Italiano

Pesto and Marinara. 

They go together like peanut butter and jelly,

chocolate and vanilla, 

apples and bananas, 

Sonny and Cher, 

salt and pepper, 

yin and yang, 

Romeo and Juliet, 

bread and butter...

do you get the idea?

Try it. 

Give it a twirl.

             Best, 

                    Anne

Heavenly Brownies

I love to bake for people. I get this from my mother because she was always showing up at tennis matches, friends houses, or sending baked goodies at the perfect time. She still bakes but I'm not around as much to see her baking moments. Although she does tell me when she makes a batch of cookies or brownies over the phone which makes me miss that smell at home. Now I'm making brownies for friends (and of course I will steal a few  many bites)

So today I attempted the brownies that have bombed for the third time. This time, I used our home oven and my cousin Lisa's recipe she sent me. She took a class and was given some recipes. (I'm not sure if I am allowed to give the recipe on here. I forgot to ask Lisa about that because it's a pretty secretive thing, you know.) Lucky for me, the brownies turned out! They are still piping hot but I tried a bite and sure enough, they are just the best ever! Thanks Lisa! 

The contenders.

Chocolate-y swirl. 

Can I just have brownies for dinner? 

Paul Child: What is it you REALLY like to do?
Julia Child: Eat!

                 Best, 

                        Anne

Fall on the mind.

I've never met a person who dislikes the season of fall. 

We probably wouldn't be friends if I did. 

With September starting tomorrow, it's making me more excited to start this whole season! Summer is too hot. Especially in Illinois. Even though it's 87 degrees here today, I can only think about the cool breeze, pretty leaves, and all things pumpkin. 

Pumpkin pie, pumpkin butter, pumpkin bread, pumpkin candles, pumpkin EVERYTHING. It's no wonder why I'm ready for all things cinnamon by the time December rolls around. 

What else can we look forward to? College football. Well, we don't all have to look forward to it but I'm certainly ready! Light-weight sweaters? Jeans? Kitchen aromas? I should stop before this post turns into a novel. 

 Sure, school happens to start in the fall but we all get through it...or got through it already (jealous). 

Basically, I look at fall as a start. Start a new season off on the right foot (or the left foot)! I'll share more of my love for fall often, I'm sure. 

Homemade granola parfait. One cup of honey greek yogurt. One handful of my mom's granola and half of a banana.

Salad for lunch.

And a trusty PB and J!

Now, time to prepare to face the outdoor heat. I'm such a weakling when it comes to this humidity! Eesh.
Enjoy your last day of August!

                 Best,
                        Anne

I'll have words tomorrow...it's a quiet day.

                  Best, 

                         Anne

Simplicity

                    Best,
                            Anne

I do love award shows. I do.

It's official. I'm home. What better way to celebrate than my mom's homemade Macaroni and Cheese. It's no Kraft (thank God) but it's worth every indulgent bite. Plus, it's not neon orange. I think we can all be thankful for that. 

Mom's Mac Recipe

2 T Butter

2 T Flour

1 tsp dry mustard

2 cups macaroni noodles, uncooked

2 cups milk

2 cups extra sharp cheddar cheese. (It has to look good after all)

Melt butter and stir in flour and dry mustard. 

Cook for 1 minute or so.

Add milk.

Heat until thick and then add cheese.

Cook noodles as directed.

Drain and add to sauce. 

Let thicken for 10 minutes. 

Overindulge. 

I found mini snickers ice cream bars in the freezer! Snickers and a night of Emmy's. So far so good!

                Best,
                       Anne

Ahh, home.

I'm going to be in Crystal Lake today! Hooray! I cannot wait. Chicago has been such a blast. 

Last night we went to Zocalo which was superb. I mean it. Lucky for John, he lives a block away! I have to figure out if they deliver to Washington because it will be hard to part with this food. We ordered the trio de guacamole. It was unreal. Let's just say I got a lot of Omega-3s!

