Apartment Progress

Even though most of my clothes are actually put away now, there's still so much to do for the apartment. Over the weekend, we tackled organizing the bookshelf, and I think it came out really great.

Also, our super preppy bar, which is on top of a dresser:

**The quality liquor was purchased at the New Hampshire Liquor Store, which is sort of like the Costco's of liquor stores--you buy larger quantities for outrageously good prices. (And with no tax. Live free or die!) It will take us 5 years to work our way through this...unless all our college friends visit at once :)

Caliente!

I recently sent out a large stack of thank you notes in dainty pastel envelopes, complete with these saucy stamps. When I asked for a sheet of stamps, the woman at the post office asked me if I wanted Finding Nemo or Latin Music Legends, and clearly I went for the latter. 1) It felt like it was a trick question, aimed at testing my cultural literacy, and 2) I've wanted to be Latina since I was in middle school and saw the music video for Shakira's "Hips Don't Lie." I actually stood up from the TV, marched into the kitchen, where my father was eating breakfast, and announced, "I want to be Latina." He was quite amused, but also pretty unsympathetic. He wasn't going to give his perpetually pale daughter any false hopes. Ten years later, I give you the Latin Music Legends stamps. I can't wait until my relatives in rural Maine get their thank you notes.

PS If you'd like the sensuous face of Selena to grace your mail box, please send me a graduation card cash.

Orchid Drama

The heatwave that has made Chicago almost uninhabitable these past couple of days has finally subsided, but I noticed that the petals of my beloved orchid had begun wilting and shedding. I was pretty distraught about it. I mean, we took this orchid across the country with us.

This is what happens when you major in religion in college and your advisor writes a book on the value of plants as "sentient beings"--you become unreasonably attached to your orchid plant, and feel an irrational obligation to see it through a heat wave. Fearing for its life, I did what any good parent would do, I rushed it to the doctor. Except in this case the doctor was a benevolent hipster at Sprout Home in Wicker Park. Standing before me with his half-shaved head, thick-rimmed beige glasses and a striped shirt that I'm sure he thought looked "French,"he examined my orchid and told me, "It looks healthy." I explained the petals had been shedding in the heat, and he told me that, well, flowers shed their petals. DUH. He then pruned away the old petals, leaving me with this little nub.

It was a traumatic experience that ultimately resulted in a hipster hurting my pride. If my orchid really is sentient, it had better be thankful.

Moonrise Kingdom

It's Friday and Andrew and I are cooking steak and heading out to see Moonrise Kingdom. So psyched!

And just for fun, here is Andrew pretending he's in Moonrise Kingdom. If only his already offensively high socks were white.

Awesome Place Mats

How rad are these place mats we got in Portsmouth, NH? They are prints of local artists' work that were then laminated. My mom said we should hang them on the wall and not eat on them!

The Perfect Summer Dinner

Right now bags of my clothes, books and belongings are still in the dining room making the entire room impossible for dining. This has been the perfect excuse to eat outdoors! Andrew was lucking enough to score the only apartment in this building with an outdoor balcony, so we are trying to use it as much as possible this summer. It's pretty much the perfect space...even though we have to climb out the window to get to it.

The other night we discovered the perfect summer dinner: Pasta with Fresh Tomato, Brie and Basil. It's so easy to make, which is perfect because it's hard to get motivated to cook when it's 100 degrees out like it is here right now. I took this recipe from Comfortable in the Kitchen by Meredith Laurence, which previously was my grandmother's.

Serves 4 (although we halved this recipe easily)

You'll need:

1 lb dired pasta

2 vine-ripened tomatoes, chopped (about 2 cups)

4 to 6 ounces Brie cheese*, cut into thin strips (1 1/2 inch long, rind included)

16 to 20 leaves of fresh basil, thinly sliced

salt

freshly ground black pepper

extra virgin olive oil, as needed

*Make sure the Brie is good quality, since it's the main ingredient in this dish! We got a richer, creamier Brie, but you could also pick something lighter. The people at the Whole Foods cheese counter are super helpful (aka THE REASON why I like Whole Foods :)

To Make:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to the package directions. Drain the pasta and return the pasta to the hot pot.

2. As soon as you drain the pasta, immediately toss it with the tomatoes, Brie and basil, Season to taste with salt and lots of freshly ground pepper. Add extra virgin olive oil and serve immediately.

Voila! It's super easy and so delicious. It's basically like a fancy pasta with butter, but so much better. Enjoy outdoors with some crisp white wine.

Goodbye Atlantic, Hello Lake Michigan!

I took a long hiatus from blogging to finish up my last year of undergraduate study. Between writing a (ninety page!) senior thesis and attending as many parties as possible "because it would be the last chance to do so," I didn't have much time for anything else!

My biggest news is that I have just moved to Chicago! I don't have a job (yet!), but I did fall in love...with expensive restaurants that feature vintage cocktails and farm to table menus, public transportation, art galleries and jazz festivals. I'm looking forward to runs through the Lincoln Park Zoo, trips to Chicago's top museums and, of course, blogging about all the food I encounter.

I am going to miss the Atlantic Ocean, though. I spent a week in Maine saying goodbye.

The beautiful Nubble Light in York Beach, ME.

Goodbye, Atlantic!

Hello, Lake Michigan!

(P.S. More on my new bike later!)