See Fernando

In my quest to locate some concert dates for #90, I stumbled across this little gem. I find I don't usually love female artists, but Jenny Lewis is certainly an exception to the rule. The disappointing bit? She was in Chicago last September.


See Fernando

Jenny Lewis | Myspace Music Videos

A 101 Sign?

Yesterday I get out of my car at work and one of the maintenance guys was waiting for me in the parking lot. He hands me a gift card and wishes me a "Happy Birthday." The gift card? DQ. The amount? $20. The freakiness that he remembered my birthday from a whole year ago? Immeasurable. The odds that #70 will be accomplished? Sure thing (and probably more than just one Blizzard for $20).

Trying to pump some life in a very dead blog...

It has been an embarrassingly long amount of time since I've posted. As I'm sitting on the couch and have the entire day with nothing to do, I might as well re-invigorate this little blog for 2011. Living in Chicago has been absolutely amazing and I should be recording all of the fabulous new places that we like to eat and drink, my newest experiments in our micro-sized kitchen, and trying to fit in at a gym where the muscles are larger, the parking garage is the challenge, and new classes have me flailing.

Last night we hosted some local friends at our apartment for a New Year's Day celebration as my New Year's Eve consisted of baking chocolate chip cookie dough cupcakes and prepping my first-ever attempt at baked beans. And did the cupcakes match Annie's? I'd say so:

The party was a success with plenty of bourbon being consumed (thanks so some thoughtful Christmas giving) and plenty of laughs to ring in 2011 a day late.

And how is my 101 list coming along? I haven't even paid attention, which is pathetic since a year has already passed. However, glancing at the list, I see that I've completed a few items:

#19 - Write a toast for Brooke's wedding. And delivered it! And got a few laughs...

#20 - Find a source for grass-fed beef. Living in Chicago gives me access to Whole "Paycheck" Foods where we can get beef and even better, grass-fed bison.

#22 - Get my Mac fixed. And it was done for free thanks to Apple's extended warranty. Amazing! Now just to reload everything and start using her again.

#57 - Watch the sunrise. Accomplished in Houston with Aunt Carol and coffee in hand!

#59 - Attend a book signing. Thanks to my friend, Janel, I braved the lines and met Bakerella. :)

#61 - Try a new hairstyle. My hair got long. Excessively long. A "trim" last week took off about 8 inches. I'd say that counts.

#63 - Attend a professional conference. I headed to Kansas City last May for NAFSA (National Association for something related to international education...). I don't feel bad not knowing the name as I don't think ANYONE does.

#67 - Discuss future of my status at company regarding living in South Bend. Ummm...yes. I know live in Chicago most of the week and there were definitely some awkward discussions but it's worked out for the best. Love, love, love the life in Chicago and still love, love, love my job! Win win!

I just read #84 (Attend a real NYE party). Guess 2012 will have to be the year! Also, I better go purchase my teeth whitening kit! This is what I get for slacking...

#16 - Pear Crisp a la FABULOUS

The winner in this Sunday's three recipe showdown? The Pioneer Woman's delectable pear crisp.

I have been known to whip up a crisp or two. I even made practice apple crisps during my stint in 4-H (and have a nice scar on my right hand to show for it). But I had never tried pear crisp. Mostly this is due to the fact that until fairly recently, I hated pears. I'm not sure if it's lingering memories of being made to eat them at a baby-sitter's house or the thought of eating the canned varieties with school lunches, but pears were mushy and disgusting in my book. Then I started eating the right kinds. On the right salads. And my world was rocked.

Thank goodness for that or else I wouldn't have this to show for it.

And boy, oh boy, am I glad I have this to show for it. I followed the recipe except I added in oats instead of pecans and as my pears were rock hard, it took an additional 10 minutes. I almost died with anticipation.

#15 - New Pizza Crust Recipe

A long, long time ago, my friend Laura gave me her pizza crust recipe which I've been using ever since. Today, Ken and I decided to use up some of our blue cheese on a pizza and since I had the cookbook out and all of the ingredients, I went with PW's. (Her recipe isn't on her blog, but this is it.)

