A Great Start to the Week

When I woke up this morning, it was 27-degrees... that's not a very good start to the first full week of Spring, now is it? Well, I walked the dogs on the sunny side of the street, so it wasn't so bad.

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Ready for breakfast!

I always feed them a small wet food breakfast when they come in from their morning walk, so I thought this morning (afternoon, really) would be a great one for me to have a nice breakfast, too.

I started with a hot cup of coffee, which is something I haven't made in a long while. In fact, I haven't even had a coffee to drink since... before the end of January? I tried to water it down a little, so the caffeine wouldn't overwhelm me.

My breakfast comfort food is chilaquiles, and now that I'm eating eggs again, I decided to make my chilaquiles with fried eggs instead of scrambled. I've always worried that there would be some gross texture things going on, what with the combination of egg yolk and sour cream, but it turns out it was delicious! I'm talking, the most delicious chilaquiles I've ever eaten, hands down.

This cast iron pan is one of the lights of my life. It cooks everything so evenly, and it's easily "washed" with a quick paper towel wipe-down.

I finally found a carton of eggs that I'm not grossed out by.  Phil's Fresh Eggs are certified humane, tasty, and affordable -- hooray!

A gorgeous plate of food.

I made my own salsa, but started before I realized we were out of onions, so it only had pablano pepper, Kumato tomato, garlic, black beans, cilantro, and a little salt. I couldn't believe how tasty it was, even without the onion! This might be my new go-to salsa recipe.

I hope y'all are having a nice start to the week, despite the still-cold temperatures. Just hang in there. :)

Snow, snow, snow, and soup.

Usually when it snows, I start roasting a squash.  It's my thing.

But last Tuesday, I had run out of squash.  So I made soup instead.

I made it in a cast iron pot, just to be fancy.

Vegetable soup with rosemary dumplings -- divine!

Vegan BLT

Da-amn... this was one helluva sandwich...

This is the kind of sandwich that has me saying "ommmmffffgggg mmmmph".  You can translate that as you will.  Finger lickin' good.  Crave-worthy.

It isn't really a B LT sandwich as much as it is a TB A LT sandwich (tempeh bacon, avocado, lettuce, and tomato).  Positively slathered with vegan mago.  Generously sprinkled with salt and pepper.  Layered perfectly between toasted slices of sourdough bread.

Make one as soon as you possibly can, and your tummy will thank you!

Comfort Food in (un)Comfortable Weather

I guess it all depends on what you're into, or maybe where you have to go and how you have to get there... but I happen to love a good rainy day.  Yesterday was gloriously rainy, today is cloudy and drizzly, and I feel so very lucky to be able to work from home, and spend a little time just being cozy.  I started off the morning with some of Starbucks' new hot cocoa mix.

This stuff is awesome.  At first, I was all "hell no, I'm not spending $6 on a box of hot chocolate mix..." but realizing it was the only vegan-friendly cocoa on the shelf, I decided I didn't really have a choice.  I am SO glad I tried it!  It's well worth the $6, and if you mix it up with hot Coconut Dream, you have quite the decadent drink in your hands -- warm, creamy, rich & chocolatey -- so comforting.

My other comfort food is soup.  Unfortunately (for me) my boyfriend doesn't share this sentiment.  Unfortunately (for him) I'm going to make soup, anyway.  This one from Post Punk Kitchen looks like it will fit the bill.

Find the recipe here!

I love kale, I love chickpeas, I don't think there's any way this could go wrong.  We always called them garbanzo beans... there isn't a difference, is there?

I hope everyone is staying warm and cozy out there!  We're supposed to get some snow or ice here in Chicago.  It's difficult to really believe that though, going from a 60-degree day to snow... but hey, that's Chicago for you.

