Unlimited

Milo's Birthday Bash

2010-02-26T14:20:00.006-06:00

In case you were wondering, Milo turns 3 this Sunday.

We let this fact slip to Milo's daycare today while dropping him off this morning and were sent the pictures below about an hour ago:

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's steak on that platter.

Knowing we were in trouble, Andy and I had the following conversation via Gchat:

ME: He's never coming home.

ANDY: ever

ME: we can't beat that

ANDY: nope
we lost him
bye bye milo

ME: We definitely have to get a birthday banner now...
and a party hat

ANDY: and a collar that looks like something out of a shakespearean play.
dinner from paulina meat market for milo tonight

ME: agreed!
we have to make him remember why he loves us.

ME: hire some puppy prostitutes, maybe?

Happy Birthday a couple days early, buddy. Sorry we forgot about your first birthday and almost your second. This one's totally making up for lost time. We're talkin' pony rides.

Tokyo? I'll have seconds!

2009-12-28T15:39:00.003-06:00

On a quick visit to my blog, I found this guy sitting in my editing box, ready to be published, but not edited. Because I probably spent a few hours putting this post together, I thought it should be out there, free to play in the interwebs. Enjoy, though it's definitely a couple months late.

Despite the hard futon and traditional bean bag pillows (oh, didn't I mention how fun those were?), I was able to sleep pretty soundly until 6:00am thanks to our outdoorsy, long day in Hakone.

We were still awake too early to go downstairs for our complimentary breakfast, so after practicing lying quietly for 30 minutes, I finally woke up Jen and we started to develop a plan for the day. Really, Jen just made suggestions from her Lonely Planet guide while I nodded and smiled.

It was finally after 7:30, so we went down for breakfast in our provided yukatas (pajama robes). Frosted flakes, half a banana and two thick pieces of toast with orange marmalade were a welcome sight after the breakfast disaster the day before. After two cups of green tea served in a china cup and saucer (because I'm white and therefore British, maybe?), we took our time getting ready since we'd be hanging out in the city all day.

Our first stop was right around the corner from our ryokan, exploring the shops of Asakusa.

We saw a few old women with purple hair (quite the normality there, apparently) and masses of uniformed school children who appeared to be in the city on a school trip.

I bought an adorable sushi magnet for our fridge, thought about getting a geisha costume for Milo and was lead by my nose and the crowd to some cookies filled with a sweet bean paste being made right in the front of the stall.

Before you get all "GE-ROSS!" on me, they was actually really good.

They were still warm and smelled a little like maple syrup.

Plus, they were adorable!

Even after I bit the head off to show the gooey, sweet bean paste center.

We decided to explore the Sensō-ji shrine in the light of day before leaving Asakusa.

In front of the great hall, there is a large incense burner where people would place incense they'd purchased, then wave the smoke toward themselves and rub it all over their body to complete a ritual of purification.

Then they go over to wash their hands at the fountain. Taking the water from the dragon spout, not dipping into the pool, you wash your left hand, right hand and then your mouth.

I saw this many times at every temple we visited over the next 5 days, though I only pretended to wash out my mouth. For a country so obsessed with the swine flu and disease in general, they definitely practiced some questionable hygeine. (Public Restrooms: Why have a sink if you don't provide soap?!?!)

One inside the temple, we saw and heard a service being performed.

The giant drums and monks were chanting and beating in time while another monk drew delicate calligraphy on a scroll. Visitors came and went, offering yen, ringing bells and clapping to get the attention of the gods, and saying their prayers before heading back out again.

We walked around the park outside for a bit and saw a few things we hadn't been able to see when exploring in the dark the first night of our arrival.

On our way out to the train, Jen snapped this picture of us in front of the THUNDER GATE.

We hopped on the train to Tokyo station where we could explore the gardens of the Imperial Palace.

The maple, sweet bean cookies weren't very filling, so we decided to stop for a snack at a chocolate shop Jen had heard a fellow blogger mention in a post. Meiji 100% Chocolate Cafe had a different type of chocolate for every day of the year.

We had difficulty narrowing it down, but we each chose two different pieces of chocolate and I had a banana, lime, chocolate squash drink.

It was surprisingly good, but there really wasn't a lot of chocolate taste. I thought there'd be squash in it, but apparently, that's basically how they say "soda", so it was the type of drink, rather than an ingredient.

We moved on to the chocolate and Jen started with the cinnamon she chose while I went with this:

I thought it had potential to be one of those things that sounds weird, but tastes pretty good.

I was wrong. It was weird in the grossest possible way. Rather than chocolate with a mild, cream cheese or farm cheese, they went with a cheddar/american mix. I actually only ate the one bite and wrapped up the rest to share with Andy back in America. The cinnamon was better, but not much. The gritty texture was like eating sand and the cinnamon flavor reached out and punched you in the face like 1,000 tiny red hot candies, drowning out the poor chocolate.

Silly Japanese. They make beautiful desserts that all taste like crap.

We wandered over to the Imperial Palace to check out the gardens I'd read about.

This was one of the entrances to the palace. Stuck right there in the center of Tokyo.

Though I've never been to the one in NYC, it reminded me of what I'd imagine Central Park is like. Lots of giant, green, open spaces with smaller, nore intricate gardens here and there.

The East Gardens were my favorite, just like the guidebook said they'd be.

This area had more water features, more manicured trees and grounds as well as koi fish!

Don't they look more Japanese than our American koi? Koi turned out to be pretty popular and almost everywhere we went, so I didn't get as excited later in our trip for sightings as this first one.

We walked the grounds and hiked up the small hills to get better views.

After getting our fill of green space and trees trimmed to look like they belong in a Dr. Seuss book, we headed over to Harajuku for lunch and shopping.

THIS was where all the fashion had been hiding. I'd been so disappointed with the completely drab and lifeless clothing choices of Tokyo men and women. Color was nowhere to be found and the most interesting accessories I saw were always very painful-looking shoes. Here I saw girls dressed up like anime characters with more dedication to appearance than I could ever hope to muster.

Harajuku was without a doubt the trendy part of town. Jen and I selected a restaurant on the 5th floor of a building overlooking the main intersection in Harajuku.

The place served yakiniku which basically reminded me of Korean BBQ where you grill the meat at your table.

This grill was super high tech, though, sucking the smoke out of the air before it got an inch off the table, so we didn't smell like food for the rest of the day. I'd been missing the vegetables I usually incorporate into my diet, so I went with an udon noodle salad that had an amazing ginger sesame dressing and a fried egg on top!

From Tokyo

After lunch we headed around the corner to explore the Meiji Shrine. The wooden torii gates are the largest in Japan according to Jen.

From Tokyo

I loved this shrine because you had to walk down a LONG gravel path through about a mile of thickly wooded area before you arrived at the main temple area.

Eventually the trees opened up and we were there.

Since it was late in the day, we spent a lot of time reading the prayer cards left by visitors. With our combined French, Spanish, Japanese and English, we were able to get through quite a few of them.

But my favorites are always the ones with the pictures.

On our way back out, we noticed the wine barrels (a gift from France) and the painted sake barrels lining the path.

A drink sounded nice, so we hopped on the train to Shibuya to see the famous crossing while waiting to meet up with my friend from college, Hiroo.

After making our own way across the insane street, we found a window seat in the second floor Starbucks to watch the show.

Untitled from Kristin Sutter on Vimeo.

After a few changes of the light, we noticed a couple of guys in the crowd.

Untitled from Kristin Sutter on Vimeo.

We decided they were doing a photo shoot for an album cover, but they could have just been getting a photo for an extremely complex scavenger hunt. I guess we'll never really know.

When it was time to meet Hiroo, we headed over to the Hachiko statue to meet, which happens to be one of the most popular meeting places in Tokyo. Yikes!

Hachiko was an Akita dog who would go and meet his owner every day at the Shibuya train station when he got home from work. When the owner died while at work one day, Hachiko continued to wait at the station every day, becoming a sort of national hero in Japan for his loyalty. They also made a film starring Richard Gere about it. I dare you to watch that trailer and not cry.

Japanese people are awesome because they love a good dog story, just like me. Hachiko was all over the station.

After some hugs and introductions, we were off to enjoy my first taste of Japanese bar food at a place run by one of Hiroo's friends. We enjoyed some cucumbers and pickled plum sauce, fish roe pasta and more traditional items like fried fish and pizza (though it did have mayonnaise on it which is apparently very common there). We also tried some shochu which is a Japanese liquor which tastes pretty much like whiskey. I controlled my gag reflex to get it down, but didn't order seconds.

After dinner, we headed to an arcade to have my first (but definitely not my last, experience with purikura.

Think photo booth mixed with an arcade game and some scrapbooking and you've just about got it. The booths are extremely popular, so we had to wait a little bit, even though there were about 15 booths in the arcade.

After seeing how much fun it could be, we decided to go again.

After all, there's NOTHING like this in the states, so I had to take advantage while I could.

Sleepy and full, we finally headed back to Asakusa and waved to Hiroo from the train until we pulled out of sight (something I can finally cross off my list of things to do).

Naughty or Nice?

2009-10-30T14:10:00.004-05:00

Don't freak out on me over this post's title. Unlike most major retailers, I'm not ready to say hello to the holiday season just yet.

It came about as I was wondering why people choose to do bad things.

When I was younger, probably 7 or 8 years old, I remember reading Ramona Forever by Beverly Cleary.

*Side bar: I also "dressed up" as Ramona in elementary school on the day we were told to dress as our favorite character from a book. Most people dressed up as Raggedy Ann or some nursery rhyme while I had my mom cut my hair short, dressed in the same outfit Ramona wore on the cover and carried the book around with me since no one could tell who I was.

I remember reading a scene where Ramona, highly rebellious in nature, took a tube of toothpaste and slowly squeezed the tube until the entire contents coiled into the sink. I wanted to do that. I wanted to create my own swirled mountain of minty freshness.

That night, not thinking that repercussions were eminent, I started from the bottom of our new tube of off-brand toothpaste and squirted the entire contents into the bathroom sink I shared with my entire family.

My mom walked in as I was putting the finishing touches on my sculpture, and her face immediately tightened. She roared and I stuttered something about how I'd read about Ramona doing it.

Reading about it? Apparently NOT an adequate excuse for endangering my family's dental hygiene for the evening. Luckily, all I had to do was scrape up what toothpaste was left, put it in a sandwich baggie and use it myself for the next month or so.

The real purpose of this story is to actually tell you that someone tried to set my car on fire today.

I know.

I needed a minute to let that sink in, so I guess you can have one too.

Apparently someone was strolling by my office, saw my car parked on the street and thought, "Why don't I shove a rag in this gas tank, light it on fire and walk away?"

Luckily, our security was alerted when someone saw MY CAR ON FIRE on the street. A guard took the jacket off his back, threw it in the gutter filled with water from the rain, then smothered the flames.

My hero.

Chicago's bomb and arson squad, after asking me 20 times if I have an angry ex-boyfriend or ex-husband, thinks it was probably some "kid" who saw something like that on t.v. and wanted to see a car explode himself.

About 30 minutes before our security guard came into the office to give me the news, I was on the phone with my sister, who just bought her first house.

When she asked me what was new, I answered, "Eh, nothing really. Same old."

That'll teach me.

Howl-O-Ween

2009-10-13T21:48:00.008-05:00

We took Milo to Earth Pups for their Halloween party this past weekend. After refusing to spend money on a costume, we went for a sporty theme.

His entire costume didn't last long.

The football was gone after 5 minutes.

And the shoes never really made it on his paws once we got in the door and he smelled fresh meat.

Milo at Earth Pups from Kristin Sutter on Vimeo.

I think the Bengals win on Sunday might've been because of our dedication.

Though I liked our group effort, this pimp costume is my benchmark for next year's costume.

Ideas are appreciated.

"Fish" Adventures and Hakone

2009-09-25T14:54:00.018-05:00

I woke up fully rested and ready to start the day around 3am.

Preferring to keep Jen as a friend for the next 9 days, I waited until 5:45am to poke her and hiss, "Hey Jen. It's a quarter to 6. Can we wake up now?"

Because she is a morning person and also wonderful, Jen popped right up and attempted an energetic, "Sure!" before I turned on the fluorescent light and blinded our sleep-sticky eyes.

We'd wanted to get up early since we were headed to the Tsukiji fish market for a sushi breakfast; something Jen had wanted to try now that she was traveling with an adventurous eater. I was happy to not be the one planning everything and readily agreed, despite an uneasy, jet lagged stomach. We threw on some clothes and headed out the door. On our way to the train station, I caught sight of the golden poo atop the Asahi brewery building and snapped a photo for Andy (who is as mystified by the Japanese obsession with golden poo as I).

We were early enough (and conveniently at the end of a subway line) that we missed quite a bit of the commuter rush. We did get to see the strange and extremely orderly lines of people waiting for the trains.

That's the Japanese rail system for you. Not only are the trains ALWAYS, and I mean ALWAYS on time, they also stop in the exact same place so the lines are directly in front of the doors. I'd seen the videos of the people pushing onto the train like cattle, but didn't witness any of that firsthand. Everyone was very polite and orderly in their little lines and would even wait for the next train if one was too crowded! I've seen much worse after Cubs games and Lollapalooza in Chicago, so this was positively peaceful for me.

We walked around outside the fish market, my stomach a little queasy from the jet lag and weird eating schedule, but I powered through the fishy odors and we settled on a semi-popular and clean-looking sushi stall.

We reviewed the pictures and Jen went with a safe looking tuna and salmon sashimi combo. Feeling adventurous, I went with what looked like pieces of tuna with jalapeno and a fried egg on top. I think the egg and jalapenos are what sold me. Damn my love of Mexican breakfast foods!

If you're in my network of friends on a well known social networking site, you already know how this ends. For everyone else, The food came and I was a little confused by what was put in front of me. I'd had plenty of tuna before, and it never looked quite like this. It was lighter pink and had a weird, filmy coating on it. I mixed up the egg and took a bite.

This was not fish.

At least no fish I'd ever tasted before. I questioned Jen, and as she examined my bowl, she got a strange look on her face.

"I think it's chicken," she said.

"Um, excuse me? I thought this was a sushi restaurant!"

"Well, it is raw," she said.

Apparently, raw chicken with an egg on top (the whole family together again) is a semi-popular dish in Japan. The good friend that she is, Jenn tried it as well, thinking she might be able to eat it and trade her safe tuna and salmon sashimi for my bowl of salmonella. Alas, one bite is all she got down before pushing it away in disgust.

I went in one more time and needed a big gulp of miso soup to keep the second swallow from going in reverse.

Defeated, I ordered a bowl of tuna and salmon for myself since I knew my chopsticks weren't going anywhere near that chicken again.

Much better.

After our raw breakfast, we wandered around the stalls. I saw the "dried fish parts" Jen's always telling me about.

Apparently they're like bacon bits or croutons over there. Need a little something added to your meal? Dried fish parts!

If you look closely, you can see these are actually tiny dried fish. You can see their little eyes. I had some of these buggers cooked into some rice in Tahara.

It was not my favorite.

With the morning commute almost over and full of fish, we headed back to the trains to start our day trip out to Hakone. We enjoyed a variety of transportation including this train that crept up the mountain at about 10mph with a crazy amount of switchbacks, the view getting better the more we climbed.

Before getting on, though, we took a break and went to the Hakone Begonia garden to experience their onsen. While buying our pass inside, the woman wanted to MAKE SURE we knew that we knew we'd have to be naked to experience the hot springs. Apparently not all gaijin are so gung-ho about stripping down for a communal bath as I was.

No photos, of course, but wading in the steamy pools set in the mountainside with jungle-like trees all around us was definitely an amazing experience. I felt relaxed and refreshed after an hour of leisurely moving from pool to pool.

