Love is beautiful and I think New York is just the prettiest state out there today.
Well done, New York, Governor Cuomo and everyone who has worked so hard for the right to be who they are.
Baking: A Planner/Do-er Love Story
My favorite part of baking is that I can start with strawberries and some paper cups and end up with muffins.
There’s something about going through a process and getting a result that appeals to the plan-maker in me, the do-er.
However, real life, non-baking life, isn’t as simple as following a recipe and ending up with a perfect satisfactory result. Which, if we’re being honest, I totally hate.
I’m in a slightly up-in-the-air season right now and it’s all very “enjoy the journey” until I remember how much I love the plan and find (possibly false) security in the knowing.
So I bake. I mix ingredients, enjoy the process, and dip my end result in almond milk, knowing fully well that while these strawberry muffins are delicious, whatever is cooking in the proverbial life oven is way better, even if it does take longer.
Lights Out
Yep- this little Tuesday night storm knocked out the power in my building for an hour. All the buildings around me had their lights a-shining but it was a candle/flashlight kind of night for Luna Bell and me for a bit.
Dinner Time: XOCO Edition
XOCO had me at “on-site roasted cocoa beans”.
I finally checked out XOCO, beloved Chicago chef Rick Bayless’ take on Mexican street food and it was every bit as great as the line out the door suggested. The smell coming from the kitchen that we were practically standing in as we placed our order almost filled me up, it was so incredible.
I said almost– I was still able to polish off my Seafood Verde (shrimp, scallops and avocado in a lime-cilantro sauce) and have a few bites of my mom’s Chicken Tinga Torta (mexican submarine sandwich that was unreal). We ordered a churro to top off our meal (when in Rome Mexico, right?) and they threw in a little cup of the darkest melted chocolate I have ever tasted. Perfection.
Go, go now- on your lunch break, for dinner, hell- XOCO is even open for breakfast. My excitement level about XOCO rivals how I felt the first time I went to Grahamwich…
Driving 101
That’s pretty much how I felt on my drive out to Naperville.
Today was my only second time driving in 2011, so that’s one thing. The other is that I really hate driving. It gives me anxiety and let’s just say it’s no coincidence that I live where I live- I can walk or public transit to everywhere I need to go and if I can’t, well, guess I don’t need to go.
Let’s just say Google Maps was full of crap today and I got very, very lost. What should have taken me 45 minutes took 1.5hrs. And a train, the longest train in the history of trains, blocked one road for pretty much a decade.
Work brought me out to Naperville and what a darling downtown area it is. And the day itself was super great. But I definitely ruled out a career as a long-haul truck driver today- Queen of the Open Road, I am not.
Rainy Monday
Rainy Monday? Check.
I’m settling for nothing less than sunshine for the rest of the week and if not, well, I’ve got my rainboots and umbrellie on standby.
Don’t bring around a cloud to rain on my parade.
(photo via)
Attitude of Gratitude
To celebrate my Dad this weekend, we did the things that make us, us- taking walks, eating at our favorite spots (no one in this family gets tired of Quartino or Dao Thai– happy as darn clams stuffing our faces there) and enjoying the luxury of time spent face to face.
The attitude of the weekend was gratitude- gratitude for time together now, gratitude for our shared past, gratitude for our love of Chicago, gratitude for family.
Whether you celebrated today by buying your dad a tie, throwing steaks on the grill, making a phone call, or if you simply took the time to shake the hand of someone with whom you do not share DNA but who has made a difference in your life, I hope your day was full of gratitude for someone, anyone.
The attitude of gratitude…it’s powerful stuff.
Things My Father Taught Me
When I was four years old, my Dad had a bright yellow Jeep Wrangler. It often backfired when it started so I dubbed it “The Boom Boom”. I remember taking long drives up and down the coast of Lake Michigan in the Boom Boom, my Dad telling me stories of his childhood and teaching me about things we saw along the way. On the very hottest of summer days, those drives ended with an ice cream cone at Ruth Anne’s- Superman, of course.
Long drives and stories about his past haven’t ended as I’ve gotten older; when I think of my Dad, I think of riding in the car, going for walks or sitting at the dinner table hours after we’ve finished our meal, talking about the big Italian family days, childhood memories and lessons his Dad passed down to him. I never want those conversations to end but when they do, I’m always left thinking “Man, my Dad is the best.”
My Dad has taught me to always be tough; there’s a difference between being aggressive and assertive and in standing up for yourself, assertive is the best, most self respecting way to go. He’s taught me to hold my head up high in situations I deem impossible because that’s when it’s important- the difference between winning and losing is in your attitude and how quick you are to rely on your own strengths. He’s taught me that good wine is the kind of wine you like, that exercise is essential to a strong mind, that cleaning is in fact a recreational activity but most of all, my Dad has taught me this:
“That we can and will get through anything because we are a family and we get through it together.”
Happy Fathers Day to my biggest hero.
Freebie Fish Week Part 2
Apparently, I’m not the only one who knows that admission is free this week at Shedd Aquarium. This is what I encountered upon my arrival:
The line went until the Field Museum but seemed to be moving fast so I started walking toward what I thought was the end.
Oh no- the line wrapped around the corner and into the parking lot. I like fish but not enough to wait in that line. Catch ya later, Flipper.
The walk to Museum Campus wasn’t in vain, however. How can it be when I get to see views like this of my city?
Home Sweet Chicago Home.