Cibarra

This is the hot chocolate I had last night...made in Mexico and bought at Edgewater Produce. Heated milk blended with half a block of this delectable chocolate.

Colorful Salad

This is the salad I made last night:
Quarter of red and green peppers
One Cucumber
Edamame
Corn
Olive Oil
Lemon Juice
Salt
Sumac
Good

Monk

Thank you to the college chum in Chicago who introduced me to the wonderful world of Bit Torrent. I am currently midway through the second season of Monk because of him.




Speaking of Monks. The guy to the right is a monk and my parents' friend. He is a very interesting man, so interesting that a documentary has been made about him (click the title to go to the site) and his path to a monastery. As a little person I enjoyed greatly the visits we made to Berryville, Virginia to see him. Apparently, at some point, I drew Brother Benedict/Harvey a picture of a pig. Check him out.

Char Red Hot c/o Gold Coast Dogs

This is the hot dog I ate after class. Char Red Hot with everything but the scarily green relish. Dubbed best hot dog by any number of newspapers and television stations, this hot dog was tasty though not mind blowing...The hot pepper made me hiccup.

Art Institute In The Morning

I thought this was pretty at 8:45 this morning. That's the Art Institute of Chicago, it's a large museum.

Are You The Answer?

Okay. I'm trying to print and I cannot. I have made things worse. Are you familiar with Macintosh computers running in OS 10.Tiger? Are you familiar with Epson 980 printers? How about drivers? And stupid people like me who screw everything up? If you are, I'd like to have a little step by step tutorial with you...because I can't print and I've erased other things and it's bad.

Macaroni and Cheese Revamped

I had a fair amount of macaroni and cheese left over from Sunday and little desire to eat it. So I thought I would try to make it a little more interesting...or circa 1953. I added tuna from a can and steamed broccoli and this is what it looks like now. I spiced it up with salt, pepper and original tabasco.

Now that I have eaten, I need to buckle down and read a whole book.

Nano Boo Boo

I had beenn thinking about another post on presents I would like and the main event would have been an ipod--non nano style. And it seems I was right to feel this way, the little suckers are breaking down after hours of use (click the title for BBC's story). So, if you want to get me a present DON'T get me a Nano-pod.

Funny note, that my mother will probably not think is as funny:
If you don't buy me an ipod, no one will. Two years ago I asked for an ipod for Christmas and my mother said to me ' I think you're old enough to buy that kind of thing for yourself'....That is simply not true, I will never be old enough.

Wasabi Roe Is Good to Go

My goodness, I do love me my wasabi roe. This is take-out from the Noodle Zone. The pad thai was orange and not the best I've ever had. The shrimp tempura maki wasn't so spectacular either. But the wasabi roe/tobikko was just right.

School Work/Movies Trump Knitting/New Friends

I was totally psyched about going to tonight's stitch and bitch meeting until I realized that I wasn't. I still have time to change my mind but the opportunity to do a little more school work/watch my recently arrived netflix/eat take out-all from the comfort of my home-is making the idea of taking an almost hour long bus or train ride way downtown, less than exciting. I am torn about this because I can't make friends with the knitters if I never show up to their meetings and yet I haven't been back to the circle since my first visit. Shoot.

Salmon Sausages and Vegetables

This is the lunch I just ate. Salmon dill sausages and edamame (is it still edamame if the beans have been freed from their pods?), radishes and yellow peppers over spinach.
I sauteed the peppers, radishes and pre-steamed edamame in sesame oil (I used light sesame oil but I recommend a darker oil...more taste) and steamed the spinach. Meanwhile I was sauteeing the sausages in a little olive oil (until they were over one hundred fifty degrees on the inside. A little salt and lemon juice made this a delicious and (I think) pretty meal.

Wine Night

So after spending a less than perfectly productive day in the apartment I went downtown...to the loop (having been here about a month I can say that..the loop). Once there I went and saw Michael Smith give a lecture. I was, as always, the weird girl...saying hi but awkwardly (I feel like I'm spelling everything wrong). After the lecture I wanted to chat but there was a crowd (okay five people) and so I just said 'oh it was nice to see you' and then I bolted. As far as Michael Smith is concerned, I am the most awkward girl ever...and it's not like I'm actually all that adjusted in the first place.

