The Garden of Good & Evil: Year Three and an Ode to the Eves

These were the leftovers if that tells you anything about the kind of party it was.

And this was the evolution of the spread if that tells you anything about what kind of party it was.
And the two singing and dancing lovemuppets were my co-celebrants if that tells you anything about what kind of party it was.

It was supposed to rain all day long and we never felt a drop. Equal numbers of friends showed up in yoga pants as in maxi dresses. Both claiming room for cake. Two different pitchers of alcoholic nectar and a jug of cucumber water never seemed to run out. Stevie Nicks was on rotation with Animal Collective and the potatoes I roasted when I was perhaps a little toasted came out perfectly. That's what kind of party it was.

The Garden of Good & Evil party is an annual ode to my girlfriends disguised as my birthday party. The first two years I co-hosted with my much beloved friend Caroline who is now living in Telluride. I got really lucky this year when it turned out two kindred spirits who also happened to be Geminis liked the concept. And so. Hadley came bearing the best mango salsa and homemade hummus and craft supplies. Molly L brought cheese plate skewers and a general's eye for detail (that's her supervising the hanging of paper lanterns above).

Ah, but what is that concept? The garden part is pretty obvious. Wicked Park is a little bit of magic right in the city and it loves a soiree. The Good is meant to be something wholly holistic. Deep stretching, yoga, a little revival for your insides. My own guru of sorts, Mary Beth Janssen came down two years ago to lead the Good.

Yes, this is all very hippie dippy. I love hippie dippy. An afternoon where the only thing anyone is allowed to bring is flowers or wine unless they are moved to cook in theme (or bring a pineapple- thanks Alexis!). Then we all sit in the grass telling dirty jokes, drinking spiked lemonade, making new friends and then there's cake. Fini.

This year, due to the alleged rain, we were fully prepared to make vision boards in the living room in lieu of yoga. But when the guests arrived and the sun stayed out, I'll be the first to admit I got a little too excited and wanted to break out the wine to celebrate our Good fortune. So HC is the only one who really got her stretching in this year. In the spirit of self love and preservation, we weren't too hard on ourselves. Or at all.

This is the enchanted beverage station. I'm only half kidding when I use names like that. I mean there was a swan champagne cooler courtesy of the Milwaukee Duo...that's basically the definition of enchanted. The main party beverage has traditionally been Wicked Lemonade which is the ever-so-glamorous concoction of Crystal Light Raspberry Lemonade with Black Cherry Vodka, sparkling water and some fresh raspberries in every clear plastic dixie cup. Look friends, you know I love my frou frou fancy cocktails and my dark syrupy bourbon but there is no shame here. We aim to please in bulk. Apart from a rather unfortunate incident involving a nonexistent water:lemonade:vodka ratio two years ago and an enthusiastic group of GG's (who will all promptly disown me), it's only been beneficial by the barrel. This year we also managed copious amounts of sparkling wine and a delicious sangria a la Ellie.

Lest you think all that colorful seating went to waste though, you would be wrong. The Evil refers to more of a pleasantly dark sense of humor than anything actually demonic. Sparing a mixed audience the details, it was kind of like a tupperware party hosted by Bacchus. Only instead of an actual nymphic creature we got Samuel who was pretty darn close and just the most adorable person ever. I might be inclined to whisper more about this over a glass of wine but for now that is all I feel at liberty to share. Onward! To the feast!

At this point in the afternoon, I was leaving my camera all over the place so the only snapshot I have of the spread I snuck inside to prepare was taken with my phone. Alas, better than nothing. Tradition dictates a large salad bar is a popular way for friends to be able to customize their meals.

Earlier in the day, HC and I grilled up almost ten pounds of free range chicken breasts that had been marinating overnight in lemon juice, olive oil, garlic and rosemary. To that we added a couple varieties of mixed greens, sugar snap peas, sliced sweet peppers, cherry tomatoes, roasted golden beets, homemade croutons, walnuts, dried cherries and some of Jo's fresh eggs hard-boiled and ready to be shelled. Those are good friends who can't come to the party but give you eggs their chickens laid. They were also in the cake. Magic chickens.

We did three dressings- Lemon Vinaigrette, Pop's Caesar and a Spicy Ginger Peanut. Lizz modeling her plate so helpfully above also showcases the aforementioned baby potatoes that were on a whim thrown into a baking dish, coated with live oil and put in the oven with full sprigs of rosemary resting on top. This could have gone terribly awry but instead went terribly delicious. Those potatoes might be foolproof. As the fool, I would know.

When I got back outside to start corralling people in for the salad bar, I remember just surveying the crowd in the yard. I hear from a lot of people that it's been particularly hard to make new girlfriends in the city. I could see that but I also feel like I need to recognize I'm sitting on a treasure trove of awesome females. Some newer to me than others but all just wonderful. There is nothing that makes me happier than when they meet each other and fall in genuine like.

Going through the pictures afterward was a stream of "Doh! Of course you two love each other!" It's easy for women in their early twenties and thirties to get caught in a cycle of being set up and setting others up for romance. Love that- appreciate it! But being set up with a friend is a whole other kind of thing I forget about too often. Anyone else notice that? And then friends move away and it starts all over again.

I feel like an auctioneer going "Beautiful NEW mother of one, fresh to Miami Beach, culinary school grad and all around Grade A girlfriend material- who's got a match for farmers marketing and play dates and dog walking with strollers?" I'm ranting now. Chime in any time if you know what I'm talking about.

That was where I was going with the ode to the Eves. I'll be honest- year 27 had a couple proper rough patches. Mischief that was only managed by the presence of friends in walking and/or Internet distance. So here is a piece of cake for you. You beautiful, fully imperfect, hilarious bunch of hooligans. I don't care what year it is, you are some of the most charmed pieces of my life and I am very grateful for you.

Please do forgive the colorful mess of a frosting job on your confection.

