San Pellegrino Almost Famous Chef Competition

Regional competition is in a little over two weeks, my dish is great, but it still needs work and I want it to be perfect. I can't let the unreachable goal of perfection wind up putting me behind. I need to keep reminding myself of that, leave alone the things I already love and tweak the things I think need work and then leave it alone. Easier said than done though! Tension is high and nerves are starting to get a little tense! Gotta keep pushing, need to be better, faster, stronger and never forget HARD-WORK & DEDICATION

Menu Development, I think it's time to leave it alone

I just can't fuck with it anymore! It's due November 30th... NO MORE CHANGES!

TORNADO

I'm not quite sure how to explain the way I feel right now... Exhausted definitely. Extremely proud.. Scared Shitless.. Excited and Passionate... Appreciative of all I actually have right now even though sometimes it really feels like it's nothing.. I'm inspired, I'm intrigued, I'm interested and I've become a sponge for information. I like what I'm becoming and who I'm growing into. It's time to get to work.

I'm in love with a girl named Charmoula

For those of you who life Chimichurri, you will love Charmoula. It is like Chimichurri's zestier cousin. Charmoula consists of Spanish Paprika, which for those of you who didn't know is not much different than regular paprika, just a little sweeter. Also salt, ground cumin, minced garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest (you really taste the juice and zest, its awesome) italian parsley roughly chopped (everything will go into a blender so no need to spend time finely chopping herbs) you will do the same thing with cilantro except with cilantro you will also use the stems, freshly cracked black pepper and extra virgin olive oil. You want to toast the spanish paprika, cumin and black peppercorns before putting them in the blender. It doesn't take very long to toast them, just keep them in the pan until you can start smelling the spices. The best part is you throw it all in the blend, add the oil at the end by streaming it in then blend until sauce consistency. It is good on everything!! 
6 TBLS spanish paprika
6 TSP Salt 
6 TSP ground cumin
6 large garlic cloves
12 TBLS lemon juice
6 TSP lemon zest
12 TBLS italian parlsey
12 TBLS cilantro and stems
1 1/2 cup EVOO
6 TSP freshly cracked black pepper

it can be a dip or marinade (or a soup lol) 
I used it as a marinade for squash, cherry tomatoes and scallops then grilled them. I used the remaining as dip for veggies :) ENJOY

Technique @ Le Cordon Bleu Chicago/Affordable Fine Dining

I mentioned in my previous post that I am in my last 6 weeks of school. At Le Cordon Bleu there is a restaurant called Technique that is open to the public, I will be working there for the next 6 weeks. Our menu is great, 3 courses for $16 and 5 courses for $22. We are a very small group in there but we are all students who already work in the industry at very reputable places and we all push ourselves to not just put out quality food but food you will remember, talk about later and food you have to come back and have  more of! We love what we do and would love as many people as possible to come and give us the opportunity to cook for them. We are not paid so all proceeds go to fund the school so all money made will just be to support our future chefs. You can make a reservation on Opentable.com, by calling Technique or by contacting me on Twitter under LizAnne Cook
:)

Starter Course

This was so fun to make! I had a final two weeks ago in one of my cooking classes and we were asked to make a 5 course meal of whatever we wanted. So this is scallop ceviche that is wrapped in an avocado ball. I think it looks beautiful! It has a little tomato/basil/green onion mixture around it as well. This was actually delicious. All you have to do is slice a very firm avocado very thin and lay them cascading some oiled plastic wrap. then you basically take the plastic wrap and fold the avocado slices like a taco and then just form it into a ball. Takes a little practice but totally doable!! It would be awesome to do these at a special dinner or something like that. Try it out!!

Super Mom or Mentally Ill?

Yesterday was the first day of the last term of school for me. 6 weeks from now I will be a college graduate. It feels damn good. A lot of things have happened that I have not blogged about, (hopefully you'll live) but I feel like if it was possible to have negative time to get things done that's what I would have. When I had my daughter I was in a class called Cuisines Across Cultures, pretty self explanatory what that's about. I was told to fill out a medical LOA (leave of absence) form and get a signed doctors note of when my expected due date is and that's all I'll need. The registrar decided to not tell me until after I had already had my baby and was trying to come back to school and get enrolled in the next term that my medical leave had been DENIED. Ya, my MATERNITY LEAVE WAS DENIED... Doesn't make sense right? Anyway, the only way to shorten this up is, I am contacting the corporate headquarters with a lawyer to at least get the F I received for missing the final and last two weeks of class wiped off my record so I can go back to a 3.8 GPA.. I mean being that the reason I missed was because I had and ENTIRE HUMAN come out of my body. OH and a sprained ankle is considered a medical leave of absence!! 