I ordered the solo vegetarian dish at the restaurant. A stuffed poblano pepper with a small arugula salad drizzled with a lime juice dressing and a little guac. Holy mole was it spicy!!! Best thing I've ever had. Seriously. I can't stop thinking about it.

The innards. I can't remember everything that was in there but I know that it worked. 

I'll see you tonight!

                Best, 

                        Anne

Food here. Food there. Food everywhere.

Good Afternoon!

Meliss and I ran some errands this morning after our little jog by the museums/aquariums. I introduced her to my Chocolate Peppermint Luna bar. (Verdict: She enjoyed it! Maybe not as much as me though because I'd marry it...and she's clearly already engaged.)

Turns out that salad I had for dinner last night did not keep very well in the fridge. Plus, I managed to eat all the good stuff last night so I was not feelin' it this afternoon. Enter: PB&J.

I put some of this spread on my pita chips. It's pretty good but maybe a touch salty.

More greek yogurt. More chocolate. You know my strengths and weaknesses now. 

Tonight I am joining John and his friend Leo for dinner out. (Even though I'm sure it will be fantastic, I can't wait to have homemade food tomorrow). At least I'm hoping my mom has groceries in the fridge after getting home from Pennsylvania. I'll find something. I can't wait to see the parentals! Those crazy cats...

See you tomorrow. Have a great evening! I'm still getting used to the time zone. It doesn't help that my computer says 2:40pm. I just love that Pacific Standard Time so very much.

                Best,
                        Anne


Disclaimer: While it may seem like all I do with my life is eat food, I still do other things like hang out with dogs, sleep, see friends and family, exercise, and laugh a lot. Just didn't want you worrying...

Soft Spot for Siblings

Friday afternoon Melissa and I ate leftover pizza. I think pizza is better leftover...well, unless it wasn't good the first time. 

Then we had a few chunks of a huge cookie. It was messy---I swear I don't always have crumbs on my hand!

Last night, Meliss and I picked up our one-of-a-kind brother, John. We drove to Bucktown (I sound like I know what I'm talking about but I truly do not) to eat at Jane's. Jane's was a cute little restaurant with outdoor seating that serves American-style food with vegan and vegetarian options. John's favorite! We started with a hummus appetizer since it was half priced. Yummus!

 

Dining alfresco.

John and Melissa wanted their food photographed. John ordered an angel hair dish with chicken and a chipotle pesto sauce that was not chipotle-like at all. He still enjoyed the "flavor". Thank goodness!

Melissa got the veggie burger. Lookin' pretty fantastic over there! We also discussed how awful this kind of table is and that there isn't a point.

I ordered a salad (that I did not realize would be so giant!) with a million things on it. Carrots, sun-dried cherries, red peppers, etc. This is the before picture. 

After: Looks like I haven't started but I really ate and ate and ate. Leftovers :)

We went to John's apartment for a half hour and Meliss and I ate a familiar cookie sitting in tupperware. Nothing like Mom's cookies!

This morning I had cinnamon pecan cereal with nectarine slices. I love summer fruit---any fruit.

We're off on some errands. I get to dog sit today and I couldn't be more excited! See you later today folks.

             Best,
                    Anne

Here we are.

We are just going to start with Chicago. My brother, John, picked me up last night and we headed straight to Melissa and Brad's condo where pizza was being made. 

Pesto, red pepper, artichoke, feta goodness! Meliss whipped up some delicious pizzas and I was so happy to be around my family.

There's no such thing as "too many dogs in the kitchen"

She also made a thai pizza that was fantastic.

This morning I had a bowl of cinnamon pecan cereal with Meliss before she went to work.

I decided to run along the lake this morning. It couldn't have been a more perfect morning to do that. I came back to a barking Lucy dog waiting for me then I ate some Chobani greek yogurt with almonds. So delightful!

Sorry there isn't more but I'll be back later. Time to enjoy the day!

                   Best, 

                            Anne