see.summer.okra

Hello blog.
Sorry I've been away... the World Cup is on and I've been pretty busy...
Have you ever spoke with someone you haven't heard from in a few months and just talking to them brings back a memory or a song in your head or a feeling??
Well... for me, it's usually food.
My friend Katie called me the other day just to catch up and chat.
I love talking to Katie. She has a way of just making me smile. After I got off the phone with her I had this incredible craving for okra and tomatoes.
Katie makes this dish (or at least has in the past) and for some reason just talking to her brought on an urge to prepare some for dinner... and that's what I did.
Okra- like many veggies, is in season from June till late September so now is the time to buy!

Okra is prepared in different ways and (I feel) that it is delicious no matter how it is served... pickled, fried, in stew... it's just delicious.

Fresh from the market. Bright and green with few blemishes.

Most (Southern) Okra and Tomato dish recipes call for bacon or bacon fat. And since we are fresh out of meat around here... I had to alter the recipe (only slightly)
1 lbs. Okra - cut into 1/4" pieces
1 lbs. fresh tomatoes (you can also use canned) - skinned, cored, and chopped
1 onion - chopped
1 bell pepper (we were fresh out of bell pepper on this night) - chopped
1 cup veggie broth (you can always replace this with chicken broth if desired)
1 - 2 cloves garlic - minced
1 - 2 jalapeno (depending on heat preference) - chopped
1 - 2 tbsp. butter (yep! butter, to substitute for the bacon fat)
fresh sprigs of oregano
salt and pepper Well seasoned cast iron skillet... this is crucial. OK, it's not crucial but it sure makes food extra tasty!!

Add the butter, onions, bell pepper, jalapenos and garlic into the hot skillet and let them mingle and chat for a while in the hot pan!
When the onion has turned a nice golden color, add the okra, tomatoes, and veggie broth. Cover and let simmer for about 30 mins.

Now if you have read this entire post... I will give my thanks by letting you in on an okra cookin' secret...
1 - 2 teaspoons sugar! Add it to the okra and tomatoes before you let them simmer. This will cut down on the common okra "slime".
Serve over a steaming bowl of rice and enjoy!
Thanks Ms. Katie

see.slug.sluggers

Our shared garden is such a sweet space. We have herbs, broccoli, tomatoes, cucumbers and much more!
It's so nice to step outside and garden with our neighbors (Mike) and/or just hang out and enjoy the yard (Mel).
When sharing a garden... it is best to contribute a little or poke around in the leaves to look like you are contributing... or you could find intruders -like I did last week!
I found slugs- slimy, gooey, slugs!
This is a slug.

This is what slug snacking looks like!
Slugs love spinach!They eat their broccoli.

And snack on mint for fresh breath!

We couldn't let this feast go on much longer. So we took action and googled it!
Slugs come out and eat at night, they are attracted to beer and corn meal so for the first few nights we set traps! Cups of beer and piles of corn meal. Except... our traps were not that great and instead of dead slugs we had fat, drunk, happy "hugging" (trying to keep the blog G-rated) slugs that were making more slugs!
Our next line of defense- slug hunting!
(note: this contains some graphic slug slaughtering... viewer discretion is advised!)Around midnight, last night we filled a bowl full of salt (slugs dissolve in salt), got out our slug collecting sticks and flashlights and went to work.
It was like a slug street party in the garden. They were EVERYWHERE!!
I have never visited a garden at night. There is so much going on! Did you know flies rest at night much like we sleep? Well they do, and I found where many of them do it... on leaves in the garden.
We also found worms "hugging", tons of centipedes, and other creepy crawlies!
Our next step is to buy some Slug-O to fend off the slugs... but until then each night around midnight we will continue to slug the very hungry slugs.

see.paper.bag.pop!

One of my favorite memories as a kid consists of my mom, a basket of fluffy clean laundry, coca colas, buttery popcorn and Oprah. My mom and I would enjoy this delicious snack while watching Oprah and since then, snackin' on popcorn always brings back pleasant thoughts.A few years back, I started making popcorn at home. The good ol' fashion way. On the stove, hot oil, pop corn, and melted butter. It is SO tasty that way and you decide how much salt and butter to put on the popcorn! This is a fun way to make popcorn except some nights, you just want to throw a bag into the microwave and 2:00 mins later have hot delicious popcorn ready to be snacked on.
This was my dilemma until: my moment of eavesdropping enlightenment!!
While in Columbus, I visited a craft fair. The Columbus Etsy Craft Fair to be exact. While in line for fresh lemonade I overheard 2 ladies talking about brown bag popcorn (this is what craft fair people gossip about by the way).
"It's so easy" she said "you just put the kernels into a brown paper lunch bag, roll up the top and put it in the microwave!"
My mind was literally blown away!

And so we tried it! 1/4 cup popcorn kernels, salt n' pepper, and a little bit of oil or butter for taste (you can also flavor after it has popped)
I like to jazz it up with crushed garlic too!

Put all the ingredients in the bag, and fold the over a few times (be sure to make a nice firm crease)

Set the timer to about 2:00 mins depending on your microwave or just listen for the popping to slow, and the result...

Delicious, fluffy, slightly salty, buttery popcorn!!

