to it that that, but you get the point. These champagnes, because they are often produced in small quantities and much of wine pricing can be based on commodity, can be quite expensive. This bottle, however, our fantastic hosts had managed to snag for such a good price, it retailed for only $45 dollars! Knowing we couldn't pass up the incredible flavor and freshness of this champagne, especially at that price, we snatched it up. It's been staying cool at our house ever since. And tonight, in honor of the Hallmark Holiday du jour, we cracked into it with a meal of seared scallops, whipped potatoes and asparagus. We're just as happy with this fabulous bottle of bubbly now as we were when we first tasted it!!
12 February 2010
Denver delivers dear friends and deliciousness!
The week of February 1st brought a barrage of travel and more time spent on planes and in airports than I care to recall. But knowing that my job often lends itself to this type of travel craziness, I just buckled in for the long week ahead. First stop, one night in Indianapolis and three hours of training delivery on Wednesday, lather, rinse, repeat in Dallas on Thursday and finally on to Orange County, CA for double time training delivery with the staff there. So far so good, right? All my planes were on time, no one asked me a question I couldn't answer and I only had to get snippy with one snotty curmudgeon who thinks because he's a fossil he's allowed to push me around verbally. Those of you who know me know just how far he got with that line of thought.
But there is always a travel catch. This one came in the form of the SNOWIEST winter DC has ever seen. I was originally scheduled to fly back United Airlines through Denver on Saturday morning. I made it to Denver and that was where I stopped. But that was fantastic! Because two of Ben's and my most favorite people in the world just moved back to Denver from DC in August - Michelle and Gustavo (hereafter referred to as Muchtavo).
On arriving in Denver, Michelle picked me up in her happy little blue Civic and drove us straight up into the mountains to the cute little town of Idaho Springs for lunch. Idaho Springs, and Beau Jo's in particular, I'm told, is where skiers and boarders in the know stop to grab some grub before heading to the higher elevations of Breckenridge, Loveland, etc. We cruised into Beau Jo's, got a table right in front of an old model-T and proceeded to order the BEST, again, the BEST, pizza I've ever had in my life!!!! Beau Jo's serves "Colorado Style" pizza that you order by pound, rather than small, medium or large. Michelle and I chose a 2-lb mountain pie with whole milk mozzarella, pepperoni, green and red peppers and Italian seasoning. According to the Beau Jo's menu, a 2-lb pie is suitable for 2-3 people or a half-dozen mongeese. We ordered it thinking that we'd have plenty left over for Gustavo. And then we put away all but two small slices. Oh, and did I mention the best part of the mountain pie? They hand roll the crust, so when you're done with the pie you can spread honey on the delicious puffy crust. AMAZING!
This was only the beginning of a fabulous Denver visit with great friends. On the way back down to just a mile above sea level, Michelle and I stopped to look around Red Rocks. While this is an amphitheater and the venue in which many concerts are played in the Denver area, it's the fact that it is an entirely natural formation that provides gorgeous views, beautiful hiking trails and amazing acoustics that really sets it apart. Sadly, I didn't have my camera with me. But check out the website for some great pics of the splendor that is this national park and concert venue.
We spent the rest of the afternoon checking into my hotel, chatting, checking out Muchtavo's place and more chatting. Gustavo met up with us for dinner just in time to visit Torres, their favorite family Mexican establishment in Denver, a restaurant I've been hearing about since Muchtavo's DC dwelling days. Inexpensive and family friendly, I got to enjoy a chicken and bean burrito smothered with green chili! Tastiness.
Since I had a hotel downtown, Muchtavo opted to stay with me that night. That let us hit one of their favorite downtown brunch locations, The Delectable Egg, on Sunday morning. Potatoes, good. Eggs, good. Cheese, good. The Idaho scrambler was a tasty breakfast selection. And again we passed an enjoyable meal chatting and catching up. I love these people and miss them so much, it was so nice to get "stuck" in Denver with them.
By now my flight had been re-scheduled, canceled, re-scheduled again, and then re-scheduled a third time for a better, direct flight on Monday when everyone in the DC area was hopeful the airports would finally be open. But all the time I spent on the phone with the travel agent aside, we spent the rest of the afternoon in another haze of chatter and laughter, with Muchtavo teaching me all about the neighborhoods and things to do in the Denver area (for when Ben and I come back in the summer!). By mid-afternoon we somehow decided we were hungry again. Really, I don't know how, but we were. So before heading over to Michelle's parents house to watch a great Super Bowl game, we stopped off at the Spicy Pickle for a tasty sandwich selection. While this is a chain, it's a yummy, healthy one that doesn't exist in my area, so I was happy to try it out! For the fourth time in two days, Muchtavo didn't steer me wrong. The Santa Cruz sandwich was great and left me happy and full to meet Michelle's family.