Perhaps I was trying to do too much. Perhaps I was distracted by the wedding. Or perhaps I was thinking about how I just purchased my first pair of Spanx, but I had a few "oops" moments with this one. A) I didn't realize the recipe was for two crusts. B) I put the double the amount of yeast in. Hey, usually it's one packet. This recipe had MORE flour, MORE liquid, and MORE olive oil. Why would it have LESS yeast? Anyways, it worked out, but I think that it's ultimately supposed to be a bit of a crispier and thinner crust.

Which will I use in the future? Laura's recipe or PW's? The jury is still out....

#14 - PW's Buttermilk Biscuits

Disclaimer: I now call the Pioneer Woman by the affectionate nickname of "P-dub." Ken hates it. He mocks me. But he doesn't mock me when I churn out some delicious foods! And he SHOULDN'T mock me when I'm making biscuits for HIS morning breakfast.

This was the first of 3 "P-dub" recipes that I did in a single afternoon. Ken was getting ready to purchase some horrible chemical-filled biscuits at Meijer and I remembered seeing a recipe in my cookbook for something similar. And thus, I found myself rolling out dough with a soda bottle. I really should invest in a rolling pin.

The results? Who knows? Ken has to eat them tomorrow morning and let me know! (He has also put in a request for some sausage gravy. We'll see...)

Recipe #13 - Cocoa Banana Bread

What to do when one has two overripe bananas and some cocoa powder that is begging to be used up? One types "banana cocoa powder recipe" into google and one ends up with this. A little loaf of this bread got Ken and I through numerous evenings of TV watching and although I found the cake by itself to be a bit too dense, a little ice cream and a little zap in the microwave, made this a yummy treat.

Recipe #12 - Rice Pudding

I've had a rather large package of arborio rice sitting in my cabinet for a considerable amount of time. As much as I do love risotto, I find it hard to believe that it is worth the amount of labor that goes into it. After 45 minutes of constant stirring and adding liquid, the end results, though good, are too blah to warrant the effort.

Thus, when my BFF blog, Smitten Kitchen posted this recipe for Almond-Vanilla rice pudding, I couldn't resist. It also helped that I bought an entire bottle of almond extract for Christmas cookies and hadn't touched it. I couldn't rationalize purchasing vanilla beans for this particular recipe, but even so, the results were tasty enough. I don't think Ken liked the almond extract and next time I may mess around with it a bit more. No doubt an actual vanilla bean would make this magical. But I'm pretty sure vanilla beans could make mud magical.

Recipe #11 - Roasted Potatoes with Blue Cheese Walnut Butter

As you know, my sister is getting married on 1 May (coming up!) and last weekend we made a family trip to the florist to pick out bouquets and all that jazz. Attached to the florist is a country market and when I couldn't think about tiger lilies any more, I popped in to see if they had any parmesan cheese. Not only did they have the parm, but they also had a very enthusiastic owner who pulled me to the side to see if I was a "cheese connoisseur" and apparently I passed the test, because I was soon sampling spoonfuls of English Stilton blue cheese. 1 hour later, Brooke had her bouquets, table centerpieces, and boutonnieres and what did I have? A full pound of blue cheese and endless possibilities.

Isn't she beautiful?

And then, out of the "blue" (pun intended), I saw a recipe posting on a blog I frequent for Roasted Potatoes with Blue Cheese Walnut Butter. It seemed easy enough. I like cheese. I like walnuts. I like potatoes. And did I like the result? Yes! Tasty and simple to throw together. Nothing to get too superexcited about, but definitely a nice change to the usual potato recipe.

For some reason I can't get it to twist properly, but you get the idea.

Doesn't count, but....

This can't count towards my recipe total, as I've been known to whip it up a time or two, but I just wanted to share it! And the photo is pretty.... Ken and I made Rachael Ray's Balsamic-Glazed Chicken with Mozzarella from her 365: No Repeat book. This was actually one of the first meals I dared to make for Ken as a surprise. Since that time, we've made it a few times with a variety of cheeses and techniques. I have to say that last night's balsamic glaze was the best we've done! Here's the recipe.

And a little encouragement from Rachael herself:

#87 - Talk One Person Into Making a 101 List

Success! My friend from my hometown has shared her 101 list with me and is all set to start her own journey at accomplishing things! Best of luck, Nicole! Keep me posted!!!