After the lecture/my freak out, I went to the second Wine Night, this time in Logan Square. Once there I drank some white wine and then some red wine. I also ate this:


It may not look perfect, but it was delicious. The hostess told me that it was, in fact:
Cream cheese
Tabasco
and
Green Onion
Topped with Corn(ed?) Beef.

Tasty.

Macaroni and Cheese

Landscape, Mac 'n Cheese style. Yesterday a friend came over for games and cheesy pasta. My 'adult' macaroni and cheese always has at least three different kinds of cheese...usually more, and sometimes bacon. This time around it had havarti, cheddar, gouda and mozzarella cheeses and no bacon.

This is the game of scrabble we played...he won...I don't even care...really, not at all....not a single iota of caring in me. Nope. Free of caring.

Chinese Delivery c/o Young's

Yesterday I ordered myself some steamed dumplings and bean curd and broccoli in brown sauce from Young's (3949 N. Ashland). It was delivered to my apartment in less than half an hour. Amazing compared to The Art of Pizza Delivery time (one hour forty minutes).

My combination (dumplings/tofu)has always been a kind of comfort food and for the last four years it has been served to me care of The Golden Wok in Red Hook New York. I must say that, though the food was good, it wasn't the Golden Wok. Poor me.

Problems

Okay. I've been trying upload pictures of the Chinese food, scrabble game and macaroni and cheese of yesterday. But blogger refuses to let me. I will continue to try. That's all I can say...I'm a little annoyed, I can say that too.

I'm A Little Shopper

I just got back from a little trip around Andersonville. On this trip I went to Wickstrom's Swedish Market and got salmon sausage (which just sounds so great), bratwurst and gouda cheese. I then went to Arya Market and got Ceylon Earl Grey Tea and Turkish Coffee. I'm feeling pretty good about my purchases.

Last night I went to Wicker Park and attended the party of a coworker of a friend of my neighbor. It was called the 'MEGA party'. It was pretty mega, we ended up staying out until nearly four in the morning. On the way to Damen to catch a cab we stopped at Under Dog for hot dogs. I wish I had brought my camera to take a photograph of a)my cheddar char dog, b)the crowd (three in the morning and it was hopping with hipsters) and c)the guy who sat at our table for a second who works for Aveda and claimed to cut Oprah's hair...I think I believed him because that would be a really weird lie.

I've ordered comfort Chinese Food and plan on watching episodes of Monk while eating it. Banner day!

Three Pepper Medley with Cod

This is the dinner I just ate. If you wanted to make it you would need:
1 yellow pepper
1 red pepper
1 green pepper
2 heirloom tomatoes- 1 red with green stripes and one yellow with red stripes)
(or any combination of colors and stripes...I'm not some sort of color dictator)
1 tablespoon sesame oil
3 cloves of garlic
3 teaspoons ginger powder
1 cod fillet
1 egg
small amounts of flour, salt and lemon

Coat the fillet in flour, then dip it in a beaten egg, then recoat it with flour (add a little salt and any other spice to the flour to zest things up if you like). Turn your oven to broil.

Cut in thicker slices than julienne (does that make sense?) one half of each color pepper. Cut the tomatoes however you please (I sliced mine).
In a skillet heat one tablespoon sesame oil and three cloves garlic. Once the garlic is sizzling add the peppers (while simultaneously putting the cod in the oven) and after stirring them around for a few minutes, add the tomatoes. Cook on high heat for about five minutes then turn the heat to low. Check on the fish, it's ready when it's ready (I knew mine was ready by checking its temperature and seeing that it was 150 degrees on the inside). When the cod is cooked to your liking put it on a plate and drape the peppers around it as you like. Squeeze a bit of lemon juice over the whole thing. I found that the peppers needed a bit of salt.

Furnishings

This is what the latest incarnation of the apartment looks like. Still needs some work but looking a heck of a lot better. This is where the watching of movies happens.
The photo of the dining table is unfocused and I don't know why, sorry.

This is where the magic happens.