Fast forward a few hours and everyone is cheering for a Saints victory, Michelle's brother's crazy dog keeps making me laugh, Michelle is doing the end-zone victory dance every time the Saints score and I am totally comfortable and enjoying Michelle's great family. We took off on the early side since it had begun to snow and I had an early flight the next morning, but even with an early departure the night was fantastic and I'm thankful to have been included in it!
Overall, I could not have asked for a better trip to Denver. With the weather as it was, we didn't get to enjoy all the beautiful scenery Denver offers, but as I told our wonderful friends, I was much more interested in the company and I couldn't have asked for better!
But there is always a travel catch. This one came in the form of the SNOWIEST winter DC has ever seen. I was originally scheduled to fly back United Airlines through Denver on Saturday morning. I made it to Denver and that was where I stopped. But that was fantastic! Because two of Ben's and my most favorite people in the world just moved back to Denver from DC in August - Michelle and Gustavo (hereafter referred to as Muchtavo).
On arriving in Denver, Michelle picked me up in her happy little blue Civic and drove us straight up into the mountains to the cute little town of Idaho Springs for lunch. Idaho Springs, and Beau Jo's in particular, I'm told, is where skiers and boarders in the know stop to grab some grub before heading to the higher elevations of Breckenridge, Loveland, etc. We cruised into Beau Jo's, got a table right in front of an old model-T and proceeded to order the BEST, again, the BEST, pizza I've ever had in my life!!!! Beau Jo's serves "Colorado Style" pizza that you order by pound, rather than small, medium or large. Michelle and I chose a 2-lb mountain pie with whole milk mozzarella, pepperoni, green and red peppers and Italian seasoning. According to the Beau Jo's menu, a 2-lb pie is suitable for 2-3 people or a half-dozen mongeese. We ordered it thinking that we'd have plenty left over for Gustavo. And then we put away all but two small slices. Oh, and did I mention the best part of the mountain pie? They hand roll the crust, so when you're done with the pie you can spread honey on the delicious puffy crust. AMAZING!
This was only the beginning of a fabulous Denver visit with great friends. On the way back down to just a mile above sea level, Michelle and I stopped to look around Red Rocks. While this is an amphitheater and the venue in which many concerts are played in the Denver area, it's the fact that it is an entirely natural formation that provides gorgeous views, beautiful hiking trails and amazing acoustics that really sets it apart. Sadly, I didn't have my camera with me. But check out the website for some great pics of the splendor that is this national park and concert venue.
We spent the rest of the afternoon checking into my hotel, chatting, checking out Muchtavo's place and more chatting. Gustavo met up with us for dinner just in time to visit Torres, their favorite family Mexican establishment in Denver, a restaurant I've been hearing about since Muchtavo's DC dwelling days. Inexpensive and family friendly, I got to enjoy a chicken and bean burrito smothered with green chili! Tastiness.
Since I had a hotel downtown, Muchtavo opted to stay with me that night. That let us hit one of their favorite downtown brunch locations, The Delectable Egg, on Sunday morning. Potatoes, good. Eggs, good. Cheese, good. The Idaho scrambler was a tasty breakfast selection. And again we passed an enjoyable meal chatting and catching up. I love these people and miss them so much, it was so nice to get "stuck" in Denver with them.
By now my flight had been re-scheduled, canceled, re-scheduled again, and then re-scheduled a third time for a better, direct flight on Monday when everyone in the DC area was hopeful the airports would finally be open. But all the time I spent on the phone with the travel agent aside, we spent the rest of the afternoon in another haze of chatter and laughter, with Muchtavo teaching me all about the neighborhoods and things to do in the Denver area (for when Ben and I come back in the summer!). By mid-afternoon we somehow decided we were hungry again. Really, I don't know how, but we were. So before heading over to Michelle's parents house to watch a great Super Bowl game, we stopped off at the Spicy Pickle for a tasty sandwich selection. While this is a chain, it's a yummy, healthy one that doesn't exist in my area, so I was happy to try it out! For the fourth time in two days, Muchtavo didn't steer me wrong. The Santa Cruz sandwich was great and left me happy and full to meet Michelle's family.