Non-resolutions

So this funny thing happens around this time of the year, where all of my hipster friends (whether they realize it, or not) announce something along the lines of "I'm not really one for resolutions, but..." and then follow what are, actually, resolutions, although they have different names for them.  Pledge, promise, goal, hope, wish, plan... whatever it is, I don't think any of us can really avoid that feeling that comes over us right around the 1st of January.  We reflect on our last year, we see what made us happy and what made us unhappy, and we purposefully/inadvertently/subconsciously try to make changes based on those experiences.

First, I said I wasn't going to make resolutions.  Then I said I was going to make selfish resolution that I knew I could keep (continue smoking, eat candy while watching movies on Netflix, cuddle with my cat and dog).  But I don't know, I woke up on January first, and... I wanted to do yoga.  So I did, I did yoga three mornings in a row, and it sucked, and it made me feel nauseated.  So I though, okay, I'll keep doing yoga, but I need to eat a better breakfast first.  So then, suddenly, I was eating a better breakfast and doing yoga.  I though, if I eat a better breakfast, I should eat better food throughout the whole day, then I'll probably feel better.  So I did, I ate a better dinner.  I wanted better ingredients, so I started looking for places to buy meat that didn't do really awful things to their animals.  (Did you know that even organic farms don't have very high standards for the treatment of their animals?  That "free range" really doesn't mean much, in the modern world?  Yeah, I figured that out just recently...)  And, I found them!  I found a guy who has really happy pigs on a pretty, green, family-run pig farm.  I also found a guy on Craigslist who sells eggs from his backyard chickens.  Damn right.

So this "no resolutions" thing?  It's kind of snow-balled into me eating healthier, consuming smarter, doing yoga, smoking only 4-5 cigarettes a day, and now I'm planning on having a "vegan week" -- one week out of every month where I cut out not only meat, but also dairy.  (I'm not going to cut out honey though, because I honestly just think that's ridiculous.  Someone go ahead and tell me it isn't... but I really think it is.)

So on that note... dum-dah-dah-dum-dum-dah-dum...

Vegan Yum! board on Pinterest

of course, a Pinterest board.  Go ahead and laugh at how all of the recipes on the board right now are from the same blog (Happy Healthy Life Vegan Blog) -- the girl knows what she's doing.

Have more suggestions?  Let me know!

I was vegan for a couple years during high school, but unfortunately it was a really unhealthy time for me -- rather than making up for what my diet was missing (protein, vitamins, stuff like that), I only concentrated on omitting things that were "bad" -- this time around, I hope I will feel a lot more energized, lose some weight, and get a litte more creative in the kitchen.

Happy Merry, y'all.

Just pictures today, of last nights seafood feast!  I hope you all have a beautiful holiday.  We got SNOW, so my Xmas wishes are fulfilled.

Fried calamari with lemon slices

Fried calamari with marinara

Fish stew, with shrimp, clams, mussels, mackerel, and crab

Spaghetti with breaded smelt, parsley, and garlic

Challah French Toast - The Best Thing I Ate This Week

Sometimes, you just have to go there -- French toast?  Try to stifle that yawn...

French toast made with Challah, and orange?  Oh yeah, now we're talkin' some serious breakfast-talk.

Challah bread

1 egg

Milk

Sugar

Cinnamon

Nutmeg

Vanilla extract

Juice of 1/2 orange

Reserved orange and peels

Maple syrup

Do your usual French toast thing, but squeeze half of the juice of the orange into the batter.  Thinly slice the other half of the orange into 4-6 slices, and fry them right alongside the bread.  Smother with maple syrup, sprinkle with orange sugar (if you have it, or can get it, it is SO worth it!) and powdered sugar if you are so inclined.

Consume with copious amounts of sugared and creamed coffee.  Sit back, and make yummy sounds.  Wish you could do this every day.  Brag about your awesome breakfast/brunch to all of your friends.

The Best Thing I Ate... Last Week

The time to cook -- to actually carefully put together a meal and sit down to enjoy it -- is few and far between these days.  I had been thinking about an awesome brunch all week, and on Sunday I finally got it.  I didn't get it until 4pm, hehe, but better late than never, right?