After all that hot water, I was a little dehydrated, so I had to perk up with some awesome ice cream back at the train station. It was the creamiest vanilla I've ever had--made with the cream from Hokkaidō cows.

Yum.

Up the mountain we went!

We stopped for lunch at Gora before heading on up the funicular.

Yes, you read that correctly, Gyoza Center. With more types of gyoza than I could count and the home of the best and only crab gyoza I've ever tasted.

I could've eaten 4 plates of those suckers. Such a nice change from the raw chicken and sushi I'd fed my stomach that morning.

From there we were headed up the funicular. "Fun" is right there in the name, so how can it not be?

I'll tell you how. When you're sitting knee to knee with a teenage couple who can't keep their hands off each other and apparently forgot to use deodorant that morning. Then the window-locked funicular isn't so much fun as it is a suffocating box of humanity and body odor.

The views from the top were worth the short, uncomfortable ride.

After wandering about, we headed on to our next mildly-claustrophobic mode of transportation, the gondola! Hooray!

We rode up and over the mountains, swaying with the wind and entering into an area full of sulfur springs. The familiar smell of rotten eggs made me smile and Jenny's nose scrunch in disgust.

Not as pretty as the ones I'd just seen in Yellowstone--these springs were more "apocalyptic" than "prismatic".

You can buy magic eggs that are hardboiled in the springs, too. They're supposed to give you longer life and turn black during cooking from some sort of reaction with the sulfur. My stomach was still doing some flip-flops from the time traveling flight and raw food from the morning, so we passed. Even though Hello Kitty seriously wanted us to buy them.

It was pretty hazy and cloudy at this point in the day which meant bad news for our chances of seeing Mt. Fuji. Jen's still never seen it and has been dubbed "Cloudwoman" by her Japanese friends for all her bad luck. I didn't mind since we still got some pretty spectacular views from the cable car.

She cheered up a bit when she saw that our next mode of transportation around Hakone was going to be by pirate ship.

Try to ignore the guy behind us totally photobombing the shot.

There was a Japanese pirate, too, but you had to pay to have your photo taken with him and his beard was so sad, it looked like an old afro wig he taped to his face. Not very authentic.

The clouds were plentiful, so we didn't see Fuji, but they did make for some pretty cool photos.

After the boat, it was starting to get dark, and we were facing a 2-hour trip by bus and train back, so we hit the road.

We stopped off in Shinjuku to grab some dinner and see what we could see before heading back. Luckily, I got to see Tommy Lee Jones stumping for a local coffee drink.

Oh crazy celebrity Japanese advertisements, I don't understand you at all, but love you all the same.

Japanese people really respond to neon apparently. This is what I figured Tokyo would look like.

We eventually found a place with Japanese curry which was on my list of foods to try. (Yes, there was a list. And it may have had over 10 different items on it. And I may have hit almost all of them. Hold your applause, please.)

Jenny also added some tempura to my plate since she was a little hungry after eating a crazy bastardization of a bagel earlier in the day.

Everything was DEE-licious, though I was pretty hungry, so that might've skewed my experience slightly.

The jet lag was hitting me pretty hard at that point, so we decided to go home and rest up for a full day in Tokyo the next day.

If you guessed that I slept through the night finally? You'd be wrong.

Taking on Tokyo

2009-09-23T10:27:00.010-05:00

I was a little nervous when heading out for my 13 hour flight last Saturday. I'd gotten up early, seen Andy off to the airport for his flight to Cleveland for another bachelor extravaganza and ridden the bike for 90 minutes to try and wear myself out so I could fall asleep at about 6:00pm.

Boarding the plane, I found my window seat and was happy to see the small (score!) Japanese man who would be my seatmate. He didn't speak English as far as I could tell, which was fine by me. I like a neighbor who is content to listen to the "Smooth" radio station and silently stare at the seat in front of him.

The Ambien prescribed by my doctor worked it's magic and after watching The Proposal (If you've seen the previews, you've seen the movie.) and an in-flight dinner that included sushi I was too nervous to eat, I was unconscious for a good 7 hours. Sleeping pills on airplanes are so much fun. Go to sleep not long after take off, wake up just before arrival. It's like teleporting!

I cleared customs and after taking a medical mask and a flyer on swine flu, I changed my dollars into yen and snuck up on Jen who was waiting for me at the other international arrivals exit. She gave me my own swine flu mask so I could fit in around the city.
I was totally smiling with my eyes. (And if you get that reference, we can be friends forever.)

Traveling through the very clean and awesomely organized train system, was fun. I think they'd be pretty easy for most Americans to figure out. Plus, I didn't see nearly as many crazy people hanging out on them as I had in Europe or Chicago. Japan must have an insanity detector in their ticket machines. One more victory for Japanese technology!

See the guy in the background with the mask? Told ya I'd fit in.

After a couple transfers, we arrived in Asakusa and our ryokan for the next three nights.

Jenny had stayed at this and other ryokans before, so she was prepared for the tatami floors and futons, but I was not. I kept forgetting to take off my shoes and used the down blanket as a cushion rather than cover since the floors in Japan are just as hard as they are in America.

After settling in (re: throwing my suitcase in the room), we headed out to find some food, but not before I checked out the bathrooms and Japan's legendary toilets.

This one was pretty tame and while I didn't try any of the buttons for fear I'd shoot myself through the ceiling, I found the heated seat was quite nice on chilly mornings.

In the streets of Asakusa, Jenny let me in on her secret ability to sniff out quality restaurants wherever she may be. This came in handy quite a few times on the trip.

After perusing many storefronts filled with plastic models of the food served within, we settled on a ramen shop where I could learn to slurp my noodles like a true Japanese girl should. (Full, detailed post on all food in Japan is coming, don't worry.)

See how much better Jenny looks than me? She's had 2 years of practice! I kept breathing in too much air and giving myself the hiccups.

Full of noodles, wontons, soup and shu mai, we set out to explore the temple down the street and the park next to it. I give you Sensō-ji... or at least the gate leading into it.

The temple was closed, but everything was lit up so we could take photos.

Pagoda. I have no idea what these are for and neither did Jenny, but it didn't stop me from asking her.

We walked through the gardens next to the temple which had paths lined with hand-painted lanterns.

And I saw my first Buddha!

It was the first of many, many Buddhas, but I was pretty psyched.

We wandered around through the streets some more until finding an ice cream shop that included spinach and beer in its flavor selection. We settled on Japanese pumpkin for Jen and Earl Grey Tea for me.

We chose wisely. After agreeing to come back for the beer ice cream at a later date, we headed home so I could finally get some sleep. I was super tired and ready to collapse on the floor, snug in my futon until the next morning.

Or until 3am...

which is what actually happened.

Adventures in breakfast at the Tsukiji fish market (see that word FISH? Remember that.) and a day trip to Hakone awaited us.

Welcomed Home!

2009-09-21T19:37:00.005-05:00

After a 12 hour flight back, I walked off the airplane to find Andy waiting for me with these

and these!

We also saw Eliza Dushku, but I'm pretty sure he didn't arrange for that.

Long night of unpacking, cheesecake brownie eating, storytelling and lots of television ahead!

Buh-bye

2009-09-11T15:45:00.004-05:00

Finally accepting the fact that I'm getting on a plane to Japan tomorrow.

A little weirded out by how fast it snuck up on me, but totally psyched for an amazing adventure with Jen.

I've been packed for 2 days and even though my bag's only 3/4 full, I'm making a vow to take out three things once I get home.

The two packages of Starburst to give out as omiyage and the 4 travel packs of tissues for crazy Japanese toilets are non-negotiable.

I'm already feeling a bit homesick before even leaving--my face buried in Milo's fur a little longer than normal this morning. The trip out and the trip back are usually the only times I feel this way. In between I'm usually too busy taking photos, wandering and being perhaps a bit too aggressive in my enthusiasm for adventure.

I've got my sleeping pill handy for the 13 hour flight, so I'm pretty much set. Well, as ready as I can be for not knowing a word of the language or skimming through some travel books from the library. See you in 10 days!

Corn, Sweet Corn

2009-09-01T12:25:00.002-05:00

When Chicago's weather took a turn for the 60's, I momentarily retreated into my soup-making ways and caramelized a pot of onions, threw in some wine, beef and chicken stock, threw in some toasted bread and broiled some cheese on top. I react in strange and delicious ways to changes in the weather, I'll admit.

My first batch of french onion soup actually went over quite well and the four custard dishes I bought at the outlet stores were officially deemed "useful" rather than "frivolous". (Soon to be "sublime" after I get around to America's Test Kitchen's chocolate souffle!)

The unbelievably simple recipe for the soup was borrowed from The Pioneer Woman. Go try it if you're feeling a little down about Fall's early onset.

This week I was determined to get my hands on some sweet corn since I all but missed the season last year. Luckily, our CSA supplied us with 5 ears and some killer tomatoes. Right around the same time, my much adored, Smitten Kitchen posted a recipe for tomato corn pie.

I was sold, but when I scrolled down to the ingredients, the 1/3 cup mayonnaise gave me pause. Yep, I've never baked a pie in my life and the one thing I worried about is one of the most common ingredients in American refrigerators.

I'm not sure what it is about mayonnaise. The texture, the color (or lack thereof), or the creamy tanginess that puts me off. My most memorable and horrific "dare" from childhood sleepovers was when my sister and her friend tried to get me to eat a pretzel dipped in mayonnaise. It may sound harmless, but choking on that gloppy, creamy mess haunted my taste buds for years. I've only recently been able to take a light smear of mayo on sandwiches.

I pushed through my fear, having cooked with mayo recently and finding it palatable when masked by a list of other ingredients.

Using a food processor to make the dough and Andy to help chop, slice and dice, we put this baby together in under an hour. Luckily we'd seen Alton Brown peeling tomatoes the night before on Good Eats, so sailing into that uncharted territory went incredibly smoothly.

Andy gave this a solid B and I'd go with a B+, though we both had seconds. It tasted a bit too acidic to me, and I would reduce the lemon juice if making it again. Trying it the next day afer reheating in the toaster oven, though, I'd rate it as an A- or a solid A. The flavors blended much better after sitting overnight and the weird acidity I experienced was gone. I did peel, seed and squeeze the excess juice from our tomatoes because I don't like a soggy bottom crust, which worked well.

I'd make this again, but would probably play around with the filling a bit more. The buttery, biscuit pie crust was amazing, with Andy and I fighting for last bites of the crust. If you've got the ingredients in season (read: right now!), it's a great one to try.

Tomato Corn Pie
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 3/4 teaspoons salt, divided
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons or 3 ounces) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, plus 2 teaspoons melted
3/4 cup whole milk
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (I'd use just one if serving immediately)
1 3/4 pounds beefsteak tomatoes
1 1/2 cups corn (from about 3-4 ears), coarsely chopped, divided
2 tablespoons finely chopped basil, divided
1 tablespoon finely chopped chives, divided
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, divided
7ounces coarsely grated sharp Cheddar (1 3/4 cups), divided

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and 3/4 tsp salt in a bowl, then blend in cold butter (3/4 stick) with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or in the food processor) until it resembles coarse meal. Add milk, stirring until mixture just forms a dough, then gather into a ball.

Divide dough in half and roll out one piece on a well-floured counter or between two sheets of plastic wrap into a 12-inch round (about an 1/8 inch thick). Transfer it into a 9-inch pie plate and gently unfold and center it or, if you’re using the plastic warp method, remove top sheet of plastic wrap, then lift dough using bottom sheet of plastic wrap and invert into pie plate. Pat the dough in with your fingers trim any overhang.

Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle, and put the second half of the dough in the refrigerator until you’re ready to use it. Whisk together mayonnaise and lemon juice.

Cut an X in bottom of each tomato and blanch in a large pot of boiling water 15 seconds. Immediately transfer with a slotted spoon to an ice bath to cool. Peel tomatoes, then slice crosswise 1/4 inch thick and, if desired (for a non-slimy bottom crust), gently remove seeds and extra juices. Arrange half of tomatoes in crust, overlapping, and sprinkle with half of corn, one tablespoon basil, 1/2 tablespoon chives, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper and one cup of grated cheese. Repeat layering with remaining tomatoes, corn, basil, chives, salt, and pepper. Pour lemon mayonnaise over filling and sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Roll out remaining piece of dough into a 12-inch round in same manner, then fit over filling, folding overhang under edge of bottom crust and pinching edge, decoratively if you must, to seal. Cut 4 steam vents in top crust and brush crust with melted butter (2 teaspoons). Bake pie until crust is golden and filling is bubbling, 30 to 35 minutes, then cool on a rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Do ahead (which I recommend): Pie can be baked 1 day ahead and chilled. Reheat in a 350°F oven until warm, about 30 minutes.

I think the label totally makes it

2009-08-21T16:51:00.004-05:00

Andy brewed Jenn and Chad some beer as a gift for their wedding reception last weekend in Columbus.

Since the surprise won't be ruined anymore, here's the label I designed for it.

Giving credit where credit is due, Andy came up with the "ale" part of the cutesy name. It's also functional as a descriptor since half of the beers we gave them were Andy's new batch of super hoppy ale.

I don't think Jenn and Chad will have any problem with their own happily ever after. Laughs and smiles are never in short supply when I'm around them. Congrats again, guys!

Look what I got!

2009-08-18T22:13:00.003-05:00

Jen from Japan was visiting Chicago (and ME!) last weekend and brought some gifts along with her.

This isn't exactly out of the blue since Jen has been writing a Kit Kat blog while abroad after discovering the insane amount of love for Kit Kats in Japan.

So far, I've tried the Lemon Vinegar (weirdly, two thumbs up), the Rose (one, fairly enthusiastic thumb up for creativity), the Japanese version of plain Kit Kat (super duper awesome and three thumbs if I had 'em), Custard (quality noms and two thumbs up), the orange peach one (two thumbs down for artificial peach taste, blech!) and the blue one you see below.

After getting over the shock of a blue Kit Kat, Andy and I split it and dove in. After much deliberation, we decided it tasted like bubble gum. Not great, but not bad.

I'm sticking to my daily plain Kit Kat break at work, but there might be room for lemon vinegar in my future.

Jackson Hole - Day One

2009-08-17T21:00:00.000-05:00

Rather than wake up at the crack of dawn and start our vacation with bleary, bloodshot eyes, Andy and I caught an 11am flight out of O'Hare and even got to go down the Puff Daddy terminal before stopping at the Vosges chocolate store and picking up some Garrett's popcorn. 10am is not too early for a caramel and chocolate covered marshmallow, in case you were wondering.

The flight was an easy one, and before long, I could see this out my window.

I snapped this photo just before the mean, United flight attendant growled at me to turn off my camera. He even made me show him the screen to prove that it wasn't still on. Apparently I have a shifty, disobedient look about me... he was right. We had to circle after getting beaten to the runway by another plane, so we flew right by the tetons and my camera finger was itching the whole time. Though I was pretty sure hitting the power button wouldn't bring the plane down, I reverted to my former student self and sat quietly with my tray table up and seat fully upright.

We were warned against taking photos upon exiting the plane as well because I'd imagine many vacationers can't wait for that first photo of the peaks. Because of this, you get no photo of the thing I really wanted to shoot: The tiny Jackson Hole airport with no real gates and an antler arch you walk through to get to the "airport" (which really just looks like a ranch house that's been added on a few times with a couple runways built out back).

We got our cute little compact car and were on the road in minutes thanks to Andy running straight to the growing car rental line while I waited for our suitcase. I kept trying to take photos of the mountains around Andy's big head.

We met up with Jenny, Chad and the rest of the crew at Dornan's to get our first view of the teepee and to grab some sandwiches before heading over the mountain, through the small town of Victor, Idaho and along some dirt roads to our cabin. If you don't have to bump over rocks and dirt to get there, I'm not interested. This was the road leading up to our cabin and one of our views from the deck.

