Confession

I feel weird writing this because a lot of people I know dislike her, but I am kinda liking Rachael Ray. I don't know why, but her recipes look super simple, and I feel almost as though, had I a decently stocked fridge, I could actually make several of her recipes with little to no hassle and maybe even in 30 minutes omgwhat.

So yesterday was the day after the great moving ordeal, and instead of going to Target like I should have (the prospect of biking was far too daunting) I went to our new local ... flea? market, "Tuesday Morning." I didn't find coat hangers but I did find a cool cookbook with all of the Food Network's darlings.

Goals:
M is determined to bake bread of some kind at least once a week. I pitched my idea of Sunday dinner, after which we would make said bread (or bagels, or english muffins, etc.)

This week will hopefully be the first attempt. Stay tuned.

And now for some commentary

So tonight. I'm doing the dishes. A not so common occurance at Magnolia, particularly because our watermain broke under the house and M and I were supposed to have showered by 9 am yesterday (so the note says that came to our door 4 pm yesterday...)

But I am using a sponge, at my parent's house in California (they're off jetsetting, leaving yours truly to cook and clean and generally be domestic with my bro until Monday) and it says "Nail Saver" and it's pink. And the wrapper says: "Your secret's safe with us... We won't tell anyone you do the dishes. Scrubbing power, absorbant wiping, and a comfortable grip to keep your hands out of the mess...Smart!"

I am offended by this, but I don't know if I'm being oversensitive or what.

Like, obviously women are the only ones doing dishes. Obviously such a task is beneath them, or they don't want to wreck their manicures, or let on that they're washing their own freaking dishes. I have no idea. Just something about this rubs me the wrong way. Maybe I'll be more coherent later.

Edit:
http://community.livejournal.com/feminist_101/85126.html
This makes more sense than me, a little. Thank goodness for people with verbal skills!

What's the Story, Wishbone?

Or, how to get back on track with blogging...

As M pointed out last night, we went to go see Julie/Julia. I've been reading her blog religiously while I should be working, also in my mid (low?) level bureaucratic job, wishing for a better life. I found that the portrayal of her in the film was flimsy and not as strong as her blog posts read, but what can ya do? That's Hollywood, right?

Anyway, before the movie J and I went to Wishbone. It's by our new place omg! so that's exciting. M had already visited a few weeks ago and said it was delicious, so I had to check it out for myself. My god, I didn't even realize how hungry I was! I ate everything in sight. I ordered the meatloaf, and I don't even really like meatloaf all that much? But for some reason, I had a bad day or something, I don't know, and I just craved comfort food. It was fantastic. J said meatloaf just tastes like grandma, and I couldn't agree more. I had been so wary of it for so long, meatloaf. My mom would make it all the time when I was younger when my dad was out of town. She even got this godforesaken cookbook, how to cook meatloaf 365 ways or something, so my memories of the stuff were not fond in the slightest. But this stuff was wonderful.

I got to pick two sides, so I chose mashed sweet potatoes and spinach. Spinach I have never eaten before, really, but Julie's been cooking it (I'm currently in Spring of 2003) and I thought it would be nice to try, so I did. I didn't like it, so the waitress brought out some mac and cheese as a replacement. Very good substitute, but on the mushy side... sometimes that happens with mac and cheese.

Bonus points: walked around the Whole Foods that is literally 500 ft from our new place. It is beautiful. Small and jam packed with amazingness. We're going to start eating way better and cooking way more. Hooray!

More blogging in the future. The whole freaking world is going to start food blogging, I'm sure of it.

Julie + Julia

After long anticipation, A and I went to see Julie & Julia this evening. I enjoyed it, and perhaps the movie is what is inspiring me to post in our "food blog" after 2 months of neglect.

Julia (Meryl Streep) was pretty adorable. She was cute when she bought food, cooked food, went to cooking school, etc. She was giggly, life-loving, joyful, and energetic. Julie (Amy Adams) was, meh, okay, a little pathetic and ridiculously obsessed and in love with a woman she'd never met. Eric (Chris Messina) was perfect because is perfectly charming and fetching and beautiful as usual. He was probably the most sensible character, always reminding Julie that she had accomplished and cooked and wrote - it wasn't Julia. Julie was seriously lacking confidence: "Julia wouldn't fall apart, Julia wouldn't be mean to her husband, Juuuulia hatessss me!"

