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The mail-order bride
Today I mosied on down to 1 E. Delaware to check out Tails in the City’s Halloween for Dogs. Sure, it might be a silly event, but all of the proceeds went to PAWS Chicago and it was a lot of fun. *Sigh* And people say cat people are crazy…
I took some pictures of the best costumes at the parade and thought I would share them with you all.
*WINNER* Funniest Costume
Pupojevich stole the show with his Cook County Jail orange jumpsuit and perfectly coiffed hair. While there were several Blagojevich look-a-likes, none were quite as decked out as this pup.
Not gonna lie: I was ridiculously excited Wednesday about Green City Market’s Apple Fest, which featured over seven different uncommon varieties to taste as well as delicious prepared foods from well-known chefs in Chicago! But moreso than just apples, I was thrilled to find some unique products at the market that I am sure you will love!
1. Oscar’s Hairy Balls. I thought the name was a joke, too, but it isn’t. Oscar’s Hairy Balls are the catalogue name for the above seed pods on a stick that actually produce a lovely near-white bloom. Of course, once news broke of my discovery, many a joke was made.
2. Cherry preserves from Seedling Farms. Sweet and tangy with whole cherries in it. It’s like pie without the crust…on a croissant!
3. Peppers from Leaning Shed Farm. You can see Serrano, Jalapeno and Banana peppers in the picture above, as well as a big, shiny candy red onion! Cannot wait to fry it up! Mmmm-mmm!
4. Bosc pears, with a sweet, gritty flesh, from Mick Klug are just gorgeous. Honey Crisp apples are MASSIVE from Ellis Farms and the little red apples are a gift from Gabe, so I could make caramel covered apples with his perfect caramel sauce!
5. Hugging carrots and curly-q eggplant from Granor Farm. Jesse and Tim were kind enough to let me bring tons of little school children to their tent to show off their deep violet eggplants! Thanks, guys!
More to come…
Dev xx
It’s raining, it’s pouring and production is snoring – meaning that no filming is going on right now.
Curious to see if production was going smoothly for the cast and crew of Little Fockers, the upcoming movie featuring Robert DeNiro and Ben Stiller, I took a 3 walk block from my flat to check out the production site. I spoke to some security guards and one gaffer (electrician) who told me that filming would continue on Sheridan as soon as the rain subsided. Tomorrow maybe?!
At the intersection of Irving Park and Sheridan, the star trailers and honey wagon (i.e. bathrooms) are set up in a parking lot usually used for Cubs games. The gate is shut to the parking lot and there are no people in the area.
Off of Dakin on Sheridan, movie-making equipment sits abandoned
I am going to make it my mission to talk to the Location Manager to see why they have chosen the Uptown/Lakeview part of Chicago to film in and try to get answers – stay tuned for more!
Check out more pics below!
Dev xx
Today, I discovered something that really, really bugs me. Bad escalator manners.
What is up with Chicagoans not following the simple rule of: walk on the left, stand to the right. It is just pure craziness.
Today I was trying to book it out of the Jackson red line station to make it to class on time. I cleared the doors of the El train, successfully dodged incoming traffic walking down the platform and thought I was in the clear when I made it to the escalator. All I had to do was sprint up the moving stairs and bam! I would have made it.
But no! Idiot McRude was STANDING on the left side of the stairs and blocked my path.
“Excuse me,” I bleated quietly at first. “HEY! EXCUSE ME,” I finally belted out as I shoved my way by. He gave a disapproving grunt but I could have not cared less. He was in the wrong for standing in the walking lane. This is just as bad of an offence as driving slow in a passing lane. It is such a simple courtesy, but so many people are just too oblivious to care!
Is anyone with me?! Does anyone want to plaster the city with “WALK ON THE LEFT, STAND TO THE RIGHT” posters? I cannot be the only one!
Dev xx
About 4 hours ago I was ankle deep in mud, wandering around a corn maze in the rain with Tim. It was chilly, raining and messy, but boy was it fun! And it was all brought to me by Richardson Farm.
In addition to having the World’s Largest Corn Maze, the farm also boasts about having a huge pumpkin patch and zipline. Upon entering the farm, I also discovered that there are gokarts; wagon rides; a little gift shop; a beautifully lit, covered picnic area; and a pen filled with goats that you can feed!
Me, feeding the very hungry (read: greedy) goats
Richardson Farm as seen from the observation deck.
Admission for adults is $11.50/person which is not bad given that you can really make a day out of the excursion to Spring Grove. You can even stay late (the farm is open til midnight) and bring flashlights into the maze, or if you are really brave, let moon light guide you along your way. There are two observation bridges in the maze that afford lovely views of the corn rows and surrounding scenery, and can also help you choose your next move.
A view from the 8' observation bridge
The capital building in Madison.
Before school starts again, I knew I would be remiss to neglect my ongoing efforts to explore all the wonderful things the Midwest has to offer during my fall break. So when a friend invited me to accompany her to Madison, WI to visit her Alma mater, I jumped at the opportunity!
A mere 3 hours outside of Chicago, Madison is an old town, made popular by the University of Wisconsin campus. (Now don’t get me wrong, as a graduate of FSU, my new-found love of Madison has little to do with their football team!)
State Street.
The main artery of Madison is State Street, a bustling thoroughfare of cars, bikes, students and alcohol–with a smattering of food and boutiques, of course! The street leads directly from the campus to the capital building. The building, incidentally, is the very one that our nation’s capital is modeled after! Fancy that!