     So, enough about that. Two weeks ago I staged at L2o and was accepted!! Which is incredible! It's super long days, starting at noon and not being done until like 1:30 in the morning, but I love the structured discipline. I know being there for any amount of time will make me a better Chef and a better leader all the way around. On top of L2o I am still working at the small place in Wicker Park, and now going to school from 10 a.m-2:00 p.m and then back at 4:30 p.m-10:30 p.m to work in the restaurant on campus.

    I've been up since 6 today, I have fed Miss Fiona, changed and we played. She enjoys telling me about her day :) then I finished laundry and took a shower and now Miss Fi is napping and I'm getting ready for school and about to run to the bank... I hate missing the time that I do right now with her, but I want to be able to secure her future and the only way to do that is to be Super Mom or just plain Mentally Ill.  

Food Journal for LCB

This day in class I made tortillas, I mixed cinnamon in with the masa and honey in with some lard, they came out awesome. I love the texture of home made tortillas and that sweetness was perfect. I also grilled some pork loin that just marinated in some garlic, salt/pepper and olive oil. I made an ancho chili sauce that also had some caramelized onions, cayenne and cream in it. The white purée is turnip and it was nice and peppery. Then on top is a pico de gallo with fresh tomato, onion, green scallion and cilantro tossed heavily in lime juice. It was a good balance of flavors, I wish I had of made the sauce a little more spicy or maybe the purée and then I think the sweet and spicy balance would have been perfect. This was day 3 of class.

Cold Baby Ears

I find that most of the time when Fiona is sleeping, wether I'm holding her or she's in her bed, I'm feeling her cold little ears. I don't know why but I've always loved cold ears.. On the dogs, on my boyfriend, and now the baby. Hers are the best. Something about them being so small and chilly it just makes me happy and somehow relaxed. So weird. Still, one day I won't be able to do it anymore and I'm really going to miss cold baby ears.

Is it ok that I'm completely scared of the unknown?

My life has changed so much, I feel like each day, hour, even minute that passes I become a different person. Is it constant growth or is it the fact that most of my life remains very unknown at the moment. Where will I live in 6 months? Will I be able to finish school? Where will I be working in 6 months? Will I be in a relationship in 6 months? It scares me. All I do know is I have a beautiful awesome little baby girl that's going to be tagging along with me and that makes me happier than anything has in a very long time

Lunch with Fiona at Melt and an outing in the Park

So I went to Melt sandwich shoppe today for lunch with Miss Fiona, which was awesome. We are getting braver at venturing out. Melt on the other hand was not so awesome. It wasn't bad but I couldn't say it was great either. I went at 2:00 p.m, they were out of turkey and ham, so I got a chicken sandwich, The San Antonio. Wasn't bad, but a little bland. They offered Cole slaw, potato salad and chips as sides but they were out of chips and coleslaw... Also offer soup but were out of that too. Oh and they only accept cash so keep that in mind because I had to put my drink back.
After that Fiona and I went to the park across the street and hung out in the grass :) she loved it and it was wonderful to sit outside and enjoy the beautiful weather with her! I can't wait to travel with her and show her the world!!!

Vegan Ice Cream Fail

I think the title says enough. It was bad. It looked like engine sludge, as in the color. The texture was actually perfect but the taste, might have also been similar to engine sludge as well. :( sad. But last night I made a strawberry, plum and lime ice cream and it was delicious :) so there's the bright side to that!

Menu item test run #1: Vegan Blueberry Ice Cream

Doing a test run tonight on something I would like to have on my menu one day. Substituting different fruits and things of course. Tonight I'm using blueberries with an almond milk base and some agave nectar for sweetening. I used a small amount of soy lecithin and xantham gum to thicken my base to where I wanted it. It's chilling now! Can't wait to see how it comes together!! Pictures posted soon.