Procrastination

So my plan for today is to put away all the rest of the stuff that came in the Penske truck. But I seem to be unable to do it. I mean, where does one put a duck puppet with a 'practice random acts of kindness' button. The trash? Or how about an envelope containing traces of your childhood? I can't seem to gear myself up for the task. I need to be biologically enhanced with the 'and everything in their place' gene. That or I need to turn off my computer and stop posting on this blog...don't worry I wouldn't do that to you (or myself).

Chicago Humanities Festival

If you are like me and an SAIC student/Margaret Atwood fan, you should click on the title of this post and learn a little about the Chicago Humanities Festival. She is going to be there and if you are like me (especially in regards to being an SAIC student) you can get tickets to see her (in November...I think) for free. You can also see Salman Rushdie, the lady who wrote Gilead, Jan Morris and Pico Iyer. Is that cool or what?

The Most Extraordinary...

Hit the title and see Sarah Silverman and some guys in a space 'television' show. It's kind of funny.

Michael Smith Comes to Chicago

Michael Smith is going to be speaking in the Columbus Auditorium, 280 S. Columbus Drive, on Monday September 26th. His work is funny. I had a fellowship with him a few years ago (in fact I took the picture to the left). If you live in Chicago you should see him.

The Chimichanga Project

For a while now I have wanted to do a photo project entitled the Chimichanga Tour (or project). It's conceptual pretense is this: in my experience all Mexican restaurants have completely different presentations/definitions of chimichangas. I wanted to go on a tour of the United States with my four by five camera and take big, beautiful pictures of chimichangas. The point, or at least one of them, would be to be funny while exploring the way one word can have a variation of meanings. I mean, love comes in many different visual forms but it's much easier (and far more entertaining) to possibly make a point through chimichangas. Alas, I have no time to go all over the country with a four by five, so instead I'm going all over Chicago with a digital camera.


This was stop one. Fiesta Mexicana in Uptown, near the Lawrence red line stop. They have lunch specials. The chimichanga special was, obviously the chimichanga, along with rice, beans, sour cream and guacamole. Oh and one complimentary soda. I was the only person in the restaurant. Spanish television was on at full volume and one of the women was singing songs to herself.

My server, after giving me the check. Asked me if I was in school and where. And then she asked me if I liked it and where I was from. I don't think I've had such a curious waitress. She was nice. I think perhaps, and not for the first time, that she was curious because she saw me taking photographs. Who knows.

The chips were unsalted and hearty. The salsa had a kick. The chimichanga was stuffed with shredded chicken, beans, onions and the occasional tomato. It wasn't overly flavorful and I only ate half of it. The meal cost (with tax) $6.70.

Crazy Quesadilla

Yesterday, when I looked in my fridge, I realized I was running low on options. So I went with a cheddar/havarti/goat cheese/tomato quesadilla. It was cheese-a-licious.

The Finger

Well it's a blurry picture. But perhaps that adds to the aura of pain. Or not

Tea Party Finger Crunch

Last night as I was leaving the writing program 'tea party' I managed to slam the bejeezus out of my right hand's middle finger. And it hurts. I'm going to try to take a picture but I'm not sure the pain will come through.

Presents

If you're thinking about getting me a present, here are a few things I would like.

Spinach With Goat Cheese

This is the spinach with goat cheese I made yesterday. Pretty straight forward.

Makeover Shows Are Bad

This woman was supposed to be on Extreme Makeover. The day before her surgeries were to start, the producers cancelled the entire thing-citing that a specific jaw surgery wouldn't heal in time for the show. The woman's sister had been interviewed in the previous episode and said mean things about her sister's looks (like she was ugly).



The sister felt that the producers had goaded her into saying these things and that it was only okay because her sister was going to get the surgery. When the surgery was cancelled, the woman's sister felt so bad about what she had said she killed herself.

Click on the title to read the story. Makeover shows are bad, the end.

A Lot Like Love

Last night I decided to watch a movie when I should have gone to bed. I watched A Lot Like Love, starring Ashton Kutcher and Amanda Peet. I really want to talk about how terrible it was but it actually wasn't that bad...if you like the romantic comedies (which I do). Ashton Kutcher (I can't believe I'm admitting this) is actually not that terrible an actor (not Oscar material or anything) and so is Amanda Peet. If you're looking for something light or something to feed your romantic fantasies about that person you saw five years ago that you still think 'could have been the one'-Watch this.