It was done by your colorful mess of a hostess. Who is currently still fighting back vanity in sharing this photo everyone else thinks is terribly apropos and I think the only picture taken of me during the whole of the party (I am an excellent camera dodger. Blasted Instagram, Shecky). Not my most polished but accurate and happy.

Now here's a quick tutorial on how to make your own rainbow chips. My own inspiration was Ashley Rodriguez's significantly more professional tutorial at Not Without Salt. I'm telling you essentially the same thing but so you can see that if I can handle this, you can too.

1. Start with ramekins filled with while chocolate chunk for as many colors as you plan on making. Melt in the microwave via 30 second increments.
2. Stir in 2-3 drops of food coloring to start with. You can always add more.
3. Spread on to parchment paper laid on a tray or cutting board.
4. Freeze for 10-15 minutes.
5. Chop.
6. Ready for frosting.

I'm going to advocate adding them to vanilla cream cheese frosting to go with this chocolate cake recipe from I Am Baker. Bold statement: All frosting should be cream cheese frosting. Do not flinch when five or more friends swarm the bowl to take care of the leftovers.

And speaking of leftovers, how much prettier does a whole heap of dirty dishes look with those lovely flower arrangements all over the place?

Think on Something Really Lovely

Have you ever been paralyzed by the sheer amount you want to say? I have to think that's common but it's unnerving. I talk too much as it is but to literally have week after week of not knowing what to say is so daunting.

The short of it is this: Jaimeson and I parted ways about a month ago. There's a lot that could be said. He is a kind, generous and talented man but years of being apart most of the time took its toll. You can't help but grow in different directions and I know it's the right thing for me. While this has been hard and I still feel like a jerk sometimes, I'm proud of the fact that we were honest with each other and ourselves without a single unkind intention. It is still pretty fresh.

I don't have anything else to say there but that's the gist of it. Rather than linger, I'm leaving you with a set of things from the last few days that have me smiling. It's really and truly beautiful in Chicago right now and I'm off to Lincoln Square for some time in the park with Williamasaurus Rex and Kate, the closest thing I have to an older sister.



The happiest table in my apartment. I found the little tin at the Fremont market in Seattle last weekend and filled it with Santa Maria Novella, my favorite potpourri (which was also, miraculously, found in Fremont at Essenza). The Eiffel Tower is exactly what it looks like. I bought it in Paris when I was 13 which is probably explanation enough.

The orange roses were $6 at Jewel and the concert poster was found for $3 in the back of Una Mae's. The owls- the larger is a print by Emily Leonard and the smaller is a Japanese pencil sketch by way of Pop Pop. I had the pleasure of making a pie for Pop last weekend and that was its very own happy event.

Yesterday, Gina and took a daytrip to Korea. At least that's what we were telling ourselves. Both coming off an exhausting few weeks, we decided we needed an adventure and the fact that it was a 15 minutes drive to Albany Park rather than a 15 hour flight to Seoul did not diminish the experience. A proper bi bim bop lunch at Kang Nam (so so good) followed by a few hours at Paradise Sauna.

Per the sauna, words elude me a bit again but if you are looking to really drop off the map, this is the place to do it. $50 bucks will get you all the steam, heat and hot tub you can handle along with a "scrub" that will leave you polished like a piece of silver. Nevermind that it shares space with a Mexican restaurant. This is not your frilly, fluffy "spa day." Bring your bravery, leave your modesty and sweat it out.


Sunday Breakfast:

• A piece of multigrain toast from Flourish
  
• A thin layer of garlic & herb goat cheese
• Tomato Mountain sun gold tomato preserves
• Assorted cherry tomatoes from my garden and my generous neighbor's
• Leftover honey/thyme pork tenderloin from a dinner party Friday night
• Basil plucked while watering first thing this morning

Some variation of this combination has been my favorite snack since I picked up the sun gold sweetness at the farmers market a few weeks ago. Need to grab another jar for the preserve reserves, thus securing bites of summer in the middle of winter.

When I went out to weed later, Honeycat came to help. If you want to talk about really lovely, you cannot omit the Lady of the Garden from the conversation. She's ready for fall like I am only I don't think she realizes her shady spot under the tomatoes will be relinquished to rows of kale and collards.

Dear Universe,
Thank you for the lovely and all it brought with it.
TKTC

Dear Universe: Home Edition

Backyard (1994-ish)

I just got off the phone with my mom. The event first discussed over a year ago has finally come to pass. The house I grew up in outside of Memphis has sold. 21 years of thinking of it as home and there will not be a Langsen living there anymore. Instead a young Canadian doctor from St Jude and his wife. I feel good about that. I like Canadians.

And it will still be home in a lot of ways because our family is there. Not blood relations, per se, but koumbara. That would be the Greek word for the family you're not related to, the ones you choose. Six degrees stronger than "community" implies, equally crazy and loved unconditionally. It was a great place to grow up. I'm surprised that I'm still surprised, even with plenty of time to get my head around it, if not every tendril. My parents have already divided themselves between Florida and the Cape, Dad officially retires in January. Times they are a-changing, etc.

Funny that today would be the day. Dear Universe, you may not be subtle but I kinda like it that way. Jaimeson is getting on a plane at LAX in an hour, bound for Chicago. With several boxes and suitcases because.....

Jaimeson is moving into Wicked Park with me (and HC, of course).

To the degree that he lives anywhere, this will be home for both of us now. We had a massive Craigslist/Garage Sale "happening" in LA last weekend and he has been going nonstop ever since to get here by Christmas. Like he hasn't had a big enough holiday season already (you can find his record HERE). We've talked about it loosely and gently for awhile and now it is happening. We've come a long way, most of it documented here.

I don't know how much will change because he'll still be on the road a lot and back to LA as much as he needs to be but it still feels like something. Something very good that smells like roast chicken and fresh lemons and some combination of lavender, rosemary and sandalwood.