Fiona's one month check-up, menu outline and budget forecasting

We'll see first of all if miss fi let's me be this productive! I can not believe this baby girl is a month old already! She had a doctors appointment today and weighs 9 pounds and 5 oz already! It's scary how fast time actually flies. It also makes me super aware of how much I need to get my ass in gear in order to provide the life I want for this little angel. I tell myself I'll do everything right... Realistically I'll make some mistakes, but I do know I'll do everything in my power not to. Point to that being, I need to get a menu nailed down for my food truck, a realistic one, and a master list of ingredients, who suppliers would be, costs, etc.. Then try to put together a somewhat close estimate of my start up costs would be so I can at least try to start a business plan... I need to apply for a SBA loan but need to see how far from my dream I really am. Stay tuned.

The weather controls my mood, almost 100%

It is so beautiful in Chicago today, I feel so happy! My mood is noticeably better today. Not that it's bad on a regular basis (only sometimes), but the fact that I actually thought to myself, "wow, I am happy!" that says something! I'm pretty sure if it was cold and snowing, or even just cold, I would not be in a great mood. Probably grumbly, cranky, inpatient (a lot of that due to the CTA in the winter), and over all probably not a peach. It definitely makes me consider where I should live, and as much as I love Chicago... Is it the place I'm going to stay forever?

T.G.I.F

Tomorrow (well today, but after i wake up!) is going to be awesome for many reasons.. One, I get a massage. That alone would be reason enough for a t.g.i.f :) I also get to have lunch with my friend Lauren Vino who is in town visiting from New York. She is a wonderful female comedian and I love her dearly. If you are ever in New York, look for one of her shows, or keep your ears open in the Chicago area!! Then I get to open a savings account for my soon to be born daughter Fiona. I am so happy to be able to do that for her. Keep in mind it won't even have $100 in it but so what!! It feels like an accomplishment. Especially being that I haven't had one for myself in over 3 years. So sad. Anyway, then I get to go to work a lovely 6.5 hour shift and spend the rest of the evening with my loved one and dogs. :) two weeks til our daughter arrives, nerves are calmed and excitement and happiness has set in. :)

Delicious and Healthy Quinoa Salad w/ Bell Pepper

This is one of the easiest recipes ever to make, and being that Quinoa is a super food and super healthy for you, I say you should give this one a try! Start off by bringing your quinoa up to a boil in salted water. It will of course vary on how much you are making, but anywhere from 4-6 servings would take about 15-20 to cook through. I roasted one green and one red bell pepper and then small diced them. I also took about 5 scallions and small diced them as well as one cucumber that also got small diced. You only need 3-4 ounces of each of these ingredients if that helps. I also had some dried apricots that I small diced for a little sweet component. Then I made a very light dressing that was just lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper and sugar and a little fresh parsley and tossed the salad mixture in that. For presentation I served it in a piece of raddichio lettuce and topped it with a pinch of micro greens and one quartered tomato. Super easy, super delicious and so pretty to look at!

My first attempt at home made Sushi!

I have always been a fan of Sushi, never really thought or in all honesty even wanted to make it home! Thanks to this international cuisine class I just had to make it. It was my first time working with Nori which was pretty interesting. Being pregnant it of course sucked the fun out of having any real Sushi, but I still made an attempt with an all veggie one. I made several mistakes, one of which, my rice was a bit too tacky and made it a little difficult to work with. Another problem stemming from that was when I went to spread it on the Nori sheet, it was hard to get it to spread evenly, so I wound up with having a bit too much rice for my roll. Rolling it with the bamboo pad was actually quite easy, I can see with more practice I would be able to be  much better at it. As with anything else. My Nori sheet didn't connect around the first time, there was a gap so I had to try to roll it again and tighter. Needless to say I had to man handle it a bit so it didn't come out the most beautiful! I decided to try to make up for lack of technique with giving it a nice presentation. My chef said it made him want to eat it so hopefully it does the same for you!