The cabin was even more beautiful and awesome than we thought. It did come with a bit too much wildlife, which I found after stepping out our back door and almost squashing two small snakes slithering frantically into the nooks of the cabin foundation. On the bright side, it helped prepare me for the other couple snake sightings we had on the trip.

Mine and Andy's room was Western-themed, but I really loved it because it was on the lowest level and stayed the coolest.

The kitchen was amazing and looked out onto our back deck.

Our back deck looked out onto this.

We'd stopped in Victor to pick up some beer, fearful that we'd end up with a horrible grocery store selection like in Nederland, CO last year. (3.2 beer. Blech!)

After settling in, which involved Andy getting friendly with some pieces of the cabin's decor:

We headed to the closest grocery store to grab some food for the week.

Coming straight from our CSA produce, Andy and I were feeling very veggie friendly and even bought some beets to grill up that night while everyone else got sausages for Chad to cook.

We chose poorly. Beets don't cook very well without being wrapped in aluminum foil (something we forgot to pick up from the grocery,) and after 60+ minutes on the grill and hard-as-a-rock beets, we sliced them and sauteed them in a last ditch effort to save our meal. Smothered in balsamic vinegar and goat cheese, they were edible.

Lesson learned--our meals for the rest of the week centered on sandwiches and items that could be taken straight out of the refrigerator and consumed.

We had some fun on the deck waiting for the beets to cook, though. Jenn even managed to stay out for awhile before the insects swarmed around her, waiting to feast on her flesh.

Everyone was still adjusting to mountain time, so pretty soon after dinner (which included about a half pound of cherries and tough beets for me and Andy) and some delicious Grand Teton Brews, we headed to bed early to prep for our long drive to Yellowstone the next day.

Big Bounty

2009-08-02T20:19:00.000-05:00

Do you think I should investigate any nuclear power plants within 20 miles of our apartment?

Looking up zucchini recipes for the next 3 weeks.

Interrup-

2009-07-29T21:29:00.008-05:00

Yeah, so I've finally downloaded all my photos, but rather than post all 8,000, I've decided to edit myself before the curtain comes back.

You know how the first few days of a vacation, you're drunk with the freedom of no work and will take some photos you might not be so proud of later. (In my case, craning and straining through the window of an airplane, trying to get the best angle of the cloudy, hazy mountains without getting that damn plane wing in the shot.)

Those first couple days, I was overly excited about every wildflower, bird, cow, horse and cowboy hat that crossed our paths.

"Sage brush! Awesome!"

CLICK CLICK

"What a cute rental car!"

CLICK

"Jenny, take a picture of me and Andy by the covered hot tub!"

CLICK

"I think I blinked, can you take another one?"

CLICK

"Now let's get some of the food on the grill!"

CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK (you know how much I love photographing food)

It's a bit painful to hit the delete key so many times, but it has to be done.

Just... not yet.

The last couple days I've been working late, seeing sneak previews of hilarious and fun movies, and adjusting to life back at the center of "the grind". This is all just to tell you that I don't have any vacation posts ready yet. Not even that first day which was really mostly just planes, cars and Idaho cabins.

As a peace offering, I had Milo prepare his favorite concerto for you all. He is accompanied by Andy on the harmonica - Milo's favorite (or least?) instrument.

Milo works out his pipes from Kristin Sutter on Vimeo.

Peek-a-boo

2009-07-26T21:55:00.023-05:00

Home! After watching the Cubs beat the Reds (with some questionable calls), and a dinner of zucchini from the garden, I'm finally settling into my photos from the vacation.

Before I start my in-depth posts, I thought I'd share a few of my favorite photos from the weekend. Click on each photo for a closer look.

Grand Prismatic Spring - Yellowstone

Bison Herd - Yellowstone

Taggert & Bradley Lake Hikes - Grand Teton National Park

Moose Sightings in Cascade Canyon - Grand Teton National Park

Inspiration Point - Grand Teton National Park

Jenn & Chad at sunset on the hill by our cabin - Victor, Idaho

Surprise and Amphitheater Lake Hike - Grand Teton National Park

The Wedding

Reception in the Teepee at Dornan's

Perhaps that was more than a peek. And believe it or not, there are hundreds more. Can't wait to share them with some stories soon.

Goodbye parking meters, Hello hitchin' posts!

2009-07-17T11:48:00.002-05:00

Leaving town tomorrow and heading West to Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

Lots of biking, hiking, marrying and such going on.

I'm looking forward to that first, deep breath outside the airport when we arrive. No matter that it will most likely be clouded with exhaust and muddled with scents of sweating, perfumed tourists.

Mountains, wildlife, rivers and lakes. Vacation smells sweet.

Bring on the green stuff!

2009-07-10T21:25:00.006-05:00

My oven loves the summer. Like my sister, it gets the summers off with a few jobs trickling in once or twice a week--mostly sitting back and gathering dust (um, that last part is just about the oven, not Jenn).

With our garden sprouting spinach and various herbs and our CSA keeping us flush with lettuce, greens and the mysterious kohlrabi, we're becoming rabbits. Add to that my love affair with lentils that didn't wane once soup season ended, and I think Andy was nervous I was trying to cut animals out of our diets for good. (Never! Though I do agree with the "eat less meat" movement for various reasons, I will never be able to pass up a good steak from Paulina Meat Market.)

How was I going to convince Andy that another lentil recipe, especially a lentil SALAD recipe, was a good idea? How about adding some blue cheese and salty, smoky cured pork product? I'm not sure I've ever seen Andy turn down anything that included bacon in the ingredients.

The recipe also called for spinach which we could grab from our garden (the spinach is definitely the blue ribbon winner so far this year), which always makes any meal more exciting.

Lentil, Bacon and Blue Cheese Spinach Salad

I liked this recipe so much that I made it again a couple weeks later when Jenn came to Chicago for her bachelorette party weekend with her friend Dawn. They were both impressed, but I think I blew their minds when I broke out the homemade pizza dough. Still, 4 out of 4 people agree: this salad is awesome. (And chock full of protein, too!)

Spinach and Lentil Salad with Blue Cheese and Tart Cherry Vinaigrette
3/4 cup green lentils
7 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
8 bacon slices (about 6 ounces)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup finely chopped shallot
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup dried unsweetened tart cherries (about 3 ounces)
2 tablespoons sugar
3 1/2 cups baby or regular spinach leaves
1/3 cup blue cheese (about 2 ounces), preferably Oregon Blue

1. In a heavy saucepan cover lentils with water by 2 inches and simmer until just tender but not falling apart, about 15 minutes. Drain lentils well in a sieve. Rinse lentils under cold running water to stop cooking and drain well. In a bowl toss lentils with 2 tablespoons vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. (Lentils may be made 2 days ahead and chilled, covered. Bring lentils to room temperature before proceeding.)

2. In a skillet cook bacon over moderate heat until crisp and with tongs transfer to paper towels to drain. Crumble bacon.

3. In cleaned saucepan heat 2 tablespoons oil over moderate heat until hot but not smoking and cook shallot, stirring, until golden brown. Stir in water, cherries, sugar, and remaining 5 tablespoons vinegar and simmer, stirring occasionally, until liquid is reduced by about half, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low and whisk in remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a slow stream until emulsified. Season vinaigrette with salt and pepper.

4. Add half of vinaigrette to lentils and toss well. In another bowl toss spinach with half of lentil mixture, half of bacon, half of cheese, remaining vinaigrette, and salt and pepper to taste.

5. Divide remaining lentil mixture among 4 plates and top with spinach mixture. Sprinkle salads with remaining bacon and cheese.

Blogger Junior

2009-07-10T21:03:00.003-05:00

Sitting out on the delcony, dog bloggin'.

Slow goin' since fuzzy paws + small keyboard = crazy typos.

But I loves him anyway.

More than a passing resemblance

2009-06-25T10:29:00.004-05:00

After rereading a series of emails between myself and Andy today concerning the black and white cookie he brought back from NYC for me, I'm a bit disturbed at how much my speech patterns resemble a certain googly-eyed, blue muppet.

Email Subject: YUMMY YUMMY!!!!!!

Me: BLACK & WHITE COOKIE IS AWESOME!!!! I think you might need to go back to NYC soon so you can buy me MORE!

Andy: :)

Me: (obviously cannot let it go) Do you need to go back to NY today? Cause I might be okay with that if it means more COOKIE! NOM NOM NOM!

Andy: (possibly frightened) If I had ANY room left in my bag I would have gotten more, but I was running at capacity!

Me: I never knew what all the fuss was about. I don't really like frosted cookies really, but this is like cake and the frosting is like chocolate and vanilla armies battling with cookie and my mouth for most favoritest. Have you had the cookie? Do you know it's greatness?

Andy: (pleading and bargaining for his life) I do not know of the greatness, but next time I’ll get one for me to eat on the plane and three for you!

Me: How many cookies for me? Did you say six?

Andy: dozen

Me: You may live.

You'll always be second best

2009-06-24T13:48:00.007-05:00

Just got an email from Milo's daycare (we have not become rich nor snooty, don't worry) with the subject line: The cutest dog at Earth Pups.

This picture was attached to the email.

Good to see Milo's way with the ladies hasn't waned at all. Andy always jokes that he's worried we'll drop Milo off one day for daycare or boarding, and when we come back, the place will be closed up--the owner, Julie, off enjoying cocktails on a beach with Milo somewhere far, far away.

I agree that it might happen, but it would totally be Milo's idea.

When I walked him over to Earth Pups this morning around 7:00am, he was dragging ass, not at all enjoying Chicago's first official heat wave. Once we got to the door and he heard Julie's voice, his head and tail snapped up, and a convulsing, wriggling happy dance ensued.

Without even a glance over his shoulder, he took off through the door to his happiest place on earth.

When it was time to say bye, Julie tried to make him wave his paw at me, but his eyes were all, "And you are?"

You cut me deep, Milo. You cut me real deep.

Pasta Night

2009-06-21T22:23:00.000-05:00

My first two posts in a long time are both gonna be about food. (Sorry Uncle Tom.)

Last weekend, having my first break from work since May, I wanted to make the most of my Saturday.

Since it was raining and gloomy, finally making fresh pasta and a bolognese sauce recipe I'd had my eye on sounded like the best way to alleviate my working woman blues. Armed with an idea, I called Andrea, who's always up for a new cooking challenge and set a menu.

Baked goat cheese with toasted garlic crostini, homemade pasta with bolognese and tiramisu (!!!) for dessert. (I told you she's always up for a challenge.)

I grabbed the America's Test Kitchen version for the pasta dough, mixed it up in the food processor, grabbed our ingredients, a couple bottles of wine and headed down to Lincoln Park for an afternoon and evening of cooking and eating.

Andrea had warned me that she didn't have any fancy pasta making equipment, but all we needed was a rolling pin and a knife.

Everyone helped unroll the pasta, though some of us had trouble seeing the pasta as anything other than facial hair.

I have to hide the dry pasta at home because it's one of Andy's favorite snacks. Yeah, really.

And now I apparently will have to hide any fresh pasta as well.

Because we were unsure how the pasta would react in boiling water, we used the biggest pot Andrea and Eric had in their kitchen, not thinking about how long it would take 4 gallons of water to come to a boil.

With some time to kill, the photo above spawned a photo contest which I still believe was rigged, but have to go with Eric's (below)as my favorite.

(Yes we still ate that basil, which was grown in our garden, even after it was up Andy's nose)

Once the water boiled, it was only minutes until the pasta was cooked, and I have now developed an apron obsession after Andrea introduced me to this.

Tossed with a little olive oil and fresh basil.

Now we're talkin'. I want to climb through my monitor and stick my face in that.

This too.

I think this more accurately represents my food photography skills as well. The pasta beard and basil 'stache is still hard to beat though.

We ate lots of pasta, drank lots of wine and had more tiramisu than is probably necessary. We even watched the naked bike ride from their balcony. (But not in a pervy way. The 21st floor is too high to see any naughty bits.)

The bolognese recipe we used was loosely based on this one, though I halved it, used half ground beef, half mild Italian sausage (because the grocery was out of ground pork) and used probably a little more wine than the average person since Andrea and I decided it needed more to "thin it out" before serving. Amazing taste, and not difficult though the 90 minutes or so we allowed it to simmer definitely helped.

Fresh Pasta Recipe from America's Test Kitchen
I want to stress that this was NOT hard. Especially for the amazing results that came of it, I think it's definitely worth a try if you've never made pasta from scratch. I used my food processor because I'm lazy, but you can mix the ingredients by hand if you need to. I don't imagine it's that hard since you have to knead it anyway.

2 cups all purpose flour
3 large eggs, beaten
Water

(Yes, that's it. Really!)

1. Pulse the flour a few times in a food processor to aerate. Add the eggs and process until the dough forms a ball, about 30 seconds.

2. If the dough resembles small pebbles, add water, 1/2 teaspoon at a time. If the dough sticks to the sides, add flour 1 tablespoon at a time, and process until the dough forms a rough ball.

3. Turn out the dough ball and any small bits onto a clean counter. Knead the dough by hand until it is smooth, about 2 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 15 minutes (or up to 2 hours) before rolling.

(To roll, if you can't tell from the photos, I just used a rolling pin to roll it out as thin as possible into an approximate rectangle. Then I cut the piece in half, rolled each half and cut slices to create pasta strands that can be unrolled individually.)

Bike Trip North

2009-06-14T13:38:00.001-05:00

Watching the pups play at the Evanston dog beach.

Who, me?

2009-05-22T12:52:00.002-05:00

Today I realized an extremely strange phenomenon surrounding my position at work.

I am apparently the go-to person for sage athletic and sports information.

Granted, this shouldn't be seen as much of a victory since two years ago, our United Nations of a production team figured our rise in sales for an especially popular party food was from the Martin Luther King holiday and not, in fact, from the football playoffs (which that year included Chicago and Indianapolis, two of our strongest markets). I quickly warned them about the Super Bowl, and after creating a sports calendar for them, figured my job was done.

I often get comments on the Bengals calendar hanging over my desk and the picture of my cousin with Chad Johnson pinned to my cube wall. Still, I hadn't realized I'd become the "sports girl" until today when a salesman asked me if I followed hockey.

I don't.

But I do live with Andy who likes to watch playoff hockey on t.v. and Reds baseball on the laptop simultaneously. I thought the sales guy wanted to chat about Chicago's 2 game deficit to Detroit, but he only needed an update on Detroit's standing so he could include it as a personal touch in an email to a client who's a Red Wings fan.

In an office of more than 300, how I became the sports aficionado is as perplexing to me as Tara Reid's celebrity.

With the uncertain economy, I should be glad I've found a way to differentiate myself, I guess. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a date with espn.com.

Milo's Day at the Spa

2009-05-22T12:27:00.005-05:00

Hot Mess

HOTNESS!

And he's even all patriotic for Memorial Day now. Thanks, Earth Pups!

Killing me softly

2009-05-13T11:07:00.003-05:00

Hope to see you again after trade show season.

Cruel Weather Fate

2009-05-01T11:39:00.003-05:00

I'm leaving Chicago, the land of perpetual rain and clouds, at 7:00am on Saturday morning.

To go to Cincinnati for 2 days.

Why, GOD, WHYYYYYY?!?!

Dinner at Takashi

2009-04-29T12:30:00.001-05:00

Twice a year, Andy and I open our wallets and head out to a nice dinner for our birthdays. After our experience at Takashi last Sunday, we're now trying to justify celebrating half-birthdays as well.

Without any further ado, our dinner:

We had a little bit of inside help on this one. It turns out, a coworker of mine is friends with one of Takashi's servers/bartenders, Jason. We scheduled our dinner to make sure we could take advantage of this perk and at 6:45 (15 minutes early or it wouldn't be Andy) we were seated in Jason's section. Our table was right by the big windows in front so we could watch the sky turn blue, pink, vanilla, navy and gray (it never really gets black near the city's lights).