Home is where the heart is, n'est ce pas?

In lieu of Jaimeson's traditional welcome back pie, I went a little over the top with Dorie Greenspan's Rosy Poached Pear and Pistachio Tart. Special, seasonal and involving pistachio pastry cream with a honey wine syrup. Welcome home, my dear.

*Note: Now that I live with a Greek, I will drop Greek words into posts at will. In tandem with the odd French words and phrases that help me up the "intellect" quotient of my writing about frosting, feline love triangles and being hungry. I could feel embarrassed for myself but I don't. I live with one. I am LEGIT.

**Note: Also, you're welcome for photographic evidence of why I have not capitalized on the "bangs" trend.

Time for a New Look

It is entirely coincidental that I'm writing this post freshly returned from the beauty shop but there it is. Incidentally, my hair smells incredible enough to just lick it but I won't because frankly Honeycat does that enough for both of us.
Nay, this isn't about my personal look per se, but rather something I alluded to in my anniversary post when you were all so kind to pull your favorite photos. The first thing I'm going to need is a new banner and my thoughts on this have varied. I really love the look of great illustration. It has a sense of humor and an admittedly imperfect viewpoint but still piques the interest and explains.


While I was in Seattle over the weekend, Pop Pop gave me a copy of The Elements of Style Illustrated as a (perfect) gift. To say that it has renewed my affection for Maira Kalman would be an understatement. She being the illustrator of the three photos above. Looking back at the other images I pulled for header inspiration I can see that they all have a similar whimsy. Luckily they all also have calendars featured in decor8's 2010 line-up and I've linked to their sites!

I love the color scheme and simplicity of these Seesaw prints and I'd love to see what they would do with food illustration.

Emmy Lew probably reminds me the most of Maira but even more whim(s?). I want a pie, a roast chicken, a bushel of veggies and puff of big hair mostly out of one end of the banner with a cat tail on the other side. That probably makes no sense. When will we be able to plug USB cords into our brains?Last but the opposite of least, Jen Oaks. Request: Click on the image above so you can really look at it. Does her November look oddly like my November? If this image had anything to do with food whatsoever, I would straight up ask her to name her price for rights to use it in an official capacity. Look, here's HC and I in our window in the fall, our season.

Would that be weird or insulting to professional illustrators to approach them about such a small project? When I re do this place, I really want to love it.

Plate Lickers: Berry Baked French Toast Edition

I like using words like "edition" and "installment" in post titles because it infers that the entry is part of a greater cause. As though there was a plan and an editorial calendar. Or real sentence structure. That sort of thing.

In reparation for denying you actual writing as it applies to established grammatical rules, I have brought you some French toast. It's a chilly Friday morning and I'm much better at communicating with food anyhow...no poker face required. I could never be a card shark, let's just say that.

After having a thoroughly stunning weekend in San Francisco at BlogHer Food and getting my virtual girlfriend time in with a bunch of fellow food-communicators, I've been tired. Tired and busy. Too tired and busy to cook much with the exception of a rebellious night when I started making panko crusted chicken with pesto at 10pm. With polenta and broccoli. I may have put the leftover broccoli in the freezer by accident but everything else came out and it made me feel better, as chopping and stirring is wont to do.

Then I got word that Friday (today) could be a recharge day. A day to breathe in the cooler fall air and hang some pictures and drop off dry-cleaning. And go apple-picking, my favorite autumnal activity. Jaimeson arrived last night and I woke up this morning feeling as though an exercise in gratitude was in order. Dear Universe, thank you for reminding me to inhale and exhale with enthusiasm. I also owed J for the dinner I came home to last night. Man does not fool around with roast chickens.

So here is my exercise in gratitude- using the leftover baguette from dinner and some odds and ends around the house to make Berry Baked French Toast.


1) I am grateful to have affection in my life. This was dinner last night. Love is love and that is the necessity. But affection and sweetness have been around this house in spades lately, both in person and in spirit.

Preheat oven to 375. Slice bread about 1/4 inch thick and laid in a lightly buttered dish. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter and brush the tops with a basting brush. In a separate bowl, 3 eggs, 1/3 cup of milk (skim is fine), 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp salt, any remaining butter. Whisk and pour over the top of your bread, ensuring all is covered. Let sit for 10-15 minutes till most egg has been absorbed. I had about a tablespoon of raspberry sauce leftover from Molly's birthday cake so I dotted across the top of the bread. Last step pre-oven? Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of dark brown sugar over the top.

2) I am grateful be invested in projects on every side of my life. I work hard because I love it. I love it because it's something I wanted to do before I knew it could be a profession. Even personal projects like redoing "my office" (I'm sitting in it now!) or learning how to make a terrine or putting together one ridiculous Halloween party...puts my insides aflutter in a good way.

Berry sauce. My fridge has gone empty. My cabinets have gone empty. But my freezer? Stocked for just such an occasion. Two handfuls of frozen mixed berries in a saucepan, then covered with 1/2 cup of orange juice and a couple glugs of maple syrup. Medium heat to a good simmer. Reduce it by a third and add a 1/4 cup of sugar if you really like the sweetness, though I don't find it a necessity. Remove from heat.

3) I am grateful to be on the move. A four hour flight to San Francisco or a 40 mile drive to southern Wisconsin, there is relief in the movement. The human equivalent of opening the windows to let the new, fresh air in. I'm too much of a homebody to be a true gypsy but there is life in other places and I hear they have macaroons and pie materials.

Bake the toast for 20-25 minutes or until golden on top and slightly risen, souffle-style.
4) I am grateful to be learning my limits. That doesn't sound terribly romantic but giving myself a few basic rules is going a long way. I need 7 hours of sleep. I need vegetables. I need kisses. I need cat food and the presence of canned tuna fish does not indicate that I can push off going to the store for another day.