Smoke Daddy B-B-Que, Clark's and 2 A.M home made Mac and Cheese

This past Sunday the 27th was an all around wonderful and lazy day. I got to sleep in with my loved one which is very rare, literally didn't even get out of bed until a little after noon. With a baby girl arriving in no more than a months time, I am going to cherish all those little moments while I can still get them! Anyway, we walked to a diner up the street called Clark's that is on Damen, they are open 24 hours and have a little bit of everything. All we really cared about was being able to have breakfast food even though we made no attempt to be awake during breakfast hours. We shared some pancakes and I got a skillet with potatoes, chicken and cheese. It was good, quick and cheap. Which sometimes is really all you need. ;) We came home and literally just lounged with our dogs for hours, watched Sunday programming on TV and really was just lazy. We decided to try a place called Bangers and Lace on Division that a friend of mine bartends at. Their menu is a lot of home made sausages and what seemed to  be really good bar food. We headed over and made it there a little after 10 P.M and they had already stopped serving food, so no Bangers and Lace for us. We did pass a BBQ joint walking to Bangers and Lace, so we looked at all of our options that were still open and serving food and settled for some BBQ. I had never eaten at Smoke Daddy's before, he had several times, one of which being when he first moved to the city almost 10 years ago. We shared their Jalapeno Beer Cheese for an appetizer, and it was really quite tasty. We both had a pretty big appetite for having only ate once earlier in the day, so having a cheese spread wasn't too filling, if you aren't terribly hungry I might not suggest it as a starter. I got the Pulled Pork Sandwich with Collard Greens and Mac and Cheese and he got a Half Slab with Collard Greens and Mac and Cheese. The sandwich was great, BBQ always seems to hit the spot. I will say this though, their Collard Greens and Mac and Cheese does not have Lillie's Q beat at all! Sorry Smoke Daddy, you are good, but you are not that good!! Either way if you like BBQ I would give it a thumbs up and say go check it out. I had to work Memorial Day, our kitchen was slammed as well so I didn't eat at work. Once home, I was complaining to the boyfriend about being hungry but not wanting to put forth the effort to actually make something. I was wishing for a box of Kraft mac and cheese to save the day but I didn't have any. He had the wonderful idea to make it home made and he would help if I taught him how. So, 2 A.M and we are standing in the kitchen making a roux, explaining how to make a textbook bechamel and both wondering how our leftover cheddar and american cheese slices leftover from a BBQ we had was going to work. Let me just say folks, it worked great. Some of the best mac and cheese I've had in a while! (I am eating the leftovers right now and I'm not usually big on re-heated mac and cheese.. so that says something!) So, needless to say, my holiday weekend was just wonderful! Couldn't have asked for a better, lazier, more stress free time!

Russian Blini's topped with Sour Cream, Smoked Salmon and Caviar

I would like to start off by saying, Yes I made this! The recipe for the batter for these Blinis was very time consuming. I had to first make a "sponge" out of yeast and milk that sat for about an hour and a half, after that was done, I added the rest of the ingredients to the "sponge" to then make a smoother, pourable batter that also had to sit and double in size after combining. All in all it took a little over two hours to just make the batter! Sheesh!! Could you imagine if pancake batter took that long?? These little blinis looked just like little silver dollar pancakes, but tasted more just like a bread. They were not sweet at all which I think surprised some people who were expecting that by the look of them. The salmon was very simple, I cut small filet's and just made a stove top smoker, it  maybe took half an hour from the start of setting it up til the final product. I think this was a great and tasty little snack but I couldn't fathom spending that much time on it on a regular basis! I'm sure it becomes easier with time and practice of making it, either way it was tons of fun to make something I had never made or ate before!! 

Lamb Kebobs with home made African Flatbread

I am in an International Cuisine class at school right now which I am thoroughly enjoying!! So far we have made things I have heard of, well mostly, a few I haven't. I definitely have not made them!! Its all things that I would enjoy making, but either the ingredients are hard to come by or I don't have the time to go searching for them. On Thursday I made Lamb kebobs with onion and zucchini, and an African flatbread. I thought overall those things served together would be a bit dry so I made a sauce out of yogurt, cucumber, lemon juice, toasted and ground cumin seed, salt/pepper and dill. It all worked so well together!! The African flatbread was a very easy dough to make, it didn't take long either and turned out a beautiful color and had a great texture! I will be making this again at home for a BBQ or really any meal because I feel like it would go with a variety of foods. 

