The United States is a beautiful place. We have amazing cities like Chicago, which offers lots to explore and do. But drive out of the city and there is land to behold. We got a chance to head up to Wisconsin. After navigating out of the city we hit I-47 N and out of the city.
Gorgeous, right? Rolling green fields of corn, quaint farm houses, red barns, horses, ponds and wildflowers dotting the landscape. It makes you have a conversation with the hubby about if you could live in the country. We lived in Raleigh, NC but it was a definite suburban experience even though we were surrounded by lots of green country & loblolly pine trees & had a creek running through the backyard. I sometimes think I could when I think if I had a country house I could have a herd of dachshunds, a craft room, and a barn to stow my stash and the peace and quiet to make things. Nice fantasy until I need to eat a gourmet meal like at Avec or I need to run to Michael Levine's to buy some unneeded fabric.
*POP* dream over.
Then you drive by the small town Frosty Freeze & *POP* fantasy back on. Ice cream always does the trick. You can't see the sign in the tiny picture, but in the window it says, "Keep the summer alive, EAT HERE." The summer was alive and well with loads of people enjoying a taste of summer and the perfect weather.
The fantasy was alive and well when we arrived at a very cute house where the family of Cookie & Kiss have gathered for the week near the shores of Lake Geneva. (Really the lake was a mile away but that's a small detail.) We were all enjoying each other's company (8 adults & two adorable babes), catching up & having fun, watching some Olympics. I was stretching, doing a couple of chaturangas and downward dogs when I noticed some movement in the carpet. I thought it was a spider, but no, the horror...it was a TICK! Ticks freak me out!
*POP* fantasy over.
File in memory banks...not to move to country. Ticks live in the country, along with chiggers, and other nasty beasts. Yep, the city girl comes shining through in full force when faced with a prehistoric insect that sucks blood.
I am sure the party that was responsible for bringing a tick into the house were one of these two rascals.
Meet Maddie & Maxx. These are Grandpa & Grandma's pups. Maddie is a scruffy new addition that was rescued about an hour before the gas chamber opened. Close call for such a cutie. After the tick incident we had a good long talk with them about not bringing hitch hikers into the house. They said they would try but that the hitch hikers could be very persistent in these parts. We told them all about stranger danger and the dangers of bringing strangers home so they agreed to leave hitch hikers at the curb.
This is a Chicago style hot dog, which consists of an all beef hot dog on a poppy seed bun topped with mustard, onion, sweet pickle relish, dill pickle spear, tomato wedges or slices, peppers, and a dash of celery salt. We opted for one sans onions. It is super delicious but messy. We hear the best place for a Chicago style dog is either Gold Coast Dogs (on Wabash) or the Weiner's Circle (near Lincoln Park).
Both of these locations were north of where we were staying. The Air and Water Show was going on this past weekend in Lincoln Park. The hordes of humanity were moving in that direction so we rented bikes and went South. We still managed to be impressed with the jets flying overhead. UP, UP, and AWAY! four in formation stealthy stealth bomber, which was much more impressive in person.
Of course, this song was going through my head the entire time I road my bike along the shores of Lake Michigan. Please press play and enjoy the following photos. And we're off... Along the shores of the deep blue lake a stop at Soldier field. the new stadium rises out of the old...impressive we went this far and turned around. the hubby looks cute on his bike Buckingham Fountain the hubby looks even cuter delivering a dog.
The Old Timers (Lake & Michigan) is a great place for yummy pancakes and a mean breakfast club sandwich. Yeah, a club with egg, bacon, lettuce, tomato stacked on three high toast. De-lish!
For the serious foodie, you have to try Avec. This place is so good we ate there two nights in a row. They do not take reservations, the place is small and there is always a wait. On Thursday we went at 10pm and had no problem getting a table, which you often share with other patrons. On Friday night, we arrived at 10pm but we weren't seated until around 11pm. Yes it is worth the wait.
