enjoying every second of this one.

Morning, chickadees!

It’s a rainy (but warm you guys! Warm!) day in Chicago, and while I am not looking forward to making the trek into work, I am feeling pretty good about the nice weekend I just had.

Lots of time with my pals, babies, and family, and I might just have gotten a couple errands finished too.

It looked a little something like this.

 

After an impromptu Mexican dinner and tequila drinking Friday night with my best pals (no, thankfully, there is no photographic evidence of our fashion show), I spent the entirety of Saturday shrugging off a maybe-hangover while watching Aus play baseball (run baby, run! I yelled at he sprinted around all the bases. After the game, he noted that I had to stop calling him baby. Someone might think you’re my girlfriend, he said. I still don’t know how to take that one from a high school freshman) and hanging with KD and Tob.

Yesterday, it was yoga, errands, more errands, bloody marys with my mom&dad and pals, a surprise sighting of the S family, and then an alarming amount of paperwork for a Sunday night.

Things are happening around here, chickens.

And with that, let’s cycle through another week.

 

 

off to the races

Hey chickadees!

I’m typing fast, since I spent the morning posting a little something for my sissy’s blog, Garlic, My Soul.

My sister is organized and under control, two things that I’m not.

My post was scheduled to be published this morning, which of course means that despite knowing about it for days, I decided to start and finish it this morning.

Some of us have to keep people on their toes, right?

In any case, the post focused on some delicious steak, chimichurri, and side dishes we made this weekend when JW’s best friend B was in town.

Check it out over here.

Here’s a little sneak peek of what we were up to:

 

And with that, I’m off to finish getting ready and head into the city for another day of meetings and projects.

Let’s keep this one moving, chickens.

I hear it’s about to warm up this weekend.

Enjoy the sunshine if you’ve got it.

five good things: kiss me like you want to be loved edition

You guys, this weekend was exactly what I  needed.

And since I have been in a sort-of-grouchy funk prior to this fun little weekend, I’m starting this week by laying it out there.

Five.Good.Things: the almost-to-the-next-thing edition.

This one will be easy.

1. Friday night, before calling it an early night, I headed out for drinks with friends.

You guys, I’m so lucky to have plenty of things in my life: JW, a family, a roof over my head, the use of my arms and legs.

My friends, chickadee, are right in the top tier of this gratefulness party.

2. Saturday, I got to celebrate KD’s birthday for a hot second, before heading home to a pizza party full of laughing, eating, and wine.

So much fun that I maybe didn’t get a chance to take a picture of all the beautiful people who hugged me and spent the night being all together.

But chickens, a room full of pals singing happy birthday is a sure way to feel loved all over.

3. In between too many glasses of wine, JD and I went to yoga.

Twice. In 48 hours.

I think I’m hung over, she whispered to me as I fell on my mat.

I nodded.

The ever-so-bendy in between us made a face and lectured us on detoxifying for the rest of the class.

I think it’s all about balance, chicks.

That and headstands.
4. This weekend, finally, after six months of using a phone that doesn’t receive text messages and moves at a snail’s pace, I went out and bought myself a shiny new iPhone for my birthday.

My dad let me out at the corner so I could run in and get started, and in my haste, I dropped my old phone in the middle of North Avenue, where it broke into two pieces but still managed to stay on.

This new phone is life changing you guys.

And now I’m gonna know if you’re ignoring me.
5. Last night, I spent the evening at my family’s house in the burbs, eating macaroni & meatballs, homemade lemon-chocolate beignets, and watching the Grammy’s.

It’s been a beautiful couple of day, chickadees.

And now, I’m off to hurry out of here before I start the work late.

Enjoy this one, everyone.

 

warming up and melting down.

Good morning, chickadees!

It’s sixty whole degrees here, although, I do think that it would be even more amazing if it would stop being so muddy and the sun would come out.

But I get it.

It’s January.