Another trip to Lillie's Q and Planning a Productive Day

I went to Lillie's Q BBQ in Wicker Park for the second time this evening :) I am happy to say it was just as good and I am pretty sure it's going to quickly become my new favorite place. They are doing all the right things. I am guilty of getting the same thing as I did before, it was just so good! But I also tried the Cornbread and Hush Puppies this time which were both firsts and they were both very good. So far they have been just as good as BBQ I grew up with, I have to admit though that they came nowhere close to my family cornbread recipe! That's ok though, I'll keep that one to myself ;) 
That was really the only thing I did today that is worth talking about. Went to school, took a mid-term exam, walked dogs and ate some soup for lunch. Pretty exciting stuff. 
Tomorrow I have to go to the WIC office to see about getting on a waiting list for childcare services and to sign up for whatever they can help with. I am not exactly sure how it all works being that I have never signed up for it before, but I guess I'll find out what it entails tomorrow. I can't say I'm excited to sit in a State Aid office, they haven't been known to be one of the best places to hang out. I do have an interview after which I am sooooo hoping I get, and I have the stage coming up on Sunday at The Signature Room so I am totally stoked on both of those. 
After  my interview, I am heading to a crafts store to buy things for the baby shower :) I want to make some decorations, it's going to be outside so just a few simple things will do. Time for bed. 

Hot Doug's, Lou Malnati's, B.L.U.E.S and some much needed best friend hang time

Yesterday was a much needed day of awesome. Two of my best friends Bryce and Katie flew in from Boston Friday and yesterday we spent the whole day together. These two wonderful people will also be the Godparents of my daughter. :) For lunch I took them to Hot Doug's, they used to live here so they had been once before but in my opinion it has been too long since they've been back! My friend Ally who lives in the suburbs of Chicago also met us and had lunch being that Hot Doug's is one of her favorite places on earth. I ordered the Veal Saltimbocca Sausage that came with a sage mustard, hickory smoked swiss cheese and fried prosciutto, that was sooooo delicious!! That fried prosciutto was perfect on it, the sausage was very moist and soft as was the cheese so the crunch that the prosciutto gave was much needed and magical! I also ordered the Chardonnay and Jalapeno Rattlesnake Sausage with a roasted pepper aioli and Pere Joseph Cheese. This dog was no less extraordinary. Bryce also order the Rattlesnake along with the White Wine and Dijon Rabbit Sausage that came with a mustard aioli and creme de Brie cheese. I take his word that is was fabulous. Katie ordered the Cherry and Apple Pork sausage with creamy peach mustard and Cranberry-Cinnamon Goat Cheese, and Ally ordered the Brown Ale and Chipotle Buffalo Sausage with bacon garlic mayo and  Carragaline Farmhouse Cheese. I feel like neither one of them made a peep until after both were completely finished. None of us had a single complaint about anything we ordered or having to wait in the half hour line to get these delicious dogs. There are 5 selections I would recommend trying. Actually, just throw a dart at the board and try whatever it lands on, it will always be delicious! We then went back to my house, let my dogs play in the yard and hung out for a while and then decided for dinner we would do Lou Malnati's. We got "The Lou", it's a huge deep dish pizza covered in mushrooms, spinach, roasted tomato and sauteed onions. I feel like I don't even need to say how that was, but just in case... It was ridiculously good!! We all got filled up and all took a piece home. To finish off the night we decided some live music was needed. I suggested the bar B.L.U.E.S on Halsted, I've only been to it once before but when I did the show was just awesome. It's small and cramped and has the dive bar feel to it, but in my opinion almost no better way to listen to a Blues band. The band was awesome, the blonde monster who came and stood right in front of us to make out with her boyfriend didn't even put a damper on it! ;) Over all it was a wonderful day, I had tons of fun and got to spend time with people I adore and don't see nearly as much as I would like to. All the places we went are wonderful, if you haven't been you need to go check it out yourself! www.loumalnatis.com Hot Doug's  www.chicagobluesbar.com