Yum!!

see.n.smell

We headed over to Columbus, Ohio this past weekend for an interview Michael had with DART. Miles and I tagged along for moral support and to get out of Chicago for a little while. When we go anywhere with the dog... the trip soon becomes very dog centered.
Hotel for the dog, day trips planned with the dog. oy.
Luckily, the Columbus Park of Roses, allowed dogs and was quite beautiful.

The Park of Roses was on the list of 'Top things to do in Columbus' and it is easy to see why. The grounds were perfectly cared for and this was the largest Rose Park I had ever seen!

The roses don't officially bloom until mid-June but we still saw and smelled our fair share.

Miles, taking it all in...
actually he is hunting. Miles discovered chip-monks in Columbus... they happen to be smaller and more twitchy then squirrels (the twitchier the better). We had 2 fall from a tree right in front of us, then they started play fighting... I thought Miles would have a heart attack (from the excitement) right then and there.
All the roses are named and many people have donated money for small sweet memorials, here are some of my favorites.

Next to the Rose Garden there is an herb and 'other' flower garden. This is where we ran into a plethora of bumble bees. Humming and buzzing along, working each and every flower.

I chatted with this bee for a little while. I think it took my advice to relax from time to time and enjoy the flowers... it stopped what it was doing, flew closer to me, landed on a leaf, and just sat there.
We both took a moment to just bee, then afterward I was all a buzz with excitement...

sorry honey, i cant help myself.

see.laundry.day

We have a side porch. To get to the side porch... you have to climb through this window that is located in our bedroom.

The porch is perfect for drying laundry, hanging out porch sittin', potted plants and spying on neighbors.

see.spring.ensalada!

It is currently "Spring" here in Chicago.

I am learning that what "Spring" really means is a roller coaster of temperature. Ups and Downs. Highs and Lows. 80's and then 40's.
Skirts then sweaters, or skirts and sweaters...
So in our attempt to coax the weather into a warmer more consistent temp... we made salad.
This is terrible logic but trust me... if you make this, you will be feeling all kinds of warmer temps!
I got this recipe off of foodnetwork.com and jazzed it up a little to make it our own..
Shrimp-Papaya Salad
Ingredients:
1 lbs Shrimp
Arugula (enough for 2), 1 Papaya, 1 Jalapeno, 1 lemon, 2-3 limes, soy sauce, olive oil, toasted sesame oil, 2-3 cloves garlic, 2 green onions, cilantro, peanuts and...
red potatoes on the side
Boil the potatoes until they are cooked, coat with olive oil and some butter, salt n' pepper, and set aside.

Cut Papaya in half, spoon the seeds out and thinly slice.Arrange papaya onto bed of arugula.To prepare shrimp (grill them if you have a grill!): season shrimp with salt and pepper, coat pan with olive oil, turn heat to med-high, and cook until they are done!
I kept the shrimp seasoning to just salt and pepper, I did not want to over power the salad with over seasoned shrimp. They were delicious!To prepare dressing:
Slice the jalapeno into small pieces, add the juice of lemon and 1 to 2 limes, add 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil, and minced garlic cloves
Wisk together before serving.
When shrimp are done, add them to the salad followed by the peanuts, cilantro, sliced green onions and drizzle with the dressing. Note: if you are not a huge fan of papaya, slice up some mango instead. Spring will surely follow!
I feel warmer already!

see.he

A few updates in the life of he

The Florida Golf Tournament was a success and he came home to report that Henry (his baby nephew) would not let him out of his sight the entire trip! So cute.
Mike's birthday was a few days ago, May 8th, and he got some pretty impressive gifts...
A mini photo shoot with his bff Miles.
A worm farm
A week ago we welcomed 1 pound of new pets into our place.
OK, it's not a worm farm (he hates it when i call it a 'worm farm' even though that's what it is)... it's actually an in-home food compost. It does not smell and produces lush black soil perfect for plants in and around the house.
These worms are actually pretty amazing! They are a special kind of worm that metabolizes food quickly. Here we are at the worm workshop: First you have to set up the bin:
These worms LOVE paper, cardboard, food scraps from veggies and fruits. They have some dietary limitations (meat, oils, garlic and onions) but not many.
Then you get to open the bag and say hello to your new little friends!Next you ever so carefully pour the worms into the bin to begin their new life!
Feeding the worms is an important job, and the more chopped up the food... the better! They also don't mind if the food is spoiled. For now, the worms are getting adjusted to their new home, in our home. They are eating and eating and making some new worms, then eating and pooping lush black soil. I will update more on the worms at a later date.
Mike ALSO had a really nice birthday party that was hosted by our pals Allen and Paris. What a fun party! We had some delicious drinks, great company and one very impressive cake!!A martini cake for the "Mad Men" inspired martini party. The martini was flavored with coconut and passion fruit and the olives were chocolate and raspberry!! YUM!!
Finally... As an early birthday gift, a few weeks ago, I found a beautiful road bike on Craigslist and once we checked it out... we were sold! It is a really beautiful bike. Since he got the bike we have both been riding together like crazy!!
It is only a 7.5 mile bike ride from here to downtown Chicago!
Unfortunately, on Monday Mike's bike was stolen from campus! It was locked and parked in front of the library and around 1 pm some creep stole his bike. We are both devastated. He really enjoyed that bike and I loved that he enjoyed it so much! So we are mourning the loss of the bike and the limited time we had to enjoy it.
Over all, I think turning 29 was a real success for Mike!
Happy Birthday to the sweet man I'm going to marry some day!!
xoxo