2013 Week 8: “I hope you die and after you die, I’ll go to your grave and eat birthday cake all by myself.”

Posted on February 25, 2013 by Leigh

#instacookingclub3 recipe was Moroccan Lentil Chickpea Stew. Veganized with Upton’s Traditional Seitan and it was OH so tasty.

More fun with WPAC spinning, but the room was so hot for Live DJ Spin on Wednesday that I had to go refill my water halfway through the class. It’s been hot before, but this was a first for me. Usually I can get by on one bottle of water. Had my bridal dress consult with Kpoene at Mignonette Bridal. Brunch @ Jerry’s with Kirstie & Jason for Z’s birthday. Sold at Urban Folk Circuit at Logan Square Farmers’ Market. Saw a ton of movies this week. This was one year I had watched all of the best picture nominees, so watching the Oscars was much more relevant than usual. My #1 pick was Beasts of the Southern Wild and I was bummed it didn’t win anything. Such an amazing film and reminded me so much of David Gordon Green’s George Washington. It was fun to watch the Oscars anyways.

After considering it for years, I finally decided to raise the price of my cards from $3 apiece to $4. I don’t know why it took me so long because now that it is done, I feel totally okay with it. My friends and my boo are awesome because they helped me re-label all of the cards with the new price stickers. Honestly, that was a big part of why I hadn’t done it sooner! 🙂

Films watched 8th week of the year:

Zero Dark Thirty
Beasts of the Southern Wild
2001: A Space Odyssey
Amour ** [France]
Bestiaire *
Life of Pi

* documentary
** foreign language

2013 Week 7: You bring feeling to my life. You’re my SPINspiration.

Posted on February 18, 2013 by Leigh

Tweekly make: wedding save our dates, the wedding website, and the delicious thrown together dinner pictures above. For Vegan Vednesday, I made Trader Joe’s 10-minute farro, tossed in some sauteed TJ’s brussel sprouts and garlic, a bit of Beautiful Briny Sea truffle salt, squeezed the juice of one lime over it, and a splash of olive oil. This was one of the best dishes I think I have ever made. The three servings I had of leftovers were equally satisfying. Yum x 100.

Had an initial visit with a new doctor since my doctor moved to Evanston. Saw four movies in the theatre this week. Had gin drinks at Scofflaw with Jen and Amanda. Went to Casa del Puebla with coworkers. Discovered Goody Good Stuff candies, which are vegetarian (no gelatin or confectioner’s glaze) and some are vegan. They even have gummy peaches!!!

Awesome spin classes this week and my fave instructor Julie set my spin shoe cleats up so they are now perfect for riding. She is my SPINspiration. I bet she will love that I just called her that. My pants are all hanging so loose around my waist and I hate wearing belts! I refuse to buy a new pair of pants until I am fully two sizes down. Since I started spinning 7 weeks ago, I have not been losing weight because my body is gaining muscle and toning up somewhat. I want to add another class or two in during the week, but my dance card has been so full lately.

Films watched 7th week of the year:

I Knew It Was You: Rediscovering John Cazale *
Casablanca
Phantom of the Paradise
Die Hard 2
Django Unchained
Beautiful Creatures
Calamari Union ** [Finland]

* documentary
** foreign language

2013 Week 6: “Donâ€™t know how we did it, but we made it through the winter just in time.”

Posted on February 10, 2013 by Leigh

me, post-Wednesday live DJ spin class

Quote above from ‘Oh Memory’ off the new Hayden record, Us Alone. It is so good. I found a great review of the record here. Pitchfork’s review is a joke. I can’t wait to see Hayden in April. Over the years, I’ve seen him so many times, and his music helped shape who I am. I love seeing musicians like Hayden move forward with recording even though life has not dealt them all Aces. Julie Doiron is a yoga instructor now, but releases an album every few years. This new record makes me wonder what Hayden is doing when he is not writing music. Hopefully I will get to ask him in April at Schubas.

Tweekly Make: I am experimenting with a new method of making new button and magnets. Pictured above are some of the tests I made Friday night.

Busy, busy, busy week. Dinner with LCB @ Sen. Swapped with Betsy for a Foxglove necklace of a Hungarian postage stamp featuring a hedgehog! Jason Anderson @ Swerp Mansion. Breakfast with Jason & Destry @ Chicago Diner. Cider Summit @ Navy Pier. Our two faves Black Star farms Sirius Maple Dessert (16%), which was very mead-like & Eden Ice Cider Co.’s Heirloom Blend Ice (10%), which was almost too drinkable. Movie & Dinner with Shanley’s. Boo-entine’s day dinner @ Deleece. Also took my spin classes Wednesday and Sunday this week. I finally bought SPD cleats so I can clip in to the spin bike and my ride Sunday was so different! I thought clipping in and out would be harder, but I am getting the hang of it.

Films watched 6th week of the year:

Jacob’s Ladder
Seven Psychopaths
Warm Bodies
Searching for Sugar Man *
Alps ** [Greece]

* documentary
** foreign language

Warm Bodies and Searching for Sugar Man were my faves this week. WB was enjoyable and pretty to look at. SfSM was an uplifting story; the kind that artists need to see once in awhile. Z and I bought both of Rodriguez’s albums after seeing it. Looking forward to hearing his body of work.

2013 Week 5: I prefer bowl of supper to bowl of super.

Posted on February 3, 2013 by Leigh

Tweekly make: Pictured above was my first foray into the instagram cooking club some friends started. The recipe everyone made was Sue Torres’ Migas from Smitten Kitchen. Because the cooking date fell on Vegan Vednesday, I veganized the recipe, subbing tofu for the eggs and Upton’s Chorizo-style Seitan for Chorizo. Otherwise, I followed it exactly. Let me say…after taking the hardest spin class thus far and coming back to cook straight afterwards; this was easily one of the best meals I have ever made. Special thanks to Megan for helping me with prep. Who knew that making tortilla chips was so easy?

Good week. Dinner with Z & Donovan @ Sun Wah. Dinner with Stacy @ Butterfly. Had my review at work and it went well. Nick’s bday party. Indie Wed. Brunch with Anna @ Handlebar. Avoided the bowl of super entirely!

Dropped off yellow 6 month bean baby onesies and replenished Hermione Hearts You postcards at Paper Doll. Go get ’em, kiddos! Also, Rhymes with Twee Etsy sales have been blowing up lately and Shop Stats are giving me no insight into why. I love it, but what is going on? Thanks, guys!

Films watched 5th week of the year:

Salome’s Last Dance
A Shot in the Dark *
The Godfather, Part III
No One Knows about Persian Cats ** [Iran]
Swimming with Sharks

* documentary
** foreign language

No One Knows About Persian Cats was a must-watch. To get a small glimpse into what is actually going on in Iran was fascinating. I actually bought the soundtrack as soon as the movie was done because the bands featured in the film were great. I haven’t bought a soundtrack in ages.