Things That I'm Into: Thinking about Egypt

Our honeymoon was a year ago, which has me thinking about Egypt, and vacations, and travelling, and sand, and heat, and spicy food, and outdoor showers, and the call to prayer, and pyramids, and bright fish, and afternoon naps, and road blocks, and adventure.

Deets was always firmly on team traditional-right-after-wedding honeymoon from the beginning while I was in team "we can take a vacation whenever and call it a honeymoon." I am happy I was wrong about this one!

Things That I'm Into: The Future

Omg I am LIVEblogging right from my favorite lunch locale, erie park. This is totally the future. The future says....there are a lot of geese here.

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Things That I'm Into: Coffee & Tea Exchange

Since we've been back in Chicago I've been trying to buy our spices in bulk. They are way cheaper and that way you don't have the waste a glass or plastic container each time you get new spices.

It helps that we have this really cute spice/tea/coffee store right in our hood called the "Coffee & Tea Exchange." It smells amazing and the people who work there are really nice about crawling up to the top shelves to get you a spice.

Buying spices in bulk is also awesome because you can buy a small amount. You aren't supposed to keep spices for that long (< year), so if you are like me and know you will never use an entire jar of "mace" in a year, you can just get a little.

I have this sinking feeling that maybe the people at the shop don't follow the less than a year spice rule, but I'm  just going to live in a happy oblivion about that...

Anyway, into it.

Things That I'm Into: Lego Men on Michigan Avenue

Lego Indiana Jones is totally my favorite. 

Things That I'm Into: Favorite Fall Recipes

I've been trying out lots of recipes to cook fall veggies from our CSA. There have been some serious hits and some serious misses. Here are some of the hits:

Acorn Squash stuffed with Wild Rice. 

 Braised pumpkin with tomato sauce.  (Bittman, How to Cook Everything)

Butternut Squash Gratin w/ Rosemary Breadcrumbs. 

Then lots of pumpkin baked goods with the fresh pumpkin puree made from pie pumpkins. Did you know that Illinois is the pie pumpkin capital of the world? Now you know.

Fav Pumpkin Bread recipe: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Spiced-Pumpkin-Bread-840

And this DELICIOUS Butternut Squash soup recipe. It has cider and tart apples. We don't keep sour cream around these parts, but we used yogurt and it was really good. I make a lot of butternut squash soups, and I think this is my favorite I've ever made.  It's really similar to the vegetarian times recipe from this month, which is from the Greens in SF, but with less fancy ingredients.

I've also been making Duffy's Yuxiang Eggplant recipe which is amazing and I'm sure she'll share if you ask her nicely.

I love fall flavors!

Things That I'm Into: Masked Lions

Only in boystown?

These dudes are totally ready for an Eyes Wide Shut party. 

These are a block away from my street.  My street is much more dignified. 

Things That I'm Into: Fall Days

Apple picking + pumpkin picking + doughnuts + cider + pie + football + butternut squash soup.  As certain friends of mine would say, definitely a "cozure" (seizure of cozyness). 

I can't really think of a better way to spend a sunday.  

Things That I'm Into: Public Notice

This site-specific installation (Public Notice) is at the Art Institute on the grand stairs right now and it is really cool. Unfortunately, I went on free thursday which meant it was too busy to linger and take it all in. I'd love to be there on an uncrowded weekday and be able to read the whole thing.  Oh, funemployment, how I miss you!!

I thought Deets would be into it too because it is a transcript of a speech and he's into rhetoric and all. He wasn't that impressed. Guess you had to be an art history major to truly appreciate the finer things...

ps sorry for the absence. lost my computer cord.
pps just kidding, I was actually just being lazy.