What I'm Eating... Third Week of May

Work lunches remain mostly uninteresting... it's so difficult to be creative when I work just a few steps from Wrigleyville Dogs!

How funny is the bag my fries came in?

Cheeseburger & fries, Wrigleyville Dogs

I love these Dr. McDougall's soups!  My favorite is the Split Pea soup.

I made salt & pepper tofu, but it wasn't as crispy as I like it -- probably because I couldn't find my favorite Chicago-made tofu at the Asian market, and ended up buying some mainstream brand that was a little mushy for my taste.

Salt & Pepper Tofu, homemade

This put me on a little bit of a tofu kick, and the next night I made it with yellow curry sauce.

Yellow curry tofu with rice, homemade

It made for great leftovers when I added steamed broccoli!

Yellow curry tofu & broccoli, with rice

All of the cold, rainy weather put me in the mood for a chai latte, and when I saw this gorgeous little whoopie pie, I couldn't resist!

Red Velvet Whoopie Pie, Starbucks

The curry trend continued, with curry chicken & yoghurt over rice, and mushrooms sauteed with butter.

Curry chicken with yoghurt over rice, homemade

Mushrooms sauteed in butter, homemade

My 'fella made me a wonderful breakfast one morning -- eggs, bacon, and pancakes with molasses.

Bacon & eggs, homemade

Pancakes, homemade

Yesterday my 'fella and I went on a Groupon-ing adventure ($1 Groupons!).  We hit 7-11 first, so he could pick up snacks and a Vitamin Water for me.  Then it was off to Ian's Pizza, which pretty much blew my mind -- mac & cheese pizza!!

Mac & Cheese Pizza; Sausage & Peppers, Ian's Pizza

Then we went to Yogen Fruz, yum!!

Green Tea Lychee frozen yoghurt with almonds, Yogen Fruz

Then it was even MORE pizza at La Gondola, most of which we took home for leftovers.

Sausage, mushroom & peppers pizza, La Gondola

What I'm Eating... Deviled Eggs w/ Horseradish

Wow... I just ate like six of these things...  Seriously, best deviled eggs, ever.

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It's your basic deviled eggs recipe (six eggs, 1/4 cup mayonnaise, paprika, salt & black pepper), but with a tablespoon of creamy horseradish mixed in.  If you don't like horseradish, of course, this isn't for you, but lately I'm obsessed with the stuff.

Have I ever mentioned my chicken "thing"?  Well... I have a "thing" for chickens.  I had them as pets (and egg-providers, and occasionally roast-providers) when I was growing up in Nelson Co., and because I can't keep them in my apartment (although I can keep them in the city if I have a yard!), I just collect anything with chickens on it.

Yesterday, a box arrived from my Momma, and this lovely dish was inside.

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It was one of my favorite things when I was a kid, and I love it even more, now.  So... thanks, Momma!  It's being put to good use!

You can't tell with the eggs in there, but its set up with little egg-shaped spots for just that purpose, holding deviled eggs.  I'm not 100% sure what the middle is for... napkins?  Dip for crackers?  I don't know... but it makes me want to have a Tupperware party.

What I'm Eating... More Ballpark Food

I've got to tell you, this is by no means fabulous haute cuisine, but when you've been working for hours straight, days straight, the luxury of sitting down to eat anything is pretty incredible.  That aside... I have pretty cheap taste, sometimes, and I think a hot dog or a grilled cheese sandwich is sometimes the greatest thing on earth.  Okay, so another roundup of hastily consumed meals...

First things first, we now have D'Agostino's Pizza at Wrigley Field.  A HUGE improvement over Connie's from previous seasons, this pizza is so surprisingly good and cheesy.  If you're at the park, I promise it's worth the $6.50!

The fruit cup is new, and pretty good, I think it's going to be a huge hit in the Summer.  Also, chicken tenders never fail to disappoint.  :)

A co-worker grabbed this mac & cheese from Sheffield's (in the park, just east of the home plate gift shops), and it was awesome!  It had artichoke hearts in it!

The one night I actually managed to make a suitable dinner -- Polish with tomatoes, onions, and green peppers.