We agreed to let Jason take us through our meal, and are SO glad we did. He ran every course by us before bringing it out, and we agreed with everything he suggested. We started with some cocktails that went perfectly with the warm, slightly humid weather we'd had that day.

I chose the ginger lime martini (Ketel One Vodka, lime juice and fresh ginger syrup, whose special ingredient is lemongrass. Thanks, Jason!) and Andy had the Mayfair cocktail (Hendrick's Gin, lime juice and cucumber. yummy and refreshing!).

These drinks would carry us through our first two courses, and after that, Jason split glasses of wine between us for each course. I loved that he offered so we could completely enjoy every course with our half glass of wine (still generous pours, which made me appreciate what their full glasses must be) without worrying about a giant alcohol bill or waking up for work the next day (5 courses = 5 glasses of wine after delicious, but strong cocktails... a little much for a Sunday night).

There will be more gushing about the wonderful service later, so on to the food!

Duck Confit with Pea Custard, fresh peas, microgreens (and a tart, delicious vinaigrette I can't remember)

The most surprising thing about this dish (besides the fact that pea-hater, Andy gobbled it up) was that it was warm. I don't know why I figured pea custard had to be cold, but maybe the vinaigrette had me thinking "salad". I loved this dish, though. It was on their small plates menu only available Sun-Thurs, so I think so the fact that it was so inexpensive ($5!!) seemed almost unfair. I actually felt like I needed to pay MORE for such a rich, crispy skinned piece of duck and light, pea custard topped with cool, crisp greens.

Sashimi Plate: Big Eye Tuna with Umami-Soy, Hokkaido Scallop with Pickled Plum, Blue Prwawn with Cucumber and Eggplant

This was the most generous and delicious sashimi platter I've ever had. The scallops melted in your mouth and the three big pieces of tuna in the umami soy on a daikon salad were amazingly fresh. The shrimp was covered in a perfect heat chili sauce, and I'm glad they cooked it a bit to satisfy us Westerners who can't stomach raw shrimp just yet.

And with the next course, my life was forever changed.

Sauteed Maine Scallops and Soba Gnocchi with Trumpet Royale (mushrooms) and Celery Root-Parmesan Foam

Jason paired this course with a Pinot Grigio I can't remember that had great acid to cut through the rich cream sauce Andy was seriously THISCLOSE to licking off the bottom of the bowl (and which 6 drinks later when the chef came out to talk to us-yeah, I chatted with a James Beard award winner-Andy mentioned he wished I'd brought a bigger purse so he could take the bowl home with us). The flavorful (believe it or not) celery root/parmesan foam obscures the entire picture of deliciousness, but after my first bite, I wondered why I would ever eat anything else. Our server also mentioned that this dish was rated by Gourmet magazine as one of the best 10 dishes in the United States. Andy and I heartily agree.

Our first entree was next, paired with a dry reisling.

Sauteed Maine Skate Wing-Risotto of Spring Peas, Wild Leeks, Asparagus, Broccolini
This was my first experience with Skate Wing, and now I'm kicking myself for never ordering it. The preparation was a perfect blend of textures, the skate just browned and crispy while still moist and perfectly flaky on a bed of creamy asparagus/pea risotto with roasted parsnips and fried squash on top. There wasn't a piece of this entree I didn't love intensely. I was so afraid that we'd peaked too early with the scallops, but this stood up well and continued our perfect meal.

Enough fish, gimme some meat! (and some red wine, please. thanks, again, Jason!)

Soy-Ginger Caramel Pork Belly-Pickled Daikon salad, Steamed Buns

Okay, yeah, I found this picture on the internets, but ours looked just like that, I promise! (Actually, I think our mustard dollop was between our pork and steamed buns, but I figured that didn't make much of a difference.) I think I was hypnotized by the smell of caramelized meat because my camera didn't even cross my mind when this was set in front of us. The buns are like the softest white bread, but denser while the meat completely changed my mind about pork belly. Even the salad was the perfect, vinegary acid for the rich meat. We used the mustard sparingly since it was pretty intense, but I know my dad would have eaten it by the spoonful.

Time for our second entree.

Chicken in Clay Pot-Amish Chicken, Shimeji Mushrooms, Eggplant, Haricot Vert
The quality of the photos decreased as the sun went down and we lost our natural light. Good thing the food didn't follow suit. The chicken was sizzling and steaming in a citrusy, yuzu broth. How the chicken skin stayed crispy and delicious? I didn't care since I was busy shoving it in my mouth, followed shortly by the seared green beans, mushrooms and eggplant. I wanted the miso mustard on the eggplant to be bottled, but apparently Takashi isn't into retail.

Before bringing us dessert menus, Jason brought us grapefruit and coconut sorbet as a palate cleanser along with some sparkling wine. It was super festive.

As much as I live for desserts, I really didn't feel like we needed one. THAT is how good this meal was. Still, we decided on the Yuzu pudding cake since it was citrusy and light because Andy had to have dessert on his birthday (and sorbet does NOT count!)

Yuzu Pudding Cake-with diced kiwi and pineapple (I think?) and coconut sorbet

Andy also got a special birthday dessert!

Five Spice Chocolate Mousse

There was a brush stroke of salted caramel on this plate that I swiped up with my finger it was so good. I love complicated, spiced chocolate, so this was amazingly good, even though I wasn't in the mood for a heavy dessert.

We were there for over 2 hours and from start to finish, it was an incredible experience. Our server, Jason, definitely made it spectacular, so if you find yourself in the position to go, I highly recommend asking for him.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to post a Yelp review and shed some tears of food nostalgia.

Ode to a Brew Master (on his birthday)

2009-04-27T19:42:00.000-05:00

Already so many good things
To our five year relationship you bring.
Turkey dances, monkey faces, and guitar shows.
“It’s peanut butter jelly time!” you sing.

But then once upon a Google,
You found some fun recipes to brew.
Ever since we’ve been flush with alcohol.
And now, Andy, I really love you!

Hic-cup! Hic-cup! Happy Birthday!
Raise your glass! Have one more, then we go!
Wishing a wonderful and beer-soaked birthday,
To the greatest brew master I know.

Hoppy Birthday, Andrewshus!

More Guitar

2009-04-24T14:27:00.003-05:00

Git yer fill, 'cause Andy tells me this is the last class he's taking for awhile. It was pretty sweet listening to a constant stream of David Bowie for the week leading up to the concert. Much better than the "Buckets of Rain" days.

Untitled from Kristin Sutter on Vimeo.
Next time, I need to remember to bring our digital video recorder instead of my camera which takes up a phenomenal amount of memory (hence why I stopped before the song's end... well, that and my fingers were itching with the want to clap in that "jing ga jong e jangggggg a clap clap" part.)

Easter Sunday - Revisited

2009-04-20T09:28:00.004-05:00

This Easter, we decided to stay in the city since Andy's parents came to us and I'm planning to head home at the beginning of May for some bridal showers.

Luckily Andrea was in town as well. And baking.

From Easter09

Don't worry, we also had scrambled eggs with ricotta cheese and chives with a side of bacon, too.

From Easter09

After brunch, we headed across the street to Lincoln Park for some bocce ball. Andrea's throwing style was my favorite.

From Easter09

Her arm was like a super fast, backwards trebuchet. Tiny arms with ridiculous amounts of oomph behind each throw.

Garrett had the prettiest extension, though, and gets points for his ~~girly~~ artsy finger finish.

From Easter09

Ball watcher, Eric.

From Easter09

Winter had obviously left us out of practice and not up to our usual standards of awesomeness.

From Easter09

That unfortunately meant the guys won.

From Easter09

I blamed my arm for getting tired because bocce is definitely a hardcore, endurance kind of game.

After play time was over, we headed home where Andy turned on The Masters golf tournament and I was asleep before my butt even hit the couch cushion.

The Perils of Non-fiction

2009-04-17T09:45:00.004-05:00

Just submitted a story to my writing class that started as a character exercise about a guy I went to high school with. I wrote it with the intention that it would be seen by my teacher and no one else. When she emailed to ask if she could share it with the class, my ego said, "Of course!" before my brain had a chance to evaluate the situation.

It's weirdly horrifying; putting real people from my past out there for other people to see from my point of view--with all my bias. I'm pretty sure no one in my writing class has any direct connections to Cincinnati suburban public schools, but I'm still a little anxious it'll somehow get back to him.

I always assume people don't want to be written about. The idea of someone else writing things about me, things I have no control over, really freaks me out.

(I do love to write about myself, though, if you haven't noticed.)

In other news, some advice:

Don't feed your dog with one hand and yourself with the other. You'd be amazed how easy it is to mix that up.

Random Facts About Milo

2009-04-15T16:01:00.007-05:00

When on our walks, Milo immediately goes into stealth mode, slinking close to the ground if he sees any dog/person/squirrel/etc. coming toward him. His stubby, fuzzy legs have yet to inspire fear in any living thing. I'm not sure how the occasional plastic bag he stalks feels, though.

Milo doesn't like most dog treats. I know this, but often forget when walking down the treat aisle and now we have 3 cups of useless doggie ice cream sitting in the back of the freezer.

Like a good Sutter family member, Milo LOVES cheese.

When he first wakes up, Milo will put both paws in your hand and splay his back legs out so you can give him a morning stretch.

His furry paws and our hardwood floors don't mesh well. There are lots of cartoon-like running into the wall situations. He still hasn't learned to put on the brakes 5 feet before he really should.

He is terrified of anything dropping or falling to the ground. Seriously, a throw pillow makes him run for cover like an air raid siren. If I drop the remote one more time, he may need therapy.

He does awesomely hilarious aerial breakdance moves when we hold him over the bathtub. "Must. Avoid. Water. As. Long. As. Posssible."

He loves playing with ginger kids and babies.

Before he eats them.

The 6,395 times he's tried and failed to jump onto the bed haven't sunk in yet. I like to think of it as optimism rather than a probable sign of brain damage.

His tongue is too big for his mouth. I know this, but pretend to be surprised when EVERY SINGLE PERSON on our walks points this out.

The first night we got him, I had buyer's remorse.

I now have remorse for my buyer's remorse.

Beer Label

2009-04-10T17:00:00.005-05:00

I hope I'm not ruining the Saturday debut with this, but wanted to share the beer label I made for Andy's new home brew.

It's a blonde ale that got its name from Andy's new found hubris (called out by Eric) at his twice demonstrated beer-making skills. I helped cap this batch, so I consider taking half the credit a reasonable exchange after spending 20 minutes on my knees (HI-OH!) with the bottle capper.

Andy also created a label of his own that's a little classier, but I think mine kicks ass.

I've been waiting for a chance to "I told you so!" his ass for buying all the equipment, but so far my taste buds and I are impressed. I'm even thinking of making our second bedroom the full-time beer making/storage facility, especially if it means keeping the fridge stocked with tasty Belgian-style ales.

Burgers and Pup Hoodies

2009-04-09T21:41:00.011-05:00

Spent last weekend in Columbus which meant Thurman's on Friday night. Finally, back to Ohio for the best burgers I've ever had and these little lovelies.

Pretzel Bites.

Best thing I've ever put in my mouth.

Well, maybe except for this.

Or this.

We came SO close to finishing this time! I blame the two pitchers of beer for the slow down. We started out so strong!

(Don't ever say I'm not willing to post bad pictures of myself on this blog.)

It was a fantastic weekend filled with an awesome trip to Athens that I'll have to chronicle in another post since I don't have the energy to resize all those photos tonight.

I did pick up a little something for Milo while hanging around our old college town.

Yeah, it's even cuter in person. Trust me, it's possible.

Jenny couldn't keep her hands off of him.

He might not've liked it quite as much as we did, though.

Don't worry, he eventually came out from under the table when I promised not to dress him up any more that night.

Weekend in a plastic, pastel-colored eggshell

2009-03-29T19:52:00.005-05:00

Just finished watching Rachel Getting Married, an intense look at family relationships and addiction and am feeling a lot better about my issues. Thinking that I need to make friends with more crazy musicians, though, so they can provide a constant soundtrack for my maybe future, kinda eventual wedding day.

Am currently avoiding doing a character sketch after having a lot of fun running through details of this week's subject, an old neighbor, Louise.

I was amazed at how much I remembered and after filling 2 pages with descriptions, am now facing the task I hate most, organizing these thoughts and figuring how they fit into a cohesive piece.

Rejoice! I am finally getting over a cold that had me praying for the day some genius gets off his ass and invents a high-powered nasal vacuum.

Topping off the weekend were the inches of slushy snow dumped on my street, backyard and car today. March 29th. I'm not complaining (much) since I realize that won't help and nobody likes a whiner. Still, the dripping ice chunks falling from rooftops and branches made the walk to brunch around the corner a little more interesting in a trekking through slush in constant fear kind of way.

Ending with some good news, since the Sroufe's visit this weekend, I now have 12 10 8 7 chocolate-covered marshmallow eggs in the freezer. (I like my marshmallow crunchy, melty, or not at all! Suck it, Bri-Bri!) I also scored some Cadbury Mini Eggs, so now I only need a Reese's Egg for an Easter candy trifecta.

What's your favorite Easter candy?

*Post Script: Andy, thinking I'm deeply involved in my writing assignment, just asked with real concern if he was bothering me by paying bills/doing taxes/some-other-responsible-shit at the same table. I assured him that since I was currently doing a Google image search for chocolate covered marshmallow eggs, yes, could he please back the fuck off and let me work.

What Dreams May Come (and scare the crap outta me)

2009-03-24T22:09:00.003-05:00

Last night I had a dream that I woke up in the middle of my own open-heart surgery. Doctors with covered heads and faces were up to their elbows in my guts. Organs and fluids sloshing around, I remember feeling pain in my chest (a rarity in dreams) and wishing someone would notice my eyes were open and conscious. I woke up still remembering the aching from the stitched and stapled wound (because apparently one or the other would not be enough?).

Tonight in writing class we had to write a 10 minute poem from the prompt, "Ways of Making Love".

I wrote about sleep.

According to me, love means a front row seat to your own invasive medical procedure.

I need lines to color inside of

2009-03-23T11:47:00.009-05:00

I remember the first picture I ever colored without breaking the black lines creating the image. It was a rollerskating girl with pigtails, short skirt and striped socks. The page was from one of those beginner coloring books with thick lines, large, simple shapes and as little detail as possible.

Pressing the colored wax into the paper with half my body weight, I outlined each shape. First the skirt which was a basic trapezoid.

Aside: My 7th grade algebra teacher, Mr. Smoot, between bouts of throwing erasers at chalkboards and chastising me for unfinished homework, used to repeat a trapezoid joke at every opportunity, which was unfortunately about twice a week.

What are trapezoids used for?
To trap a zoid!

Hardy har!

There was very little I took away from Mr. Smoot other than the assertion that 7th grade algebra would be my last advanced math course for the rest of my educational career, but that joke stuck.

Back to the coloring because I think I was going somewhere with that.

My crayon box was a mess of peaks, valleys and torn wrappers. I really liked how the colors looked when you smashed the tip of the crayon into the paper with incredible pressure. This made the colors bold and more vibrant, though the finished product had a tendency to flake and peel. My coloring books often left a rainbow trail of dandruff as I carried them though the house.

My sister was great at coloring. She taught me to trace the outline of the picture first, then evenly shade in each area. As much as I practiced, I could never get the even pressure thing down. Rather than have everything two-toned, I would press as hard as possible to get a more consistent result. This aggressive technique shortened the life-span of my favorite colors to about 4 pages.

Some creative color choices were made to extend the lives my favorites. Grass could be brown if it hadn't been watered, the sun could be burnt orange if it was rising or setting and the sky could be gray on an overcast day.

