Bookmarks

B + I are really enjoying this album as of late.

Watched Seasons 1 - 4 (!!) of "Doc Martin" during the flu of February... ugh. LOVE IT. The show takes place in the fictional Cornish town of Portwenn and reminds me so much of the 90s show "Northern Exposure."

We started watching "30 Rock" from the beginning and ahhhhh! - I'm Liz Lemon. I can't wait to read Tina Fey’s new book Bossypants.

It's CSA season already- our first delivery was the first week of April. I'm SO GLAD because menu planning was getting borinngggg. I just love our farmer. It's so fulfilling to support someone that truly enjoys what they do. How many of us can really say that each morning?

This bag seems a little too nice for a shopping bag. I like the simple construction.

How's that for rambling thoughts and links.
.... And Scene.

Eating Local

My church has organized a Speaker Series and the first one of 2011 was Farmer Vicki, our CSA farmer. This will be our fourth year as shareholders and the third with Vicki. I'm the CSA organizer for our neighborhood drop-off site and it's a 9 month/3-season volunteer gig. Which let's be honest, easy work compared to her daily chores! And over the last three years, we've become friends. I may live in Chicago but I really enjoy the weekly farm reports.

My college roomie lives on a farm. My brother and his family farm. B's uncle farms. I appreciate knowing where my food comes from. And I love that "my farmer" is featured in this wonderful book.

Local Food Festival

Forgetting that the St. Patrick's Day parade was on Saturday, I took the train downtown surrounded by colorful parade attendees. I skipped out on the traditional dyeing of the Chicago River (bright green!) and took a bus over to the University of IL @ Chicago. It was a green gathering- of a different shade.

FamilyFarmed.org organized a three-day expo. Thursday and Friday were marketed towards sustainable businesses, farms and not-for-profit organizations. I met up with a church acquaintance for Saturday's Local Food Festival. The exhibition hall was just the right amount of space to nibble on countless samples, talk to farmers, gather information, etc. without feeling completely overwhelmed.
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One of the main attractions on Saturday was to meet farmers and sign-up for a CSA share ~ Community Supported Agriculture. {I also learned about an apple tree share, a goat cheese share and a manure share!} Neither of us signed-up for a share because we've already made a commitment with an IL farmer. "Our farmer," Farmer Vicki, spoke at a workshop on Friday entitled Rockstar Farmers. She's such a great person, very inspiring. Brad and I are sharing a three-season sharebox, with a friend, where we'll receive fresh local produce from April to December. Since eliminating wheat from my diet, I've been very diligent about meal planning each week. I can't just pick up the phone and order a pizza :) The CSA box is a wonderful menu guide and makes grocery shopping considerably easier.

I found this Etsy print via a search on "architecture" and "home." Apparently a search on "hedges" would have sufficed. :) It doesn't really capture late autumn in the Midwest {Thanksgiving!}, but her style reminds me of Edward Hopper a bit. I love the way he painted realistic urban and rural landscapes... a slice of Americana. Simple scenes. A year or two ago, I went to the Art Institute of Chicago's joint exhibition of the works of Edward Hopper and Winslow Homer. Beautiful pieces. My father is a watercolor painter and I encouraged him to see Homer's work in particular.
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Did you have a nice Thanksgiving??? My in-laws hosted about 30+ people for dinner, my parents included. I ate wwaayy too much. A small group of us ventured outdoors for a hike, letterbox adventure and to burn off some calories. In one year's time, we've lost an Uncle & gained two adorable babies to the family. Happy and sad reflections. I learned a lot about Bainbridge Island as we have family that semi-recently relocated to the Seattle area. A road trip is in order! Board games were played- several in fact. All in all, it was a relaxing holiday and we've spent the last two days zoning out at home. Such is life.
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Oh, I tried out this pumpkin bread recipe and just added wheat-free flour instead. I used real pumpkin purée because I had two CSA pumpkins staring at me in the kitchen. :) It made the bread making process a little longer, but it was really tasty.