Despite her lameness, my favorite quote since I first saw the preview was from Julie: "I can write a blog. I have thoughts."

We can write a blog. We have thoughts!

Stanley's

Like the Chicagoist , we've often noticed Stanley's but never gotten off the bus to explore. Yesterday's trek to "Market Place" on Diversey and Clark had Fresh Pict (with a t!) strawberries at 4 dollars for the 1 pound carton, and M was sure we could do better elsewhere. So after work today I got on the bus and trekked out there. It wasn't that far and it was so totally worth it. I got a whole lot of produce for under 10 dollars: and those strawberries I almost bought yesterday for convenience? 1 dollar, people! 1!!!

Stanley's also has olive oil (tons of it) and a deli selection. Lots of organic things, if you're into that. It's all so cheap I just wanted to stay for hours. Unfortunately, at this point it was already 7 pm (but I'm pretty sure they're open until at least 10) and I had some food to make, so I regretfully pulled myself away from the alluring shelves of produce and made my way home. But don't worry, I'll be back, Stanley. Probably in like three days. My days of being disappointed by high farmer's market prices are pretty much over. I blew a good 20 at the Southside Farmer's Market (61st and Dorchester) this past Saturday.

Pictures of the fruits (vegetables?) of our labor coming soon!

Not your Mama's pancakes: Crepe and Coffee Palace/Icosium Kafe

While coffee and pancakes are standard diner fare around the Lincoln Park area, variations on America’s favorite breakfast are a little harder to find.  Luckily, authentic crepes and Turkish coffee are just down Fullerton at Clark at the Crepe and Coffee Palace, also called the Icosium Kafe.  It is easy to walk past the restaurant and take no notice, but those of us who have discovered the small gem will not likely forget its bright and welcoming interior or its decadent crepes.

The setting of the Crepe and Coffee Palace is intimate, and the walls are covered with exotic tapestries, mirrors, and maps of Algeria.  Beaded lamps and shiny coffee pots bring additional charm.  The mood is completed with the soft sounds of Arabic music.

The Crepe and Coffee Palace offers a wide range of meal and dessert crepes.  Meal crepes run around $8.50 and include a side soup, while sweet dessert crepes are between $4 and $7.  We ordered two sweet crepes: Crepe D’Amour, with raspberries and our choice of Belgian or Nutella chocolate (we chose Nutella), and Crepe Icosium, with raisins, pears, rosewater, and pistachios.  Ice cream is available on the side for an additional $2 (but sometimes they throw it in for free).

When the crepes arrived, we were impressed before we even reached for our forks.  The crepes were drizzled with chocolate and adorned with a paper umbrella.  For birthday occasions, the Palace is known to center an intricately cut strawberry atop the mound of chocolate and fruit with a birthday candle placed in the center of the strawberry.

The crepe was warm and fluffy, the fruit was fresh and sweet, and the chocolate was melted to the perfect consistency.  They were just the right size to fill our hungry stomachs, and were washed down by many glasses of water, with a cucumber floating in each glass for extra crispness.

The waitress was very friendly and urged us to come back in the morning for some Turkish coffee, which is thick and rich, and comes in a very small pot.  There is also a wide selection of teas and sodas, including Orangina, usually only found in Europe.  The drinks complement the wide range of mouth-watering crepes.

We highly recommend the Coffee and Crepe Palace to anyone with a sweet tooth and an appreciation for international cuisine.  The Palace is east on Fullerton, and another short distance north on Clark at 2433 N. Clark Street.  A new location of the Crepe and Coffee Palace has opened at 5200 N. Clark Street.  Although the Crepe and Coffee Palace is not open for late night dessert, the delicious crepes, charming setting, and friendly waiters are not likely to disappoint at this Mediterranean café at any time of the day.