Thursday's dinner Antipasti Peaches with pancetta vinaigrette, celery & pine nuts Peaches with corn vinaigrette, basil, corn, chili flake & haricot vert Large plates Rasmussen cheese curds, sausage, fennel, apple & arugula pizza Wood oven-roasted half chicken "panzanella" with bread, heirloom tomato, kalamatas, golden raisins & mint Wine Il Brecciarolo 2003 Dessert Polenta cake topped with tart cherries & creme fraiche
The antipasti was absolutely refreshing, inventive and full of flavor. Peaches and corn? Peaches and celery? It sounds like two strange combinations but they were very, very good. It totally opened my mind to how fresh and fun a summer salad can be. I can't wait to get to the farmer's market this weekend to try my hand at recreating them. Now, let me wax poetic about the pizza and the bread. The bread comes hot to the table and has the most buttery and creamy flavor and texture without any actual butter. I believe the pizza crust is from the same dough and makes a delicious thin, yet bubbly, wood fired crust. The Rasmussen cheese curds come by way of a farmer in Michigan who has five special cows. The cheese melted to a consistency of hollandaise and was super creamy. I love sausage and fennel on a pizza. It's my favorite pizza here at home, courtesy of Cheebo. But the addition of apples, arugula and a peppery vinaigrette was sheer genius. This was a transcendent pizza. The chicken was very moist and flavorful, surrounded with bits of chewy bread, tasty tomatoes and olives. Can this dinner get any better? Oh yes it can with polenta cake for dessert. I have to admit I am not a fan of polenta. Polenta seems like a food stuff that would be right up my alley, but I am not crazy about it. This polenta cake was impressive to my not so lovin' the polenta palate. It was a sweet and crusty cornbread but with amazing savory aspects like a hint of rosemary and salt. The tarty tartness of the cherries and the sour taste of the creme fraiche created a perfect balance. I could have licked the plate. The wine was a mix of montepulciano & sangiovese grapes. It was a perfect, drink everyday type bottle of wine.
Friday's Dinner
Antipasti Cauliflower, ancho chili, pine nuts & pancetta vinaigrette Small Plate chorizo-stuffed madjool dates with smoked bacon & piquillo pepper-tomato sauce pan roasted flank steak with rapini, roasted corn, lima beans & smoked paprika butter Large Plate "deluxe" focaccia with taleggio cheese, truffle oil & fresh herbs Wine Il Brecciarolo 2003 Dessert Raspberry sorbet with shortbread cookies
The antipasti was not as exciting on Friday as it was on Thursday. Cauliflower is not my favorite veggie but I thought maybe they could change my mind. Not so much. However, the stuffed dates were out of this world. Really out of this world. The steak was a great combo with the bitterness of the rapini and the sweetness of the corn all yummy in smoky butter. Now I have already describe how good the bread and pizza was and the focaccia did not disappoint. This is a definite must try if you visit the restaurant. We had the same wine because it was great and affordable ($38). We went a little lighter for dessert and it was perfect. The sorbet was light and not too sweet, with thin, tasty shortbread cookies for crunch.
This is a great place to eat. It is very hip and small, which translates to loud and tightly packed. You do have to wait to eat so don't come too hungry. It is completely worth the wait.
Now if you want the best gelato in Chicago you gotta get outta town to Cicero. Freddy's Pizza & Grocery 1600 S. 61st Avenue @ 16th Street Cicero, IL
It's about 20 minutes from downtown in what used to be the Italian neighborhood but seems to be in transition with Elena's Tacos across the street. Was this the best gelato in Chicago? YES! YES it was. In fact I haven't had gelato this good since I was in Italy last September. No joke. There is not a great gelato place in LA. I tried them all when I got home. They all lack the remarkable creaminess of gelato. Freddy's had it hands down. So good and brought back a flood of memories from last summer. That's how you know something is good. It takes you places. We also tried the pizza. It was Chicago style pizza, which means deep dish. But it was not too deep and had an amazing sauce. If I could have I would have tried the Italian ices because they looked and smelled amazing. But you can only stuff yourself so much. Lord knows I tried. Why do you think we went on a bike ride?! We certainly did our best tasting our way around Chicago.
We wanted to check out this place... but we never made it. We had to leave something to look forward to the next time we visit Chicago.
The hubby and I got away for the weekend to Chicago.
A friend let us borrow her corporate apartment for the weekend. Check out the amazing view. Millenium Park Michigan Avenue
It's nice to have generous friends who live in high places.
On Friday morning we went on an architectural river cruise given by the Chicago Architecture Foundation. I highly recommend this 90 minute tour. It's a great way to get acquainted with the city and see it's phenomenal buildings.
After the tour you really start to notice all the amazing architecture surrounding you throughout the city. This is truly an amazing city.
The hubby and I are flying out tomorrow for Chicago. We are going to explore the city for a couple of days and then head up to Kenosha for Cookie & Kiss' baptism. Today I embroidered their names on their christening gowns. I took some pictures but they didn't turn out very well. I'll have to post pics later. Still have lots of things to do in order to get out of Dodge.
Friday the hubby came home with these just because. They are so beautiful
There is even a bird's nest in the arrangement. I love love love it. It was such a surprise. I am loved.