Enjoy at the kitchen table and don't be shy with the sauce. Although if you're moderate, the leftovers would do magic to a bowl of ice cream or even Greek yogurt. Plate licking is fine, it's your house and you get to make your own basic rules.

Christmas List

My mom asked me what I wanted for Christmas this week. To which my immediate response was about to be laughter. "Oh Mom, you get started earlier every...oh good grief."

It really is mid-November.
Seriously? How does this HAPPEN?

So I started thinking about it, a little stumped. What did I want last year?

• Tall black equestrian boots (continue to wear into the ground, wanting orange rainboots this year)
  
• One nice purse (stolen in May but later replaced on crazy sale/store credit)

And a few loftier items that were on my 2007 Christmas list:

• A job with upward mobility and meatier projects
• -10 pounds
  
• To fall in love
• Adventures
  
• A President I could be proud of while on said adventures
  
• A way to pay bills on time (see new job)
  
• To quit smoking (my 2-year, 7 cigarette per week habit just kind've phased itself out...lovely)
• To stick with something for once (like a blog?)
  

Whoa. Everything? Really?

Dear Universe,
Thanks for everything. I'll try to pay it forward.
Love,
TKTC

What's Your Type?

Are you more compelled by a croissant or a scone with your coffee? Do you even drink coffee? What's your favorite kind of coffee? Do you take it with milk or soy? Sugar or Splenda? Cup or Carafe?

Do you pack your bags two days ahead of an early morning flight, do a little fashion show with your various ensembles or fold those shirts on box tops to keep them straight? Or, knowing you likely won't sleep anyway, zombie-zip that last parcel as you head out the door?

What is your comfort food? What was your favorite Halloween costume? And if you hate Halloween, how is that even possible? You really hate getting all gussied up, eating stupid amounts of sugar and telling tales?

Do you get goosebumps when someone plays with your hair? Are you passionate about what's happening in your life right now- one way or the other, elections to affections to (fun game this rhyming business)?

Do you fall in love slowly? Does it creep into your fingertips and toes innocuously with an easy warmth one day, one week, one year at a time? Does it change the face of a friendship?

Or do you fall in love fast? Is it electric, does it snap you out of a haze you hadn't realized you were in? Does it feel like walking into the first crisp day of spring or fall, when winter doesn't hurt your chest or summer doesn't suffocate? Does it feel like you just learned how to breathe and it may or may not be for all the right reasons?

Where is all this coming from??? Well we're in the ballpark of ToKisstheCook's first anniversary, just past it actually. And I have one hell of a Dear Universe post for that one but for tonight, for the next few days... tell me anything.

Not that I haven't always been curious about you, I do read your blogs after all when that's an option, but I'm now dying to know all sorts of things! I want to know what makes you specifically tick and the kind of thing that makes you laugh out loud when you're by yourself or the kinds of things that are only funny because whoever you're with just can't stop giggling.

I need to stop. I'll stop. But clue me in a little. If you don't want to leave a comment, shoot me an email. It's been a year and I know some of you like family. Some of you are family. But I'm insatiably intrigued to find out what's happening.

It goes like this:

I take strong Peet's French Roast with 1 Splenda and some cream, just like both my parents do except they love the gross powdery stuff. I probably only have coffee 3 days a week and I do not understand scones. They are crumbly and I've yet to have a single scone that matches the buttery, flaked perfection of a proper croissant.

I don't sleep before morning flights so my travel outfits have an "of the moment" quality (ha) and my mom made me a killer vampire costume when I was 9 (considering I'm on my 4th Twilight book in two weeks...appropriate still). All food is comforting to me but especially spaghetti with canned tomatoes and cheddar cheese or mashed potatoes or a gigantic Sugar Shack House Salad.

And what makes the hair on my arms stand up is only one person's business at the moment so it is unfair of me to even ask you that question if I'm only going to snip a response but it's not an unhappy snip. No. It's a passionate snip because yes, I feel strongly about all things these days and its delicious to feel so excited all the time and I like having people around me who feel the same way.

And love? How about both? I tend to know immediately but holy goodnight if I'm not one of the more stubborn people you've ever/ never met. Kinda nice to get the *flash*bang* AND the slow build though...

There are several people who read this blog who are going to think I've gone straight off the deep end but I promise you that I'm no further into the rabbit hole than usual.

So let's have it...your turn now.

And That's Why They Call Them The Blues

Laura, Jonny & Alexa for Jaimeson. I know...I need a real camera.

I spent last Friday night mostly at the House of Blues with a newly-arrived Molly and Lex. 75% House of Blues, 10% La Pasadita, 15% Getting rid of the hiccups at Wicked Park/my house. And while at the House of Blues, we were stage right for 60% of the time, upstairs in the upper left wing for 15%, wandering around the inner workings of the HOB for 5% of the time and in the Foundation Room for 20%.

This would be a good time to mention that my math isn't really trustworthy when I'm fed and caffeinated. Going on whiskey, maraschino cherries and fumes? Ballpark at best.

Joshua Radin was in town. He brought three rather lovely ladies with him: Miss Alexa Wilkinson, Miss Laura Jansen and Miss Vanessa Carlton. He also brought a very nice band including the exquisite and expressive Jonny but missing exactly one mustache in my opinion. So Friday night I hung out with some very good friends of Jaimeson's without him even in a 5 state radius. I'm sure he felt like he was there though. Upon looking at my phone on Saturday, I saw that he heard from us a lot that night. Pictures, texts, voicemails...Oh boy.

It was a great show, I hadn't seen Alexa since our field trip to Connecticut in June. As for Laura, I found her randomly on MySpace back in October and when I read that post now and think about all of the in-between and particularly how things tie together in the strangest ways...well, it's a "Dear Universe, thanks for listening to the things I wasn't really saying out loud" kind of thing.

