me + giada + ina + martha = bff.

When it comes to cooking, I like keeping things simple. I'll experiment with the occasional tricky or time consuming recipe, but they end up disasters more often then not. With Giada and Ina and even Martha, what you see is what you get. A few fresh, quality ingredients paired with a little tender loving care results in culinary magnificence every time. Case in point- my favorite summertime pasta sauce. I finely chop up 5 or 6 farmstand plum tomatoes and toss them with some olive oil, julienned basil, salt and 1 or 2 minced garlic cloves. Let the mixture sit at room temp for an hour or so to let the flavors meld and serve over hot angel hair pasta with lots of parmesan cheese. Perfection! And oh so easy!

Shrimp is one of my favorite things to cook. And now that we've perfected several methods of cooking them, I'm always on the lookout for great shrimp recipes. This one is a keeper. Healthy it's not, but it has a delicious, unique flavor that my husband and I crave. Logan's a shrimp lover too, so this is perfect for all of us!

recipe: nonna luna's rice
source: giada at home

1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, divided, at room temperature
2 cups parboiled long-grain rice, such as Uncle Ben's
3 1/2 cups chicken stock
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 clove garlic, minced
2 pounds small shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 cup lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
1 tablespoon hot sauce
1 cup whipping cream
Freshly ground black pepper

In a medium nonstick saucepan, heat 1/2 of the butter over medium-low heat. Add the rice and cook, stirring frequently, until golden, about 6 to 7 minutes. Add the chicken stock and salt. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer covered for 20 to 25 minutes until the rice is tender and all the liquid is absorbed. Remove the pan from the heat and rest covered for 5 minutes.

In a large skillet, melt the remaining butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for 1 to 2 minutes until aromatic. Add the shrimp, lemon juice, and hot sauce. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the shrimp is pink and cooked through. Stir in the cream and heat through. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Using a fork, fluff the rice and arrange on a platter. Spoon the shrimp cream sauce over the rice and serve.


So yesterday, I also had a couple of small zucchinis...perfect for zucchini pancakes!!

recipe: zucchini pancakes
source: barefoot contessa at home

2 medium zucchini
2 tbsp. grated red onion
2 eggs, lightly beaten
6-8 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
unsalted butter and vegetable oil

Grate the zucchini into a bowl using the large side of a box grater. Immediately stir in the onion and eggs. Stir in 6 tbsp. of the flour, the baking powder, salt and pepper. If the batter gets too thin from the liquid from the zucchini, add the additional 2 tbsp. of flour.

Heat a saute pan over medium heat and melt 1/2 tbsp. butter and 1/2 tbsp. oil. When the butter is hot but not smoking, lower heat to medium low and drop batter into pan by the large spoonful. Cook 2 minutes each side or until browned. Serve hot.

My husband isn't a fan of zucchini...but he LOVED these- in fact, all my boys did! A great way to get veggies into all 3 of them. :) But I'll tell you what he IS a fan of. Brownies. And since I almost never make brownies (not even the box kind), I decided to whip up a batch from scratch this morning. Ina has a recipe from one of her episodes for Outrageous Brownies. I tested the recipe out a few months back...not so outrageous. Way too rich of a brownie for my tastes. Plus the texture was off to me. I was disappointed because they were time-consuming and expensive...so continued the search for the perfect brownie. And I found it, thanks to Martha. Her Double Chocolate Brownies are easy to make and only consist of a 1/2 dozen ingredients. They taste better than they look. I sure hope my husband appreciates the results of my efforts!



recipe: double chocolate brownies
source: martha stewart living magazine, april 2010

1 stick unsalted butter, cut into large pieces
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, sifted
Directions
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment, leaving a slight overhang on all sides. Melt butter and chocolate in a double boiler or a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat, and whisk in sugar. Whisk in eggs, 1 at a time, until combined. Whisk in cocoa and salt. Fold in flour until combined.
2.Pour batter into pan. Bake until set and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool slightly in pan, about 15 minutes. Lift brownies from pan using parchment. Remove parchment, and transfer to a wire rack. Let cool completely. Cut into 9 squares.

catching up.

What another phenomenally fun weekend! Times like these will definitely be fondly remembered in the dead of winter when there's a foot of snow on the ground. Then we'll be looking forward to another fun summer! Summer and spring are my favorite seasons and I could bask in the warm weather all year round. But my husband loves the changing of the seasons...as I get older, I appreciate it more for sure.