Mastering coloring inside the lines was a proud day for me. Since I still remember the pig-tailed, skirted girl who served as my subject, the ability to show off a page without an errant scribble obviously made an impression.

Once I graduated to free-form drawing is when more ugly obstacles crawled out of my Lisa Frank pencil box. A blank piece of paper is a wonderful thing--full of possibilities. I prefer mine in the form of a lined, crisp first page of a notebook, but understand the sentiment is the mostly same.

I need direction. A prompt or specific areas to outline and shade. When I go to a restaurant with paper table cloths and crayons to pass the time until food hits the table, my first inclination is to write something, not draw.

With so many options at the age of 4, I often settled on the same picture, with the same components and characters every time.

Yep, I still got it.

Amazing how MS Paint is able to realistically recreate my 4-year-old artistic skills.

Sometimes the leprechaun would be sliding down the rainbow, but that was pretty much the extent of variation. (And by sliding down the rainbow, I mean drawn exactly as pictured above, but positioned on top of the rainbow rather than standing awkwardly beside his pot o' yellow circles.)

My preschool and kindergarten teachers must have worried about my unhealthy obsession with rainbows, leprechauns and pots of gold. I didn't especially love rainbows or leprechauns, but they were one of the first things I ever wanted to draw. It included all the colors, was easy, and allowed me to show off the fact that I knew all the colors of the rainbow AND what order they went in--something I'd memorized the first day of preschool by staring at the rainbow-painted wall all day in shyness. Every now and then I'd try a unicorn or another unrecognizable animal from my unskilled hands. After having to explain that my elegant unicorn was definitely NOT a rhinoceros, I learned to not stray too far from what I knew.

My writing equivalent of this artistic repetition has changed over the years, but is mostly centered around tales from my life. I'll tell different stories, illustrated with silly pictures of Milo, but whenever I'm given instructions to write about anything, anything I can possibly dream up, I slip back into what I know.

My assignment this week was to write every day. Come up with a schedule and stick to it. Simple. Easy. Limitless.

Uh-oh.

While I love making schedules and sticking to them, I cannot be the only one accountable for both ends of the equation--especially when there aren't clearly defined consequences or goals involved. Given the simple task of writing, just sitting down and taking the time to do it has caused me to avoid the laptop and my notebook more than the overflowing laundry basket. You know it's there and you should really just get to it, but it'll eventually get done, so why not take the dog for another walk in the sun or try a second attempt at that no-knead bread recipe?

Several times this weekend I'd sit with the laptop and stare at the screen, write a sentence or two and then realize I should really be riding the bike or downloading the pictures and video I took of Milo at playgroup.

So today I sat down to blog, hoping it might hammer a tiny crack into my shield of avoidance. I made up my mind to at least write about how I'm not writing and look what happened? Words! Hundreds of them pecked out one at a time. Bird by bird.

Parking Ticket Update

2009-03-19T09:32:00.003-05:00

Just checked the Chicago online parking ticket search and my ill-given ticket is nowhere to be found. Nightmares of waking up with a giant, yellow boot on my car can finally end.

System? Consider yourself beaten.

Still writing, just not for you

2009-03-18T15:13:00.003-05:00

My silence has been deafening, I know.

While I have been writing and living up a storm, I haven't been recording any of it for you.

My writing class at StoryStudio Chicago started last week and since then, I've been sitting down to write quite a bit, but character sketches, essays about mustaches and quick writing prompt responses to Big Lebowski quotes are things I'd like to keep to myself, my instructor and the entire class of Creative Writing on Tuesday from 7:00pm-9:30pm (Shout out!) for now. Oh, and Andy, who got to read the mustache thing. (Is it wrong that I kind of love "moustache" more? Does that make me British? I hope not. Perhaps a poser. Or poseur, if you will.)

As the entire city rushes outdoors to breathe in the first bits of unfrosted air with great, gasping gulps, I'm hunkering down, reading my Anne Lamott (thanks, Judy!) and trying to find inspiration in Pet Milk, which happened to be one of our first reading assignments; successfully flaunting how woefully inept I find myself--out of practice and flabby with preoccupation.

So please excuse while I tighten and tone. The end result will be mutually beneficial, I assure you.

New favoritest dinner

2009-03-12T20:59:00.006-05:00

Five years ago, if you asked me what my favorite vegetable was, I would answer broccoli without hesitation. I started eating it dipped in A1 steak sauce around the age of 6. Since then, I progressed to steaming, covering in cheese, throwing in a stir fry and eventually... roasting. The perfect method for cooking broccoli.

That's why when I saw this recipe, even though I'm not usually super excited about shrimp recipes, I thought this one would be worth a shot.

Ooh, so happy I did.

Only 20 minutes of cook time with almost no prep and only one dirty pan unless you make a little curry rice on the side like we did.

Still so worth it and this has jumped to the top of my list of favorite weeknight dinners. Make it now, thank me later.

Melissa Clark's Roasted Broccoli With Shrimp

2 pounds broccoli, cut into bite-size florets
4 tablespoons ( 1/4 cup) extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds (or 1/2 tsp ground, though the seeds add great texture)
1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds (or 1/2 tsp ground)
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt (I'd cut this to 1 tsp next time)
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon hot chili powder
1 pound large shrimp, shelled and deveined (we used Jumbo since that's what Trader Joe's had, and it worked just fine)
1 1/4 teaspoons lemon zest (from 1 large lemon)
Lemon wedges, for serving.

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, toss broccoli with 2 tablespoons oil, coriander, cumin, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and chili powder. In a separate bowl, combine shrimp, remaining 2 tablespoons oil, lemon zest, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

2. Spread broccoli in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast for 10 minutes. Add shrimp to baking sheet and toss with broccoli. Roast, tossing once halfway through, until shrimp are just opaque and broccoli is tender and golden around edges, about 7-10 minutes more. Serve with lemon wedges, or squeeze lemon juice all over shrimp and broccoli just before serving.

Yield: 4 servings. But really 2 because I couldn't stop picking at the broccoli and Andy couldn't lay off the shrimp.

I Object

2009-03-12T16:12:00.003-05:00

Below are photos I sent in with my signed letter of complaint to contest the parking ticket I received for "Parking/Blocking a Crosswalk".

I rest my case.

Mistaken Identity

2009-03-11T18:12:00.003-05:00

What I Thought Happened

Scuzzy, bundled up homeless man shuffling down the street toward me and Milo on our afternoon walk: (slurring) You go' some money?

Me: (uncomfortably) Uh, no.

Scuzzy Homeless Guy: (stopping to bug me more) No?

Me: (brusquely, eyes rolling as I hurry us past) No.

What Actually Happened

Perfectly normal guy from my neighborhood, bundled up because it's Chicago in March and therefore below freezing, walking down the street toward me and Milo on our afternoon walk: (cheerily looking down at Milo, though mumbling a bit because of his scarf) Is that a Lhasa Apso?

Me: (uncomfortably) Uh, no.

Normal Guy: (confused and stopping to have a neighborly chat) No?

Me: (unreasonably and rudely brushing past) No.

Number of seconds before I realize why he looks so confused, turn and scream after him, "Shih-tzu! He's a SHIH-TZU!"?

Approximately 15.

Damn doppelganger dog.

Long overdue

2009-03-11T12:26:00.001-05:00

Ladies and Gents, Andy's Guitar Recital a mere three weeks after the actual event.

He's even got a solo!

Frankie says it, Milo does it

2009-03-04T14:01:00.004-06:00

In every life we have some trouble,
When you worry you make it double.

Don't worry, be happy.

Yes, I will now be whistling that little ditty for the rest of the afternoon along with you all.

Humpy Birthday

2009-03-02T16:51:00.004-06:00

Saturday was Milo's 2nd birthday, and I'm proud to announce that Andy and I did NOT totally forget about it this year.

In fact, we even took him to check out a doggie daycare where he spent approximately 75% of his time being humped by a 7lb dog that looked like this:

I'd call any day you're made a bitch by someone half your size a good day.

Happy Birthday Buddy!

(Don't worry, we also gave him 3 walks, organic doggie ice cream and fed him treats 'til he puked.)

Laughs

2009-03-02T13:40:00.004-06:00

When Andy and I first moved in together, I knew it wasn't going to work.

One of us was a snorer (and I won't say who), while the other was an apparently very light sleeper. We tried adding white noise to keep on in the background, but didn't want to waste electricity by keeping a fan pointed at the wall during winter. Earplugs, no matter what the make, were far too uncomfortable for nightly use and made hearing the alarm a little difficult.

One day, magically, the problem stopped. Not the snoring, but the snoring as an issue. I'm not sure if the snoring got softer, the light sleeper more resilient or what, but somehow we were both sleeping peacefully through the night.

Then came Milo.

Our first night with a pet, we tried to keep Milo in his "home" (read: "cage" because apparently dogs have learned the English language with all its subtle nuances and might be able to associate the word cage with being confined for punishment?) in the dining room. After an hour of barking and whining, we moved Milo and his home to the living room at the opposite end of the apartment, hoping sheer distance might muffle the noise.

When the barking wouldn't stop, I was wondering what the breeder's return policy was.

"What have we DONE?" I whined to Andy. We were so obviously inept at being pet owners. After one night of troubled sleep, I was convinced it wasn't meant to be.

Luckily, morning brought with it a fresh dose of sanity and I figured since we'd mastered the snoring issue, we might be able to conquer this. One step at a time, our routine evolved and we figured out how to stop the barking by moving the cage inside the bedroom. Small victories lead to bigger victories and before we knew it, Milo was an irreplaceable part of our lives.

After a bath or on special occasions (like when we actually remember his birthday), we'll even let him sleep on the bed with us.

He'll still wake us up with a couple muffled barks and twitching paws when he's having dreams of chasing down a squirrel (or maybe chasing down me and Andy, who can be sure?), but these episodes are so rare that Andy and I still find them unbelievably cute and hilarious.

That's why when I saw the following video clip on Dooce today, I knew I'd be sharing it. Milo's not quite as energetic as Bizkit, but he has rolled himself off the bed before.

Rock TV

2009-02-27T20:38:00.005-06:00

Current(ish) T.V. Theme Songs I Love:

How I Met Your Mother
I always make Andy listen to this and sing along with me. Also one of my favorite tv shows on right now.
The Sopranos
Makes me feel like a badass.
Kath & Kim
I'm still not sure I like this show too much but I absolutely love the song. I have no idea why. So catchy!
Dexter
Premium channel shows always have kickass intros.
Scrubs
I'm no superman. True.
True Blood
Another HBO show with awesome credits. Hot.

Anything I'm missing?

Annoying... and a little creepy

2009-02-27T16:39:00.006-06:00

Co-worker who's name I don't even know showing me through FOUR separate photo albums chronicling every day of last year's $20,000, put it on your credit card because you can't afford it for real, honeymoon cruise and vacation.

Another thing I don't need to know about? Your $300 sea bass dinner you didn't ask to see the menu price of or the $250 Murano glass bud vase and $40 glass ornament you bought in Italy.

Sorry, but I'm not amazed that you shot every photo with your "old Kodak, 4 mega pixel camera" because I'm so distracted by the giant, yellow date stamped in the lower right hand corner of every. single. picture.

Go. Away.

Pass the lard, please

2009-02-25T21:15:00.002-06:00

While growing up, I never thought of myself as sheltered. It was the Midwest, but I went to a public high school that had plenty of black people. Later on, I patted myself on the back for choosing to attend such a "diverse" institution instead of the local Catholic high schools.

When I first saw the word "Polak" written in a musty, old joke book at a local book fair, I had absolutely no idea what it meant. (Now that I think about it, who was screening these books? I probably could've found Mein Kampf if I looked hard enough.) I could tell that it was some sort of slur and an ugly word, but could not even fathom who it might refer to. Were there people who lived at the South Pole I didn't know about? And if there were, weren't they living in igloos and calling themselves Eskimos?

(Keep in mind that I was 7-years-old. It doesn't change the fact that I was stupid, but I hope you'll feel worse making fun of a kid.)

The idea that there were other cultures outside of Western Europe that didn't involve a change in skin color or facial features was, well, entirely foreign to me.

Fast forward 19 years and I'm embracing different cultures in the whitest, most American way possible. I'm eating their food.

This is what lead me and 5 friends to Szalas (pronounced Shah-wah's), an authentic Polish restaurant in the Archer Heights neighborhood of Chicago.

I grabbed the nearest, and coincidentally my favorite Polish person, Karolina to take along as our guide through the world of beet soup and copious amounts of meat.

The atmosphere is definitely my favorite part about the place. It's a huge A-frame building with giant, vaulted ceilings and a big rope attached to a bell you have to pull to get inside.

Um, yes, that is a water wheel and a GIANT STUFFED BEAR you see behind me. I told you. Awesome.

Karolina was also able to explain a lot of the clothes and tools that decorated the walls. For instance, did you know that the typical Polish Highlander's walking cane doubled as an axe? Me neither, but now I know I'll run faster if being chased by an angry, cane-wielding Pole.

Shit just got better when they brought our bread basket which included a goat cheese spread and a scoop of lard with bacon bits mixed in.

It actually wasn't as completely gross as it sounds, but I did only have the one bite I forced myself to try. I think that if I hadn't been told it was lard, it might've had a better chance. Lard. Now there's a word that can kill an appetite.

We decided to split some dishes, but Nikki went with the special which is basically every type of Polish meat on a plate.

She's delighted if you can't tell.

As the only experienced one at the table, Karolina decided to flex her culinary gross out muscles and ordered sauerkraut and mushroom pierogies followed up with the nastiest thing I've ever seen someone eat outside of old Survivor episodes.

Mmm, herring.

Luckily our food came before I could blow chunks.

Everything was basically meat dressed up in different sauce/potato/dumpling packages. The highlander's special was the all-around favorite (potato pancake topped with goulash). Did you know that goulash was an actual food? I thought it was one of those things like "porridge" that poor kids are always eating in fairy tales and Dickens' novels.

There were also some traditional Polish Highlander musicians to entertain us and the other two tables there on Valentine's Day weekend.

Shh. Don't tell that guy that his cello only has three strings and it's not just a really big guitar.

The verdict?

I loved the atmosphere and the company, but I don't see myself craving a beef roll, pickle soup or beet salad anytime soon.

If I had the chance to go back with this crew though, I'd take it. Stick to the beer and the goulash and you can't go wrong.

Pizza Night

2009-02-23T19:11:00.007-06:00

The worst weekend of my professional life had but one bright spot.

Fortunately, that bright spot included bacon.

Saturday night we had friends over for a pizza fest since we got our pizza stone and are now obsessed with making homemade pizza at every possible opportunity.

I was a little later than I'd thought getting home, so Andy actually prepared all the doughs for our contributions to the evening.

We started with two loaves (pieces?) of pizza bianca stolen mostly from Smitten Kitchen who got it from Jim Lahey. So simple is the recipe, though, that they were pretty much the same most places I looked.

We didn't follow the intricate baking instructions, recommended, and just turned the oven as high as it would go and slipped the prepared dough onto the smoldering pizza stone for an incredibly crunchy, chewy, amazingly simple flat bread. The first one came out a little crispier than the second, but still completely wonderful.

The pizza bianca was a great pairing with this antipasto salad and a giant glass of pinot noir.

Then began the construction of the mashed potato pizza. After making 12 potatoes worth of mashed red potatoes (because Emeril is obviously smoking creole crack when he writes his recipes and wants to see if people will actually follow his drug-induced instructions), we used maybe 3 to spread on the pizza crust. But really, who complains about leftover mashed potatoes? Moving on...

Andrea is one of my favorite people for bringing recipes like this (and pepperoni rolls) into my life. As I type this, I'm munching on some of the homemade graham crackers (!!I know!!) she left at our place. A cup of honey lemon green tea takes them to a whole new, graham-tastic level.