Alexa in her voluminous white tutu with the cerulean trim and Laura with her bangs hangin' low did a version of Patty Griffin's "Long Ride Home" that gave me goosebumps. Truth be told, Ang's concert review is probably a little more reliable.
Mol and I needed to eat so we snagged Alexa and Allie and made a run for it to La Pasadita. Not real sure what's happening above but I love that you can see Alexa's tutu above the table and well into Molly's lap. I love that thing!

Below was part o Saturday morning's scene. Could NOT figure out why the sugar was out and open. Then I remembered. Someone had me convinced that eating a full tablespoon of sugar would get rid of the hiccups. No. Maybe 2 full tablespoons of sugar? No, but now my teeth feel funny.
We got the girls into a cab and headed back just in time for their bus call and while it was certainly sad to not have J around, being surrounded by his motley crew was further proof that good attracts good.

Now, as promised, new and new-ish to the playlist:

My Good Deed by Shearwater
Wandering Kind by Laura Veirs
Furr by Blitzen Trapper (fun guest post in the works with Jonk for the album release in Sept.)
Harmony 2 & I Didn't Mean to Hurt You (reminds me of Sigur Ros) by Spiritualized
Borne on the FM Waves of the Heart by Against Me! feat. Tegan (credit:Jaimeson)
It's About Time by Barcelona
Spend the Night by Deer Tick
The Garden by Mirah (credit: So You Think You Can Dance)
Southern Comfort by Arrah and the Ferns
Hometown Glory by Adele
Wanderlust King by Gogol Bordello


And visiting Dawn Mitschele's MySpace often

Confession: I was kind've a wuss today.

I didn't know anyone, a good portion of my new team is out of town and man, it's really different from anyplace I've been recently. On top of having my umbrella reverse directions on me on my way into work and getting soaked, I had forgotten my cell phone which means I was EXTRA disconnected. No computer till a little after 5 and I missed a meeting because of it. How very new kid. It's scary starting over. It's scary being one of a lot instead of one of a few. Even for little miss never-met-a-stranger...it's daunting! Do you know how long it's been since I used a PC?!

When I got home (after taking the El in the wrong direction around the Loop for a stop), I poured a healthy glass of wine and just wallowed in my exhaustion while a massive summer storm started washing over Wicker Park. The sky turned an all too familiar gangrene color, introduced by a childhood spent living on a Mississippi floodplain. And the wind picked up and the sirens went off. Then the hail came and again, I was a little scared.

Then there were some big cracks of thunder and something changed. I didn't start singing about raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens. Instead I turned off every light in my apartment and watched the whole thing go down with my own whiskered scaredy-kitten hiding in my lap. It was exhilarating and with the lights off, it felt a little easier to take some deep breaths in my dark and flashing living room.

I haven't been scared of anything in a very long time but I'm scared of all sorts of shit at the moment. I'm scared of the change, I'm scared of being out on a limb in every sense and I'm scared of all the chances I've been taking. As of right this second, it feels pretty good. Things were fine the way they were for a long time but the only thing scarier than the risks is not taking them and missing out on the best of it.

If I'm just now getting scared, I must be getting to the good part.

Day Two tomorrow and I'm bringing homemade chocolate chip cookies with two kinds of chocolate chips (dark and semi-sweet). I'm not above bribery and cookies are a sometimes food. As in, sometimes you need to bring out the big guns:)

Cookies is sometimes food from Cookie Monster's guest appearance on Colbert.

PopPop's Summer Dinner for Two

My grandfather is likely the most genuine romantic I know. A genuine bon vivant in every sense, I like to think that I've been learning from the best when it comes to finding life absolutely delicious- particularly when it comes to love and food.

That said, when your muse and mentor emails you with a new recipe, resistance is futile if it was ever present at all. Without further ado, here is Arnie Baby, verbatim:

There are some food that have such natural flavor that it needs very little, if any at all, additional taste enhancements. Take a nice ripe summer yellow peach. Put on a bib and take a big bite, letting the juice flow over your fingers, your mouth, chin, nose, and whatever. Mmmmmmmm mmmmmmmmmmmm. How could you even think of adding anything to it? Same goes for other food stuff. Such as . . . Well, Jennifer was coming over for the weekend and I was making dinner for a summer evening. So, I went to the local Whole Foods where they have wonderful fresh fish. Got to the counter and the guy asks what I am looking for, so I tell him, something light and tasty. In a nanosecond, he told me "Scallops," and pointed to a tray of wonderful bay scallop shellfish each about the size of my "shooter" marble I used in competition when I was nine or ten years old. I asked about preparation and he told me nothing but rolled in flour and sizzled in very hot canola oil = these babies have natural sweetness.

He was soooooooo right. Here's what I did: I made a salad (details coming up), and started some nice Italian risotto in my ricer = a present from one of my nice female Japanese students a long, long time ago. Then, I patted the 3/4 pound of bay scallops with paper towels and rolled them around in some flour in an aluminum dish. I heated my copper bottom oval pan, sprayed with canola Pam and added high heat canola oil about paper thin. I felt for the heat by holding my palm about three inches from the pan. I tossed the scallops in = remembering the advice to let cooking scallops lie: Don't mess with them or you give up the nice brown toasty bottom you should get. Four minutes later toss them around for an extra minute and then pop them onto the bed of rice. The french baguette was warm from the oven. The wine was L'Ecole #41 Semillon. Bon Appetit. Nice fresh peach = I told you so = for dessert.

Okay, the salad: A small bowl for each of us, lined with the best parts of butter lettuce, some hardboiled egg in slivers, raisins, macadamia nuts, goat cheese, bits of red onion, and (surprise to the taste buds) red pickled sweet peppers. Of course, drizzle some good olive oil, zinfandel vinegar, 1 minced clove of garlic & grey poupon mustard mixture for dressing. Just feel it out.