Evidently, State Street is where the majority of off-campus activities take place. Staying true to Wisconsin’s seeming love of all things low-key and quiet, the avenue does not extend too far, rendering Madison ultimately quaint and homey.
An old, Frank Lloyd Wright building.
UW Madison’s campus is one of the most vibrant and scenic I may have ever seen. Though its building aesthetic leaves much to be desired (some architectural A.D.D.), it mixes an innate appreciation of history with a kitsch mentality to acheive the je ne sais quoi that is Madison. Confused yet? Let me show you…
A dining hall in the Union.
Above is a shot of the student union. This is only one of the dining areas in the building, but helps to illustrate my point. The cavernous, pass-the-bratwurst style room is complemented by an adjacent, modern tech room with large windows, and a nearby rec-room of Buddhist monks. Slightly disorganized, but oddly comforting.
The Terrace.
The Union building has an outdoor eating and lounging area called The Terrace which, as I soon learned, is a prominent destination for current students, alumni, faculty and visitors alike. It provides a glorious view of Lake Monona, and I am not ashamed to admit that I spent many a relaxing hour (0r 3) sitting there and enjoying the beautiful weather. (Also, the brightly colored and bizarre shaped chairs are unique to the Madison campus!)
A peak over Mr. Lincoln's shoulder provides a full view of the campus.
I was shocked to find how large the campus is. Quite comparable in size to Florida State’s, walking from one side of the campus to the other proved to be quite a feat! At one point, we reached a very sizable hill (the very one Lincoln sits atop in the above photo), a walkway that many students must cross in order to get to class. Huffing and wheezing when I finally made it to the top, I now understamd the reason behind everyone’s’ svelte physiques!
My friend (and apparent tour guide) regaled me with some campus lore that Mr. Lincoln has been known to stand in the presence of Madison virgins. As you will notice in the photo, he sits.
Lake Monona.
It would seem that every corner of the UW campus is swelling to the point of bursting with scenic beauty. Many dorms have uninterrupted views of the Lake, and a gravel path runs from one end of the campus to the other… on the water. Here in Chicago, I thought I’d seen it all when it comes to pretty lakes. How delightfully wrong I was.
The drive back home to Chicago that night was very easy. In fact, it may have taken us less time than the drive up.
Wisonsin's famed dairy farms.
If you’re looking to spend a fun weekend away from the bustle of city life, and not commit to exorbitant hotel prices, why not give Madison a try? Close enough to not be a bother, but far enough so one can enjoy the feeling of having been on a mini-vacation.
-Ileana
WAIT! Don’t reach for the Bisquick! Instead, splurge for something local and tasty. Raspberry whole wheat buttermilk pancakes with maple syrup and vanilla whipped cream! Too much? Nah! This is the best way to use the LAST of the season’s raspberries (mine were from Mick Klug and were very tart!).
Here is the recipe:
Raspberry Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 cup of Ted’s Organic Whole Wheat Flour (avail. at Heritage Prairie’s booth at Green City Market!)
- 1 Tbsp. sugar
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 c. buttermilk
- 2 Tbsp. veggie oil
- 1 of Mary’s eggs!
- 1/2 c. of raspberries
DIRECTIONS (makes 4 large pancakes!):
- Whisk the dry ingredients together in a bowl.
- Mix in the oil and buttermilk
- Whisk the egg until fluffy; add to the mixture and whisk until egg has been incorporated
- Stir in raspberries
- Add veggie oil to a pan and heat on medium
- Cook pancakes!
FOR THE VANILLA WHIPPED CREAM:
- 1/3 cup heavy cream (mine is from Blue Marble!)
- 1 Tblsp. sugar (or 1 Tbslp. maple syrup)
- 1 tsp. Nielsen-Massey vanilla extract
Whisk together until the heavy cream thickens!
What a great way to start the day! In other news, tomorrow is GREEN CITY MARKET DAY! I am volunteering from 9-11 am and hope to see you there! It will be a HUGE day for GCM because it is Melon Fest and Chef’s Collaborative National Summit. The latter includes book signings, chef demonstrations, tastings and a discussion on how farmers markets strengthen local food systems!
More to come… stay tuned!
Dev xx
Thanks to Groupon and my fabulous boyfriend, Tim, I had the pleasure of seeing my very first Cubs game on Monday night! Groupon offered rooftop tickets a couple of weeks ago with an all-you-can-eat and -drink deal. The tickets were about $80 a piece and totally worth it.
First, the food was amazing. It was a catered event with everything from salads to polish sausages, hamburgers and buffalo chicken wraps. There was even dessert, which included these absolutely delicious lemon bars with white chocolate mousse and frozen blueberries! Yum! Of course there was enough booze to have you hugging the toilet all night, but there was also a bunch of sodas and other drinks, too.
You would think you might lose some of the Wrigley Field charm by not being in the stadium, but that was not the case at all. The crowd up on the rooftop was just as unruly and drunk as they could be and the vibe was sweet. If you have a chance, score rooftop tickets and if you are lucky, maybe Groupon will offer another round of discounted tickets.
Dev xx
Ladies (and Scottish men) walking in Pilsen…beware! Someone may be looking up your skirt!
On 18th Street in Pilsen, I walked by and saw the above image spray painted on the sidewalk. As I started to pass, I realised that there was writing under the image and stopped to take a closer look.
I think we can all agree that this is, next to amazing graffiti that portrays a dinosaur flossing, this work of defacing art is pretty damn awesome!
Dev xx