I’ll just feel good about switching to a lighter coat.

Last night, my hot yoga class was full, so JD and I hit the pavement for a run/walk.

Which we could do, since it was so warm.

Awesome.

Although our actual running was fairly minimal, it felt good to get back out there.

Race season, my friends, is just around the corner.

After our run/walk/catch-up, I spent some time working on a new post for my sister’s blog, which is beautiful and  well-made and in general a lot of things that my blog is not.

If you want to see what kind of recipe shunning/shepherd’s pie madness Ky and I were up to this weekend, just check it out.

There’s an embarrassing video of me having a melt down about mashed potatoes.

You probably don’t want to miss that.

I wasn’t sure if it was funny, but then I received this e-mail from my sister last night:

I watched that video and spit laughing. Ah-ma-zing.

At least someone thinks I’m funny.

And now, I’m off to hit the mud puddle that is Chicago. Enjoy this one, chickadees!

 

roosters and vigilantes.

Morning, chickadees!

The sun’s back in hiding over here, but it was certainly nice while it lasted.

Yesterday, aside from finishing up my book about Catherine the Great (you guys, what a bad ass she was. You need to read about her), seeing The Gangster Squad (which made me want to join a 1940s vigilante band of undercover policeman), and making my house look a little less crazy, I brought home this:

 

JW admitted that he has concerns that I’m becoming a “chicken person”, but really, I don’t think that’s the case.

Plus, both of my kitchen “chickens” are actually roosters.

So maybe I’m a rooster person.

Next up, Ky met me at Whole Foods, so we could try out a vegetable shepherd’s pie.

I’ll spare you all the gory details, because I’m slated to tell that tale over at Garlic, My Soul later this week, but man, it was a battle to the end.

It was also a delicious dinner, albeit, at 9:00 pm.

 

I’m not sure why I took this picture of the finished product on top of the dirty stove, but you know, maybe I was feeling artistic.

Or maybe I’d had too many glasses of wine.

This morning I’m skipping yoga so that I can meet up with my favorite three bambini for a pancake breakfast fundraiser.

It’s all about balance, chickens.

And also: pancakes with kiddos.

With that, I’m off to enjoy another day of the weekend. Enjoy this one, chicks!

 

you know i love it when the ride is smooth

Chickens, it’s freezing out there.

Yesterday I wore about seventeen layers outside, and still felt like a block of ice by the time I hit my building.

It takes everything in me not to scold anyone not wearing a hat.

Last night, I headed over to Ky’s after work- but first stopped for supplies at Whole Foods.

Where I got into an intense discussion about points of interest in Europe with the cashier.

Apparently by skipping the castles of Austria, I am missing out.

You learn something new every day.

Next up, I headed back into the tundra to catch the bus.

I put my bag down on a bench, and attempted to track the CTA.

Which is impossible to do when you’re wearing gloves and also are maybe challenged motor-skill wise.

In two minutes flat, I had managed to tangle myself in my headphones, and nearly tripped into the street.

Luckily, it was at this point that I saw the bus coming.

And driving by me.

Which is when I realized the bus stop was actually across the street from the bench.

What kind of plan is that, I asked myself, as I ran after the 2394th bus of my bus-chasing career.

When I finally made it to Ky’s, we pulled out her new Sprouted Kitchen cookbook, and got to work constructing some beans-and-cheese stuffed poblanos.

Due to becoming a little aggressive with our chipotle peppers (is one pepper for pansies? Ky asked. I nodded my head. We make a lot of mistakes, chickens), I managed to burn both my mouth and fingers in the cooking process, but rest assured, the peppers were delicious.

 

After dipping everything we were eating into greek yogurt to make it more manageable, and crying through Parenthood, Ky looked at me and asked if I’d drink a glass of water with chlorophyll.

Which I know is a weirdo thing to say.

However, she’s my best friend, so I said yes, even though I think it’s bizarre to drink plant pigment.