Mmm... chilaquiles... the food of the gods, as far as I'm concerned.

Fried tortillas topped with eggs scrambled with milk and salsa, with fresh queso, fresh scallions, more salsa, chopped fresh cilantro, and sour cream.

This is probably my favorite breakfast meal of all time, and is quickly becoming my go-to comfort food, as well.  It's so simple, but so perfectly wonderful.

CSA Haul

My CSA from Newleaf Natural Grocery is delivered every other Saturday, and it feels like Xmas morning for grown-ups around here!  I get so excited to see what luscious surprises await me inside that cardboard box.

Of course, there's nothing more beautiful than a carrot.  It's not my favorite vegetable to eat, but it's certainly one of my favorite vegetables to look at.

4 carrots

Also in the box, veggies:

2 leeks

1/3 cabbage

5 celery

3 potatoes

There was also a gorgeous head of lettuce, but I had washed and stored it before it occurred to me to take it's portrait.  :) 

and, fruit:

2 pears

2 oranges

2 kiwi

2 bananas

Seriously, show me one natural/organic store where I could buy all of this for $15, and then have it delivered to my door for only another $5.  This is the big time, folks, and if you live in Chicago, you really need to get in contact with these folks!

Newleaf Natural Grocery

The Best Thing I Ate This Week: Spinach Pesto

Super-yum!  I found this recipe on MarthaStewart.com, and it did not disappoint!  Martha rarely does disappoint, though.  ;)

Linguine with Spinach Pesto

12 ounces fettuccine

Coarse salt and ground pepper

1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving (optional)

2 tablespoons pine nuts, plus more for serving (optional)

1 garlic clove

1 teaspoon grated zest plus 2 tablespoons juice from 1 lemon

1/4 cup olive oil

Directions

Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, according to package instructions. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water; immediately drain pasta, and return to pot.

While pasta is cooking, place spinach, Parmesan, nuts, garlic, and lemon zest and juice in a food processor. Process until a paste forms. With motor running, add oil and 1/4 cup cold water; process until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper. Add to pasta; toss, adding reserved pasta water a little at a time until sauce is thinned slightly and coats fettuccine (you may not need all the water). Serve, sprinkled with additional Parmesan and nuts, if desired.

I only had about 1 tbsp. pine nuts, so I substituted in some walnuts, and they worked great!  As always, if you make it, let me know how it turned out for you!

One of Those Days

Saturday was one of those days...  those days that are wonderful, relaxing, and entirely too few and far between.  Dave was out of the house, so I spend the morning continuing to photograph items for my Etsy shop.

When I was done with that, I sat down on the couch with a cup of hot chocolate + butterscotch schnapps (highly recommended), and watched Hoarders on Netflix.  You know what Hoarders does to me?  It makes me want to clean!  So, I cleaned up the kitchen, dining room, and kitchen, tried to reorganize the books (we still haven't bought or built a sufficient bookcase) and settled into the couch again, this time for silly old shows on MeTV.

Late in the afternoon, my CSA arrived (it was my first delivery, and I was so excited!), and I made a simple salad from some of the ingredients.

I know this doesn't sound like a very captivating day, but let me tell you it was.  Simple things like that -- drinking a yummy warm drink while the snow falls outside, being able to put my feet up on the couch and cuddle with the pups, having the apartment to myself for a day -- it was delightful.

Sunday could hardly live up to it.

Next Sunday, I will be getting ready to go back to work.  This upcoming week is my chance at a last hurrah of sorts, but I can't really imagine what I want to do with myself.  I think I should have brunch, at least once.  Linger lazily in a coffee shop, perhaps.  All of those things I won't be able to do during the week, anymore.  I hope you're all enjoying your weekend mini-hurrahs.  :)

If anyone in Chicago is in search of a CSA, I'm getting mine through Newleaf Natural Grocery.  I pay $15 for a small box of mixed veggies and fruits, + $5 for shipping to my door!  In the box this week I got 2 oranges, 2 bananas, 4 apples, 3 red pears, romaine lettuce, greens, celery, 8 carrots, and 1 pint cherry tomatoes -- all organic, and all very tasty!