Fast forward a few hours and everyone is cheering for a Saints victory, Michelle's brother's crazy dog keeps making me laugh, Michelle is doing the end-zone victory dance every time the Saints score and I am totally comfortable and enjoying Michelle's great family. We took off on the early side since it had begun to snow and I had an early flight the next morning, but even with an early departure the night was fantastic and I'm thankful to have been included in it!
Overall, I could not have asked for a better trip to Denver. With the weather as it was, we didn't get to enjoy all the beautiful scenery Denver offers, but as I told our wonderful friends, I was much more interested in the company and I couldn't have asked for better!
Bacon Mac
Extra kudos to Cooking Light for this one. I have never found a relatively healthy mac and cheese recipe that tastes this good! And for 399 calories per very filling serving, you just can't beat it (yes, I know Weight Watchers, among others offer lower calorie mac and cheese recipes, but all my experiences with these have made me believe that if you don't use real, full fat cheese, it has very little taste).
Ingredients
3 1/4 teaspoons salt, divided
12 ounces strozzapreti or penne pasta
4 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups skim milk, divided
2 cups finely shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese, divided
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 slices center-cut bacon, cooked and crumbled
Cooking spray
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
Drizzle of olive oil
Preheat broiler. Bring 6 quarts water and 1 tablespoon salt to a boil. Add pasta; cook 8 minutes or until al dente; drain. Combine flour and 1/2 cup milk in a saucepan over medium heat. Gradually add 1 cup milk; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; let stand 4 minutes or until it cools to 155°. Stir in 1 1/2 cups cheese. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt, onions, hot sauce, pepper, and bacon; stir. Add pasta; toss. Spoon into a 2-quart broiler-safe dish coated with cooking spray; top with 1/2 cup cheese mixed with panko and olive oil. Broil 2 minutes or until golden brown. Enjoy!!
Ingredients
3 1/4 teaspoons salt, divided
12 ounces strozzapreti or penne pasta
4 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups skim milk, divided
2 cups finely shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese, divided
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 slices center-cut bacon, cooked and crumbled
Cooking spray
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
Drizzle of olive oil
Preheat broiler. Bring 6 quarts water and 1 tablespoon salt to a boil. Add pasta; cook 8 minutes or until al dente; drain. Combine flour and 1/2 cup milk in a saucepan over medium heat. Gradually add 1 cup milk; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; let stand 4 minutes or until it cools to 155°. Stir in 1 1/2 cups cheese. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt, onions, hot sauce, pepper, and bacon; stir. Add pasta; toss. Spoon into a 2-quart broiler-safe dish coated with cooking spray; top with 1/2 cup cheese mixed with panko and olive oil. Broil 2 minutes or until golden brown. Enjoy!!
Lamb Shanks Braised with Tomato
Ingredients:
4 (12-ounce) lamb shanks, trimmed
4 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 cup dry red wine
2 (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle lamb with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Add lamb to pan, and cook 4 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove from pan. Depending on this size of the lamb shanks and the dutch oven, you may have to brown them in batches. Add garlic to pan; sauté 15 seconds. Add wine; cook 2 minutes, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Stir in tomatoes; cook 2 minutes. Return lamb to pan. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour. Turn lamb over; simmer 1 hour or until meat is done and very tender. Place lamb on a plate; cover loosely with foil. Skim fat from surface of the sauce. Bring to a boil; cook 10 minutes or until thickened. Return lamb to pan; cook 4 minutes or until lamb is thoroughly heated. Stir in parsley.
Serve this totally easy and tasty dish with whipped potatoes and blanched green beans. Yum!
And I'm Back...
After a month long hiatus, I'm back with a new, fancy computer to back me up. Why, you ask, did I need a new computer to be back in the blogosphere? Because I am a klutz. While carrying my now old laptop from our office/laundry space back to the living room, I caught my foot on a box and fell spectacularly. As I went careening forward, my computer shot out of my hands landing open with a flop on the floor, completely destroying the screen. So...new computer, here I am. Several tasty recipes will be coming soon as I catch up on the blog!
04 January 2010
Baked Chicken Parmesan
And let the gutter-defying healthier eating options commence with this combo recipe. I pulled a little from 30-minute meals and a little from Weight Watchers and voila! we have a tasty meal that's figure friendly.