Both boys participated in the summer reading program at the library these past few weeks. The theme was "Scare Up a Good Book!" and the children's area was decorated with creatures and scary ghouls which confused Logan a little bit at first- he thought it was Halloween time! It's a fun program. Each week, in reward for completing the required reading, the boys got treats like free ice cream cones or free meals at local restaurants. They also got to spin a wheel for a prize like candy or a pencil. The last day of the program was Friday and they each got to choose a book! Logan picked out a book about penguins and Meyer's choice (my choice) was "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" which of course Logan has been requesting at bedtime. We celebrated the end of the program with Happy Meals from McDonalds. Fun!

Friday night was dinner with our neighbors. Greek chicken and this to die for Orzo Salad. The company wasn't half bad either. ;) Delicious!! Yesterday was dinner with more friends. The hosts recently became engaged so there was lots of wedding talk. And my husband was asked to be a groomsman!! Woohoo...I get to see my hubs in a tux. Can't wait. I would also like to take this moment to sing the praises of a new favorite summer cocktail. Smirnoff Blueberry Vodka mixed with lemonade, poured over ice and garnished with fresh blueberries. Absolute heaven in a glass.
Because of my indulgence, it's a miracle I woke up bright and early to meet a friend for a 7 mile run this morning. I love having a running buddy. It really takes my mind off the distance and I think it builds up endurance too- gabbing the entire 7 miles. :) We were pretty quick too...1 hour and 3 minutes.

Then it was time to get ready for the highlight of the day...a trip to the city to visit my little sister and check out her apartment and her neighborhood. She lives in the Edgewater/Andersonville area of the city. Her building is vintage 1930s and has such character. Her living space is tiny, but very well organized and super cute. I expected nothing less. :) We walked down Sheridan and stopped for coffee at Metropolis Coffee Company. Love.

Then we headed to Berger Park with some pretty awesome cafe au laits in hand. The boys had tons of fun at the playground making friends and running around while the rest of us were in awe of the views. Incredible. It seemed like we were spending the day at the beach on the east coast, not at Lake Michigan.

Lunchtime! Our options were brunch at Bananas Foster Cafe, which was tiny, crowded and didn't really accommodate out stroller, or burgers at Moody's Pub at their outside beer garden. Fantastic onion rings, fresh cut fries, 1/2 pound burgers...nothing wrong with that!

Moody Blue Burger and fresh cut fries

Then it was time to wrap it up and head home for naptime. Thanks again Lindsay! Pizza for dinner for an awesome end to a perfect weekend. :)

farmer's market escapades.

I just adore farmer's markets. I love checking out all the beautiful, fresh produce and talking with the farmers and learning a little bit about their lives. My town just started hosting markets this summer...there are only a few vendors so far, so when I was in Burr Ridge this past week, I made a point to stop by. It wasn't very crowded because of the rainy weather, but that didn't stop me!! My mom was with me and she picked up some basil olive oil from The Olive Tap...super tasty! If you haven't tasted plain olive oil, you're missing out. There's something about the smooth, buttery flavor that is super appealing. Hope you and Shawn enjoy it, Mom! A few booths later, I just about died. I've been wanting to pick up some fresh flowers to adorn my little house, but I do NOT have the knack of arranging. And of course the flowers that appeal most to me are the priciest. It turns out that 2 of the vendors at the market are from 1 farm- part is fruit and vegetables, and part is flowers. There were bucket after bucket of sunflowers, zinnias, azaleas, fillers...you name it. The best part? $5 for as many stems as you could fit in your hand. What a steal, I tell you! Sold. So here's the bouquet I came up with. Can't wait to head back next week- maybe I'll pick up flowers for a few rooms!

Another vendor had gorgeous Patty Pan squash and samples of yellow, red and orange cherry tomatoes that burst with bright, fresh flavor in your mouth. We got to talking and we even exchanged a few recipes! That's when the boys discovered the fountains and had such fun traipsing through them and soaking themselves. It had started to rain again by then anyhow so what's a little more water? Who knew my boys would turn out to be such water babies?

what a week!

Things have been so busy lately that my head is likely to explode! While the rest of me implodes from this muggy, disgusting heat. But if there's anything I love about summer, it's keeping me and my boys busy- preferably out and about. It's so much fun to catch up with friends and keep the boys occupied while doing it!

