Thursday, April 21, 2011

Things That I'm Into: Ending at an Even Number

image here
Soooo, I haven't posted in a month not for want of things to be into (I have lots of those, promise), but because I've been thinking about this bloogggg a lot and how it probably isn't the best idea for me to have on the internetz.  Even though my subject matter is highly uncontroversial (rutabagas! cats! gardens!), it is public and because of my job I really shouldn't be espousing on any subject matter this publicly. Which leaves me a couple options: a) make my blog private or b) shut it on down. I would be all about making it private except that I read all of my blogs in google reader, and if it is private then it can't be in a google reader feed, and if I can never remember to read any blogs that don't come directly into my google reader, how can I expect any of you faithful readers to do so?

Long story short - one year and exactly one hundred posts later, I am going to shut this blog down. I'll leave this post up for a couple weeks in case any straggler readers want to come say there tearful goodbyes. It's been real, folks. Sorry I was a bad blogger recently, but this blog has been awesome in that it helped me fill my funemployment time with fun things and always helped me remember to carry my camera around. So, good things all around. Instead of leaving on a sad note, I'll leave with some of my recent things that I've been into:
Hawaii!

Lots of homemade pasta.
Hot Dougs vegetarian hot dogs (OMG SO GOOD). 


Matt building awesome benches for our NewAwesomeDeck2011.
And, obviously, a hilarious picture of Elizabeth Lemon.

Later gators!

Monday, March 21, 2011

Things That I'm Into: Rutabagas!

I've never cooked w/ rutabagas before because a) their name sounds gross and b) there are so many other delicious winter root vegetables that I figured it wasn't worth the risk. BUT then I saw this recipe for "Cornish Pasties" (I know..) in Vegetarian Times (someone more patient than I wrote it out on the internetz here). So I tried them out. And guess what?! Not scary, and, in fact, delicious.

 

 

 

 

 Only a few more weeks of winter root vegetable eating... I can't wait for spring vegetables!

Monday, March 7, 2011

Things That I'm Into: Dancing Thom


This makes me laugh. A lot.

(via Paste magazine, via the Dancing Thom blog)

Things That I'm Into: Fritz Pastry Macarons

Perfect saturday afternoon errand break.
Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.7

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Things That I'm Into: Sultan's Market

My VERY FAVORITE lunch in the entire city of chicago. I love the crap out of Sultan's.  I can't believe its taken me this long to declare my love strong and loud on this blog. The proper order is a falafil sandwich extra spicy. If you are especially hungry then add a cup of lentil soup. The end.

http://chicagofalafel.com/
There is one in wicker park and in lincoln park. Booyah.

Also, the dudes that work there are rad. 

Monday, February 21, 2011

Things That I'm Into: Pop Up Dinners

Deets and I went to Fritz Pastry for a valentines-themed vegetarian "pop up restaurant."* It had seven courses, five of which were dessert. Yup. The menu was as followed:

Course One: Fennel Soup and Salad Sandwich

Entree: Creamy Polenta and Veggie Ragout

Dessert Amuse: Lemon

Fruit One: Dreamsicle Vacherin

 

Fruit Two: Tropical Fruit Tapioca

Chocolate One: Black Forest

Chocolate Two: Chocolate Cereal

 

 

 

Mingardises: Four bite-size reminders of the flavors we had above.

 

All in all, it was amazing, and I really liked the pop-up dinner experience. It wasn't too expensive ($40) for how much food it was and how good it was, it was BYOB, and it had a fun experimental-ish vibe. Plus, it was the day before valentine's day, so on the actual day we could make a HEART SHAPED PIZZA.

 

Cause what says love more than a heart shaped pizza?