So... have you ever had grilled cheese with pickles on it?  I promise you will love it (as long as you love pickles, that is).  Bernie's hooked me up with this mega-lunch -- grilled cheese w/ pickles, tomatoes, and bacon, and fries -- for only $4.  Seriously.  And, there were more pickles on the side.  Yup.

Thursday morning, I was so thrilled that a whole bag of cotton candy was waiting for me at my desk.  Winning!  (Another healthy breakfast, I'm sure.)

Okay, so it's my first day off in... eleven days?  So far I've spent it luxuriously smoking cigarettes in my luxurious bath, drinking coffee with cream & sugar (stepping it up!), talking to my friends and my sister on the phone in the bathtub (many things can be accomplished from the bathtub, apparently), and now I'm working on deviled eggs with horseradish...  It's so nice to be home!

What I'm Eating... Chicken w/ Lemon & Green Olives

Another great recipe from Martha Stewart!  I only made slight adjustments, most importantly reducing the recipe from eight chicken breasts to two.

I really think Spring is the "season of lemons".  Yes, I know that sounds silly... but it really is the best time for them!  The bright yellow color, the tart sweetness, and of course the versatility -- lemons are just so bright and happy, just like Spring (if Chicago's Spring would ever get started).

Recipe:

Chicken w/ Lemon & Green Olives

Ingredients:

Chicken breasts, lemon, green olives, onion, garlic cloves, salt & pepper, extra virgin olive oil, chicken stock, red pepper flakes; egg noodles

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What I'm Eating... Chicken Soup w/ Tortellini

Delicious!  It's almost too easy to make, and it will impress!

Recipe:

Chicken Soup w/ Tortellini

(clicking link will take you to vanessauttaro.com)

Ingredients:

Chicken breasts (or left over roast chicken), carrots, chicken stock, tarragon, fresh or frozen tortellini

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What I'm Eating... Roast Chicken w/ Veggies

Mmm, I love roast chicken, and now that I've finally learned that it should take around two hours, not four, to make it, I'm a much happier girl.  Succulent chicken is the way to go!  I've also finally learned to properly truss the thing, so there have been major roast chicken improvements around these parts.

Roast chicken stuffed with celery, carrots and onions; corn, spinach sauteed with garlic

What I'm Selling... Smiley Face Teapot; Chicken Creamer

Both of these items can be found in my Etsy store!

Sunny Yellow Smiley Face Teapot

Chicken Creamer

What I'm Eating... Chicken & Dumplings

My 'fella isn't feeling too well, and I know from experience that, even if I make a gorgeous chicken soup from scratch, starting with a whole chicken... he won't eat it.  So, I made him chicken and dumplings instead, and he loved it!  Approval from both the sick, and the well.

Recipe:

Chicken & Dumplings

Ingredients:

Chicken thighs (or breasts), carrots, celery, onion, chicken stock, fresh or dried spices/herbs, olive oil, butter, flour, salt & pepper; pancake mix (yeah, I said it), milk

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Decorate, Eat & Repeat

What I'm Eating... Harold's Chicken

Finally, Harold's Chicken Shack opened in Uptown... Okay, maybe they opened a month or so ago, and I should say finally, I had finger-lickin' good Harold's Chicken for dinner!

Fried Chicken w/ Hot Sauce

Fried Okra

French Fries

The word of the day: Fried

Fried Chicken

Notice the happy fellow chasing down the panicked chicken with hatchet in hand....

Hot Sauce

Fried Okra

French Fries

What I'm eating... Chicken & Shrimp

This is a relatively easy one for the slow-cooker, so if you have a long (cold) day ahead of you, its going to be nice to come home to a meal that's ready, and a kitchen that smells wonderful!

Find the recipe HERE, at Decorate, Eat & Repeat

Decorate, Eat & Repeat

What I'm eating... Chicken Enchiladas

The best part about this recipe is that it has such a pretty and fresh presentation, but its so EASY!  :)

Find the recipe HERE, at my website Decorate, Eat, & Repeat!

Chicken Enchiladas