Harvest

“He that has a good harvest must be content with a few thistles.”
~Spanish Proverb

We had a friend over for dessert and board games last night. The setting was medieval Spain and my Grande was victorious. A couple times a month, we gather for a meal, games and divvy out the contents of our CSA share. It's a remarkable thing to eat seasonally. And since we're in the season of Thanksgiving, I'd like give thanks to our farmer. I made a simple apple/cinnamon/sugar bake as a topping over French vanilla ice cream. Our friend brought {gluten-free} brownies.
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I am attempting to be content with a few thistles. I've applied to several positions as of late. Given the current economy, it seems like my resume is a spit in the bucket. I don't know if I can handle another response of "we've received many interested candidates ... thank you for your interest... you seem to be overqualified"... or some combination thereof. The entire process is hugely depressing, is it not? ugh. thistles... Though I am grateful for the kind hearts and playfulness of children. I went to the park with my nanny kiddos yesterday and the chilly autumn air was refreshing.
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Brad + I have been invited to a quaint Irish pub gathering Saturday night. I love that scene in the movie, "Once", when they ride the motorcycle along the stunning Irish coastline. breathtaking.


Take care.

Green fete

My big fall project wrapped up today. {I took a 2-hour nap this afternoon as my reward}. I was the project coordinator for my church's Earth Festival. I didn't do all the work; I did have some wonderful volunteers helping me out. It was a casual gathering on a cool and cloudy day. I was hoping for more foot traffic but beggars can't be choosers.

I didn't take too many pictures at the gathering. I left those up to our church photographer. My good friend Alyssa was a vendor and her treasures looked lovely. Vana's boys dropped by as did my architectural mentor. {I'm sorry we didn't get a picture together, Joslyn}

The silly bag hanging from the tree is supposed to be an "eco-balloon." haha! It wasn't my idea but the other ones looked more like "green" lanterns. :) Our CSA farmer donated the delicious fruits and vegetables & colorful flowers. A neighborhood cat joined in on the festivities and at one point, decided the CSA box looked cozy.


All in all is was a nice day... Live folk music. Homemade tamales, fresh salads, yummy pie, hot coffee and locally made gelato & apple cider sorbet. Interesting vendors. A bike donation drive. Our emphasis was more on fellowship with our friends and neighbors rather than church fundraiser. We also wanted to create an opportunity for interfaith dialogue- particularly on the topics of sustainability, social justice and community development.

Side salad

Side salad with CSA veggies: Fresh ciliegine cheese, cherry tomatoes, heirloom cucumber, olive oil + salt/pepper. The green apples are from our sharebox, too.
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It is 70 degrees in Chicago this afternoon. In August. Strange. Brad + I both have the week off and are enjoying the remainder of our vacation at home. Tomorrow we're visiting the Art Institute of Chicago. Have a nice weekend!

eats

I've been reading a lot about food and nutrition these last few months because of the whole wheat free topic. Not to mention our participation in a CSA share. My friend sent me an email with a few websites to check out {thanks, Joslyn}:

---This database will help you find brands free of certain ingredients.
---Search here for the shelf life of numerous products.
---What should I make with the chard in my farm box? Type it into this site, along with whatever else you have on hand at home, and locate a recipe. **I also like the website Epicurious. {Which as it turns out, Super Cook links to}. Happy eating!

Wheat free update

**Long post alert...

I'm not a girly girl. I'm practical, sensitive, artistic... But I would definitely not call myself a shopper. I hate clothes shopping. I have short legs and finding tops and bottoms that work is an ordeal. You can buy pants that are labeled "short" or you can get items altered. Apparently, the clothing industry thinks that all women are approximately 5'-8". What does this all have to do with wheat free eating??? Well, I've lost some weight. Isn't this a thrilling post... hahaha... My nanny kiddos went camping last weekend and I had a little extra time on Friday; I was on a mission. It went alright which is surprising considering when you're actually looking for clothes, you NEVER find anything you actually like.