Baked Chicken Parmesan Ingredients
Marinara Sauce
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
A handful flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped, about 2 tablespoons
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil (or 2 teaspoons fresh if you have it handy)
1 (28 ounces) can crushed tomatoes
1 (14 ounces) can chunky style crushed tomatoes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Chicken
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
3 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 1/4 lb chicken cutlets
Pasta
6 oz. angel hair pastaa
Salt
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Start a pan on the stove over medium high heat. Add the olive oil and allow to heat up. Once the pan is hot, add the onion and then, about a minute later, the garlic. Cook until onion begins to soften, about 4 minutes (be careful not to let the garlic burn). Add the red pepper flakes, oregano and basil. Allow the spices to toast in the hot pan for about a minute. Add the parsley and tomatoes. Bring to boil and then reduce to simmer for 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. After the 10 minutes have elapsed, give the sauce a zap with an immersion blender to create an even consistency. If you don't have an immersion blender fear not, just put the sauce in a regular blender but remember to only fill the blender about half way and to leave the lid partway off or the hole in the top open to allow the steam to escape. Only filling the blender halfway you may have to do multiple batches. Allow the blended sauce to continue simmering over the flame while you make the chicken.
Spray a 13" x 9" pan with non-stick spray. Whisk the egg and milk together in a bowl. In a pie pan, mix the panko, parsley, cheese, salt and pepper. Again, both of the salt and pepper are to taste. My advice? Go easy on the salt since the Parmesan adds a nice salty kick. Be generous with the pepper. Dip the chicken in the egg mixture and allow extra to drip off. Dredge the chicken in the breadcrumb mixture shaking off the excess. Lay flat in sprayed pan. Repeat for remaining three chicken cutlets. Bake for 17 minutes or until chicken is done.
While the chicken is baking, bring your pasta water to a boil, salt liberally and with 4 minutes to go on the chicken drop 6 oz of angel hair pasta into the boiling water. Drain the pasta after three minutes, replace in the pan it was boiled in and mix in several ladles of sauce. Divide the pasta evenly among the four plates. Top with more sauce, then baked chicken, then more sauce. Enjoy!
P.S. I served asparagus with this for a veggie and it was tasty. Broccoli would also be good!
WW Points: 10
Baked Chicken Parmesan Ingredients
Marinara Sauce
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
A handful flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped, about 2 tablespoons
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil (or 2 teaspoons fresh if you have it handy)
1 (28 ounces) can crushed tomatoes
1 (14 ounces) can chunky style crushed tomatoes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Chicken
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
3 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 1/4 lb chicken cutlets
Pasta
6 oz. angel hair pastaa
Salt
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Start a pan on the stove over medium high heat. Add the olive oil and allow to heat up. Once the pan is hot, add the onion and then, about a minute later, the garlic. Cook until onion begins to soften, about 4 minutes (be careful not to let the garlic burn). Add the red pepper flakes, oregano and basil. Allow the spices to toast in the hot pan for about a minute. Add the parsley and tomatoes. Bring to boil and then reduce to simmer for 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. After the 10 minutes have elapsed, give the sauce a zap with an immersion blender to create an even consistency. If you don't have an immersion blender fear not, just put the sauce in a regular blender but remember to only fill the blender about half way and to leave the lid partway off or the hole in the top open to allow the steam to escape. Only filling the blender halfway you may have to do multiple batches. Allow the blended sauce to continue simmering over the flame while you make the chicken.
Spray a 13" x 9" pan with non-stick spray. Whisk the egg and milk together in a bowl. In a pie pan, mix the panko, parsley, cheese, salt and pepper. Again, both of the salt and pepper are to taste. My advice? Go easy on the salt since the Parmesan adds a nice salty kick. Be generous with the pepper. Dip the chicken in the egg mixture and allow extra to drip off. Dredge the chicken in the breadcrumb mixture shaking off the excess. Lay flat in sprayed pan. Repeat for remaining three chicken cutlets. Bake for 17 minutes or until chicken is done.
While the chicken is baking, bring your pasta water to a boil, salt liberally and with 4 minutes to go on the chicken drop 6 oz of angel hair pasta into the boiling water. Drain the pasta after three minutes, replace in the pan it was boiled in and mix in several ladles of sauce. Divide the pasta evenly among the four plates. Top with more sauce, then baked chicken, then more sauce. Enjoy!
