homemade pizza

Ebert and I bought a pizza stone a few weeks ago- making homemade pizza was the something that I couldn't wait to tell you about. It's a lot of fun, but also a lot of work. The most challenging part is rolling out the dough to make a perfectly round and thin crust (we prefer thin crust to deep dish - is that blasphemous to admit when living in Chicago?). As you can tell from the pictures below we have to work on our dough rolling skills, but at least it tasted good. The best part is choosing your toppings! So far we've kept our topping selection pretty simple using just olive oil, fresh basil, fresh garlic, roma tomatoes, and fresh mozzarella. Next time I'd like to try some fancier pizza toppings like...lemon, fig, goat cheese, potatoes, acorn squash, kale, beets, or apples. What are some of your favorite pizza toppings?

now

via create.your.happy

"Don't wait. The time will never be just right."
~ Napoleon Hill

happy monday!

Reminding myself that I already have everything I need makes me happy!

via lalaland

sunday supper: strawberries and rhubarb

Some things just go well together like...Lucy and Ricky, red wine and chocolate, peanut butter and jelly, rice and beans, but I can't think of a better spring combination then strawberries and rhubarb.

strawberry rhubarb basil jam via happyolks

strawberry rhubarb oatmeal muffins via dailyunadventuresincooking

strawberry rhubarb crisp via eclecticrecipes

cornmeal rosemary lemon cake w/strawberry rhubarb sauce via cookincanuck

strawberry rhubarb persa via cooklocal

Happy Cooking and Happy Easter!

for our earth

"Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect."

~ Chief Seattle

Happy Earth Day! It only takes one simple action to make a difference.

top 5

Ebert's in the suburbs again, so I'm home alone watching High Fidelity. I forgot what a fantastic movie this is- great location, great soundtrack, great actors.

Since I'm missing my husband I thought I'd list the "Top 5 Songs That Remind Me of Ebert". I know, kind of cheesy, but if John Cusack can have his top 5, why can't I?

1. I Found A Reason . . . . Cat Power

2. Such Great Heights . . . . The Postal Service

3. Sending the Photographs . . . . Julie Doiron

4. Slow Graffiti . . . . Belle & Sebastian

5. Ooh La La . . . . The Faces

possibilities

"The possibilities are numerous once we decide to act and not react."

~ George Bernard Shaw

happy monday!

Cheering on commuters makes me happy!


On a side note, if you want to know what does not make for a happy Monday just look at the weather in Chicago. Ugh! Seriously, will this winter ever end?

sunday supper: easter sunday

via vintagerosegarden

Easter is next Sunday and whether you celebrate this day as a religious holiday or not, it's a time for getting together with family and friends to feast. And you know how much I love feasting! I don't normally put together menu ideas, but I thought it would be fun to share some Easter menu ideas with you.

Appetizers:
pickled & deviled beet eggs
goat cheese stuffed dates
sweet pea & chevre soup
butter lettuce w/mustard vinaigrette

Main Course:
carrot risotto
roasted lemon & herb chicken
spinach feta pie
italian stuffed artichokes

Side Dishes:
golden beets
roasted new potatoes w/lemon & thyme
baby carrots in lime ginger butter
parmesan herbed biscuits

Desserts:
carrot cake
lemon blueberry cheesecake
chocolate babka
lemon thyme bars

Beverages:
Sparkling White Sangria
blackberry and blood orange sangria
spicy lemonade with mint
strawberry basil lemonade

some good advice

via victoriapater as seen on austinkkleon

For some more good advice watch this video.

rose angelis

Go here for dinner, especially on a Wednesday or Thursday. You will be very happy afterwards.




Your belly can thank me later.

contemplation

gorilla @ the Lincoln Park Zoo

"That pleasure which is at once the most pure, the most elevating and the most intense, is derived, I maintain, from the contemplation of the beautiful."

~ Edgar Allan Poe

happy monday!

Weekend fun makes me happy!

chocolate goodness @ O & E

sleeping lions @ the Lincoln Park Zoo

homemade jamaican jerk chicken filled raviolis tossed w/roasted red bell peppers & carmelized plantains in a jamaican jerk seasoned asiago cheese cream sauce, garnished w/mango chutney & a spiced rum glaze @ Rose Angelis

A Friday evening with friends dining at Sultan's Market, then drinks (my first sazerac) & dessert at Owen & Engine.

A Saturday afternoon bike ride with Ebert to the Lincoln Park Zoo, followed by a most delicious dinner at Rose Angelis.

And to complete the weekend of fun, a picture-less Sunday evening with friends watching the Paris-Roubaix bike race and eating a goat cheese cheesecake- my first, but not last attempt at baking my favorite dessert.

