explosions in the sky

Embarrassed to come back here and realize that I’ve neglected this poor space for nearly three months. I intend to fix that in the coming weeks because my big trip is just around the corner and I want to document/memorialize that here. Promise. Pinky swear. (Says the girl who made a similar claim three months ago after her last big trip.)

The above picture was a photo I took at the AMAZING jellies exhibit at the Shedd Aquarium last weekend. Still can’t believe these things are real. Nature is pretty crazy.

après-ski

This poor space has been so neglected. Forgive me. I’ve been working. And traveling. And eating. A lot. And probably not sleeping enough. 2012, while not without its moments, has been thankfully, mercifully kind to me. (Although truth be told, almost anything could beat 2011 <—hell year that it was.)

Last weekend, I was in Salt Lake City, Utah to visit dear, old friends, to eat fabulously, extremely over the top meals (one of the perks of visiting a food writer friend), and to get away from the dreadfully flat landscapes of the Midwest.  I may be the only person who goes all the way out to Utah only to spend none of that time skiing, but you know when it comes to travel, food is always first for me.

Here’s how I spent 72 hours in SLC (and how I think you should spend it too, should you ever be out that way):

• Mist Project dinner
• a cold, indigenous beverage at High West Distillery
• a beautiful drive into the mountains
• pastries at Les Madeleines (everything here is AMAZING but the kouing aman is a MUST)
• chocolate, cheese, and cured meats tasting at Caputo’s Deli & Market
• enchilada suizas at the Red Iguana (the mole tasting is pretty awesome)
• salted caramel gelato at Vinto
• dinner at Forage (longer post on this one to come, I promise)
• lattes at the Rose Cafe
• brunch at the Copper Onion

And I think I just gained 5 pounds reviewing this list.  So far 2012 is shaping up to be a fabulous year for food and travel.  Last month it was in NYC and this month SLC.  In June I’ll be headed to Philly for a wedding, but the best part of all?  In May, I’ll be GOING TO ICELAND.  <—That’s right!  ICELAND!  Booked it last week and finalizing all the little details this week.  Even though it’s three months away, I could NOT be more excited!!!  This has been on my list of places to go for at least five years now and it feels like a dream come true that I’ll finally be able to make it happen this year.  EEEP!!!

O * O * O

Doughnuts are the new cupcakes and you might say that I’ve been bitten by the bug rather badly. Ever since the Doughnut Vault opened its doors here back in September, I’ve not only consumed more doughnuts than are good for me, but I’ve also gotten very interested in making some of my own. When I was in NYC a few weeks ago, I, of course, visited the Doughnut Plant to try some of their legendary doughnuts (I got a peanut butter and jelly, a tres leches, and a carrot cake, all delicious!) and to see how it compared to Chicago’s doughnut scene. (All in the name of research!) After I got back, I bought a doughnut pan (this one, in case you’re curious) and have been testing out recipes. The pictured doughnut above was Shutterbean’s banana doughnuts with peanut butter frosting. More banana bread than doughnut but still pretty tasty. This weekend, I tried out King Arthur’s baked doughnut with Alton Brown’s chocolate glaze. A good looking doughnut but still not quite what I’d hoped for. (Not as tender as I’d like and the glaze was a bit thicker/harder to work with than I would’ve liked.) Back to the drawing board to experiment some more I guess.

Completely unrelated….
I’ve been thinking a lot about how I want to use this space going forward. My current schedule doesn’t really allow for much blogging and I don’t see that changing much any time soon. I like the idea of having a written record of my various adventures and interests. I’m just feeling a bit of social media fatigue at the moment. (I should probably scale back on Twitter and Facebook too.) Think think think….

drink milk

Oh dear. I keep neglecting this space so much. Does anyone even check in here anymore? Apparently not me. 🙂 Anyway, things here have been quite hectic, as usual. The holidays, a trip back to Seattle, a flurry of work, and just this past weekend, a whirlwind trip to NYC to catch up with new and old friends. I had such a good time and hope to tell you about all the lovely food and drink that was consumed but for now I can tell you that I did manage to stop by a place I’ve been meaning to check out for a while now–Momofuku Milk Bar. If you have a sweet tooth like I do, I’d say you should definitely check it out.

and that’s a wrap

Happy New Year friends! I suppose I could tell you how rotten 2011 was to me or how little of my crafting (and other) goals went unaccomplished. But I’m all about turning over a new leaf and trying (at least for these initial weeks) to try to stay positive, so how about we kick off 2012 with a newly finished object? This is the Lace Panel Wrap which is the cover project on the latest issue of Knit Simple. This is also another super fun pattern by my talented friend Angela. I test knit this for her and the project was as simple and straightforward as could be. For me it was the perfect comfort knitting for my long commutes or when I was too tired or stressed out to work on some of my complicated projects. I think this would be a great project for a person who wanted to try knitting lace for the first time. I splurged on a nice cashmere blend yarn for this beauty and I’m glad I did. Not only is it super nice and soft, it also blocked beautifully. It will be a welcome addition to my winter wear arsenal.