The Best Thing I Ate This Week

The reality of eating in my house... there will always, always, be a cute lil' doggy watching, waiting, hoping to get a tasty morsel.

Ooh, this cheeseburger hit the spot!  Mayo, onions, bacon & mustard for toppings.  Oh, and fries, cooked in bacon fat.  Mm-hmm.  That's right.

I realize that I'm calling this "the best thing I ate this week", and it's only Monday.  It was really that good!

Ike agrees, it was tasty.  :)

The Best Thing I Ate This Week

Keep it simple.

Vanilla yoghurt with fresh blackberries

So I got through my orientation for work.  It wasn't too bad...  It was supposed to last four hours (until 10pm!), but we actually got out by 7:45-ish.

I had a little giggle with a co-worker when we were going over the kitchen safety multiple choice questions, one of which was something like "Which of these is the least likely to cause an allergic reaction".  The answer was: The most simply prepared food with the least ingredients.

She nudged me and said, "Isn't that what people should be eating, anyway?"

Right!?

I'm glad to have been raised in a (mostly) food conscious family, with a healthy love for yoghurt, among other things.  Sometimes I fear coming off as a food snob, but then I think... of all the things to be a snob about, that ain't bad.

Homemade Chicago-Style Deep Dish Pizza

The Best Thing I Ate Last Week

Homemade Chicago-Style Deep Dish Pizza

I found this recipe via thekitchn.com (one of my favorite places to fine yummy recipes that never let me down), and I thought I should give it a go.  After all, I live in Chicago, so I know as well as anyone here that ordering in a pizza, enough for even two people, is going to set you back about $25 or more.  Now don't get me wrong, it's worth it (Chicago, by far, has the BEST pizza!), but it might be fun, as well as more affordable, to make it at home.

Lucky me, this recipe turned out to be fantastic!  I went ahead and baked it in a cast iron pan (featured in the pictures, but not in the directions) and I was not disappointed!  The crust was crispy & buttery on the outside, and perfectly chewy throughout.  I got to add whatever ingredients I wanted (without paying an extra $1.50 each, hello money-saver), and when I told my 'fella what I was making, I got a kiss, a huge smile, and a really heart-felt "I love you".  Motivation!

I ended up halving the recipe featured on the site, and then halving that to make one pizza for two people.  The rest of the dough is in the freezer, and my boyfriend said next time he wants to make the pizza for me -- double-motivation, all the way!

We topped ours off with Italian sausage and mozzarella cheese.

The recipe from thekitchn.com, as found in the book Artisan Pizza and Flatbread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoë François, follows:

Source: thekitchn.com

Makes about one 8 × 2- inch deep-dish pizza or four 6 × 1- inch individual deep-dish pizzas

There's no question that deep- dish pizza was invented in Chicago, although there is some dispute over which pizzeria came up with it first. The pizza varies around Chicago, but for all, the crust is remarkable for its tender, almost buttery flavor and its luscious golden color, courtesy of cornmeal. Baking the pizza in a butter- coated cake pan fries the outside edge and makes for a crispy crust.

Ingredients

3/4 pound (large orange-size portion) Cornmeal Olive Oil Dough (recipe follows)
4 large Italian sausages (about 3/4 pound), cooked and broken into small pieces
11/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup thick tomato sauce
Butter for the pan
Cornmeal for the pan

Directions

1. Prepare and measure all toppings in advance.

2. Preheat oven to 500°F. Generously butter an 8 x 2- inch spring- form cake pan and coat with cornmeal. Dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour and cut off a 3/4- pound (large orange- size) piece. Dust with more flour and quickly shape it into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, rotating the ball a quarter- turn as you go (if making individual pies, divide the dough into 4 pieces and shape into balls).