The week started with cooking class and playtime and was the beginning of Logan's current obsession with Zhu Zhu Pets. What is the deal with these things anyway? I don't get the appeal of a furry, battery-powered hamster...I must be missing something.

Then it was time for a dentist appointment for Logan! He did a great job...went straight back to the chair and even the dentist, who has been my dentist since I was 5 years old, commented that he was amazed Logan's my son since I had a terrible fear of the dentist. No cavities, which is pretty incredible considering the amount of candy Logan consumes. :) I also got to satisfy one of my cravings for dinner...a carnitas burrito bol from Chipotle. Delish, and I guess the cheese quesadilla Logan and Meyer shared wasn't half bad either since Logan polished off his portion.

We also headed to the zoo for some fun with friends and animals! Logan loves the zoo and again was asking all about the skulls of some of the animals. We met up with some friends and Logan loved hanging out with the older kids for sure! Logan slurped up an ICEE and splashed around a little bit at the splash pad to cool off on a hot day. I made some fresh tomato sauce and served it on pasta for a delicious warm weather dinner.

I just found out that the Ford Explorer is being redesigned for 2011. The new look hasn't been unveiled yet, but I'm so excited to check it out! Other cars on my wishlist- the new Subaru Outback crossover and the Subaru Forester. For some reason, I just love the look of Subarus. Sporty and stylish all in one.

fun with friends and family.

When my husband tells me this weekend was the most fun he's had in a long time, it must have been a pretty darn good weekend. And it was. The sickies have finally left our house and now we can enjoy the rest of our summer sickie-free. Crossing fingers.

We were supposed to have dinner...a wonderful, fun, KID-FREE dinner on Friday night with some friends, but they had to cancel. So we just laid low and enjoyed some family time and delicious BLTs. Saturday was cleaning day and then my mom, stepdad and grandma came over for an awesome dinner. We had so much fun talking and eating. Matt was able to show off his grilling skills and they were in full force for sure! Our menu was as follows:

Caesar Salad, with homemade croutons and dressing
Sweet Corn
Mushroom Parsley Salad
Herbed Basmati Rice
Grilled Asparagus
Garlic Herb Shrimp
Filet Mignon Kabobs
Peach Blueberry Crumble with vanilla ice cream

I also made my Watermelon Margaritas and they were a big hit. Such fun! I hope my parents know that I show love through my food and there was a lot of it so I love them lots! :)

This morning was awesome as well. Since becoming a stay at home mom, I'm really into trying to keep my mind sharp. Months and years of singing nursery rhymes and ABCs can really turn your brain to mush. So part of my Sunday morning routine is attempting to complete the crossword puzzles in the Sunday section of the paper. But this morning, I was deterred by a most interesting article about a week long culinary bootcamp at the Chopping Block here in Chicago. Aside from actually attending culinary school, a program like this would be a dream come true! Stocks, sauces and sautes, oh my! But at $1,750 for the week...I'm pretty sure it's a dream I shouldn't be having. ;)

To escape the heat and humidity, I was going to head to the gym and do today's run on the dreadmill, but Matt wanted to join me. So we took the boys in the jogger down to the trail and ran 3 miles. A 5K was on the training schedule, but 3 miles in 28:07 with the humidity at about 100% was good enough today. Nothing like a long, sweaty run to get rid of all the tequila toxins from the night before. :)

The boys took early naps so I used the time to escape for a little while to my happy place- Home Goods. I'm in another one of my obsessive decorative moods again, so this was just what I needed. I just wish I'd brought my camera to document all my ideas!

Then it was onto dinner with friends...fun, fajitas and yes, you guessed it...more margaritas! I love summer weekends!

the dog days of summer?

I don't think the dog days of summer officially start till August, but they might as well be here with the hot, humid, heavy weather we've been getting! Yesterday was one of those days you sweat buckets just standing still. I like warm weather, but this kind...not so much.

Luckily, I wasn't out in it very much yesterday. After Meyer's morning nap, we headed to the local police station for a stranger danger presentation by one of our police officers. I thought Logan would understand the concept a little better this year (we went to one last summer too), but he was kind of fidgety and I don't think he was paying much attention. I'm hoping once he starts getting used to a school setting, he will listen a bit better.