Ky tells me that chlorophyll is a detoxifier and anti-inflammatory (and who am I to turn that down), but seriously you guys, it’s basically like drinking grass.

Stand by to see if I become any less skeptical.

Post nightcap of earth matter, I bundled up, headed out into the night, and managed to ride a completely empty bus to my corner.

So it was kind of like a limo.

With fluorescent lighting.

I’ll take what I can, chickadees.

Stay warm out there!

 

five good things: cruising right in edition

Hey there chickens! We’re cruising smoothly into the weekend, which for me means finally taking down my Christmas tree, (just unplug the lights and leave it there, JW said. I think that makes our living room an alley, I noted.) seeing some friends, and heading out to CA for about 48 hours. In the interim, let’s talk about what’s good.

Here it goes.

1. Last night JW and I received cards from Austin and KD thanking us for their Christmas gifts. In addition to being adorable, funny, smart, and athletically inclined, they’re also polite. That’s totally objective.

In Aus’ card, he thanked us for each item we gave him individually, and when we landed on his sentence about his new necklace, even a long day couldn’t keep me from grinning.

Thank you for the necklace. I promise not to give this one to any Brazilian girls at the beach.As long as I know these guys, I’ll never stop laughing.

2. My little brother’s birthday is on Saturday. At some point, he decided it would be okay to turn 22, which I’m pretty sure I never authorized. There’s no one who’s more like me than my silly, wacky, thoughtful baby bro.
3. While I’ve been running around like crazy this week and JW’s been headed back to school, we’ve also been trying to eat a little healthier. Which means when I finally got home on Tuesday night, it was to a big pot of this.

I believe he found it over here, and this combination of white beans, kale, and quinoa in a soup was pretty much amazing.

4. Last weekend JW’s mom gave me the Smitten Kitchen cookbook for Christmas, which I already know to be awesome. Which is why I also gave it to her. This, combined with Ky’s gift of The Sprouted Kitchen, means we’ve got one million recipes to work with all winter long.

5. JD and I have, in this second week of January, become regulars at our Yoga/Kettlebell studio. This means friendly ribbing, lots of encouragement, and veto power over Gene’s strange choices in music.

I predict a flexible, strong new year.

If I can keep myself from toppling over. Enjoy this one, chickens!

just because it burns doesn’t mean you’re gonna die.

Morning, chickadees.

You’ll be happy to know that I successfully made it back to work with very few glitches.

Read: I remembered the way to my cubicle.

My coworkers and I spent the day catching up: on work, on holiday stories, on resolutions.

It was a nice way to head back into the routine.

JW and I also somehow remembered how to make dinner not by using Grubhub, and so, on the whole, I’m feeling pretty much like a real human being again.

That was easier than I thought it would be.

Also last night, in an attempt to jumpstart my return to the land of the living, JD and I hit up kettlebells for a weeknight session.

Swinging bells with my Russian pal always makes for an interesting evening.

And an exhausting one.

Last night turned snarky when I demanded he turn off the even crazier than normal music he was playing during a set of squats.

It sounded like monsters were yelling at me through the speakers.

Bells are scary enough on their own.

Shortly after my veto, he caught me attempting to mimic the movements of another classmate, and asked me why it was that after three years, I couldn’t remember how to lunge backwards.

Ouch, KB coach.

Good thing I appreciate his attempts to make me tougher.

But tonight, chickadees, I’m going to candlelit yoga instead.

source

Remember, you guys, tomorrow’s Friday.

How’s that for an upside to this week?

 

taking one more day.

Morning, chickadees!

I’m spending one more day over here relaxing and hanging out with my sister, and then it’s back to some pre-2013 working and cleaning for me.

Sometimes, chickens, you need a little bit of a routine.

Yesterday, my family dragged me to both Costco and the mall, where I saw the following items:

1. A store devoted to calendars only. I’ve seen them before, but for some reason (perhaps the store’s extensive collection of dog related calendars) it overwhelmed me more than usual.