3. Roll out and stretch the pizza crust: Flatten the dough with your hands and a rolling pin on a work surface to produce a 1/8- inch- thick round. Dust with flour to keep the dough from sticking to the surface. Use a dough scraper to unstick the dough as needed. Transfer to the cake pan. The dough should hang over the edge of the pan, which will prevent it from "slouching" while you fill it

4. Add the fillings: Mix together the sausage and two-thirds of the cheese in a bowl. Spread the meat mixture onto the dough, then top with the sauce and the remaining cheese. Trim the overhanging dough with kitchen shears so there is about 1/2 inch of dough that will flop down over the filling.

5. Slide the pizza into the preheated oven. Reduce the oven temperature to 400°F. Check for doneness in about 45 minutes (20 minutes for the individual pizzas). The pizza should be bubbling and the cheese evenly melted.

6. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes, preferably on a wire cooling rack. This allows the filling to set slightly before removing from the pan and slicing. When cooled, cut into wedges and serve.

Cornmeal Olive Oil Dough
Makes enough dough for at least eight 1/2-pound pizzas or flatbreads (about 12 inches across). The Recipe is easily doubled or halved.

Ingredients
2 3/4 cups (1 lb 6 oz/625 g) lukewarm water
1 tablespoon (.35 oz/10 g) granulated yeast
1-1 1/2 tablespoons (.63-.94 oz/17-25 g) kosher salt
3 tablespoons sugar, honey, malt powder, or agave syrup
3/4 cup (6 oz/165 g) olive oil
6 cups (1 lb 14 oz/850 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 cup (4 oz/125 g) yellow cornmeal

1. Mixing and storing the dough: Mix the yeast, salt, and sweetener with the water and oilve oil in a 5-quart bowl, or a lidded (not airtight) food container.

2. Mix in the remaining dry ingredients without kneading, using a spoon, a 14-cup capacity food processor (with dough attachment), or a heavy-duty stand mixer (with paddle). If you're not using a machine, you may need to use wet hands to incorporate the last bit of flour.

3. Cover (not airtight), and allow it to rest at room temperature until the dough rises and ncollapses (or flattens on top), approximately 2 hours.

4. The dough can be used immediately after its initial rise, though it is easier to handle when cold. Refrigerate it in a lidded (not airtight) container and use over the next 10 days. Or store the dough for up to 3 weeks in the freezer in 1/2-pound portions. When using frozen dough, tahw it in the refrigerator overnight before use.

5. On pizza or flatbread day, roll out or stretch the dough into a round and finish with your favorite toppings, using any of the recipes in this book.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

So, if you try it, and like it (or don't), let me know how yours turned out, and what ingredients you used!  This could turn into a very creative and fun pizza, and a great stay-in recipe for you and yours.  Believe me, it's almost more fun -- and more tasty -- when you make it together!

What I'm Eating... Last Week of July

It was, to say the least, another busy week/month.  I'm a little overwhelmed, honestly, but it should start slowing down soon.

I had a half-day off earlier in the week, so I did a little shopping Andersonville, and enjoyed this yummy crepe at Icosium.  This was one of my favorite spots when I lived in Andersonville, so it was nice to visit again after over a year.

Banana & Chocolate Crepe w/ Mint and Whipped Cream
Icosium Kafé

Breakfast has been consumed, rather quickly, at my desk every morning, and these Greek yoghurts with fruit on the side have been a really nice treat.

Do you know how much Mr. Brown costs?  Only 69-cents, at the Asian market.  Yup.  I'm stocking up on these, for sure.

A quick visit to Starbucks yielded this fantastic little peanut butter mini-cupcake.

Mmm, Indian food!!  Yes, the dish there on the bottom really was fluorescent pink.  ;)

A wonderful pasta dish, with fresh tomatoes, and purple basil from my window garden!

Eating pizza and watching Harry Potter night -- this one was with mozzarella, basil & oregano, and Summer sausage.