Normally I don’t love garter stitch but it somehow works here. A close up of the lace pattern repeat:

More details on the project at Ravelry. Here’s to many more finished objects in 2012!

be well

Just wanted to pop in here briefly to say hello and to wish y’all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. 2011 has been pretty damn crummy so I’m ready to close the books on it. I’m capping off the year out in the Pacific Northwest with family and friends. Hope you are spending the holidays with the ones you love.

1) gratitude

“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.” -Henry David Thoreau

I spent the weekend relaxing. I ate well. I did all my favorite things. I slept. I cooked. Most importantly, I surrounded myself with very good people. That seems to have done the trick. I’m doing better, feeling better. I’m trying to be more grateful. I want to be more grateful and I’m going to try to share more of that here.

Today I’m grateful for weekends. So grateful.

o__0

The mind comparmentalizes a lot. At least mine does because really, if I thought about how everything works, how everything happens, and how everything comes together, my head might explode. Then life happens and it has this funny way of bringing all sorts of things front and center. Prior to this week, I didn’t spend a lot of time thinking about how my joints work, how I might die, or who my friends really are. Those things weigh on my mind a lot now.

Last week, I left the office earlier than usual (about 5:30) to get to an appointment. I walked my usual route to the train, crossed the street, and then got hit by a car. What happens after that is a bit of a blur. I spent a scary night in the ER. It was really hard that night not being close to my family or closest friends. I hate that over three years into being here that I still feel totally adrift, that something like that could happen to me and that no one here would notice or care. It really makes me wonder if I made the right decision to stay here? More than anything that night I wanted moral support, I wanted a hug, I wanted someone to tell me I’m going to be just fine.

In the end, I reached a friend (though I was uncomfortable admitting that I needed his help and I was scared out of my skull) and he pulled through in surprising ways. He showed up. He waited patiently. He made sure I got home and he even got me a late dinner. But there was no hug and there was no “you’re gonna be just fine” because well, as much as I love B, he’s just not that kinda guy. I came home and passed out. The next day I got on a plane and flew to DC. I had dinner with the President. The next day I turned 32. I had dinner with four amazing ladies. The day after that I flew back to Chicago and I went right back to work. I came home and collapsed again. Don’t ask me how I did it? I think it was some combination of shock, sheer grit and determination, and me figuring that this might be my only chance ever to see the President of the United States.

I know I should be grateful that I’m alive. I know it could’ve been so much worse. But you know what? I’m tired. I’m hurting. I’m black and blue and I can’t really bend my knees. And frankly, I’m a little pissed off because (and I don’t mean to sound whiny) this past year has sucked a BIG FAT ONE and ending the year getting hit by a car frankly felt like getting kicked when I’m down.

I’m too scared now to think about what 32 might bring. I have to think it will beat 31. Mostly I hope it doesn’t kill me.

ginger+cream

It’s that time of year again. We turn our clocks back. The sun sets before 5 and I hunker down for six months of winter. My thoughts turn to baking, nostalgia eating, and comfort foods. Most weekends once cooler weather hits, if I have no particular place to go in the morning, I try to bake something to go with my morning coffee. The trick is find something simple, straightforward, and (relatively) quick because drawn out and complicated before morning coffee is just not a good idea. Scones are nice because they have some substance and aren’t club-you-over-the-head sweet. The only problem is it’s just me and what am I gonna do with 10-12 scones when I really want 1 or 2. Scones, unlike many baked goods, go downhill fast. Out of the oven they are nice and delicate. Later in the day they are high calorie hockey pucks.

America’s Test Kitchen to the rescue. (One of the few major food mags/recipe sites that puts out recipes scaled for 1-2 people.) I had a scaled down version of cream+currant scones from one of their magazines I picked up this summer that I’d been meaning to try out. I neither had nor like dried currants so my mind got to working. I thought back to some ginger scones I was overly fond of as a college student in DC and started rummaging through the cupboards for ingredients. Half an hour later, I had four warm, delicate scones. Just the right number. Just the right texture. Totally scratched my scone itch. (Don’t be put off by the amount of cream or butter in this recipe. It’s the difference between a light and fluffy scone and leaden, dense flour brick. The key is not to overmix.)