Back to the pizza. Next came some onions sauteed in olive oil.

Then came the ingredients that automatically elevate any recipe to a new level in my esteem, cheese and bacon. The combo of fontina and provolone cheese was melty, salty and smoky. Like any good chef, Andrea didn't skimp on the bacon.

This is what magic happens after 14 minutes in the oven.

I wasn't sure what to expect from a mashed potato pizza, but it really works. This isn't the pizza for any carb-cutters (freaks) out there, but it's a must-try for any pizza lover.

Enjoying the fruits of our labor.

Eric's sad face is due to how little pizza he has left.

I know how you feel, buddy. I just finished my last graham cracker.

Happy eating everyone!

Pizza Bianca
Makes two long pizzas

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon instant dry yeast
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 sprig fresh rosemary

1. Combine flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, sugar, and yeast in the bowl of an electric mixer (or food processor as we do) and slowly add 1 cup cold water. Mix on low speed until ingredients begin to combine, increase speed to medium-high, and continue to mix for about 10 minutes until the dough is smooth, elastic, and cleanly pulls away from the sides of the mixing bowl.

2. Place dough in an oiled bowl, and allow to rest for 2 to 4 hours until it has doubled in size. Split the dough into halves, and form each into a log. Place each log on a generously floured surface, and allow it to rest until the formed dough doubles in size again, at least 1 hour.

3. Put dough on a lightly floured, pizza paddle or rimless baking sheet. Dimple dough by pressing it down with your fingertips. Work the dough outward toward the edges of the peel until you reach your desired size and thickness, about 1/4 inch. Drizzle with remaining olive oil, rosemary and sprinkle with remaining salt.

4. Place a baking stone, in the oven. Set oven to 500ish degrees or as high as it will go (mine was 550). Slip the dough onto the baking stone and let bake for 5-7 minutes or until it's browned and beautifully bubbly. Keep an eye on it since it bakes fairly quickly and burns even faster if you wander off.

5 Years...

2009-02-17T19:42:00.009-06:00

And counting.

Five years ago today, after some Name That Tune and about 25 minutes into Good Will Hunting, I cornered Andy and made him mine.

I was looking through my photos to show us through the years, but considering neither of us has changed much, it wasn't very interesting, so instead, I'll tell a story.

When we first started living together, we worked different schedules and would leave notes for each other on the computer (because we couldn't afford pens or paper). Usually we'd just say hello, have a good day, etc., but every now and then, I'd get an MS Paint surprise.

I absolutely do know how lucky I am.

P.S. I love the attention to detail (the true yellowness of my hair and the sheer blueity of Andy's hat) and how we're both inexplicably pigeon-toed.

The Soloman of Burritos

2009-02-15T20:12:00.003-06:00

Got a Chipotle coupon in the mail for a free burrito at a new location that just opened down the street.

I think the right thing to do is use it before Andy gets back in town so we don't have to bother with splitting or fighting over which delicious salsas to slather on our customized, 3 pound burrito brick.

Just call me the peacemaker (and excuse the the jalapeno Tabasco sauce dribbling down my chin).

Anytime Valentine

2009-02-15T09:20:00.001-06:00

Since Andy's been in Chicago for a trade show, we celebrated Valentine's Day early on Thursday with some sushi at Coast.

The main reason for choosing Coast was the fact that it's one of the few BYOB sushi restaurants in the city.

Nice cold sake to go with all those delicious fishies.

The rolls all filled our bellies with yummy rice and seafood goodness, but my favorites were the white dragon roll and the pieces of toro that tasted more like steak than fish.

I matched my outfit to the decor on purpose.

Maybe not, but I wanted to post a picture of me in a dress to prove that I do own one.

Andy got his present first.

Banana Chocolate Cream Pie for two from Hoosier Mama Pie Company.

I've never really liked pie in the past. I'd usually much rather have some ice cream. Consider me converted.

Best pie of my life And it looks like Andy liked it too.

Apparently Andy and I both have to same taste in gifts because I too, got something delicious.

TimTams! The most delicious cookie of Australia is apparently now available at our local grocery store. (You can tell I'm super psyched to an almost terrifying degree.)

I may or may not have done four TimTam Slams in a row yesterday. Instant happy.

By the book Valentine

2009-02-14T16:46:00.002-06:00

The guy in front of me at Trader Joe's had red roses, chocolate truffles, champagne and strawberries in his basket. *eye roll*

I should do a series...

2009-02-13T15:35:00.004-06:00

Milo in funny hats.

Not sure which is worse: the fact that I dress my dog up in silly hats, or the fact that I own so many.

Who needs kids?

2009-02-10T21:53:00.002-06:00

Loved this article for obvious reasons.

If I could afford a grand, wooded estate that I could stock full of innocent, overweight, slow-moving squirrels for my dogs to hunt down and rip to shreds, I'd do it in a second. I'm an animal lover, don't you get it? I feel tremendous guilt over not being able to give my doggy the sheer pleasure of sinking her sharp teeth into the warm hide of a live, wriggling squirrel. I ache for her not knowing the thrill that comes from that intoxicating, panicked screeching for mercy! My poor little honey lamb has never felt the spray of warm blood on her nose! Do you think that doesn't break my heart? What kind of a monster do you think I am?

It's melting!

2009-02-09T08:38:00.000-06:00

I didn't think it was possible, but the temperature has risen above freezing in Chicago for the first time since the beginning of 2009.

The snow that at first seemed pretty, clean and white became gray, icy and hard. With no way to melt, snow just accumulated, turning sidewalks into icy deathtraps or concrete valleys flanked by man made, shovel-marked walls.

My car, abused by the artic air and salt spit from passing car tires will get a rest from the brush and scratching of my newly purchased ice scraper. When first moving to Chicago, I thought my handheld, squeegee on one side and 4 inch plastic scraper on the other would suffice against Midwestern winters. Bullshit.

Now I'm equipped with the biggest, deluxe brush, expandable handle scraper my local CVS store had to offer.

With the promise of melting snow and ice comes freedom. I might get up one morning and decide to try out one of the 20 pairs of shoes gathering dust in my closet while my new Columbia snow boots never leave their space outside my front door. My front hall closet might open and reveal the many lighter, more stylish coats rather than switching back and forth between my puffy, blue Columbia ski jacket and heaviest black leather option that passes for professional. We might be able to use our back door for taking down the recycling before the squirrels rip apart every cereal box and toilet paper tube without risking death on slippery stairs. Oh the possibilities!

The thing I'm looking forward to the most, the thing that makes my fingers shake with longing as I check weather.com one more time to make sure it wasn't a lie.

For the first time in weeks, my dog's face won't smell like pee.

Even though it's been cold, snowy and miserable in the city. People still take their four-legged friends for daily walks. It's on these walks that dogs tend to lift a leg or squat and mark their territory. (As far as Milo's concerned, he currently owns two entire blocks in Roscoe Village.)

Since the temperature has been cold enough to literally freeze tears on my face, this urine doesn't sink into the earth never to be bothered with again except for the occasional dead patch of grass. Not at all. If making yellow snow cones were a profitable business, I'm convinced my neighborhood would the the lead supplier for most of the Midwest.

Milo, like all dogs, loves the smell of urine. He has to sniff it out to make sure he knows who to kill for encroaching on his territory. I understand completely.

Since Milo's squished features look like he took a frying pan to the face at some point in his youth, sniffing frozen urine means diving in face first. All that cute, fuzzy, facial hair collects crystallized dog pee like some sick sort of velcro.

Thanks for the reprieve, mother nature. Here's to seeing the grass for the first time in over a month and not having to wash Milo's pee face twice a day!

Because I finally got around to it

2009-02-06T22:36:00.001-06:00

Chicago Hot Dog from Kristin Sutter on Vimeo.

Literary Flashback

2009-02-03T21:23:00.003-06:00

Tikki tikki tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruchi-pip peri pembo

That takes me back.

I just read that the illustrator of said book died.

My memory was flooded with images of Mrs. Levy sitting in the corner rocking chair of the library reading room at Springdale Elementary. Her completely stereotypical reading glasses perched on the end of her stereotypically pointed nose-spectacles clipped to a string of beads that wound round her wrinkled neck.

After every word on the page was dutifully recited, she would stretch the spine to give every cross-legged listener a good look at the illustrations. Front row seats were the best because in first grade, everyone knows the pictures are the best part.

It's a real disease... I swear!

2009-02-02T22:09:00.001-06:00

The winter blues have settled in again.

Know what that means?

Apathy.

RIP John Updike

2009-01-28T14:31:00.002-06:00

I dare you to read the following excerpt from a piece John Updike wrote for the New Yorker about the pleasure of drinking water and not immediately realize how thirsty you are.

"Think of it: pipes running through the earth below the frost line and up unseen from the basement right through the walls to bring you this transparent flow, which you swallowed down in rhythmic gulps—down what my grandfather called, with that twinkle he had, behind his bifocals, “the little red lane.” The copper would bead with condensation while you waited for the water to run cold enough."

If you'll excuse me, I have a date with a water fountain.

Great post found via Serious Eats.

Busy

2009-01-27T15:56:00.000-06:00

Get back to you later.

Frog Dog

2009-01-22T14:24:00.004-06:00

That's Monsieur Milo to you.

*Ribbit*

Where were you?

2009-01-20T12:49:00.003-06:00

I was pressed into our crowded, but silent employee cafeteria.

Hundreds of eyes glued to the television, and me drinking green, honey ginseng tea-swallowing hopeful lumps in my throat with every sip.

Mortified

2009-01-18T21:21:00.009-06:00

Went and saw Mortified tonight as the second portion of our Try New Things (TNT! Hell yeah!) club with fun friend Nikki.

For Part I on Saturday, we traveled North to Edgewater for Ethiopian food at Ras Dashen. After washing our hands like we were scrubbing in for heart surgery, we were ready for the shared, no-utensils meal. It reminded me a lot of Indian food (good thing!) with lots of layered spices, vegetarian items and copious amounts of bread. The Ethiopian bread was not quite as amazing as naan, but still good. Injera is flat, spongy and sour, perfect for scooping up the lentils, spinach, lamb and many other things we ordered.

Back to Mortified. The idea behind the project is that people use journals, photos, videos, letters, etc. from their childhood and "perform/read" them for the enjoyment of others.

My favorites were the slam poetry written by a closeted, lesbian 14-year-old girl and the letter from Nintendo to a video-game-obsessed boy who was urged to work to earn money to save up for the new, Super Nintendo he so desperately wanted (complete with examples of how to earn the money: yard work, newspaper routes, etc. Thanks for nurturing the spirit of capitalism, Nintendo.).

The show was opened and closed by the Blue Ribbon Glee Club (that's the PABST Blue Ribbon Glee Club to you, sir), which was noted as Chicago's finest Punk-Rock Choir. Awe. Some.

I got my new passport photo taken this weekend since mine will expire in March this year. Since I'm still holding out hope that I'll get to Japan to see Jenny sometime, I wanted to keep it current.

In the spirit of Mortified, I thought I'd share my old passport photo with you before saying goodbye to my 17-year-old self forever.

Before you get a good look, or if your eyes haven't already been captured by the madness below, remember that this is before I discovered make-up and also apparently before the invention of eyebrow tweezers.

I was trying SO!HARD! not to smile since they told me I wasn't allowed. Doesn't that just look like the face of a young girl, fresh with the exhilaration and opportunity to leave the country for the first time?

I had stopped by the local AAA office on my way to work (Shout out for LuLu's!) and just needed to get this photo taken so I could wing my way to France and England with the rest of my French class that summer.

This year's photo went much better I think. That Walgreens photo employee can really make magic happen with her white, roll-up background and cheap, digital camera.

Is that even the same person?

Apparently I'm quite a chameleon. I can blend in with late 90's Midwesterners better than Mayim Bialik. (and OH! how I longed for one of those obnoxious, flowered hats of hers. Side note: "opinionation" is not a word no matter how catchy your show's theme song is. Who wrote that, anyway? I'm guessing the same people who thought bootylicious deserved a spot in the dictionary.)

Anyway, I don't know if I'd really say I'm "mortified" for showing that picture. Maybe that truly embarrassing moment will wait until I post my 7th grade class photo. Not to get you too excited, but there were glasses, a silk shirt and an Elvis lip curl involved. Stay tuned.

Tea for Two

2009-01-16T19:00:00.001-06:00

I did end up taking my Mom to afternoon tea at the Lobby at the Peninsula while she was visiting last weekend. We got snowed in on Friday and Saturday, but ventured out, dressed in snow boots and gloves on Sunday afternoon.

Sunday tea is later in the day, 4:00pm-6:00pm, since Sunday brunch takes up so much of the morning. This ended up being really nice since we got to see the city view from the Lobby's 20 foot windows during the day and all lit up at night.

We decided on doing the traditional tea and here's Mom with our tower of treats and balcony of live musicians in the background.

I'd already had a few cups of coffee at Kitsch'n that morning, so I was looking forward to a citrusy green tea of sorts (my favorite!). I never drink coffee, so I definitely didn't need anymore caffeine for the day. Unfortunately they only had two types of green, sencha and gunpowder. Neither of which sounded appealing, so I went with the decaf Earl Grey. It wasn't as potent as the Earl Grey I'm used to, but it was lovely and enough to last our entire, 90+ minute meal. Plus, the tea came in such pretty, short and stout teapots!

The tower of treats included a plate of desserts that included a mini key lime pie, an exquisite lemon tart, a chocolate cheesecake brownie, a homemade candy bar and others. Why are desserts infinitely better when tiny?

There were also a selection of savory finger sandwiches to give the illusion that you weren't only being served sugary treats for dinner. The curry chicken wrap and smoked salmon sandwich were my favorites, but I also loved the mini potato quiche, the grilled veggie sandwich and the extra cucumber sandwiches we got since my mom hates cilantro, an ingredient in the curry chicken wrap.

I was adamant about the inclusion of cucumber sandwiches since they're the basic staple of every "tea" I'd ever seen on t.v., in a movie or imagined for myself as a future trust fund brat. (Where I thought the trust fund was coming from, the world will never know. It's amazing what fantasies a 13-year-old's hormones can concoct.)

The real reason I'd wanted to have high tea was to get my hands on some more lemon curd and Devonshire cream. There was homemade jelly as well, but I only had one bite of scone with it since I knew there were better, lemony and creamy toppers to be had.

We each had two scones, plain and orange cinnamon, with an almond sandwich cookie and some buttery shortbread.

We also each got a fresh, sour cherry souffle straight from the oven and Mom got a special, birthday dessert with a candle.

Cause if there's one thing we were missing, it was more dessert.

Coupon Clipper

2009-01-14T23:14:00.001-06:00

Just bought some pretty, pretty shoes online.

Two pair, actually.

And I bought them in separate orders to make sure I could use coupon codes on each.

It's hard to remember what my life was like before the existence of online shopping and bargain hunting. I've never gotten into the whole e-bay or craigslist thing. (Though I do like craigslist for apartment hunting, buying stuff from strangers just makes me think psychos have found a way to lure me to their house/secret torture chamber with promises of cheap IKEA furniture at bargain basement prices.)

I love online shopping, though. I mean, I really, really, REALLY love it. I like being able to sort by my size so I don't even fall in love with that cashmere wrap sweater that's only available in XS or XL. (My dream is to get really fat later in life so I can capitalize on all those great deals. I'm not interested in trying for the XS because I'm pretty sure I'd have to shrink some bones on my 5'9 frame and eating lots of ice cream sounds like way more fun.)

Shopping has always been pretty fun for me, but not like it is for most women I know. First of all, I'm poor. Or at least I was taught to think that way so spending more than $50 on an item of clothing still gives me nightmares of not being able to pay for college or having to *gasp* carry a balance on my credit card. Shopping is not fun when your buzz gets killed with every flip of the price tag.

