Sunrise

 

The sunrise over Lake Michigan

This morning was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. 

Life and Soba Noodles

Life. Oh man. So crazy!

In the last 4 months I:

Moved
Went to Alaska (hey there bears)
Quit my job
Went to Europe (hey there gelato)
Started an awesome new job

So, yeah. Life! Crazy indeed.

I'm not busy-complaining. (<< Read that!) I am one lucky lady and I know it. Just... makin' excuses for neglecting the blog.

(Seriously, how do you ladies with children and jobs and husbands and pets do this? I bow down. My plant died yesterday, I am hopeless.)

I am DETERMINED to write about Europe because it was beyond awesome and I want a written record of all of the fun details... but until then, I present you with...

A HEALTHY RECIPE.

Lame? Totally, I know. But guys, I gained 5 pounds in Europe, and I can't even call it vacation weight anymore. I made my brother pretzel crust brownies the other day. Then I had to physically drag myself downstairs to give the extras I couldn't fit in the box to the doorman so the little Italian fat kid that now lives inside me wouldn't win and eat them all at once.

So yep, we're getting vegan here.

But I promise, it's good too!

Soba Noodle Salad with Spicy Peanut Dressing

Spicy Peanut Dressing

Make this first to marinate for a bit while you're chopping and boiling, and make it to taste! Here's how I did it, but make it spicier/saltier/sweeter to your own preferences. Whisk these ingredients together with a fork until its very smooth, like the consistency of salad dressing:

• 1/2 C peanut butter
• 1/4 C rice wine vinegar
• 2 Tb toasted sesame oil
• 3 Tb reduced sodium soy sauce
• 2 Tb sriracha sauce
• 2 Tb honey
• 1 Tb warm water

Noodles and Vegetable Salad

• 1 cucumber
• 1 red pepper
• 1 orange pepper
• 4 C spinach (roughly!)
• 4 stalks green onion (again... roughly!)
• 1 8 oz package of soba noodles*
• pinch of sesame seeds

1. Wash your veggies! 
2. Julienne cucumber, red and yellow peppers 
3. Dice green onions (the green AND white parts) into very small pieces
4. Put all of your spinach into a colander over the sink
5. Cook your soba noodles - boil them for about 3 minutes and then pour them over the spinach in the colander to flash steam/boil the spinach
6. Shake the spinach and noodles to get rid of all excess water, and then refrigerate for 30 minutes or so until the noodles and spinach are relatively cool
7. Add the chopped vegetables and spicy peanut dressing to the bowl of noodles and spinach and mix everything up really well to combine
8. Sprinkle with sesame seeds (totally unnecessary, just fun!) and enjoy!

*Soba noodles sound really exotic but aren't that hard to find or love. You'll probably find them with the other Asian foods in your local grocery store... I got mine at Dominick's! They're noodles made out of buckwheat flour -- lots of protein, whole grain and a really great nutty flavor. 

Chicken and Tomato Skewers with Watermelon Feta Salad

Until I was about 22, I was a horrific cook. Not just not good, but certifiably bad. My mother and sister are still traumatized from the Garlic Scrambled Eggs Incident of 1999.

Happily, I can now hold my own in the kitchen -- quite nicely, if I do say so myself. I can saute, bake, pan fry, broil, simmer, roast with the best of them. I think that my love of eating food (all food) inspired me to just keep on cookin' it until eventually it started to suck a tiny bit less and every small victory inspired just enough confidence that I'd slowly became less and less freaked out by the whole production. Confidence is key! (Deep thoughts by Laura.) I'm no chef, but I've come a long way from those eggs.

But put me out on the patio with a grill, and all bets are off. I do not have enough practice under my belt (fire-proof apron?) to keep my cool when faced with a raging fire that's hellbent on eating my flank steak before I do or the patience to help along a little flame that refuses to help a chicken breast up and out of the salmonella  range.

I seriously considered chucking a drumette off the balcony the other day. #grillingproblems

So all in all, I'd say my current grilling ratio is about 50/50.

I'm pleased to report that this little dinner was solidly in the good 50%, and you can rest assured that means that it's not just good, but really, really easy. Light, summery, flavorful, and all done in about 25 minutes. Cheers!

Grilled Chicken and Tomato Skewers

1. Cut chicken into 1" cubes and marinate at least an hour in olive oil, lemon juice, herbs (I used garlic and oregano), salt and pepper
2. Prepare grill - light, clean, and use a grill spray or lightly oil the grates
3. Skewer chicken and tomatoes, alternating until each skewer is full with about an inch or two of space at the end
4. Grill until chicken is cooked through and tomatoes are slightly blistered, rotating once to ensure even char
5. Tent the chicken on a plate to rest for 5-10 minutes before serving

Watermelon and Feta Salad

1. Cube watermelon and feta and place atop arugula. 
2. Drizzle with balsamic glaze (plain balsamic would work just fine!), sprinkle with salt and pepper

Home + Decor: Coffee Tables

Neiman Marcus Starbust Coffee Table \\ Base $1425 \\ Glass Top $695

1. Crate & Barrel Era Round \\ $499

2. Macy's Celeste \\ $399 

3. Design Within Reach Platner \\ $1495

I am having a little too much fun decorating our new home. We have the bones (sectional, dining table, bed) and now comes the equally expensive  fun part -- the details! We've been playing God the last few weeks and precariously balancing wine glasses, pizza plates, coffee mugs, etc. on the couch. While our luck has held out and we haven't done any real damage yet, I am the world's biggest klutz. When I kicked over yet another water glass on the floor tonight it was apparent: it is time to make a decision.

We've looked at juuust shy of a zillion options and my endless browsing has helped me to decide the following: it needs to be round to break up all of the angles and lines in here, it needs a glass top to take up as little visual space as possible, and it needs to be a chrome or metal finish instead of wood.

While I'm head over heels for that gorgeous little Neiman Marcus Starburst table, a $2K+ table is not in my stars. I've found some great alternatives, and while any would fit the bill (and save me from red-wine-spill-induced tears) I'd love your opinion...

Any favorites?

Fireworks Over Lake Michigan

I took roughly seven thousand pictures of fireworks this weekend. This one was my favorite because it captures all of the things that I remember most: the sparks from the fireworks trailing into the water, the smoky sky, the insanity and the lights of Navy Pier against the inky calm lake dotted with hundreds and hundreds of boats. 

Too beautiful!

Illustration: Beach Ball Girl

Come onnnnnnnnnnn weekend.

Just saying

Scary true, right? Happy Wednesday!