Speaking of birds nests. We have had a hummingbird nest under the eaves of the house in the backyard. The baby bird took it's first leap from the nest on Friday morning. I just happened to see him take his virgin flight while I was sitting at the dining room table writing a post. Here he is none the worse for fly/falling out of the nest. He is teenyweeny. That is a bamboo leaf next to him. Since we have dogs I gathered him up and put him back in the nest. The nest is about the size of an egg cup. This is the second time we have had a hummingbird nest in this spot. He made his second flight later in the afternoon and I let him buzz are the ground in the backyard until it was dark and bedtime. He didn't really have any lift yet. I made a bed for the night on a back yard pillow. He was there in the morning, but I was starting to worry because I hadn't seen the mama bird the day before. She showed up though and then started teaching junior the basics of flying with lots of feeding between attempts. It seems you burn a lot of energy flapping your wings. It was better than watching the Olympics. Nature is so intriguing. I could have watched these two all day, but we were off for dinner with friends. When we got home later that evening the baby bird was no where to be found. I checked before letting the dogs out. The baby has successfully flown the coop or at least our backyard and into the wilds beyond.
Here is the apron I made for the swap. My swap partner lives in the land down under. Hopefully she likes it. I love it. The recipe fabric was perfect for a kitchen apron and the bees just knock my socks off.
I made a pair of potholders to go with it.
Here is the bias tape in action. I love the way it turned out. Can you see the recipe print on the fabric? Custard cream. Add butter. That sounds loverly to me.
It makes a nice little set for a busy kitchen bee. Swaps are so much fun. Can't wait to see what my swap partner creates!
The Ravelry group Sew Obsessed is having an apron swap. The swap was organized by my BFF Carleetle-D. While at Bolt I found my apron pattern and fabric. The pattern called for bias tape so I figured this would be a good time to learn how to make my own. From the wide world of internet I found two tutorials that were very helpful. This one for great written instructions and this one for the photos.
It's very important to cut on the lines.
After a whole lot of ironing this is what you get. Loads of bias tape.
My practice bias tape was in purple batik. I have to admit that I was too afraid to start with my super cute fabric. Yes I did buy a bias tape maker but I didn't really like it. It didn't run smoothly over the joins so I had to bust it out the old fashioned way. With the iron.
Just a word of caution...run the bias tape in front of the iron not behind.
Ouchy. I reached around the iron to move the bias tape and GOTCHA!
Making bias tape is fairly easy. The hardest part for me was the ironing. Mostly because I don't like to iron & obviously I shouldn't be handling such an unwieldy tool. I once burnt my stomach while ironing naked. Ironing is for the clothed and heavy handed. Oh yea, and the patient too. I love sewing and will make friends with my iron in time. I hope. But it is so satisfying to learn something new and have a new stash of stuff to show for it & to sew with. Woohoo! Look at all that tape!
Your dominant hues are cyan and blue. You like people and enjoy making friends. You're conservative and like to make sure things make sense before you step into them, especially in relationships. You are curious but respected for your opinions by people who you sometimes wouldn't even suspect.
Your saturation level is lower than average - You don't stress out over things and don't understand people who do. Finishing projects may sometimes be a challenge, but you schedule time as you see fit and the important things all happen in the end, even if not everyone sees your grand master plan.
Your outlook on life is bright. You see good things in situations where others may not be able to, and it frustrates you to see them get down on everything.
This is a little something just for fun. I encountered it yesterday over at Lady Linoleum's Monster Crochet. And yes I have do have a grand master plan. What color are you? Please share.
One of the things I love about the blog-o-sphere is making new friends. My new friend Paige from the Bend the Rules Sewing Swap nominated me for a blog award. Isn't that super sweet? Thanks Paige, I think you are very cool and I am deeply flattered.
And now for the rules:
1. The winner can put the logo on their blog. 2. Link to the person you received your award from. 3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs. 4. Put links of those blogs on yours. 5. Leave a message on the blogs you’ve nominated. 6. Write an acceptance speech in the style of the Academy Awards, thanking every body’s mother, father, sister, brother, aunties and uncles and the kitchen staff at your favorite restaurant!
My nominations with love & admiration are...
Carla of Purly Victorious. Because she is my craft partner in crime & even more for her beautiful way with words, cloth, and yarn. Ellen of L.A. is my Beat. Another part of my craft posse. She wields a mean pair of needles and an even meaner hook & knows L.A. like none other. Laurie Ann of Needs More Gingham. For her humor, cartoons & overheard bathroom conversations. Regina at Monster Crochet. She is one funny lady with mad creative talent. Bethany from Bitter Betty Blogs. She is a sewing queen, has a cute new pup, & makes the most beautiful tatted necklaces. Ann Wood. She makes birdies. Really sweet birdies. Kirsten from Through the Loops. You have to check out her socks & mitts patterns.
You can play along if you like or enjoy the good vibes from my blog to yours. Peace.