After the presentation, we walked with some friends to the park behind the station. Some local teenagers were having fights with water blasters and I'm sure we ruined some of their fun. As soon as Logan finished a frozen treat, he ran to the nearest group of teenagers to start talking their ears off. Of course you'd never guess he just finished learning about stranger danger. My kid- the social butterfly.

We grilled some tasty bratwurst for dinner and topped them with sauteed onions and mustard- delish! I also whipped up this salad that I'd been wanting to try for awhile. It was on a Giada At Home episode and sounded intriguing. While slicing the mushrooms, I also was surprised to learn I'm starting to perfect my chef knife skills. It's about time!

recipe: Mushroom Parsley Salad
source: Giada At Home, Food Network

Ingredients
1 pound large button mushrooms, trimmed, cleaned and thinly sliced
1/3 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2-ounce piece Parmesan
Serving suggestion: assorted French cheeses and Poilane Bakery-style breads
Directions
In a medium salad bowl, mix together the mushrooms and parsley.
In a small bowl, whisk together the oil and lemon juice until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Add the oil mixture to the salad bowl and toss until all the ingredients are coated. Using a vegetable peeler, shave the Parmesan on top and serve.

After dinner, we took a walk to Dairy Queen for some family time and an ice cream treat. Having a Dairy Queen within walking distance is way dangerous, but that's another post! We were in line behind a man and FIVE boys- all ordered ice cream cones. All those potential drips and mess = my worst nightmare!! But it did remind me of some fun I had recently taking care of FOUR boys!

I watched a friend's 2 boys a couple weeks ago for 2 hours or so. I was dreading it a tiny bit, because let's face it, 4 boys versus little old me was a little intimidating, not to mention the fact that it was my very first time being responsible for other children beside my own! But we had SO much fun reading, playing outside, taking a walk and having a snack. And those 2 hours went by super quickly and made me confident in my childcare abilities! Now I'll look forward to next time. :)

decor envy.

I have no talent when it comes to decorating. Zero, zip, nada. Then why am I so addicted to home decor websites and magazines? I love flipping the pages of Martha Stewart Living, Elle Decor and similar...trying to pinpoint a style of my own. I have come to the conclusion that I have no particular style...but when I see something I love, I lust after it, dream about it, etc.

For example, I was virtually flipping the pages of Lonny Magazine online when I came across these chairs. OMG. Love. They can be found at Somerset Bay Home.



I don't even want to know how much they cost. They are a far cry from the dining chairs I currently have from Ikea! I just think they are so gorgeous and soothing. Well, they are added to the list for the dining room I'll have- one of these days!

Other current favorites include these delightful pillowcases from reverie-daydream:



And this tote in my favorite colors from Saltbox:

fever friday and beyond!

So continues the week of the sickies! I probably started things off with my head congestion and post-nasal drip that has been going on for 2+ weeks. Then Matt had a fever and capped that week off with Poison Sumac...and then it was Meyer's turn. He woke up on Wednesday with a low-grade fever which I attributed to teething. A dropper of ibuprofen here and there seemed to help, so I thought nothing of it...until Friday came along and we had a couple sleepless nights.

By Friday, he still had the fever but it had risen, which got me thinking maybe it wasn't a teething fever after all! Why is it that my kids are ALWAYS sick on the days my pediatrician doesn't keep office hours? So off to immediate care we went...and so glad we did, as Meyer was diagnosed with a double ear infection. Poor thing. We have been so lucky so far...this was my first experience with an ear infection. One dose of antibiotic did the trick...Meyer slept through the night and was more himself. 9 more days to go!

Then at 3:00am on Saturday morning, it was Logan's turn for a fever. Another visit to the Take Care Clinic confirmed he has a virus so we have to let it run it's course. As for me, I'm finally feeling better, so let's hope today is the last day of the sickies!!!

a fun-filled fourth!

I have a love/hate relationship with the Fourth of July. It's a perfect summer holiday, but it also means it's the last holiday of the summer. Well, not technically, because there's still Labor Day, but that means summer is over...so the Fourth signifies that there is not much of summer left...because 2 months flies by, at least in our house!

The weekend would have been perfection if we didn't have to deal with Matt's first (and hopefully only) case of Poison Sumac. Yuck. He'd been sick the week before with a fever and when his fever breaks, he gets a hive-y looking rash all over his body and when the rash didn't go away, he didn't think much of it. Until he started itching.