TKTC NOTE: The photo above is my recreation made the very night I got his email. What's strange is I'd already been craving scallops out loud when this appeared! Dear Universe, right on.

My version was tweaked just a touch. I dredged the scallops in flour with two light shakes of cinnamon and some sea salt in the mix. Gave it a good shake and tossed them in a sieve to release any extra flour. Pan friend them in Pam and they really were perfect. Instead of rice, I served over chopped romaine with dried Michigan cherries, goat cheese, crushed macadamia nuts and some sliced red onion. That dressing combo is tried and true Pop and I stuck with it. Wow. Now THAT'S a summer salad!

Fabuleaux, Pop!

The Golden (Arches) Rule

Wasn't sure I'd go out tonight (saving my resources for L. Michelle's Bachelorette tomorrow night) but it's tough to say no to The Whigs' Post-Lolla party. At House of Blues no less. So off we went and we party party partied. But I am out of practice with the party party so by 1:30am I was about ready to have my cheeseburger and call it a night.

Que a very patient cab driver. He was taking Chicago Ave. back to my beloved neighborhood and due to a lovely walk with my special friend this week, I knew there was a 24-hour McDonald's at the intersection of Chicago Ave. and Damen in Ukie Village.

Now don't start. Yes, I write a primarily food-focused blog. Yes, I LOVE McDonald's from time to time. I don't see the contradiction. It's delicious. And as I told my cab driver, it's consistent.

You see, while we were in the drive-thru, there was a couple in front of us trying to walk-thru. No go said the buzzy order box. So I yell out "I can take your order, please!" and the guy is so elated that he hands me his business credit card and offer to treat since I've offered to order. Well LOVELY! So I order a #7 for him and a spicy chicken for her and a cheeseburger for me and a Coke for my lovely driver. And everyone is so happy with the symbiotic relationship that's erupted among strangers and I feel very happy in this city-o-mine.

As we're headed up Damen, I'm chattering in the backseat (shocking).

Me: I love McDonalds. It tastes the same everywhere. It' s always good. In Paris, the fries are still fries, etc.
Cab driver: You've been to Paris??
Me: Oh man, I love Paris. Everyone loves Paris. It's France!! Just today, my grandfather sent me stunning new photos of le Pont Neuf!
Cab driver: I was in Cameroon till age 9 then in Paris till age 19 and now Chicago. Paris is home.
Me: Niiiice home! You should see Paris Je T'Aime. I love it. I tend toward St. Germain when I'm there on someone else's tab. What a beautiful place to consider home!! You're very lucky!
Cab driver: You're fun. This was my first trip of the night. It's going to be a good one I think.
Me: Yes, and now your're fully caffeinated by Coke without borders.

I fucking love Chicago.

A Ghost in My Coffee

A chamomile toast to you loves who put some sunshine in a rather cloudy day today, whether you knew it or not.

I'm wrapping up my list at work, saying my goodbyes to the clients and contacts I've had for the last 2.25 years and in the midst... an email. Three lines long and three years late and every bit as unwelcome now as it was then. It's silly and it's pointless and there's no reason I should feel anything but apathetic but gew. Gew because I'm excited about so much right now and I felt like a ghost just wafted right up out of my coffee cup and I accidentally swallowed it. I had a hard time shaking the fog out of my ribcage for the rest of the day.

So it is time for bed. I have a hot cup of tea, a brand new book, all clean dishes and the A/C is cranked. Recipe for a good night's sleep and I don't have to so much as think about him tomorrow, sure as sugar haven't thought of him in a lot of yesterdays.

Instead I will wake up to sunny skies (sunny, high of 80!), a broccoli/green pepper omelet for breakfast, a long walk to work, a house dinner tomorrow night and one day closer to the glorious weekend. I'm ready to respire and radiate in that order!!

Paying Attention

If I were going to pick a theme for the last year, it would be “Pay Attention.” I am naturally a little scatterbrained (please pretend to be surprised) so I try to remind myself to take a breath, take a step back, take no prisoners...whatever needs to be done to keep me fully inside my life rather than in several different directions, decades etc.

That’s largely what the whole “Dear Universe” thing has been about- things that laid down in my lap when I started paying attention or in some cases bit me hard on the ankle when I wasn’t.

Universe says, “Pay attention- this could be really good!” or “Pay attention- you’re forcing it!” or “Pay Attention- You’re happy!!”

The same could be said for knowing where I am. I’ve always generally known how old I was. It kept me out of trouble in high school because I knew I was young and I knew there’d be time for that.
And that.
And thoooose.

And what do you know? There has been. I'm young. I seem to be surrounded by great people no matter where I am. I'm broke 90% of the time but the weather's warm and I could have butterflies about any number of things at any given minute. The inevitability of both fantastic and very dark things ahead is not lost on me and I'm grateful for this.

What brought this on??? John Mayer wrote an excellent blog post to the same end yesterday. I read it and spent the entire time just nodding and saying “Exactly” in my head. Say what you will about JM, he’s one of my favorite musicians of the last 10 years. There are full chapters of my life that run to the tune of one song or another and to have that kind of songwriting ability plus a purist’s guitar talent....well it only comes around a few times in a generation.

There was a year or so there when I would read something or another and get annoyed but I gave up the gossip ghost with my last job and am back to just enjoying the music and respecting the man making it. I only wish he still played a more intimate venue but I'm not alone in my musical affections which is in fact, a good thing.

Someone just offered me tickets to see an advance screening of “Where The Light Is” tonight and then Jess mentioned him in a post last night. Having him come up three times in a 24 hour period strikes me as something I should pay attention to but in other news- I am just odd on a Monday.

Stated Intention: I Screamed for Ice Cream

Last week, Jess requested that everyone pick something small to focus on as a small experiment in the Law of Attraction. Start small, move on to bigger things. That particular day, I had a hard time focusing on little things as I was too far ahead of myself.