* A pop up restaurant, according to Mr. Howard Portney of NY Restaurant Examiner, is explained on the interwebs as: "So far as I know, the term pop-up originated in San Francisco, with the restaurant Lung Shan, in the city's Mission District. Most days, Lung Shan is a nondescript Chinese restaurant that does a hum-drum business, but two days a week it metamorphoses into Mission Street Food, a serious restaurant with serious chefs cooking for serious customers. Such an arrangement creates a venue for aspiring young chefs, who can ply their trade without the monumental investment that starting up a restaurant normally entails. Pop-ups not only provide a stage for talented chefs but inject needed lifeblood into struggling restaurants whose kitchens are underused much of the time." Link here.

Monday, February 14, 2011

Things That I'm Into: Valentine's Day by Kiddos






Done by the lovely nettlehorst kids. Love the shout out to the dentist. Happy Valentine's Day!
Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.5

Friday, February 4, 2011

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Things That I'm Into: After the Blizzard

The next morning, after receiving word that it was a SNOW DAY at work (hallelujah!), Deets and I set out doing some post-storm exploration. Unfortunately, Blisstal did not bring us any cinnamon rolls before we set out. Totally unfair.

Our street.
Our car.
More street.
Some brave souls had shoveled narrow walk ways out to the main streets. 
Reporters were on the scene!
The lake looked otherworldly.
Some poor - but lucky- folks crashed right before heading into the lake.
Lake Shore Drive was closed, so Matt got to pose in the middle. 
Kids got to ride on sleds. 
And we finished out the day with some card games and beers at a bar with a fireplace.

Definitely into blizzards.  


Things That I'm Into: During the Blizzard

After a harrowing commute home where I had to dart from restaurant vestibule to restaurant vestibule, we settled and watched the crazy blizzard/thundersnow occur. Right before bed, about 11:30pm, we decide to go out to see how things were shaping up in Blizzard Land.




Completely silent, save for the screeching wind. Made us very thankful to have a cozy apartment to be safe and sound in for the remainder of the night. 

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Things That I'm Into: Lemon!

I have two adorable and perfect cats, and I love them equally. That being said, one is cuter than the other. I know, that makes me a horrible cat mom. But it's true.

While Liz Lemon may have an edge in cuteness, Katniss has the edge in cuddle. But cuddle doesn't photograph as well. As such, here is some Lemon for your viewing pleasure:


Look at those little paws under there! Gah.

Also, in case you didn't get enough cat in this post, I have an awesome cat makeout video to share once I get the patience to upload it. Get ready for some awesome cat makeout action. 
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Monday, January 31, 2011

Things That I'm Into: Awaiting a Blizzard

We are hunkering down and preparing for almost TWO FEET of snow with a) cinnamon tea, b) furry slippers, and c) multiple episodes of the first season of "The Wire." Could be worse.




(the wire image from here)

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Monday, January 24, 2011

Things That I'm Into: Raclette

Okay, so imagine a deliciously creamy and salty cheese with the perfect amount of flavor. Then imagine that it was slow cooked over a camp fire so it got all deliciously melty and some of the bits got wonderfully crispy. Then imagine this cooked cheese was put on a sandwich with fresh baked bread and served with a stone ground mustard and pickles.


Pastoral Cheese shop in Chicago makes this sandwich, which they dub the "Raclette N Roll." This is how their blog describes the cheese making process:

Raclette has its origins in the southern part of Switzerland, but the name is based on the French word racleur which means “to scrape.” The first people to discover the deliciousness of this cheese in melty form were the cow herders who worked high on the mountains. For dinner they would take some Raclette and warm it by the fire until it turned soft and gooey. Then they would scrape the cheese on to foods like potatoes, pickles, or charcuterie. See http://pastoralartisanblog.com/2011/01/19/raclette-week-is-here/.

Here are some pics of the sandwich before it was devoured:



You probably can't even imagine how delicious it is, so I'll just tell you. AMAZING. This is definitely the best new sandwich I've been introduced to since 2004 when I was introduced to the Bay Cities Caprese in Santa Monica, CA. Best sandwich in SEVEN YEARS, people!

You can get it at Pastoral, on Broadway and in the Loop and at Union Station through March 31st. (If I was a better blogger, I would link, but you guys all know how to use google.)

Viva la Fromage!