This will be short and (so) sweet. This week my parents came to Chicago to party. Yes, it included late night conversations, a walk around the Point, delicious food, and laughter. More than anything, it included love. Parents, grandparents, children, spouses, and grandchildren… so much …
The Black Garden is coming along nicely. Like most things in life, when you’re planning something, it’s not always clear how things will work out. Does gardening encourage patience? Flexibility? Curiosity? Every year, the Black Garden gets more interesting. A new black tomato is planted, …
Summer came so strong that I’m just getting around to sharing our James Beard Awards weekend. To say that it was the cat’s pajamas is an understatement! We had an absolute ball.
This was our first time attending the awards but having Chicago proudly hosting this weekend of celebration surpassed our expectations. The highlights included friends from here and my hometown of Atlanta winning awards and preparing delectable delights. How about Garretts Popcorn Chicago mix of cheddar and caramel greeting us as we entered the Lyric Opera House theater? Bravo to everyone!
Here are a few highlights.
Congratulations to Erika Allen of Urban Growers Collective and Green Era Sustainability on this year’s “Leadership Award”.
Our friends at Busy Bee winning a Legacy award was exquisite.
With our new friend at the Virtue Restaurant afterparty.
Has anyone told you lately that there’s so much good stuff out there? If not, I’m saying it. Summer has its unique way of revealing how much is out there: zucchini for giants, pounds of tomatoes, mint taking over any and every garden if you’re …
“There, all is order and beauty,Luxury, peace, and pleasure.” Baudelaire We entered the weekend leisurely. My parents were visiting to celebrate… major milestones, family, and life. Committed to resting and relaxing for a change, we were resolved to do only what we wanted to do: …
Whether it’s shaped, string, or couscous, we have our fair share of pasta. This one’s a favorite because its sauce comes together in the time that this pasta cooks— 5-10 minutes.
The simple ingredients are elevated by the fresh fennel and wine. The shrimp and tender chunks of crab have that juicy crunch. Want to add another layer of the sea? Squid ink pasta is both stunning and nuanced. Who doesn’t love black food?
I have always been drawn to still life paintings replete with an abundance of fruit, delicately-blown glasses, curious objects, loaves of bread, and dark or glowing light. Without realizing it, these images have molded my style. I created a home where stands and bowls of …
Over the weekend here in Chicago, my dad and I turned our gazes towards my mom as we watched her in action. She was negotiating something in her polite but determined way. With admiration in his voice, my dad said, ”Your mom is fearless.” “If …
I wear green every day. Each St. Patrick’s Day, I don a little extra, okay, a lot extra. When I read as a kid that there was a place called the Emerald Isle, I was captivated and just knew that I had to visit this magical land. Maybe it sounded like something from The Wizard of Oz. Maybe it was the words, emerald and isle. Add luck, leprechauns, rainbows, pots of gold, and magic, my mind raced!
As I got older and learned more of Irish culture and history, my desire to visit only grew. So we went 13 years ago. Here are a few highlights.
We soaked up the literature, the stone circles, the peat bogs, lovely wool everywhere, tender lamb, music, the Celts, and more. Smoke salmon, Irish Breakfast tea, theater, the Book of Kells in the beautiful Trinity Library, and wooly tams, too.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
When kissing, do you pucker up? Lips pinched and squeezed like a tulip, there’s a promise. Like gentle kisses, lemons present joy, pleasure, and a jolt to our systems. There’s no flavor that I love as much as lemon. Whether it is in my favorite, …