But I digress, back to wheat free eating... it is going well. I've spoken with my doctor and for the moment, we're treating it like a wheat allergy verses something more involved like the diagnosis of Celiac disease. I've been wheat-free since about mid-April. I've spent the last few weeks trying to educate myself on the topic. Gluten-Free Girl's blog has been a great resource of stories, links and recipes. I do all the grocery shopping for our home and will take the extra minutes to read ingredient labels. All of them.

I don't seem to have a problem with oats. If I was on a strict g-free diet, I couldn't consume oats {or I'd have to acquire special g-free oats}. This is good news because Brad and I are currently obsessed with these {Irish} oatmeal pancakes. I substitute the flours with a wheat-free/gluten-free flour. And how can you go wrong with honey and Greek yogurt- yum! {My friend Vana makes her own Greek yogurt.} We've been enjoying stuffed potatoes, too. We top the potatoes with CSA farm veggies. You can use the Greek yogurt as sour cream. Brad and I are both from the Midwest and we enjoy our middle-America comfort food. I have a mac-n-cheese recipe that I still use. I just substitute the wheat noodles with corn noodles and use wheat-free flour. Tacos- with corn tortillas- are okay for a wheat-free diet, too. I made a yummy blueberry + banana bread last weekend. Again, same recipe just different flour.

I took a clothes shopping break and checked out Rose's Bakery + Cafe last Friday. It's a gluten-free establishment. The soup and g-f french roll was pretty tasty. But I wasn't quite sold on their other goodies. I brought a few treats home to sample.

All in all, I am seeing improvements. I've lost weight, my stomach doesn't ache after almost every meal, I have more energy and my skin has improved. Though I think it is a combination of going wheat-free, drinking lots of water, walking more and maybe taking a gluten-free multivitamin {Trader Joe's}. I've learned that some vitamins contain wheat, who knew.

CSA Farm Tour

On Sunday, Brad and I had the opportunity to visit our CSA farm. We share a weekly vegetable + fruit share and a bi-weekly egg share with a friend from church. I blogged about the farm party here.
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Last year's post- it's now an annual gathering!

I forgot about you, Summer.

And now you're here to stay.

Do you live in the Midwest? Have you traveled to the Midwest? We like to chat about the weather. A lot. This past winter was both snowy and brutally cold. Usually we complain about one or the other- ha! Winter lasted well into our normal spring and spring lasted into summer. Summers in the Midwest are hot and h-u-m-i-d. The sort of humidity were you often question- with some regularity- WHY do we live here again?? Relatively speaking, June has been on the cooler side {See, chatting about the weather... Greetings from Chicago}. We had severe thunderstorms last night and this morning. Ponds of water. Tornado warnings. Humidity crept into the apartment. The whole shebang. Summer. It's back.
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I baked a strawberry-rhubarb pie last night to take to this girly-family gathering this evening. YUM. {Though this will be fun to carry on the train- ha! Good one, Leanne.} I used a gluten-free pie crust shell. The strawberries and the rhubarb came from our CSA sharebox. Making the pie last night was somewhat therapeutic because I had just spent 10 hours with my nanny kiddos (four of which we added in the neighbor boy) on a gloriously humid day. They live on the third floor. Luckily, the neighborhood pool is a block away. Chlorine. Summer. It's back.

De Fietsfabriek

{ Dutch for 'the bike factory.' }




I think my father's favorite part of the Wells Street Art Fair, last Saturday morning, was seeing this shop along the blocked-off street fair. As a kid, he hooked up this old school fiberglass bike carrier onto his bike. He rode his bike to work several days out of the year. He even built his own recumbent bike. What can I say, the man loves bicycles! So it didn't really surprise me that he chatted with the shop owner of De Fietsfabriek USA.