Today however, I stated an intention without even realizing it. I just dedicated a good bit of positive thought and excitement toward getting ahold of an ice cream maker. Yes, an ice cream maker. I didn't want to buy one but I figured someone I knew I had to have one already (a longshot in retrospect). I've been seeing all these fantastic recipes and have recently come across TWO people who "don't eat sweets, just ice cream." If they thought they would get out of TKTC homemade goodness that way, they were very wrong. I am one determined puff-o-curls.

I had dinner plans with DG and Lyns tonight- my old school co-workers from the early Chicago days. DG says in a late afternoon email that she wants to bring dessert for after sushi. DG used to be a pastry chef at the Four Seasons. Ummm, ok!!

Turns out, she just got her ice cream machine over the weekend. She'd just made her first batch of decadent vanilla. She also made a mixed berry compote to go with it which we warmed up on the stove and then served over the ice cream.

WOW.

A few hours of irreverant conversation, sushi and homemade a la mode minus the cobbler? I'll take it.

A gift from the universe in the shape of an ice cream maker? I'll take that too. I'll take it as an apology for my not being in London tonight when all my boys were hanging out for the first time. They loved each other, of course. And I felt missed. Which was almost worth not being there:)

Ice Cream and Compote from DG!

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

1.5 cups heavy cream (avoid the ultra pasteurized, but you can use it in a pinch)

1.5 cups whole milk

1 vanilla pod

3/4 cup sugar, split

2 whole eggs

3 egg yolks

special equipment set up: digital thermometer and stainless steel bowl in an ice bath with a fine mesh strainer over bowl.

Mix cream, milk in pan with split & scraped vanilla bean and half of sugar. Bring to light simmer, but don't boil.

Mix eggs and second half of sugar with whisk in 1 cup of hot cream mixture to temper egg mix. Then pour entire egg/cream mix back into pan and continue cooking and whisking continuously over medium low heat until mix coats back of spoon or reaches about 180F/85 C. Careful not to scramble the custard!

Pour contents immediately through strainer over steel bowl in ice bath to catch any scrambled bits. Cool by whisking every few mintues so no skin forms until the custard is cool. Place a sheet of plastic wrap directly touching custard and refrigerate overnight or 8 hours to allow all the fats to mix and absorb flavors.

Next day, use an immersion blender or just stir with a spoon (try not to mix in too much air). Place into ice cream machine and follow manufacturer's directions. My machine does it in about 30 minutes. Scrape down sides half way through. Place into another container and freeze for a few hours until solid.

Mixed Berry Compote

12 oz of mixed berries (fresh or frozen)

3 tbsps sugar

1 heaping tsp corn starch

1-2 tbsps cold water

Mix berries and sugar in pan over med-low heat. Simmer until warm or defrosted. Mix cornstarch with cold water in separate container and stir in gently. Cook an additional 1-2 minutes to cook out the starchy taste and allow to thicken. Turn off the heat and allow to cool before storing in refrigerator or use warm over ice cream, angel food cake, pound cake, etc...

Oh Really, Universe? Music Edition

I'll keep it brief. Y'all know I love my music but in two cases, I've now come to love the people making it as well. Obviously we have Jaimeson. But then there are also the boys collectively known as Blitzen Trapper. I came to know them about a year apart and they've both come to be standards here in Wicked Park.

Their music is completely different but both sets can hold their whiskey, put on a fantastic show, appreciate baked goods and stay chez TKTC when they come to Chicago (obviously in different parts of my little apartment) or even chez Brother in Boston. I've always suspected they would get along but they run in different circles and while I've mentioned each to the other, I hadn't really thought about it much.

Until this morning. Jaimeson called last night and we were chatting through when he was coming back, where the last show was etc. Cary was booked last minute for a gig in London so they were excited about a longer set and J's dad would be there for it. I thought, It'd be nice for Kate to finally meet Jaimeson so I'll look up the venue for her and send the link.

You've got to be kidding.

I knew Blitzen was over there but they arrived after I'd already come back so I just didn't think anything of it. But there they were. Playing the same venue as Cary. On the same night. In London.

My monsters are sharing a stage on Monday and somebody had better have some UK minutes left because that's a drunk dial I don't want to miss.

Shake Shake Shake

This is not California. When the house starts shaking at 4:39 am, I wake up thinking:

a) I need to stop eating Starfruit so close to bedtime. Although pomegranate with kiwi and strawberries on top is gonna be tough to resist. Branner too, the amazing neighborhood ambassador/gladiator puppy!

b) Jaimeson is texting me at his favorite time of day and my SUPERphone must be underneath me somewhere. Like in the foundation of my house.

c) The house is being burgled and it's the team from Oceans 11 who are up to their shenanigans. I guess this one is a little close to point A.

Sweet Dreams.

Lucky for me, HC was pretty freaked out too so I knew something was up. Just not to the point where I did anything but check email and go back to sleep.

An EARTHQUAKE in Chicago? This after a COUGAR was hunted down in Roscoe Village? Universe, seriously, this is not Laurel Canyon. But if you're really that confused, give US the sunshine and leave Paris Hilton where she is.

You know the LA Times writer who reported this morning must have been giggling the entire time. 5.4 earthquake. Nothin but Shake-n-Bake for the wild west, but scrambling my eggs for me in the midwest. My first earthquake.

What I Wore: The Power of Suggestion

What I Wore:
New Hat from Eskell
Last season tunic dress from Urban Outfitters
White button-down shirtdress from Club Monaco
Dark skinny jeans from Old Navy
Black Either/Or flats from Anthropologie

I SWEAR I had already hung the tunic/shirtdress combo up to wear to a hairstylist "jam session" this morning. Pre-posting. The rest? I guess only the universe is gonna riddle me that:)

Also, Midwest Jess does a fabulous segment like this daily...check out What I Wore!