Did you have a happy weekend? The weather in Chicago was gorgeous. Here's hoping to a fun-filled week with warm spring weather.

sunday supper: artichokes

I'll admit that recently I haven't been cooking any of the recipes that I've been sharing and tonight's supper is no exception- we'll be enjoying the delicious leftovers from last night's dinner at Rose Angelis (more on that later). All the recipes I share with you are ones that I would cook myself, but I've been cooking more hodge-podge dishes and not trying as many new recipes as I would like to. Although we did make something last week that I've never made before and I can't wait to tell you about it. We even had to buy something special in order to make it. Very exciting!

Now, I wasn't always a fan of artichokes- unless it was artichoke hearts I felt it was a lot of work with not enough of a payoff. But, my tastes have evolved and now I can appreciate the lightness and delicacy of eating this spring superfood.

artichokes w/figs via myfrenchkitchen

arugula salad w/artichokes & lemon-thyme vinaigrette via darkredcrema

millet-stuffed artichokes via fatfreevegan

artichokes & cheesy grits via norecipes

asparagus, artichoke & shitake risotto via smittenkitchen

Happy Cooking!

artist date

Ebert was in the suburbs most of this week (cue sad face) and while I always manage to keep myself busy while he's away, I rarely treat myself to a night on the town. So, this past Wednesday I decided to take myself out on an artist date. What's an artist date, you ask? Basically it's a solo adventure with your inner-artist, or inner-child. It's a weekly creative outing you're supposed to go on by yourself while reading the book The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron. It's an amazing book. Though I will admit that the one time I read it I did not write every morning or take myself out on a weekly artist date- it's a huge commitment. But why shouldn't you make a huge commitment to your creative self?

My creative self and I went to see Sonnets For An Old Century as part of Steppenwolf's Garage Rep Series. It was a passionate production with some monologues so full of gut-wrenching honesty from the actors that I was just in awe of their performance. And on Wednesday nights it's pay what you can night and my creative self digs economy. Afterwards my inner child wanted dessert, so of course I obliged and went to Whole Foods for a piece of mixed berry pie with coconut milk coconut ice cream. I even heated up the pie when I got home and it was oh so "a la modey" good!!!

I felt that the evening really awakened my creativity. Or maybe it was just the extra scoop of ice cream I allowed myself to enjoy!

win win

Ebert and I went to see this movie last night.



If you haven't seen it yet, then you need to do "whatever the f%#@ you have to" and go see it. You'll understand the expletive afterwards!

On on a side note, one of the best parts of the evening was walking to the movie theater. It's finally warming up in Chicago!

truths

Here's some of what I've been sharing on one of my pinterest boards. Find your truth and no matter what speak it, sing it, act on it, and believe in it.

via madebysean

as seen on dailybitsofbeauty via dazeychic

via dailybitsofbeauty

Happy Monday!

This song sung by these two makes me happy!

sunday supper: peas

I'm really loving this Sunday Supper spring theme and I'm convinced it's because I'm constantly dreaming of warmer weather. Not only do I love the flavors of spring, but I also love the colors of spring, especially the lush greenery of the trees and plants and grass awakening from their winter hibernation. So all this thought of green got me thinking about peas. I love peas- I eat them all year long. I wasn't always a fan of peas, but now I put them in just about anything, even scrambled eggs. Maybe I like them so much because their flavor is reminiscent of spring-time or maybe just because they're delicious!

crushed peas w/smoky sesame dressing via smittenkitchen

peas & mint via whiteonricecouple

spring pea soup via eggsondsunday

pasta w/broccoli pesto & peas via oneperfectbite

rosemary pancakes w/peas & garlic goat cheese via dessertsforbreakfast

Happy Cooking!

recommended reading

In preparation for tomorrow's Sunday Supper post, I recommend reading this book.

Not only because it's about one of my favorite vegetables, but also because the author, Amy KR, is one of my absolute favorites.

april showers

as seen on kindovermatter via honeypie

Seriously, how is it April already? I know it's kind of a cliche to say that time seems to go by faster as you get older, but it really does. And sometimes I feel this anxiety that I'm not doing enough with my time- and this feeling of "not enoughness" can be quite overwhelming. Not to mention, it's completely distracting. When I start to feel like I'm not doing enough with my time, I stop making the most of my time because I'm too busy fretting over the fact that I'm not doing enough with my time. It's a vicious cycle I tell you.

I also think that this feeling of not enoughness may come from me forgetting my dreams. So I'm hoping for April showers (it's raining in Chicago today) to wash away this stagnancy and to help my creativity blossom. With a clear focus on my dreams I will be making the most of my time, and when I'm making the most of my time I have a clear focus on my dreams. It's a happy cycle I tell you.

As you begin your weekend my wish is for you to embrace that you are enough and that you are doing enough- and to never forget your dreams!