P.S. I served asparagus with this for a veggie and it was tasty. Broccoli would also be good!
WW Points: 10
01 January 2010
Clawing My Way out of the Gutter
To steal a funny statement from a friend, this January (and beyond) is all about crawling out of the gutter I've been comfortably resting in ever since I fell off the wagon and getting my less than shapely arse back on said wagon. With that in mind, this weekend is about cooking up all the too rich food options we have laying about and restocking the fridge with their lower calorie counterparts. So ladies and gentlemen, enjoy the last of the rich food recipes because starting on Monday you're going to see the resurgence of many of our Cooking Light and Weight Watchers favorites.
New Year's Day dinner was a perfect example of a recipe that is mostly healthy with a side of fat that makes it explosively good. I'm not actually talking about the brisket since, as you can see from the recipe below, a first cut, trimmed brisket is pretty low on the fat content scale and the cooking liquid is pretty lean too (assuming you buy into the "red wine is good for your heart" argument which, as a convenient theory for me, I do). No, I'm talking about the potato latkes, fried up in vegetable oil. Enjoy!
Brisket Ingredients
4 large garlic cloves, smashed
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
4 sprigs fresh rosemary, needles striped from the stem and chopped
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 (4 pound) beef brisket, first-cut (I used just under a three pound brisket since I was hoping to only get about 4 servings out of this, rather than 6)
Coarsely ground black pepper
4 large carrots, cut in 3-inch chunks
3 celery stalks, cut in 3-inch chunks
4 large red onions, halved
2 cups dry red wine
1 (16-ounce) can whole tomatoes, hand-crushed
1 handful fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
3 bay leaves
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour (optional)
Potato Pancakes, recipe follows
Directions
New Year's Day dinner was a perfect example of a recipe that is mostly healthy with a side of fat that makes it explosively good. I'm not actually talking about the brisket since, as you can see from the recipe below, a first cut, trimmed brisket is pretty low on the fat content scale and the cooking liquid is pretty lean too (assuming you buy into the "red wine is good for your heart" argument which, as a convenient theory for me, I do). No, I'm talking about the potato latkes, fried up in vegetable oil. Enjoy!
Brisket Ingredients
4 large garlic cloves, smashed
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
4 sprigs fresh rosemary, needles striped from the stem and chopped
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 (4 pound) beef brisket, first-cut (I used just under a three pound brisket since I was hoping to only get about 4 servings out of this, rather than 6)
Coarsely ground black pepper
4 large carrots, cut in 3-inch chunks
3 celery stalks, cut in 3-inch chunks
4 large red onions, halved
2 cups dry red wine
1 (16-ounce) can whole tomatoes, hand-crushed
1 handful fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
3 bay leaves
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour (optional)
Potato Pancakes, recipe follows
Directions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
On a cutting board, mash the garlic and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt together with the flat-side of a knife into a paste. Add the rosemary and continue to mash until incorporated. Put the garlic-rosemary paste in a small bowl and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil; stir to combine.
Season both sides of the brisket with a fair amount of kosher salt and ground black pepper. Place a large roasting pan or Dutch oven over medium-high flame and coat with the remaining olive oil. Put the brisket in the roasting pan and sear to form a nice brown crust on both sides. Lay the vegetables all around the brisket and pour the rosemary paste over the whole thing. Add the wine and tomatoes; toss in the parsley and bay leaves. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and transfer to the oven. Bake for about 3 to 4 hours, basting every 30 minutes with the pan juices, until the beef is fork tender.
Remove the brisket to a cutting board and let it rest for 15 minutes. Scoop the vegetables out of the roasting pan and onto a platter, cover to keep warm. Pour out some of the excess fat, and put the roasting pan with the pan juices on the stove over medium-high heat. Boil and stir for 5 minutes until the sauce is reduced by 1/2. (If you want a thicker sauce, mix 1 tablespoon of flour with 2 tablespoons of wine or water and blend into the gravy).
Slice the brisket across the grain (the muscle lines) at a slight diagonal. Serve with potato pancakes.
Crispy Potato Pancakes (Latkes) Ingredients:
4 medium russet potatoes, peeled
2 medium onions
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
1/4 cup finely chopped chives
Vegetable oil, for frying
Using a box grater or food processor, coarsely grate the potatoes and onions. Put the grated potatoes and onions together in cheesecloth or a tea towel and twist it to squeeze out the excess liquid. Put the dry potatoes and onions in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Fold in the egg whites and chives to bind the mixture together.
Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat and coat with 1/4-inch of oil. For each pancake, take about 2 tablespoons of the potato mixture and drop into the hot oil; gently flatten with a spatula so they fry up thin and crispy. Fry for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until golden. Remove to paper towels to drain; season with salt while the potato pancakes are still hot. Continue frying, adding more oil as needed, until all of the mixture is used up.
New Year's Germy Eve
Since we wouldn't be able to spend NYE in Boston as we'd originally hoped, we'd decided weeks ago that we wanted to find a fun "DC" activity to liven up the ride into 2010. As we're both jazz fans, that came in the form of the Kennedy Center's NYE Jazz Concert, "Dear Mr. Sinatra" with John Pizzarelli. We managed to snag the last of the remaining tickets in the concert hall, made dinner reservations at Bazin's on Chuch, a local gourmet favorite and I even found a gorgeous beaded dress on clearance at Macy's. NYE was shaping up to be a great night. And then I got sick. Don't know whether it was being out in the wind in Charleston or just sharing other people's germs on planes over the holiday. But by Wednesday of this week I had a monster head cold and next to no energy.
Determined to get our money out of the tickets, I slept all day (truth be told I was feeling gross enough I would have done this anyway) and rested between getting ready activities to make sure I had enough juice in my batteries to make it through the night. We started off on the right foot. I don't even look too sick (ignoring the red knows and sleepy eyes) in the picture we took before leaving!
We made our reservation and enjoyed our favorite bottle of Pinot Noir (Talbot Sleepy Hollow 2006) and a delicious three-course meal. Ben's dinner began with Lobster Chowder, followed by a Surf and Turf that included venison, lamb, shrimp and in the end some of my crab I couldn't finish. He enjoyed a fantastic hot chocolate cake with coconut and passion fruit sorbet for dessert. My first course was a butternut squash risotto with braised duck and just a touch of cool cilantro to make everything balance perfectly. For my main it was their famous crab cakes, a favorite of mine always and white chocolate mouse with raspberries for dessert. About halfway through the last course Ben looked at me and said, "you're starting to feel badly again, aren't you? I can see it." He was right, of course. The man who can usually tell how I feel just by looking at me and sometimes before I even realize. The energy I'd stored was totally depleted and my sinuses were beginning to throb.
So our grand plan to ring in the new year at the Kennedy Center went out the window. Instead, I was asleep by 1030. But if the old addage, "what you're doing new year's eve, you'll be doing all year", is true, I can console myself easily about our failed plans. Instead of a concert, we spent our after dinner hours in our tremendously comfortable bed laughing and being silly, despite my growing sinus headache, and enjoyed the kind of sleep that comes with true contentment.
Determined to get our money out of the tickets, I slept all day (truth be told I was feeling gross enough I would have done this anyway) and rested between getting ready activities to make sure I had enough juice in my batteries to make it through the night. We started off on the right foot. I don't even look too sick (ignoring the red knows and sleepy eyes) in the picture we took before leaving!
We made our reservation and enjoyed our favorite bottle of Pinot Noir (Talbot Sleepy Hollow 2006) and a delicious three-course meal. Ben's dinner began with Lobster Chowder, followed by a Surf and Turf that included venison, lamb, shrimp and in the end some of my crab I couldn't finish. He enjoyed a fantastic hot chocolate cake with coconut and passion fruit sorbet for dessert. My first course was a butternut squash risotto with braised duck and just a touch of cool cilantro to make everything balance perfectly. For my main it was their famous crab cakes, a favorite of mine always and white chocolate mouse with raspberries for dessert. About halfway through the last course Ben looked at me and said, "you're starting to feel badly again, aren't you? I can see it." He was right, of course. The man who can usually tell how I feel just by looking at me and sometimes before I even realize. The energy I'd stored was totally depleted and my sinuses were beginning to throb.
So our grand plan to ring in the new year at the Kennedy Center went out the window. Instead, I was asleep by 1030. But if the old addage, "what you're doing new year's eve, you'll be doing all year", is true, I can console myself easily about our failed plans. Instead of a concert, we spent our after dinner hours in our tremendously comfortable bed laughing and being silly, despite my growing sinus headache, and enjoyed the kind of sleep that comes with true contentment.
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