Chicago Tattoo Convention, El Cid and dealing with my Diabetes

I had several friends working the Chicago Tattoo Convention over the weekend so Sunday I went with my bestest bud Emily Schmitt to check it out. She is a tattoo artist and so is her boyfriend, Ryan Nutini. Who, won piece of the day on Saturday, we were both very proud of him :) It was one of the better conventions I had been to in a while in Chicago. I scored some new artwork, got to hang out with some friends, see all the crazies who come out and just enjoy some good old fashioned people watching. By the way, what is up with all the dudes with cheetah print dyed into their hair?!? There were a good number of men with this hairstyle, for some reason it doesn't strike me as a "dude" thing. Anyway... So we all went to dinner after it was all over. We had a taste for mexican so I took them to El Cid, which is one of my favorite places. Keep in mind, I'm a sucker for mexican food so I'm usually pretty happy with any place I go. The staff at El Cid are all super nice and they like their food spicy! Probably part of the reason I love it. I know there are two locations, the one I always go to is on Kedzie and Milwaukee basically right across from the Logan Square blue line stop. If you haven't been, go! It was 4 of us eating and one person had a few beers and our bill was $51 and some change, not too shabby. 
    Today I had a meeting with a diabetic specialist to go over my new dietary guidelines. Luckily, nutrition was a class I paid attention in so I was already cutting back on the right stuff, just got a better handle on how to spread my carbs out throughout the day. Over all I don't feel very restricted like I thought I would. I'm sure some of that comes from not being a picky eater, but even if you were I feel like it still leaves people plenty of options on things to eat. I got a test kit to test my blood sugar levels after each meal, I did my first one after eating lunch, ideal number is to be under 120 and mine was 111, so YAYYYYY!!!! For some reason I was just waiting for it to be too high and like be in trouble right away, so thank god for that. I had an interview after that, it went very well and I should hear from them over the weekend, on the walk home I stopped at The Red Balloon Co. and bought the baby a stuffed ladybug... not at all needed but very adorable! EL CID  www.theredballoon.com RYAN NUTINI

"Pulled Tofu" Sandwich w/ Moms Coleslaw, Maple Bacon Ice Cream & Homemade Gnocchi

   I've had an idea for a while to do like a pulled pork sandwich using Tofu instead. I am a carnivore all the way but I like to think of healthier options and options for people who are vegetarians that still will be tasty. I want to use a firm tofu and bake it with my BBQ Sauce recipe, which I will probably alter just a bit to make it a little more on the tangy/vinegary side instead of sweet. I will be topping it with a very delicious creamy coleslaw (moms recipe) which is more on the sweet than tangy side, so I'm expecting it to be a lovely compliment. I'm planning on just doing a very fine julienne cut on the tofu because I don't see it shredding the same as pork would. I do hope in the end, that the texture of the tofu works. This is something that I plan to have on my menu which I consider a fun vegetarian friendly option. I will be doing a trial run within the week, I would love feedback on the idea. 
  MAPLE BACON ICE CREAM is also on the to do list :) <3 Although it saddens me to say I won't be able to do more than literally just try it, I know a few loved ones that will be more than happy to be my guinea pigs and take it off my hands. I got a ice cream maker not too long ago and I love it! Can't wait til I don't have to watch my blood sugar levels so I can enjoy it more. The last ice cream batch I made was a bleu cheese and candied pecan ice cream which was out of this world!! I would advise anyone to give it a shot if you enjoy making ice cream, I made a pear creme brulee to serve with the bleu cheese ice cream and together it worked very well. 
   Next... Home made Gnocchi :) The last Chef I had in my Catering and Buffet class loved to make Gnocchi and was a master at it, I mean he could bang those out like crazy and they were so delicious. I have plenty of potatoes that I need to put to use so I want to get some practice in on my Gnocchi making. I will probably make a very simple Gnocchi in brown butter with parmesan cheese and maybe some basil. AND those are the things I want to make within the next week. I'm sure I'll be making other things as well, but those I really want to spend some time on perfect them. :) 