I've tried shopping at places like TJ Maxx or Marshalls because every time I admire a friend's accessory or new purchase, I hear she "found it at (insert discount store here) for only $3.99! Can you believe it?" Actually, no. I can't. Every time I go into one of those stores I start to hyperventilate at the racks and racks of clothes with almost no organization. After 20 minutes of scraping through the racks, the best I've come up with is a leopard print skirt I could never pull off for $35. Is there some secret, super awesome discount back room I don't know about?

Second, I do not like retail crowds. Shopping in popular stores on the weekends completely overwhelms me. If there's a line to get into the dressing room, I start sweating and sprint for the door. Even if there aren't many people, but the racks are close together, I feel like I can't move and start sighing huffily at every person who dares to cross my path.

Third, when I peruse in-store sales, I NEVER FIND MY SIZE! Considering I can see the top of most women's heads, I can't figure out how there are so many people my size buying all the good clothes before I get there.

Fourth, I don't like to be helped. I also don't like to be asked "How ya doin' in there? Can I get you a bigger size?" while trying to squeeze my ass into a pair of jeans. I don't appreciate the hard sell and I don't care about giving you a commission. In fact, I might leave and come back later to buy my clothes without help from ANYONE just to deny you that small percentage. I am a petty and vengeful customer, I know.

This is why the beauty of online shopping is like my siren song. Of course I don't buy anything I can't return for free at a store or cheaply by mail, and I know I take some risks by not seeing things in person, but for $10.15 for a pair of Limited work pants? I'm willing to chance it.

After all, who doesn't like shoe shopping at 10:00pm while watching the Daily Show with a sleeping puppy by your side?

Speaking of sleeping, I need to gets me some of that.

Pizza Party

2009-01-13T17:18:00.002-06:00

Made a second round of pizza with the leftover dough and took a couple photos.

Bubbly, cheesy goodness.

Pizza dough recipe from Smitten Kitchen with a few technique alterations cause I'm lazy and used my food processor:

Pizza Dough

Smitten Kitchen claims this makes enough for one, small, thin crust pizza. Um. I beg to differ. I'd say it's closer to one medium, hand-tossed type crust pizza.

1 1/2 cups flour (can replace up to half of this with whole wheat flour)
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon active dry yeast (I used quick rise yeast because I'm impatient)
1/2 cup lukewarm water (may need up to 1 or 2 tablespoons more, I did)
1 tablespoon olive oil

1. Stir dry ingredients, including yeast, in a large bowl (or dump in a food processor with the dough attachment and pulse a couple times to mix). Add water and olive oil, stirring mixture into as close to a ball as you can (I added liquids while running the processor and let it run until the dough was pulling away from the sides pretty cleanly, then just skipped to step 3). Dump all clumps and floury bits onto a lightly floured surface and knead everything into a homogeneous ball.

2. If you are finding this step difficult, one of the best tricks I picked up from my bread-making class is to simply pause. Leave the dough in a lightly-floured spot, put the empty bowl upside-down on top of it and come back in 2 to 5 minutes, at which point you will find the dough a lot more lovable.

3. Knead it for just a minute or two. Lightly oil the bowl (a spritz of cooking spray perfectly does the trick) where you had mixed it — one-bowl recipe! — dump the dough in, turn it over so all sides are coated, cover it in plastic wrap and leave it undisturbed for an hour or two, until it has doubled in size.

4. Dump it back on the floured counter (yup, I leave mine messy), and gently press the air out of the dough with the palm of your hands. Fold the piece into an approximate ball shape, and let it sit under that plastic wrap for 20 more minutes.

5. Sprinkle a pizza stone or baking sheet with cornmeal and preheat your oven to its top temperature. Roll out the pizza, toss on whatever topping and seasonings you like. (I always err on the side of skimpy with toppings so to not weight down the dough too much, or if I have multiple toppings, to keep them very thinly sliced.)

6. Bake it for about 10 minutes until it’s lightly blistered and impossible to resist.

Annoying

2009-01-13T16:51:00.002-06:00

This weird/crazy Chicago behavior of "claiming" parking spots that you've dug out of the perpetual snow by throwing your lawn chairs in the street all day.

I've got enough troubles that don't include dodging your plastic green chairs while parallel parking on ice.

Laughed so hard...

2009-01-10T21:35:00.004-06:00

I peed a little bit.

Right... there.

And then continued to dance like no one was watching.

(I immediately write off any person who has that quote in any part of a personal profile, framed as "art" or displayed anywhere at work.)

Love these Sarah Haskins videos.

Found via Jezebel.

Get the door, it's Domin- NO it's not. It's better.

2009-01-09T22:36:00.004-06:00

Stayed in tonight to avoid the snowstorm that perpetually threatens our city and made homemade pizza.

No shortcut crusts either. Andy even tossed his pie dough in the air a few times. Unbelievably it didn't get caught in a ceiling fan or land on his head. Why isn't life more like the movies?

Made a lot of dishes, but made a lot of damn good pizza, too.

Thank you, new pizza stone for the gift of golden, crispy crust.

Adventures in Mom-sitting

2009-01-08T14:50:00.003-06:00

Going to go pick up my mom from the train station in 2 hours and struggling to come up with fun, mom-appropriate activities for the weekend.

Is Chicago in winter really this boring?

I'm surprising her with high tea at the Lobby at the Peninsula for her birthday which is later this month, but outside of that, I'm drawing a blank.

The Museum of Science and Industry is free all month, but that's the one Chicago museum I've been to multiple times, so I don't really feel the need to go back yet again. (Mom's been there, too.)

I think I've procrastinated too long to get Second City tickets, and they teeter on the edge of overpriced for me.

Maybe I can just distract her with the multitude of food options like I usually do with out-of-town visitors. You'd be amazed how time flies when you wave a Hot Doug's menu in someone's face.

Escapades on Ice

2009-01-06T16:20:00.000-06:00

Last weekend while trying to desperately squeeze some final bits of holiday joy before heading back to work for the first full work week in a long while, Andy, Brian and I decided to go ice skating.

It was Brian's first time on ice and only my 4th or 5th, so it's safe to assume we weren't mastering the triple toe loop or double axel.

Keeping our heads above our asses and not slicing off any kids' fingers with our skates were the goals of the night.

Brian started off a little shaky, but started to get a little more comfortable as the 3 mph skating progressed.

Skating from Kristin Sutter on Vimeo.
Sorry about that up-close-and-personal shot there. Being on video brings out the attention-hogging youngest child in me. I feel the need to perform in juvenile, inappropriate ways.

The longer we skated, the better we got, but with every lap, more children and spasmodic teens took to the ice, creating an infuriating human obstacle course.

At one point, a child latched onto my arm, dragging me to the ice and I barely resisted the urge to wrench my arm from his clutches, punch him in the head and spit on his snow-suited body as I skated away, possibly slicing off a finger or two with my blades of vengeance as I went.

After realizing this impulse to inflict bodily harm wasn't normal, I decided it was time to surrender the rink to the swarms of snot, giggles and tears.

Considering my boots felt like pillowy goodness after the tightly-laced skates, I think it was a good time to call it a day. No reason to risk straining an ankle or a baby toe on the first time out.

After all, if I'm planning on perfecting my salchow by February, I've got to stay limber.

I'd steal his silly little sailor hat.

2009-01-03T02:17:00.003-06:00

Just realized I hadn't posted the video from Andy's last guitar recital. This is his second recital but third class since we had to miss the second due to prior obligations. Enjoy.

Guitar II Recital from Kristin Sutter on Vimeo.

And for some reason I decided to do it in two takes.

GuitarII Recital Ending from Kristin Sutter on Vimeo.

Andy's class was demonstrating the use of the capo with this charming little ditty. They ended with a bit of "What would you do with a drunken sailor" but I cut that off since I didn't know it was coming.

It was a telling thing to see how many people couldn't sing along with Johnny Cash but chimed right in on "the professor and Maryann..."

My Future Brother-In-Law

2009-01-02T12:24:00.005-06:00

Jenn, are you sure about this?

(This might be mean since this was an early morning cell phone shot. I'll take it down if there are serious objections, but I couldn't let a 'stache that amazing go undocumented.)

Dinner at Spring

2008-12-31T14:51:00.000-06:00

Definitely one of the best meals, if not the best, I've ever had.

While there are some people (ahemMIKEahem) who like to poke fun at my obsession with Yelp, it was that research and respect for the opinion of others that led me to Spring.

Though we had to cancel our Saturday night reservation because of weather, we were easily accomodated on Sunday night. I say easily because the place was only about 1/4 full. It's a pretty big restaurant, but that many empty tables is a crime.

Because they knew we were celebrating my birthday, they seated us at a really cozy corner table that was perfect. I appreciate attention to detail, especially when those details are all about making me happy.

We started off with some cocktails. Andy had a Gin & Tonic with homemade tonic and I had some sort of green tea infused vodka with more liquor and pine nuts floating in the glass. It was strong and delicious.

We wasted no time in deciding that we'd both get multi-course specials. I got the Taste of Spring favorites which was a 4 course (actually 6.5 courses) meal including all the chef's and customer's favorite dishes for only $45. (!!I KNOW!!) I talked Andy into ordering the Chef's 6 course (Actually 8.5 courses courses) tasting menu.

I'm going to apologize before I begin about the quality of the photos. I try to be stealthy when taking pictures of my food at nice restaurants because, well, because it's kind of weird and I don't want people to point and stare at me. However, I do it because I love food, I love you people and want to share these incredible meals with as many people as possible. I didn't take the time to balance the white in my camera settings and thus the photos are all a bit fuzzy and yellow. Still, I think you get the basic idea.

The amuse bouche was a sweet, salty and earthy butternut squash with scallions, mushrooms and apple vinaigrette.

From Spring

Then came Andy's first course which I think was the extra course they added in because he mentioned that he really liked oysters.

Malaspina Oyster (B.C.), black pepper & cucumber mignonette, tabasco & citrus `caviar’

From Spring

My first course was an updated take on a Nicoise salad with beautifully charred tuna, mini potatoes, green beans, anchovies and a quail egg. I've ALWAYS wanted to eat something with a quail egg on it!

Charred Tuna Sashimi, in the style of Nicoise, soft quail egg, black olive-lemon vinaigrette

From Spring

I could tell Andy was a little jealous of my tuna, so even though I let him have a bite, he was happy to see his next course was tuna tartare.

Pacific Tuna Tartare, banana chips, crème fraiche, jalapeno, microgreens and toasted sesame

From Spring

The sweetness of the banana chips with the richness of the tuna and creme fraiche was amazing. Plus, there was a LOT of tuna on that plate. I couldn't believe the quality and amount of seafood we'd been getting.

Spring specializes in seafood, but we'd also requested no beef or pork since we'd had the Montgomery Inn ribs for lunch that day and weren't ready to face another mammal so soon.

I can't remember much about Andy's next course other than it was shrimp with some noodles.

Hawaiian Blue Prawns, Japanese egg noodle, maitake mushroom, sweet potato & dashi bouillon

From Spring

I'm guessing I don't remember much about that one because it came out at the same time as the most delicious soup I've ever had. I am a true soup lover, so the fact that shared this with Andy speaks volumes about my affection for him. (And because he was obligated to share every one of his courses with me since it was MY birthday.)

Lemongrass & Coconut Soup, cellophane noodles, Thai chili & kaffir lime

From Spring

I love seafood, but I've never seen what the big deal about scallops is. Apparently, I'd just never had good scallops and after this next course, I was converted for life. They were perfectly seared, crisp and caramelized.

Maine Sea Scallops, braised oxtail, wild mushrooms, broccoli rabe & sweet soy

From Spring

I don't really remember what Andy's next course was officially, but here's my stab at it:
Crispy skinned river trout on eggplant shumai with a white truffle foam

From Spring

Ew, I just realized that the foam looks a little like Milo's vomit with that yellow tint to everything. Moving on...

At this point we thought we were finished and just waiting on desserts.

Instead, the waiter put a big plate of steak and tuna in front of Andy. Andy was confused by the extra course, but the waiter read it as him being upset about the beef, so he quickly whisked it away for the next dish which turned out to be my absolute favorite! I was stuffed, but somehow made room for a few bites, and surprise, it was more scallops!

Maine Sea Scallops with a black bean glaze on a bed of crab and green beans with scallion pancakes and a sesame vinaigrette

From Spring

Mmm, carmelized scallops.

While we were waiting for these delicious little guys to be brought out, the waiter brought us two complimentary glasses of a great chardonnay.

That's good service.

Dessert was next! First they brought out two, 5-spiced truffles with a candle for my birthday. Very rich, spicy and chocolatey like an Indian Easter bunny party in my mouth.

From Spring

Then came the real dessert!

White chocolate peppermint dome on chocolate cake with lots of fancy peppermint chocolate embellishments.

From Spring

Five-spiced pineapple crepe with crème fraiche and pineapple chip

From Spring

The waiter brought our warm towels with a two shots of hot chocolate flavored with lemongrass and thyme. We drank them before I remembered to take a picture, but here's the empty glasses cause I know you were dying to see those.

From Spring

It was the perfect ending to an incredible birthday meal before heading back out into the Chicago cold.

Your making me insane

2008-12-30T16:42:00.003-06:00

Just had to delete a co-worker's email because it contained a grammatical error and I couldn't stand to look at it.

It was the last one sent, so it kept popping up with its incorrect "your" where there should obviously be a "you're".

We have incredible amounts of storage, so I usually save every email as a quick, searchable reference, but this one had to go. That "your" was irking me with every email sent. Like a giant, dangling scab, just begging to be ripped off with a satisfying punch of the delete key.

I might be able to forgive a their, there, they're mix-up, but come on!

Your vs. You're? You've got a 50/50 shot at it from the start!

At least I no I'm know moron.

Edit: It's taking every ounce of willpower to not fix the intentional errors in this post. Irony of ironies!

Edit... again: So do you also think I made that last edit to ensure no one believed I'd unknowingly made those errors? I have a problem.

Baking Up Some Holiday Spirit

2008-12-29T15:01:00.009-06:00

I know the timeliness of this post is a little late, but my friend Carann just sent me some photos from our baking extravaganza before Christmas, and I thought I'd share them so you, too, could marvel at our extreme domesticity.

A little background info first. The baking was done at Carann's soon to be aunt-in-law's kitchen in North Center Chicago. The kitchen was HUGE and wonderful, but started to seem smaller and smaller with every sugar-coated tray going in or coming out of the oven. There were four of us and we each brought and made at least three recipes.

My contributions included Snowball Surprises (aka oreo truffle balls), Snickerdoodles and my now famous Spiced Pecans (the base recipe for which I got from Andy's Aunt Lisa. Thanks, Lisa!)

Don't mind the laser beams shooting out of Molly's eyes. She's part robot.

(Or I might just be too lazy to do some red-eye editing. You decide. I personally think the robot thing is much cooler.)

Isn't that kitchen pretty? I'm getting more and more into cooking/baking and resent my small kitchen and non-existent counter space with every new recipe.

This was the cookie table taking over the dining room when we were only about 1/3 of the way through. Yeah, it was a LOT of cookies.

This is Carann and Me with her giant ball of chocolate chip cookie dough. She also made the biggest mound of sugar cookie dough that was about 5 times that size. By the end of the day we'd rolled out and decorated close to 100 sugar cookies alone. Whew!

My pecans were the last thing to go in since they needed to be baked at a lower temperature.

It was an incredibly fun and tiring day of baking that was capped off by us all heading to Pat and Carann's place where the gentleman had all made dinner for us bakers. Chili, cornbread and an apple, walnut and goat cheese salad (Andy can even make a salad interesting.) were waiting for us after all the treats had been bagged up and ready for delivery to neighbors and coworkers.

