2013 Week 10: Cha Cha Cha Chia Waffles

Posted on March 11, 2013 by Leigh

Tweekly make: Made the awesome vegan chia waffles from Skinny Jeans Food site. Only sub I did was maple syrup for stevia. Also, let’s just take a moment to talk about how awesome Chia Seeds are? I discovered them when I was doing the Anti-Candida diet in the fall and made a “pudding” with them. I’ve been putting them in nearly all of my smoothies lately. They make the smoothies have a bubble tea type texture, which makes them even more drinkable. I would love to find more recipes that incorporate chia seeds. Have you got any?

This week: Checked in on Taco the turtle. Cinchel @ Burlington. Zine Fest Readings @ 826-CHI. Zine Fest Exhibition. Met longtime internet friend Taryn Hipp! Dinner @ Ground Control. Saw Somebody Up There Likes Me and Nick Offerman in person sporting his mustachioed glory. Zine Fest After Party @ Uncharted Books. Quick drink at claustrophobic Longman & Eagle. Went to Martha Stewart Wedding Party with Rani and I had to cab it home when I started feeling nauseous. I started feeling a bit off around Thursday/Friday. Not sure if it was food poisoning or gastroenteritis, but it is not a lot of fun. Consumed in the last two days: 4 bananas, 1 Cup apple sauce, 3 Cups chicken broth, 3 Cups Ginger Ale, 1 Avocado. I had to stay home from work today. Caught up on Glee in between sleeping. Feeling much better, but now a headache has taken over and still feeling week and having chills/sweats. I should note here that my boo remains the best boo. He took such great care of me and brought me sick supplies while I was feeling so grodypants. What a great booski.

Films watched 10th week of the year:

Groundhog Day
Somebody Up There Likes Me
Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple *
Morgiana ** [ Czech Republic ]

* documentary
** foreign language

Morgiana was beautiful and I loved it. If you liked Valerie and Her Week of Wonders, then you will enjoy Morgiana, possibly even more so. BEAUTIFUL cinematography. Captivating story. Great score. These are things I wish more films contained. It made me want to read the book even.

2013 Week 9: Twee Cookery

Posted on March 4, 2013 by Leigh

Took Z out for his bday dinner @ Little Goat. I did a ton of cooking/baking this week. I blame Pinterest, which I got back into this week. On Vegan Vednesday, I made this creamy spinach artichoke dip, which used cashew cream. That day it was pretty good, but the flavor improved the next day. Attended the Creative Expo put on by the Chicago Artists Resource at Chicago Cultural Center. The workshop ‘Copycats Beware: Protecting Creative Works with Copyright and Other Intellectual Property Rights’, given by Kathleen M. Wilt, Attorney from Valauskas Corder LLC, on how to protect yourself as an artist from copycats was worthwhile, but the keynote speech by Chris Kaskie, President of Pitchfork, fell flat; with Kaskie talking a lot but not actually answering many of the questions from audience members. Went to Podhalanka and then saw The Magnificents put on by the House Theatre @ Chopin. Pardon my wordplay, but it was MAGICAL. Z and I don’t get out to see many plays, but this one was truly one to watch. The House Theatre Company excels at what they do. There was a sub for my fave spin instructor Saturday and he could have been John Waters’ brother. I added strength training before my two spin classes this week and my arms and legs are still achy! Went to breakfast at Toast 2 to visit Beth. Took Tilda on a massive walk.

Tweekly make: Made those incomparable nutella-stuffed chocolate chip cookies and a tin to put them in for a coworker’s last day. I cut a heart shape out of paper and used fabric tape in rows to cover it and then I cut the excess tape off. Then I used Mod Podge to stick it to a tin my work got corporate gift cookies in and kept reapplying Mod Podge to the heart. Parts started curling, so I put plastic wrap on the top and then set a plate on top of that to flatten it out. Once it was mostly dried, I took the plastic wrap off and applied one more coat of Mod Podge. I know my coworker will love the cookies once they make them to her.

I also made Paul Newman cookbook: Nicole Kidman’s Crispy Orchiette with Broccoli, Pine Nuts, and Garlic from the Paul Newmans’s Cookbook. Way back in the day, a VERY similar recipe at Bite was almost exactly like this except it had raisins. The recipe from the cookbook was nearly identical to that recipe, except I forgot about the raisins until I was eating it. HUZZAH! So great when a recipe turns out as hoped!

Films watched 9th week of the year:

The Bank Job
Chelsea on the Rocks *
Tony Manero ** [ Chile ]
Breaking Glass
Scarface
Violet Tendencies
The Virginity Hit

* documentary
** foreign language

Wow, Scarface is really boring; so boring in fact that Beth and I fast-forwarded through about a half hour of the movie while Z gave us the plot summary. Breaking Glass; about an 80’s musician worried about selling out, was this week’s winner by a long-shot, although it ended rather abruptly. Z told me why – the US version cut the original ending, which I HATE knowing. The whole point of the film changed by lopping off the original ending. Gah. What’s worse is the ending is nowhere to be found on the internet. INTERNET, you disappoint me.

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.

2013 Week 4: Ice, ice, baby, twee cold.

Posted on January 28, 2013 by Leigh

Tilda emerging from the blankets

Had dinner with Annie @ Fat Willy’s and saw Gangster Squad. Took first Live DJ Spin class @ WPAC. Epic Burger with two of my fave coworkers. Went to Dragonlady for the first time in ages. Finally went to Township for the first time with Amanda and Derek. Sold at my first craft fair of the year, Urban Folk Circuit @ Logan Square Farmer’s Market.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/107593438/same-sex-wedding-card-gay-marriage-hand?

Same Sex Wedding Card by Arthur’s Plaid Pants

It was great to get back in the swing of things and sell at Urban Folk Circuit even though it was an icy Sunday. I got to hang with Reba (Rar Rar Press) and had a great time chatting with Jen (Arthur’s Plaid Pants) and the father/son team of North Coast Organics. I got a super tasty grilled cheese from Prairie Pure Cheese and picked Z up a small gift. I love the pairing of handmade crafts with farm grown/artisan foods. The shoppers seemed to enjoy it as well!

Also, I applied for Crafty Supermarket, which is April 27th in Cincinnati, OH. Fingers crossed because I don’t believe I’ve ever been there and I’ve heard this show is great and lots of fun!

Tweekly make was remaking Dowager Countess cards in a new colorway (pink on yellow) for the fair.

Films watched 4th week of the year:

Generation P ** [Russian]
Gangster Squad
Die Hard
Bandwagon
Hollow Man
Drive Me Crazy
Cosmopolis
Cleanflix *

* documentary
** foreign language

Generation P was my winner, though I think about 1/4 of it could have been chopped out. It lost both me and Z for a wee bit in the middle. Otherwise, it was really exciting, dreamlike, and fun to watch. I love movies based around advertising and it did not disappoint. Bandwagon was a close second. I will always love movies about touring bands. All thumbs down on Cosmopolis. What a boring, pretentious pile.