My New Dietary Guidelines, A BIG LONG TO DO LIST and Arturo's Tacos

At my last doctors appointment I had to have about four hours of blood tests done where they would do draws every hour on the hour to test my blood sugar levels. It was not a fun doctors appointment to say the least, I had to fast for 8 hours prior and then couldn't eat or drink anything (including water) during the four hours, except for one glucose drink they gave me which had something to do with the test. That one drink tasted pretty awful as well. Long story short, I tested positive for gestational diabetes. It really freaked me out when they first called me and told me being that diabetes in any form is never something I had to deal with. I feel much better about it now, more than likely it will even itself out after the baby comes and I'll just have to be very mindful of my diet and get some regular exercise. All things I should probably be doing anyway, but I usually tend to take the "I'll just relax" approach. After school I came home and met my friend Sam at my place and made a us a nice lunch. We had roasted fingerling potatoes (potatoes are one thing I have to cut back on but I already had these so decided to get rid of them and have someone help me eat them ;) ) tomatoes with fresh garlic, salt, pepper and sour cream and I sauteed some stew meat with some red and green bell peppers. Although it seemed like an altogether healthy meal, it was still a little out of my new "guidelines". I have some work cut out for me to stay within the lines and keep me and this babe healthy. 
    My to do list is not a very exciting topic, but it does have some important things on it :) I have to buy a new chef coat for an upcoming stage, I need to buy a little bit bigger one so I don't look too pregnant! Also "hearing" myself say that is kind of funny. I have to drop some resumes off, fill out a few online applications and put together some questions for an event called "My Eats My Streets" where there will be a symposium on the current food truck laws in the city of Chicago along with many other current issues involving the food truck business. There will also be about 20 local trucks there to serve lunch which I am really excited for! I also want to drop off some baby shower invitations at the post office, jog/run the dogs for at least 20 minutes and still have some energy to be up past 9 p.m tomorrow. Over all today was a great day, my best friend Emily was in the city watching a Golden Gloves boxing tournament and offered to take me out to eat Mexican food (one of favorites just so you know). Chicken enchiladas, had a little salad, took it easy on the rice intake, and enjoyed great company and great food. Arturo's Tacos is a 24 hour place on the corner of Armitage and Western, nothing fancy, nothing mind blowing and is the first in line of about three mexican places on the same street. It just happens to be my favorite. I used to work at a bar around the corner from there and would stop in after my shift for tacos on a regular basis. If you haven't been I would say go, it's good food, not expensive and usually some characters in there. The service is not usually warm and friendly but I don't really care when it comes to there, I'm not going to be wowed by service, more just my very much needed mexican food fix. :) For today that is all, but it's going to be a busy weekend, and hopefully there will be some amazing  food trucks to blog about!!  arturos-tacos.com ;  MY STREETS MY EATS

Menu Composition... Who is my target audience?

I am really trying to get the ball rolling on finishing my Menu for my my food truck concept. I know I need a target audience but I don't really know who that would be since I'm basically making a menu of things I would love to eat... so people with my same taste? PROBABLY not the best way to go about it. I need to get a business plan in the works because from the looks of it, that will be no small task. Who wouldn't like Meatloaf Cupcakes, Duck Breast Tacos, Banana Pudding and tasty Game Meat Pizzas? 

The Spice House, Old Town Oils and a nice Home Made Lunch

Today so far has been awesome. The weather once again was beautiful outside, which honestly I have noticed  makes my mood 10 times better. I went to the Spice House on Wells with my class today and it is actually the first time I have ever been. I'm kind of disappointed in myself that I have lived here this long and never been there. They had the doors open and just walking up you could smell a wonderful mix of spices, it made me contemplate filling out an application just so I could stand in there and breathe the air all day. I had no idea we were all going there as a class so I didn't have a lot of cash on me, but I feel like I made out like a bandit. I got a nice little box of Himalayan Pink Salt, which is awesome if you haven't tried it. (I'm a salt addict) And then some small bottles of: Calcium Salt, Sodium Alginate, Maltodextrin, Xantham Gum and Lecithin :) and I only spent $20. Not too shabby if you ask me. And I get to keep the ball rolling with the whole "trying new things" idea. It might not seem like a big deal, which it really isn't but I'm still excited none the less.