I have yet to ride my bike along Chicago's busy streets. Neighborhood streets, lakefront paths, forest preserve trails- YES!- but not along major streets next to city buses. Our CSA shareboxes are delivered 1 block away. I have yet to pedal to the local grocery store {though I have gone on foot}. But I love these bikes! Brad and I will be married six years next month and we've only ever had one vehicle. We try to utilize the many public transit options within walking distance of our apartment. Perhaps we'd forgo our one vehicle altogether if I-Go came to the neighborhood.
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I know I've mentioned his blog here before but I've been a reader of Sweet Juniper for awhile now. On a related note about bicycles, read his post about The Popscycle.

Local food system

As I was coming home from the grocery store today, I caught part of "Worldview" on Chicago Public Radio. Today's program was about our local food system and what’s happening in other parts of the world {how appropriate}. I listened to rest of the program while eating lunch.

I live in the Midwest where local produce should be plentiful but sadly it is not! My brother- and his family- operate a small, family-sized organic farm in Georgia. Whenever Dave and I catch up on the phone, we inevitably talk about sustainability and farming. Such was the case yesterday. I in Chicago; he in the north Georgia mountains.

Brad and I are CSA shareholders with a small farm south of Chicago. For three seasons, we get a weekly box of fresh, seasonal fruits and vegetables. We also get organic eggs. Farmer Vicki has an amazing operation. I love reading her weekly CSA emails with recipes and details about what is going on at the farm. Very reflective for this city dweller!

Next month, we are going on another farm tour.

person, place, thing

Brad and I heading out tomorrow morning {early!} for a little 2-day road trip of sorts. We're visiting Dr. Peterson and his family for what is most likely a *final* last hurrah here in the Midwest. Andrew was recently accepted into a medical residency program in sunny Arizona. We're eager to see them again before they finalize their new living arrangements. We're sure going to miss the Peterson's...



I just baked a strawberry-rhubarb pie to nosh on while we play board games... Mmmm. I had to use up the rhubarb that was in our CSA box.

On Sunday, we're going to a family baptism. I found a cute piece from
this shop. Sale bin find from the Chicago Green Festival! A cozy, albeit non-traditional, baptism gift.
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This is completely unrelated to seeing our friends but I just got a package with some new! shoes! from Zappos.com. I haven't bought new shoes in awhile and I did a little hunting to find some I really liked. It's going to be hot enough this weekend to break in my sandals. Our upcoming vacation, with some college friends, also motivated me on the purchase- ha! I'm soooo excited to relax on the beach with my buddies. What a great start to the summer...

Midweek cross section

It was a rainy evening in Chicago. I made this {gluten-free} bean and Canadian bacon soup recipe. Brad and I ate a late dinner and watched Rick Steves tour Vienna. Consequently... hmmm... someone is daydreaming about Europe. Actually, traveling in general. sigh. In June of 2004, Brad and I rented a house IN TUSCANY! with nine of our friends for a week! It was the perfect graduation gift we could have given ourselves. Daydreaming about that vacation got me through a lot of lloonngg nights in the architecture studio. We often considered "Rick" to be the 12th member of our group. {how nerdy is that?? very}

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My refrigerator is overflowing {okay, I might be exaggerating a little} with fresh vegetables. Every Wednesday, "Farmer Vicki" delivers her CSA farm shares to our local site. I am loving the whole CSA {Community Supported Agriculture} experience but at times, I feel the pressure to cook with- or freeze appropriately- all the veggies before the next delivery. Hence the soup this evening!
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I have been on a mostly gluten-free diet for a few weeks now. This has been several years in the making as I grew tired of feeling like crap... and not fully knowing the root cause. So I am exploring a new way of cooking. And goodness, gluten is in A LOT of foods! I've been reading a lot lately- books, g-f blogs, food labels at the grocery store {more intensely}. Though if you have some information to share in the comment section, I'm all ears!