My dad and his girlfriend took Matt, me, my sister Laura and the boys out to a delicious breakfast and after breakfast Matt couldn't stand the discomfort anymore so he headed to the Take Care Clinic at Walgreens where a diagnosis of Poison Sumac was made. Turns out there is a row of it that backs up to the chain link fence dividing our yard from our next door neighbors and Matt brushed up against it when he was doing some yardwork. Ugh.

But he made the best of it and we celebrated the Fourth at a cookout with friends. Logan had so much fun with his friends running around, splashing in the pool and playing with army guys. There was a little rainstorm after we ate and we got to see a double rainbow! He was so cute during the fireworks display, oooh-ing and ahhh-ing and jumping around with the excitement of it all. Meyer liked them too but preferred the comfort of my lap. :)

busy, busier, busiest!

Things have been super busy for us and show no signs of slowing down anytime soon! But that's cool with me...when winter rears it's ugly head, that's when I'll slow things down and stay nice and cozy at home or close to it. :) Summer is the season for fun in our house!

The week kicked off with another cooking class for Logan. PBJ roll-ups, anyone? I created my own super special recipe for the kids loosely based on this.

recipe: PBH roll-ups
source: my friend R

1 slice whole wheat bread
1 tbsp. favorite peanut butter
honey

Roll the slice of bread out flat with a rolling pin. Spread on peanut butter and then drizzle the top with honey. Roll up and serve.

My boys both LOVED this. And then I found out that Meyer isn't supposed to have honey before age 2 because of a botulism risk. Funny- I thought he could have it after 1? He didn't start foaming at the mouth though, so that is a good thing. ;)

We were invited to celebrate a special little girl's birthday party at Coldstone Creamery also. What a great idea and what fun for the kids! They got tours of the freezers and how the ice cream was made, and then they got to make their own ice cream treat with a mix-in. Of course, Logan's mix-in was marshmallows...and I was surprised that most the other kids chose marshmallows also!

It has been hot. Super duper hot. I've been keeping up with my runs for the most part in order to get used to hot weather running, but I am super careful running in the heat. And doing speedwork in hot weather is no fun! I'm supposed to run 5 bouts of 400 meters (just under 1/4 mile) with recovery time in between. Let's just say that for my first speedwork exercise, I cheated. :) My next speedwork exercise is a tempo run...I like these much better!

The week of the fourth of July just isn't complete without a trip to city for the Taste of Chicago!!!! I promised myself I'd squeeze it in somehow and I was able to today. I thought I'd make a full day of it, so I got ready to go bright and early to try to catch the 7:50a train to the city. My plan was to take my jogging stroller and I was kind of worried how I was going to get the stroller and both kids up on the train. Turns out the handicapped car is equipped to store my honker of a stroller so I had nothing to worry about! Except the delays. 3 delays totaling 20+ minutes are no fun, especially with 2 little kidlets to keep occupied. But they did great and we were at the station and up on the street in record time. I'm really starting to navigate the city well from a stroller perspective. :)

Goal #1: a run by the lake. I walked up Jackson St. but it was closed off before Columbus so I had to turn around and go to Monroe for lakefront access. I took off running north just a bit, then turned around, circled the Shedd Aquarium, headed back to Balbo and ended up right in front of the Field Museum. Just short of 3 miles. In 26:22. Holy Quickness!

Goal #2: pool time with friends. After a little break in the shade, we walked to my friend B's where we were going to be indulging in some pool time. Her pool looks out onto LSD and has a great view of the lake, Museum Campus and Soldier Field. My boys and her girl had such fun splashing around together. Meyer has no fear of the water and Logan actually put his face in the water!! I have a feeling this is the start of many fun pool adventures to come for my little fishies. Thanks to B for making it possible!

Goal #3: lunch at the Taste. Both boys fell fast asleep on the long walk back to the Taste. Which was good for me because that meant I could browse and eat in peace! Or so I thought. The Taste was a madhouse...and the crowds were insane. I had lots of difficulty navigating said honker of a stroller through them and didn't get to enjoy the fest as much as I wanted to. I'm also sad to say I didn't eat anything particularly exciting other than a cold cube of goat accompanied by cold jollof rice from VeeVee's. Quite a disappointment! But the White Berry Cooler from Caribou Coffee on the way back to Union made it all better. Note to self: bring Matt next time!!

My city trip solo was a success. The train ride home was also delayed but both boys were on their best behavior. I'm such a lucky mama!