All Greek To Me- TKTC Culture/Food Crush

Yes, please.

I'm genuinely hoping that this next statement doesn't rub anyone the wrong way either by exclusion or by any stale stereotype.

I have a culture crush on the Greeks.

There. I said it. I should also say that this is not my first culture crush (the French, the Jews) but as I get older I get a clearer idea as to why this happens. You see, I, like many of you I'm sure, am a bit of an All-American mutt. My mother's side Irish-Catholic and my dad's Russian Jew. All of my grandparents were born here so we're not talking close ties to the motherlands. I was raised Lutheran. I'm agnostic at this point but am still intrigued by religion in terms of the roles (good and bad) it plays in the world at large.

My point here is that while every single member of my family finds different cultures fascinating, we kinda made it up as we went. Again, in our defense, we've done just fine. But I've always craved the color and the history of really rich traditions. It's a thing.

And it's not as though my Greek fascination just started. To the contrary, starting around age 7 I was OBSESSED with ancient Greek mythology and this led me into the geography and world events that started filtering into my textbooks. In Brownies, one of the girl's in our troop was Greek Orthodox and I remember thinking about how cool her church sounded. In Etymology I always seemed to find an excuse to favor the words with Greek rather than Latin roots.
The Greek key pattern always finding a way onto my doormats and bright blue and crisp white is an all-time favorite combination. More of a quirky fascination than anything practical or PC. This only got worse when McGulliver and Tina headed to Greece in February and had the time of their lives.

Yes yes yes, I know I'm about to get called out. The Hellenic infatuation has reached such great heights recently because I've been involved-ish with someone who teems with everything I've always understood "Greek" to be. And when I start to list those things, I see a lot of myself there too(the good parts anyway). Passion for family, food and a great story. Better at life to the tune of something beautiful and happiest near the water. Lover and Fighter in that order. Value in the academic. Full of pride and the product of strong women. Devout love of olive oil and all things brought about in a Mediterranean climate. I get all kinds of proud when people tell me I could even PASS for Greek (curls, shape & wild gesticulations I suppose).

So I've had my antennae up. Picking up bits and pieces where I can, with help along the way from some very willing sources (Jaimeson, P, the bartender at Venus). The best way to figure a part of the world out? Well, eating, obviously. So I've been doing a bit of that too and the two restaurants TKTC is featuring today are Venus in Greektown and Angelo's Taverna in Old Town.

My trip to Venus came about thanks to P, who's father charmed me with his Greekness on our way to Mexico over Christmas. She's since been a good PR buddy to have around although we talk about as much shopping as we do "shop." We were due for another dinner date and since I'd never been to Greektown (some lover I am), she humored me with a restaurant I'd been dreaming about since seeing it on Check, Please. I LOVE Check, Please.

I arrived a good 15 minutes early as Venus has free valet and apparently Greektown is all of 7 minutes from my apartment. Not even kidding, how was I missing this?! So I get in there and start chatting with the bartender who is quite simply a fabulous woman. The two men sitting down the bar buy me a glass of wine for "bringing beauty into the restaurant." I don't know about that, but I'll take the wine and the bartender introduces me to her Mexican husband (a waiter now fluent in Greek...hope?). By the time P arrives, I have recs on what to order, where to go IN Greece, how to say a few things and a new friend.
We started with some white wine that I cannot remember the name of, only that it came in a shorter bottle and was on the sweet side. Paired nicely with the rich dishes to come. Above you see Venus' famous moussaka. It's like a vegetable layered lasagna with bechamel sauce and cheese. There was a touch of cinnamon. Incredible. I'm still fantasizing about this. SHARE though cause it's decadent and even with us splitting, I still took half of that home. We also had some Greek fries in there...baked in olive oil and perfectly seasoned. Blew me away.
After all that goodness, I needed a coffee. P tells me that Greek coffee is a little different because when you drink it the Yia Yia's can tell you things about the shapes made by the grounds. We're not that good yet. We saw stripes and decided I had a tiger in my cup. May have been the wine talking but at least it wasn't a Grim:)We went with a classic dessert- yiaourti me meli (Greek yogurt with honey). This isn't Yoplait, peeps. It's the consistency of custard and I'm going to be recreating this one at home. Good for the digestive system and downright delicious. I love honey. (Well, yes, HoneyCAT too). I'm also going back to Venus and will take anyone...let me know if you're down!


Now for Angelo's. Angelo's I found flipping through a book my boss had lying around. Kind've a "universe" thing actually. I picked it up and flipped right to the page on Angelo's which was all about Greek Easter. Something I'd just been wondering about (bottom).

Saturday night we found Angelo's to be pretty charming. A dark wood bar and very cozy- perfect for a snowy Saturday night with Abby who lives in that hood. We walked in and they were playing Jack Johnson and throughout the night had on Joshua Radin, Dave Matthews, more Jack Johnson and the Postal Service. Very different vibe from Venus. And a mix in patrons as well. Lots of Old Town/ Lincoln Park twenty somethings but also older couples out with friends etc. While the menu prioritizes it's Greek offerings, it also lists items from Spain and Italy (clearly marked by flag). I had Avgolemono soup and a plate of grilled zucchini and squash with olive oil and herbs. This after a hearty helping of really really good tzatziki. It was never packed but always busy. With a glass of wine, I paid around $20 which is not too shabby in these parts. Not quite as authentic as Venus but a fabulous neighborhood find.
Which finally brings me to Greek Easter. I will be in England for Greek Easter, quite unintentionally. When I originally booked my trip, I didn't even know that my Greek friend would be over there let alone that the full day we've got together wold land on a major church holiday. Sadly I have my doubts that we'll make it to the night service because of his show but I'm trying to educate myself a bit. Anyone out there? Alexa, my new blog buddy, why do I think you may have something to offer here? What a serendipitous time for us to notice one another:)