The many faces of Wednesday

I spent 10 hours with my kiddos yesterday.

They played video gamer and I took the role as emailer. They had lunch and watched a silly kid video. I ate lunch and worked on professional development. We went to school and picked up their report cards. I sat in for a brief parent-teacher conference- or in my case a nanny-teacher discussion. Together we explored a new! park! for an hour. We worked on homework. And at one point, I acted as CSA site coordinator over the telephone. We concluded the day making 3-D spring flowers.

I came home and decluttered my apartment. Brad and I started dinner together for our {vegetarian} dinner companion. We sorted yesterday's 1st CSA delivery and egg share with Chris. We used fresh kale from the box and made this. We ate. We talked. We listened to music. And then played two games of Dominion. We cleaned up the kitchen and then zoned out before bed. It was a long day...

That season following winter...

It SNOWED in Chicago yesterday!
I gifted myself these daffodils this morning.
We've signed up for a 3-season CSA share this year.
Our first delivery is on Wednesday.
That is no April Fool's joke.
Spring IS coming!
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~CSA- Community Supported Agriculture. Blogged about here.
~{framed} rabbit card from the Renegade Craft Fair.

Goods

So my new theory about Spring! is that I'm going to tackle a bunch of {overdue} organizing projects. And when I'm finished, the warmer weather will be here as my reward. :)

On Saturday, I designed a poster for this winter farmers market I'm promoting**, deep cleaned our bedroom AND revamped my resume... booyah!! On Sunday I rested.

I love this dresser piece in our bedroom {click on the picture for a better view}. My mother works for a school district and they have some sort of inner-district Craigslist of sorts. I think we got this piece for around $200 and it was in perfect condition. Brad painted that piece above our bed.
I keep some of my jewelery in that green, Depression Glassware {gift from my mother or grandmother}. Little Brad is in that little, mod circle frame. And my adorable nephews are there in black/white. The dude in the middle, with the cute, curly hair is going to be SEVEN! next weekend. Goodness. Brad's grandmother made our curtains and my grandmother made the beautiful quilt at the end of our bed. A lot of the furniture and artwork in our apartment have stories to tell. I think that's the best kind of decorating!
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**The Genesis Group is hosting a winter farmers market at the end of the month. Churches' Center for Land and People (CCLP) is sponsoring the gathering. Their Winters Farmers Markets & Meals for Hope provide small, local farm producers with additional venues to extend their income beyond the growing season.

Let’s Meet For Dinner!

My brother, the part-time farmer, was showcased at Madison's a few weeks back. It is the restaurant at Old Edwards Inn and Spa in Highlands, North Carolina. The facility is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The town of Highlands is situated 4000+ ft in the majestic Appalachian Mountains. The chef at Madison's created a six-course meal highlighting the vendors he uses at the restaurant.

Now for little-sister bragging rights... let’s meet for dinner! Check out this beautiful food from the Taylor's farm (it is very much a family operation). Eggs, bacon, pork and produce from their farm:

{A Moment in Time Photography} Click here for more pics from the meal.

GOOD work guys! Happy Thanksgiving from Chicago!

The Savages

Last night, after feasting on an onion, sweet potato* and pork roast crockpot dinner, Brad and I watched The Savages. It was a chilly night in Chicago. I'm not quite ready for winter- ugh. {*The Spanish onions and sweet potatoes came from our CSA box.}

I read about The Savages in the 2007 Chicago International Film Festival schedule. We didn't see it at the film festival last year. Brad and I tend to pick films that might not be as widely released. {nerd points!}

Philip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Linney were superb and darkly funny. We both enjoyed the film though I wouldn't recommend it to everyone. Brad refers to this movie genre as "melanchomedy." (melancholy depressingly funny). I would add these films to melanchomedy as well: The Royal Tenenbaums, Little Miss Sunshine, Lost in Translation, The Squid and the Whale and Junebug.