I also ended up with two calendars.

If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em?

2. So many tween girls trying to buy matching items. Matching shirts. Matching shoes. I heard one girl squeal “Now we can be twinsies!” I used this as an opportunity to practice my deep breathing.

Thank you, yoga practice, for protecting me against shrill 13-year olds.

3. This. I think I could use it to get around town:

 

I just sort of feel like it was made for me.

In any case, once we finally made it through the suburban tangle of traffic (JD, my friend, I don’t know how you do it every day), we went home, where my sister and father decided to make something for dinner using only what we had in the house.

I admit, I was skeptical.

But, everything ended up being pretty much a delight.

I wish I had a good picture of the final result, but since I ate in about three seconds, it was too late before I remembered. Here’s the recipe for the chicken burgers/cakes, and the salad was kale, parsnips, radishes, and carrots.

More kale is the answer, I think, to the holiday season.

And up today: I have changed out of lounge clothes for the first time in 48 hours, and I’m ready to enjoy my sister’s last day in the Midwest.

Also, this is happening:

 

I won’t hate on a little bit of post-holiday snow, chicks.

Enjoy this Friday, everyone!

new eats and good lighting.

Morning, chickadees!

Last night, my sister, my pals MM, MC, and my family decided to do a little cooking with one of my gifts to JP, Smitten Kitchen’s new cookbook.

You guys, Smitten Kitchen is my favorite.

Except for the time we made her poptarts.

But I digress.

In any case, we settled on a kale salad and chicken milanese.

We also made roasted potatoes, for good measure.

My sister gave me a couple more camera pointers, and then let me loose with my new toy.

I would just like to note here that knowledge is power, and things are already looking less dark, blurry, and weird in my life.

Onto the food.

The recipes were fairly easy to do, especially since we had four pairs of eager hands to help out.

Glasses of wine are also good incentive for projects like this.

To make the salad, we toasted up some pecans.

 

Then we washed, de-ribbed, and julienned kale until we filled up a salad bowl.

Also, slice up four radishes (or really, however many you want).

 

At this point, throw in some dried cranberries.

Also, goat cheese, which I just now realized I never added.

Don’t be like us.

Add the goat cheese.

 

Our dressing was made of dijon mustard, rice vinegar (use what you’ve got hanging around your pantry), honey, olive oil, and some s&p. Add twice the amount of oil as you do vinegar and mustard, honey and s&p to taste, and shake it all up.

Next up, it was chicken frying time.

One of my favorite times, really.

We sliced chicken breasts and thighs lengthwise until they were about 1/4 inch thick, and then dredged them in flour, then egg white, mustard & garlic, and finally rolled them in panko.

Rinse and repeat.

Don’t actually rinse though.

Just a little joke.

Next up, we poured some more wine, and got to the frying part.

We used a half inch of olive oil, but I suspect the kind of oil is negotiable.

 

JP and I are at this point discussing the ins and out of chicken frying.

I’m skeptical, obviously.

Yes, we have matching aprons.

 

Both parts of this meal were delicious and easy- especially because of our red wine supply and the help we had in making all of it.

I don’t have too many shots of the potatoes or the OTHER salad we made (sometimes, after Christmas binge sessions, you need two salads in a meal), because the light wasn’t great and this is a thing I am learning about.

We roasted the potatoes with olive oil, s&p, and rosemary, and the salad was dandelion greens (should have been arugula, technically, but we were at an Italian market, and dandelion greens is what they had) and thinly sliced fennel.

 

This was an awesome meal and impressed pretty much everyone. The cookbook looks like it’s full of really tasty, easy-enough-to-do projects, and I’m only sorry I didn’t order myself a copy.

And now I’m off to another day of family hanging and photo taking.

Enjoy the sunshine if you’ve got it chicks.