Book #2 - The BookThief

While I was in Australia I sat at a lunch with some university contacts in Melbourne. The discussion gravitated to books and all of the Aussies were raving about a little book called "The Book Thief." Written by an Australian author and taking place in World War II, I decided to give it a go. After making Ken literally drive all around town to get a copy and finding it in the "Teen" section, I wasn't sure what to expect. I started it at 8:30 p.m. on Thursday and finished it at 9:30 p.m. on Friday. And I got teary. Definitely got teary. And I knew what was going to happen!!!

Recipe #10 - Hot Cross Buns

In honor of Easter and in another moment of inspiration from the Pioneer Woman, I decided to whip up some Hot Cross Buns. Maybe whip up isn't the right phrasing as they take a considerable amount of time with plenty of yeast rising in warm places. My first batch ended up with too-dark bottoms, but the second batch was perfect and these were delicious! Especially warmed up in the morning with some coffee. A new Easter tradition? 

#16 - Throw Brooke a Shower

The countdown is on until 1 May when Brooke gets hitched! And it was my pleasure to throw her a bit of a shower to celebrate the occasion. I read a lot of blogs and wanted something whimsical and fun (and it had to have button candy involved). 

 And Brooke's DQ cake (specially requested):

 Although the party was tame, Grandma Brown bestowed Brooke with a little lingerie. Ooh lala!

Overall, it was a great success. Brooke received plenty of Cubs (ahem) gear, everyone seemed to be on a diet, thus there was plenty of cake and treats to dine on later, and the games were a hit. Now onto the bachelorette party. And the wedding itself. Exciting times!

Salmon Tikka

I finally got a shot of delicious, delicious Salmon Tikka Masala. And you know what? Ken and I are having it again this week. And next week. And the week after.

Book #1 - Kafka on the Shore

I finished my first real book since starting this challenge - "Kafka on the Shore" by Haruki Murakami. I read "Norwegian Wood" and "The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles" before diving into this one, which ranks up there as one of his most famous. Like his other novels, there is a definite element of the paranormal in Kafka. Also like the others, half the time I had no clue what was actually happening. There were stunned schoolchildren, talking cats, portals into the unknown, Oedipus references, and plenty of other odd moments. I enjoyed it (although Nakata chatting in the third person the entire time gets a bit infuriating) and would recommend it; however, I'd more strongly recommend "The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles."

Recipe #9 - Dreamy Cream Scones

During a routine shopping trip to our local Italian Market, Ken discovered some Devonshire Double Cream and we immediately started hatching plans to make some scones and have some delicious clotted cream. The two slight issues with this plan were that a) I've attempted scones before and they tasted like cardboard and b) the cream was almost $7 for a tiny jar. Not one to be dissuaded, I decided to do a test run with a scone recipe I'd had my eye on for about a week and make my own whipped cream.

Thus, this happened:

And this.

And my tummy rejoiced while my hips took a turn for the worse.

But it was worth it.

How to describe these little gems? Incredibly, fall apart moist. Sweet with substance.

And the whipped cream? I didn't want to overwhip it, so it was a bit runny, but with some jam... absolutely delectable.

Just for Brooke

You think having a fork on the carpet is bad? Check out our usual Mexican night! I think we lived in Japan too long...

Recipes #7 & 8

Leeks. How did I live for so many years without taking advantage of these lovely vegetables? Last night we made Baked Creamy Leeks a la Jamie. Unfortunately, substituting in half & half instead of heavy cream left us with slightly curdled (but not bad tasting) cream. I'm not sure I would make this again "as is," but adding some potatoes and making a potato au gratin could be delish!

Tonight we embraced our inner subcontinent selves and whipped up Jamie's Chicken Tikka Masala. We've tried to make a similar recipe before with really horrible results (i.e. flavors that just didn't melt together properly). However, with the success of Jamie's Salmon Tikka, we decided to give Indian food one more go. And it was good! It had enough heat and enough spice to make it interesting. I whipped up a cornstarch slurry to thicken it a bit and served with rice and naan, it was pretty tasty!

#97 - Make truffles

I am thrilled! I just made PW's truffles "just cause" and then was scrolling down my list and COMPLETELY forgot I made it it's own number. Nice!

I made these (try not to drool on your keyboard) and although mine aren't nearly as pretty, I am can say that the one I sampled might be one of the richest chocolate foods I've ever tasted. And that's saying something, considering I've thought about entering a 12 Step program for my addiction.