I never really get to cook or bake around the holidays because we're always traveling. That afternoon with these lovely ladies, listening to Christmas music and discussing the true nature of some carols (I now can't listen to "Baby It's Cold Outside" without thinking of date rape) really brought the holidays to Chicago for me this year.

Thanks to AP, Molly and Carann for adding a little more merry and a lot more sugar to my Christmas this year.

I'll leave you with the spiced pecan recipe since it's such a crowd pleaser and pretty much the easiest thing I've ever made.

Spiced Candied Pecans

1 lb pecans
1 large egg white
1 tablespoon water
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (optional)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 300 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In large mixing bowl: 1 egg white and 1 tablespoon water, beat until soft or stiff peaks form. Add 1 pound pecans, stir until all pecans are wet.

3. In another bowl combine sugar, salt and spices. Mix together and pour over pecans, stir well. Add dash of vanilla if desired. Spread on prepared baking sheet and bake for 30-45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.

4. Let cool to harden and enjoy!

Ribfest '08

2008-12-29T10:36:00.002-06:00

As always, Christmas time means a lot of good eating. We got started early this year with the Montgomery Inn Ribs that my Dad and Stepmom sent me for my birthday.

We had to broil the ribs since there was a foot of snow out on the deck and we didn't feel like digging out the grill.

I've never seen Andy be so attentive to anything he's cooking. He never left the oven for a second while the ribs were sizzling.

Given the exceptional result, I can't fault him for it.

Yes, we used the bibs and since we hadn't showered, you only get to see Andy's bedhead since mine was seriously frightening. (And again: my blog, my rules.)

The perfect way to tell me you love me is with two giant plates of meat.

And yes, we ate them all.

In one sitting.

Happy Birthday to me!

Finally!

2008-12-25T07:50:00.004-06:00

http://isitchristmas.com

Here's to almost a week of vacation!

2008-12-23T12:32:00.000-06:00

And you can never again judge me for dressing up Milo since it's obviously not anything I wouldn't do myself.

2008-12-23T12:20:00.001-06:00

Festive, personalized coffee. I enjoy the little things in life

Fire burn and cauldron bubble

2008-12-23T09:57:00.007-06:00

Lots of toiling over the stove this weekend.

Along with the candied pecans and candied what-were-supposed-to-be-pecans-but-in-actuality-were-WALNUTS I made to take home for the holidays, Andy and I decided to risk injury and disaster by boiling sugar for cashew brittle.

After having an all-day bake-a-thon with some girls a couple weeks ago, I was searching for a homemade, sugary gift that wouldn't taste stale after two days. While perusing Orangette, I found a link to a cashew brittle recipe.

I was a little nervous cause I've heard making candy can be quite difficult with a high likelihood of molten lava sugar all over the kitchen (or worse, your hands).

To prepare, Andy stirred the sugar mixture in the largest pot we own, monitoring the temperature with our meat thermometer while I stood with oven mitts and the lid, ready to spring into action if needed.

It was a little hypnotic, staring at the boiling sugar for so long.

Because we were being so careful, I think we kept the heat too low for the first bit of boiling. It took an extra long time to caramelize and turn golden brown (it should take 10 minutes, ours took 20), but went a lot faster when we got more confident and cranked the burner up to high heat (still monitoring closely with the oven mitts, lid and thermometer).

I would have used a few less cashews, personally, but maybe that's because we evaporated a lot of the mixture from cooking the sugar so long.

My nut-loving family definitely won't be complaining though.

I'm a brittle lover, but this. Oh, this is good. Better than any store-bought or other homemade brittle I've ever had. Dangerously good.

With boiled, hardened sugar, I was worried clean-up would be too tough to face and I'd just wind up throwing away everything because of my aversion dishes and cleaning in general.

Using lightly buttered parchment paper and soaking the sugared pot made it so easy! No scrubbing required. This is definitely something that's now on the holiday noms radar.

Cashew Brittle from The Wednesday Chef
Makes 3.5 pounds

4 cups sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
2/3 cup light corn syrup
1 1/4 cups water
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons kosher salt
1 1/2 pounds salted, roasted cashews

1. Line two baking sheets with lightly buttered parchment paper or lightly coat the sheets with cooking spray. Do not use wax paper or plastic wrap.

2. Combine sugar, butter, corn syrup, and water in a large saucepan and stir together. Cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until the caramel turns a medium-golden color, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat. Carefully whisk in the baking soda and then the salt. The mixture will rise and bubble. Using a wooden or metal spoon, stir in the nuts, then immediately pour the brittle onto the prepared cookie sheets, using the back of the spoon to spread the brittle out. Allow the brittle to cool for a few minutes, then, using the sides of two forks, pull and stretch the edges of the brittle to create a thinner candy, about 3/8-inch thick.

3. Once brittle is completely cool, break it into bite-sized pieces using the back of a knife or your hands. The brittle can be stored at room temperature, in an airtight container, for up to two weeks.

Let me tell ya bout my best friend

2008-12-22T21:58:00.002-06:00

Snow + Alcohol = Endless Fun

2008-12-22T12:30:00.003-06:00

I finally found a way to embrace the snow. Since Jack Frost has held Chicago in an icy grip of death all weekend, I decided that the only way I could thaw my frozen heart was to remember why I used to like this kind of weather.

First, I love to watch Milo prance and hop around in the snow (video coming if I ever edit the 5+ minutes of footage I took the other morning). Second, I used to love playing in the snow and getting to stay home from school, holing up inside after freezing my fingers off creating snowballs, forts and other sculptural escapades.

My first reaction when I saw the snow smothering the streets of Chicago on Saturday evening (my birthday!) was lots of sighing and moaning. WHY TODAY? WHY more snow when I just finished digging out the backyard for Milo the day before? Why did I have to be born in winter?! What were my parents thinking?!?!

This was all THEIR FAULT!

Reason eventually crept back into the picture and I was determined to not let the blizzard ruin our dinner.

Andy checked the CTA bus tracker and saw that two buses were headed our way in 7 and 12 minutes respectively. The snow was still really coming down and Andy realized he'd had forgotten his hat in his other coat. Not wanting to miss the bus, he decided that it wasn't all that important since we'd be on the bus in ONLY SEVEN MINUTES, anyway. (Can you tell where this is going?) After 30 minutes at the bus stop, my resolve to make the best of things was crumbling faster than Britney's music career. I was teetering on the edge of a full-out tantrum.

This was Andy's fault! Why did he have to always be so early for everything? I bet he lied to me about what time the bus was coming! His head and torso are actually accumulating measurable inches of snow! Why didn't he just run back inside for his hat? He obviously knew we had the time since he lied to me about the stupid bus schedule!

At this point, we'd waited so long for the bus that I refused Andy's suggestion to "just take a cab". A cab! NO WAY! We have waited THIS long for a bus and we are NOT going to waste our time spent in the freezing cold by investing in an expensive cab ride!

(I was obviously thinking clearly and rationally.)

My fingers and toes were numb, my legs stiff with cold and Andy's naked head (!rage!) was soaked with melted snow. Defeated tears burned my frozen eyes, and I told Andy that I just wanted to go home. We had missed our fancy dinner reservation and still no bus in sight.

Back in the warm, sanity-restoring apartment, Andy tried to save the day by making new fancy dinner reservations for the next night.

It was then that I realized I was actually ruining my birthday for both of us.

This brings me back to how this long post started. Embracing the winter and finding the good in it. I decided that I didn't need a fancy dinner (though, oh boy, was it good), a surprise party or some secret, romantic plan to have a good birthday.

Instead, we built a snow turtle in the backyard, ordered pizza and holed up in the apartment, watching Arrested Development.

The original idea was to build a snowman, but the snow was too cold and wouldn't pack right, so we phoned it in with a turtle (this one's for you, Keith!).

There's no water in that bottle, I can assure you.

Milo helped while I made snow angels.

Andy showed the turtle who's boss.

I think the empty bottle of Delirium Noel (delicious!) might have had something to do with that picture.

Milo was not a fan of Sheldon other than his peppermint patty eyes. He circled while we built, looking for an opportunity to swoop in and end the turtle's life with one, steady stream of urine.

His need to make Sheldon disappear could be coming from the number of times we tried to make him ride the turtle for a picture.

He eventually gave in though he refused to look at the camera. (You could see his shame for us in his eyes, trust me.)

Um, yes, he's only wearing one boot. We are totally responsible pet owners.

Good drinks, good company, good pizza and Buster Bluth. That's about as happy as it gets.

More on the fancy dinner (with photos!) later.

Birthdays are Awesome

2008-12-21T17:30:00.005-06:00

Best part of my birthday besides Montgomery Inn ribs and Graeter's ice cream? Presents!

I got a gift in the mail yesterday and made Milo model it so I could send a photo to the sender.

Only someone who knows me would realize this is not a present for Milo, but definitely the perfect gift for me.

Happy Friggin' Birthday

2008-12-20T20:53:00.003-06:00

Screw the snow, Chicago blizzard winters, the lying CTA bus tracker, the missing of dinner reservations and cancellation of original birthday plans.

I'll make it a happy one anyway.

Thanks to all my beloved family and friends who called/emailed/texted/facebooked/etc. happy birthday wishes. I love you all!

Give 'em height to make 'em right

2008-12-20T00:45:00.004-06:00

Because I have bangs now and I can. Because I miss using my curling iron as much as I did in the 80's. And maybe (re: mostly) because I had too much to drink tonight, this happened.

I'd also like to pat myself on the back for taking this post from concept to completion, while under the influence of multiple martinis, in under 20 minutes.

Best Birthday Gift EVAH!

2008-12-19T11:58:00.006-06:00

I actually yelped and did a little happy dance when I found this by our door on Wednesday night.

I love they they include the small things to recreate the true experience (hot sauce, peppermint patties by every Skyline cash register, M.I. bibs, hand wipes, etc.).

I've already eaten half a pint of the black raspberry chip and the ribs are scheduled for Sunday.

THANKS DAD!

Life before politics

2008-12-17T15:41:00.004-06:00

Whew. Did it just get hot in here?

Found via Jezebel.

Better than carrying watermelons!

2008-12-16T22:42:00.002-06:00

Can someone explain to me why I do not own this yet?

Now my childhood dreams can become reality. I hope Andy's ready to practice some lifts and dance across a river on a fallen log.

New computer, new problems

2008-12-16T11:28:00.004-06:00

So I haven't posted an actual, bona fide blog post in awhile. (C'mon, we all know I totally mailed it in with that gingervitis thing.) I realize cute pictures of Milo can only get me so far.

It's not that I haven't had good ideas or events to diarize (wasn't sure if that was a word or not, but apparently, it is. Hooray!). I really have. I want to write about and post our Christmas tree decorating experience, the Sroufe Christmas in Chicago that took place this past weekend and especially the baking extravaganza that happened on Sunday afternoon and into the night.

My first excuse is that work has been really blah blah blah. I know you're already snoring at the work excuse, so I won't even go into it.

Second, Andy and I got our new laptop.

*Record player scccccrrrrrrrreeeeaaattcchh*

But Kristin! Wouldn't a laptop make blogging a lot easier for you? No more having to sit in the lonely, too-cold-in-the-winter and hot-in-the-summer guest room just to get a little internet access. You can watch tv and sit on the comfy couch while you do it!

One downside of laptop blogging is that I'm not allowed to drink liquids within 5 feet of Pooter (re: the laptop. If you haven't noticed, I like to name things.) because Andy's smart and knows me well. Drunk blogging is already off the table before I even had a chance to get it started.

Back to the lazy posting.

I blame Vista. And Picasa. And the stupid laptop touch pad that makes me feel like I'm editing photos left-handed.

I spent two hours organizing 30 photos last night (which I usually whip out in 10 minutes). I still didn't upload one of the albums I thought I did, so today, all you get is this.

Milo has Uggs! Or Muggs, if you prefer.

We bought the new boots because they're waterproof and because his old ones were so dirty and worn that I no longer wanted to touch them without haz-mat gloves. (Yes, we wash them, but some things can't be washed away, even with copious amounts of Tide.)

After the new boots' innaugural walk this morning, they're proving to have a few design flaws. The biggest one being that they don't stay on his paws.

I'm going to give them another chance tonight before we give up and build some sort of hamster bubble. If that venture fails, we're moving to where the snow can't find us.

Milo fights GIngervitis one child at a time

2008-12-10T22:19:00.004-06:00

Does Milo love or hate the daywalkers? The world may never know.

Luckily he doesn't have to undress to pee

2008-12-04T16:56:00.005-06:00

You haven't lived until you've tried to get a squirmy shih-tzu into a sweater and booties first thing in the morning.

If you think that's cute, you should see him try to walk in that get-up.

Possible future video in the making.

More than this

2008-12-03T15:50:00.001-06:00

I swear we do more at my place of employment than take silly pictures of each other.

Yesterday I had to be the lighting stand-in while we waited for our real photo subject to arrive and this happened:

Do you think it's too late to send in my application for America's Next Top Model?

Giving Thanks

2008-12-01T11:44:00.007-06:00

I'm thankful for many things from this past long weekend in Lima:

1. Birthday party for ME complete with pumpkin pie for cake, a new Bengals calendar for my cubicle and lottery scratch off tickets! (It's a Sroufe thing.)
2. Fat Jack's pizza and beer.
3. Eating breakfast at a bowling alley because IHOP and Bob Evans are too crowded and there's NOWHERE ELSE TO GO.
4. Bowling a 166 at that same bowling alley one day later.
5. Playing and winning at Euchre.
6. Losing, hilariously, at Catchphrase. (Something your mom would say: "YOU ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE!")
7. Milo in a santa hat.
8. Brian NOT hitting me in the face with a football.
9. My new car and it's spacious interior which fits all our crap without rearranging everything multiple times.
10. Milo trying to "play with" (re: possibly eat) babies and small ginger children.
11. No puking on the drive home! Good job, Andy!

But most of all, I'm thankful for Kewpee.

Yeah, that's right. Kewpee.

It appears I've turned a corner and have now drunk the kool-aid (or chocolate frosted malt if you will) that all Limaians, Limans, Limes (?) receive at birth.

Though the naked Kewpee dolls nailed to the wall still freak me out.

Um, and I guess the burger wrappers are a little creepy, too.

Yes, that reads Clean, Sweet, Pretty and Plump around the naked, Jesus-on-the-cross-Kewpee doll. Terrifying, I know, but even that couldn't stop me this year. We ate there TWICE.

Andy loves Kewpee, and now I do too.

(And apparently God loves Kewpee as well. Check out those heavenly sunbeams of light surrounding Andy while he bites into his burger.)

If I can snag photos from Andy's parents, you'll get to see some other photos from the weekend, but for now, it's 100% Kewpee.

New Hair Day

2008-11-26T15:03:00.007-06:00

My friend Karolina used her photography skills to snap some shots of my new hair at work today.

Let's try to ignore the fact that I basically stole the hair stylings of Suri Cruise, shall we?

We're off to Lima for Thanksgiving this evening as long as Chicago traffic actually lets us leave the city. Happy Turkey Day!

Oh, and Milo is now a lolcat. Once he starts acting like a diva and forgetting his people and where he came from because of newfound internet stardom, blame Andy.

So long, hair!

2008-11-24T16:47:00.001-06:00

Going to Twisted Scissors tonight for my biannual hair butchering.

Watch out, world. I'm thinking bangs.

P.S. Andy and I bought this laptop.

How to wine

2008-11-21T16:09:00.004-06:00

Found a really basic and fun article about some basic wine serving basics on Serious Eats.

Now I can't wait to head home and open another bottle of Beaujolais while Andy and I customize and order our new laptop.

Happy Beaujolais Day!

2008-11-20T21:53:00.004-06:00

Get it while it's fresh!