Ginger Cream Scones
Adapted from America’s Test Kitchen, reminiscent of Teaism’s Ginger Scones

1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 inch pieces and chilled
1/4 cup crystallized ginger, finely chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 teaspoon turbinado sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

Pulse flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and ginger in food processor to evenly combine (about 3 pulses). Scatter butter evenly over top of flour mixture and pulse until it resembles coarse cornmeal with slightly larger butter lumps (about 6 pulses). Transfer mixture to bowl and stir in crystallized ginger. Stir in cream with rubber spatula until dough begins to form, about 30 seconds.

Turn dough and any floury bits onto lightly floured surface and knead until rough, slightly sticky ball forms, about 5-10 seconds. Shape into 5-inch disk about 3/4 inch thick. Cut into four wedges using sharp knife or pastry scraper.

Place wedges of dough on baking sheet. Brush lightly with heavy cream and dust with turbinado sugar. Bake until tops are light golden brown, 18-22 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking. Transfer scones to wire rack and let cool for at least 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

from the streets

It’s been impressed upon me that I’ve really let this space go, that I now have a ludicrous backlog of restaurant photos of meals going back many months. Alas, that pesky thing I have called a “job” is sorta getting in the way. I’m somewhat embarrassed to admit that I’ve just returned from my *third* trip to Next (Childhood, at my current blog rate, expect post to follow in a few months) and it’s *that* visit that finally prompted me to post about my *second* trip nearly two months ago. And let’s not talk about the fact that I never told you about my second dinner at Alinea even though that was over a year ago. (Warning: this is a VERY photo heavy post.)

The second iteration of Next took us to Thailand and we sprang for the kitchen table (six people with a fabulous view straight into the kitchen). Ticket sales were, dare I say, INSANE so I can’t believe we even got a table. It was fun to see things unfolding both at the table and in the kitchen. We had the *best* view!

One: Like Paris 1906, we kicked off the meal with a fun selection of small bites: roasted banana, prawn cake, sweet shrimp, fermented sausage, and steamed bun. Most of us also opted for the non-alcoholic pairings and this course came with a blend of guava+mango+papaya.

Two: They brought a box of hot coals to the table and we roasted skewers of chicken hearts, strawberries, and squid. Presentation a plus, the actual food part was sorta meh.

Three: the main event, papaya salad made table side by the chef himself, Dave Beran. (Part of why one springs for the kitchen table.)
Drink pairing: green tea+jasmine flowers.
I confess that it was a bit nerve wracking to see the Chef casually tossing a papaya while hacking away at it with a large knife. He, however, seem unphased. Seriously. This guy is all business:


Four: A deconstructed pad thai–rice noodles, tamarind, and peanuts.
Drink pairing: pear Blis+shrub.

Five: hot and sour broth+pork belly+tomato+ginger. Rich and savory, the broth was divine.
Drink pairing: chrysanthemum+lemongrass+lychee.

Six: a variety of Thai condiments with little baskets of sticky rice.
*chili+shallot+garlic
*salted duck egg+green mango+white radish
*banana pepper+cucumber+chili+dried anchovy
*tamarind+garlic+mint leaf
*pickles

Seven: catfish+caramel sauce+celery+coriander root.
Drink pairing: carrot, ginger, orange.

Eight: beef cheek+curry+peanut+nutmeg+kaffir lime.
Drink pairing: hibiscus+mangosteen+thai pepper.
This one was *rich* and by this point I was pretty darn close to being STUFFED.

Nine: watermelon+lemongrass.
Ten: coconut+corn+egg+licorice.
Drink pairing: corn+pineapple.
Why yes, there’s more. Fortunately, this dessert was light and refreshing and how can you beat the presentation? People smashing coconuts at the table? Good times.

Eleven: dragon fruit+rose.
Drink pairing: cucumber+vichy catalan.
Another refreshing course and my first experience with dragon fruit (it was something between a kiwi and a watermelon). They brought all the ladies roses. 🙂

Twelve: thai iced tea to go (rooibos+palm sugar+milk). A delicious juicebox of sorts to take with us. At this point I was admittedly too stuffed to fully appreciate it.

We rounded out the night with a stop into the kitchen to see how service and plating works. By that point Grant Achatz had left the kitchen but earlier I managed to catch some glimpses of him checking things out at Next.

I’m a bit conflicted about this meal. Don’t get me wrong. It was a fabulously fun experience. The food was all around good but I couldn’t help but feel that I probably would’ve enjoyed eating real Thai street food (chowing down hunched over outside a stinky, cramped stall) at a fraction of the cost a lot more. Clearly that didn’t stop me from going back (ahem, third trip to Next tonight to check out the Childhood menu). I need to talk to Next about making a frequent diners card.

Next Restaurant: 953 West Fulton Market