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!

naytcha

I love birds, and flowers. Flowers are significantly easier to take pictures of, however, so the ratio of birds to flowers should impress you at least a tiny bit. 

Bottle & Bottega

My birthday was last Friday and while I like to think I'm not one of those girls -- you know the type, birthday crazed, celebrations for a month? -- I do tend to seize the opportunity to do something a little different and drag friends along for the ride. Oh and day drinking. That's a theme too.

I've had some doozies -- rooftop BBQ's, beach parties at Castaways, a trip to Arlington Race track, etc. etc. So when another girlfriend who happens to be a fellow Gemini suggested one of Bottle & Bottega's BYOB painting classes to celebrate our respective birthdays, I knew it was just the ticket. Painting? Perfect. That's classy. I'm 29 now, you know.

We grabbed a few more girlfriends for manis and then stopped by Angelina's legendary champagne brunch, which solidified itself in my mind as hands-down the best service in Chicago. They brought over cotton candy for our birthdays, new bellinis and mimosas showed up before ours were even halfway gone, and are truly just the sweetest, most welcoming staff.

Fortified by champagne and cotton candy, we were ready to get our Monet on and headed over to Bottle & Bottega's Lakeview studio. It was cuter than we even could have imagined and they made us right at home with four easels by the window. We set up our spread of cheese and crackers and popped open our wine, chatting and patiently awaiting our impending masterpieces' beginnings.

In all seriousness though, while we're all creative in our own way, no one was expecting all of the paintings (ahem... any of the paintings?) to turn out so, so well. The instructor was really talented at helping everyone feel comfortable and breaking the painting down into very manageable steps... but somehow, it all felt more like a fun time with girlfriends instead of an art class in high school. I'd guess there were between 30-40 people there altogether, mostly groups of women, and I'd wager that every single person left happy, buzzed, and feeling creative.

Two (painted) thumbs way up -- I can't wait to go back and their classes will definitely be making their way into many future girls' outings! I also saw an advertisement that they do "Bump Parties"... private painting showers for mamas to be where everyone hand paints bibs as gifts. I need a pregnant friend pronto, because I'm pretty sure nothing could be cuter.

A very happy birthday to me.

+ iPhone-only pictures ahead!