You know how sports teams have mascots, right?  Well... I think this dish might be mine and Dave's mascot.  We love it, finger-lickin' lip-smackin' love it.  :)

Beef ribs with coriander and oregano, garlic, onions, and bacon; dipped in a Greek yogurt with fleur de sel and ground coriander.  zomg seriously, the ribs that changed everything!!

Oh, yeah, with squash and zucchini on the side.

What I'm Eating... Third & Fourth Weeks of July

My 'fella and I visited the Windy City Rib Fest -- just a few blocks from our apartment!  Mmm, tasty and convenient...

We can't all be good, all the time.  ;)

It's been hot in Chicago these last few days, in the high 90s (with a heat index well over 100-degrees).  Olivia agrees.... hot.

So in Chicago you keep cool however you can, and sometimes that's by running through the "sprinkler" system set up by the fire department across from Wrigley Field.

Believe me, even in my work clothes, I ran through this a few times.

Being a country girl, if the temperature goes above 80-degrees, I immediately have to make sweet tea, and lemonade.  It's like I go on auto-pilot.  ;)

Good hot-weather food?  Fish... paired with a chilled white wine... mmm!

Salmon w/ herb butter, olive oil potato salad, sauteed purple cabbage with pepper & fleur de sel.

Steamed mussels (zomg, SO good!!)

Steamed artichoke... yes, I did eat this entire thing by myself.  :)

Sauteed purple cabbage, tilapia w/ arugula & cherry tomatoes.

Tilapia w/ arugula, orzo w/ dill.

I paired the tilapia w/ arugula & cherry tomatoes, and the salmon w/ herb butter, with this wonderful Riesling from Germany (purchased from Lot18, which you need to check out immediately!).

2009 Manfried Riesling trocken (Germany, Franken)

This bottle had a wonderful flavor, a little grapefruit-y, not too sweet, but certainly not too dry.

The mussels and steamed artichoke were paired with a chardonnay I picked up at Whole Foods last night -- for only $8.99!

2009 Bodegas Nekeas Vega Sindoa Viura Chardonnay (Spain, Navarra)

The Vega Sindoa had a drier finish than what I would typically pick out, but I'm learning that when it's paired with the right dishes, it can be really fantastic.  I ended up drinking more than I should have... hehe, but hey, today is my day off!  I'm allowed to be a little headache-y in the morning.  ;)

Typically once or twice a season, various managers etc. are invited to eat in the United Club (formerly the Stadium Club) at Wrigley for lunch, or if you're really lucky, dinner.

I'm so pleased that they are introducing more locally grown ingredients in their dishes!  This was probably the best lunch I've had in the Club, in all of my three seasons!

As usual, I demolished the cheese table...

From the menu that day, I sampled the Brie, Maytag Blue, St. Andre, and Manchego cheeses; the chef prepared elotes, the cucumber, avocado, and red onion salad, the 18-hour smoked short ribs, the traditional mac & cheese, and of course, the signature 6-layer carrot cake!

Oh, and we can't forget that I made chicken one day, at 10am, before a night game... as well as my now-favorite olive oil potato salad.

Chicken w/ fresh herbs -- rosemary, oregano, sage; olive oil potato salad.

Mmm, fresh oregano might be my new favorite thing!

It's going to be another busy two or so weeks for me... Paul McCartney will be playing two concerts at Wrigley Field, which means I will be running around like a mad-woman the whole time, jealous of the people lounging and enjoying the music and their drinks...  Then the Cubs will be returning for another homestand, and near the end of August, I will be starting school again!  Its a good thing that, no matter how frustrating it is, I really do love my job.  :)

If you also want to enjoy great wines at a significant discount (do I sound like a commercial, hehe?), then start shopping on Lot18!!  After a week or so, they sent me a $10 credit, which allowed me to get that German Riesling I mentioned for only $4.99, no shipping charges... You can't argue with that!