White Sox versus Indians

After the dinner. The chum and I went to the White Sox stadium (formerly Comiskey? now US Cellular?) to watch the game with a bunch of other knitters. We sat in bleachers right behind center field. We left at the top of the ninth after the White Sox screwed up and lost the tenuous one point lead they had over the Indians. It seems that in the time it took me to get home, they went into extra innings and ended up winning the game 10-9. My bad. I thought it was over.

Every time a White Sox member hit a home run, fireworks would go off. Every time a White Sox member came to bat, a bit of individualized theme music would play (my favorite player was the one who was accompanied by a song off of Beck's new album).

We ended up surrounded by non-knitters and were pretty miffed about the planning of the event. We did sit next to three Indians fans, it was funny how they would stand up when everyone else was firmly in their seats and vice versa.

I thought I would write a play by play of the game, but it's kind of late and I have too much homework to even think about.

Beef 'n Brandy

Today, after saying goodbye to the boyfriend, I met up with a school chum. We went and had a quick bite at Beef 'n Brandy Restaurant. The restaurant is at 127 S. State Street and is very diner like and cheap. We both had budweisers. I had a cheeseburger deluxe ($4.99) and she had a turkey club. The french fries were tasty and didn't need any additional salt. Mmm.

The Boyfriend

I would like to take this moment to share with you the wondrous nature of the boyfriend. The boyfriend took a very long train ride from Virginia to Poughkeepsie, New York then got into a Penske truck and drove forty five minutes to a storage unit where all my shit...and a little of his...was languishing, unused and miserable. He then proceeded to drive from mid-state New York to Chicago! He had no help packing up the truck (there was a LOT of stuff) and didn't even take a real sleep break. This is what I want to call 'going above the call of duty' and I am very grateful. He left today and is currently somewhere in the middle of a seventeen hour train ride to Virginia. I love him, he is an amazing person. This is a picture of him from this summer when we went blueberry picking...if it is upside down it is because blogger is silly and I don't know how to tell it to be more serious.

How Could I Forget The Bean!

Yesterday, after we dropped off the rental truck, the boyfriend and I went downtown. I wanted to show him just a little of it. Like the bean and the Frank Gehry designed auditorium. We also walked along the lake a little bit, mostly passing large boats (marinas).

Sushi c/o Tokyo Marina, Part II

I know, I know, I need to go to new restaurants. But sometimes it's good to revisit the old (if still, in actuality, relatively new). Anyway, I am glad to report that Tokyo Marina scores just as high on my list as it did last time. The boyfriend ordered a small chirashi that looked incredible. I had ikura (salmon roe), a 'sloppy tokyo marina' roll (shrimp tempura with some other stuff) and an unagi hand roll. Tasty. And still the cheapest hot sake I've ever found.
Oh, you get a complimentary salad at the beginning of your meal and we both got miso soup as well (I'm not sure if that's because we ordered sushi or if it just comes with whatever you order).

Morning Wake Up

Yesterday I woke up to a strong wind, the occasional splash of water on my face and tornado like skies. I got up and quickly closed the windows near my computer and hand made knit afghan, then stumbled back to bed. The day that followed didn't live up to its early morning promise.

Day Before Yesterday

I ate my second stuffed pizza from The Art of Pizza. We had it delivered and it took an hour and forty minutes. The pizza was very good, but not necessarily good enough to warrant such a wait.

Face Transplant

Click the title and learn about our country's plans to give someone a whole new face.

Creepy.

The Salad I Just Made

I just made this salad. It has (or should have if I hadn't forgotten it):
1 cucumber (seeded and diced)
2-5 tomatoes (did i just misspell tomatos?) (seeded and diced)
3/4 of a red onion (diced)
1/2 of a yellow pepper (that wasn't in the recipe)
the juice of 1 lemon
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2-3/4 cup parsley (unless you're an idiot and forget to get parsley)
3 tablespoons sumac (to be found at your local Middle Eastern shop)

It's pretty good...especially with the parsley or you can substitute cilantro for parsley if you like!

Dim Sum @ Furama, Part III

Yes and it's still tasty.