Two doors down is a place called Old Town Oils, which is another store that I can't believe I haven't been to. They had every flavor of EVOO that you could think of. They had a strawberry balsamic, peach balsamic and a white jalapeno balsamic that were seriously amazing. It was also a WONDERFUL place for awesome gifts. So, Mom, if you're reading this, just know that one day you will be getting a gift from Old Town Oils. :) I have the day off work today and I had groceries set to be delivered. I made myself a very late lunch after they got here. I had a delicious rice pilaf, some chicken tenderloins I baked with onion and garlic and some Bok Choy that I cooked in a onion, garlic, brown mustard, white wine sauce. It was delicious if I do say so myself. Now I am stuffed and sleepy and have nothing to do other than lay with my sweet puppies and relax. :) I love you Wednesday <3     www.thespicehouse.com    www.oldtownoil.com

2 Weeks Notice, Yolk and Fresh Farms International Market

Yesterday, March 19, 2012 I put in my two weeks notice at The Cheesecake Factory. This is very good news! I have worked there a year, it has been great experience but it's time to  move on. Yes, being pregnant had something to do with this decision, its very high volume and very fast paced and was starting to make my body just ache all over anytime I worked. Sooooo, point being, while I was in the office putting in my two weeks and talking with manager my phone was ringing in my pocket which I thought was probably just a friend not realizing I was at work. Come to find out after listening to my voice mail that it was The Signature Room on the 95th floor of the Hancock Building asking me to come and stage for them! Talk about another door opening up! :) I gave them my resume during a job fair that my school held a few weeks back and am very stoked that they are considering me for it.
  Today, my psychology class took a field trip to Yolk, which is a breakfast joint on Chicago & Wells. I have been to this place once before and it was awesome. A little fun fact about me, I LOVE EGGS BENEDICT. Hate making hollandaise, but love eggs  benedict! So, spoiler alert, I got the traditional Eggs Benedict. It was great, they serve it with roasted potatoes and fresh fruit, which I like having both. Having the sweetness of the fruit is really good with the salty potatoes and with that buttery richness that hollandaise has. Walking back from Yolk I stopped by a store on Chicago called Paper Source, which is a custom card and paper store along with lots of super cool, cute little journals and novelty gifts. I wound up buying the baby her first stuffed animal. Which I know is cheesy! I couldn't pass it up though, its a dog, a yellow lab to be exact and probably the softest thing I have ever felt! :)

  After school I went with my friend Maria to Fresh Farms International Market in Niles. I wanted to go and by some produce I am not familiar with working with, I bought Indian Bittermelon and Asian Bittermelon, along with Dragonfruit and Black Radishes. Radishes I'm familiar with but never actually made anything with Black Radishes. For those of you who haven't seen what an Indian Bittermelon looks like, look it up, it looks like some kind of alien pod! So neat! I'm looking forward to making myself a little "Chopped" basket and having fun working with some new things! I will post pictures and definitely be talking about the outcome of my ingredients. Fingers crossed it turns out great!  www.eatyolk.com   www.paper-source.com  www.myfreshfarms.com

Lillie's Q, Wonderful Weather & My New Special Spot

I recently moved right into the Wicker Park and Bucktown Area. I live on Damen and I am surrounded by little restaurants that all look wonderful. Today I decided to venture out and try somewhere I haven't been before. The weather was perfect in Chicago today, sunny and warm with a little breeze.  My boyfriend Brian and I decided we wanted to go to Melt on Damen, I walk by it all the time and looks like an awesome little sandwich shop. We had to meet there so I left a little early and wound up going by Churchhill Dog Park and sitting on some bleachers in the shade. Listened to a little Lucero on my iPod, watched a Dad and his Son play catch on the baseball field and enjoyed the breeze. I think it was the most relaxed I've felt in a long time and will be frequenting that new little spot again very soon. 
    We showed up to Melt  and they were closing in 15 minutes, they had a  busy day and had ran out of a lot so we decided to come back another day and let them get out of there and enjoy the rest of their Sunday. So, Brian had wanted to check out a BBQ place on North called Lillie's Q so we went there instead. IT WAS AWESOME! Seriously, everything we had was great. We started with Oysters and Fried Pickles, the Oysters came with a super tasty spicy vinagarette and the fried Pickles, were as you can imagine, delicious! It's kind of hard to go wrong with fried pickles in my book but these were great, big pieces of pickle and the batter was awesome. I got the Pulled Pork southern style which is topped with coleslaw and he got the Beef Tri Tip sandwich. We split sides of Macaroni and Cheese and Collard Greens which were some of the best I've ever had. We finished it off by splitting an order of Banana Pudding. Not only did we have no complaints, it was all just awesome and a perfect place for a perfect Sunday afternoon. The staff was great, atmosphere was great and food was fabulous. I would say this is a place you must go!  www.lilliesq.com