Tuesday, September 29, 2009

fall = soup

We're all feeling under the weather, and I made some soup last night to combat that stuffy head feeling. I used:

6-ish cups of chicken broth (from scratch) that had been patiently waiting in the freezer to be used.
1 bunch of lacinto kale, roughly chopped
1 can of white kidney beans
lots of freshly ground pepper
generous amount of bacon salt

Bring broth to boil. Throw in kale and simmer until the kale is tender, around five to ten minutes, depending on how large the pieces are. Add beans. Season with bacon salt and pepper to taste. Serve in large bowls and enjoy. Don't burn your tongue. Serves 3-4 adults as a main course.

Saturday, September 12, 2009

what I miss about Chicago

1. Summer concerts at Ravinia. laying on the picnic blanket at dusk, full of wine and whatever we threw together for dinner, listening to classical music, watching the fireflies swirl in the sky above.

2. Fox & Obel. my almost perfect grocery store. Almost perfect because it was nowhere near where we lived post-grad school, when we actually had money to splurge on food now and again.

3. the El. best place and time to read a book and listen to the iPod is on the commute to and from work. on creaking wooden tracks, no less.

4. Lincoln Square. we should've just rented here for the duration of our sojourn in Chicago. Lincoln Square had it all - food, movie theater, grog, shops, awesome toy store, Brown Line stations, farmers' market, all kinds of street fairs and music fun. I can't write any more. It's too sad.

5. Lake Shore Drive. it is a pretty drive, even during the evil rush hour.

6. Julius Meinl. for meeting friends and feeling rather Euro.

7. Paper Source. ok, there are outposts in SF, but there is the glorious sort of semi-annual warehouse sale where I've scored way too many cool things.

8. all those parks.

9. our house. never shall we find a comparable abode here.

10. the people I left behind. all the cool moms, kids, friends, and co-workers. At least we'll always have Facebook.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

the kindergarten follow-up, two weeks later

So far, Z's kindergarten experience is a positive, exciting one. She loves it. I'm glad. And relieved. And feeling validated about our school choice. The only thing she's complained about is the lack of a two-hour nap time. This is from the child who refused to nap from day one.