lowery's

Last week I went to Virginia for the first time! Matt's brother was getting married outside of Charlottesville, so we stayed there a few nights and then headed to their family's lake house near Montross. On the way we stopped at Lowery's Restaurant, which is apparently a family favorite and I can see why! We started with 1/2 dozen fresh oysters (only $5!!), then I ordered the lobster tail special with tomato slices and corn on the cob. It was amazing. I finished it all and could not stop smiling the whole time.

Here is a before and after shot of the meal. You're so jealous right now.

phony pho

Last weekend Matt and I on an adventure to Vietnam. Not really at all, but we did go up to Argyle Street, which is sort of the same thing? It's like if the country had a tiny baby and then the baby lived in the Uptown neighborhood of Chicago. The entire time I was there I pretended I was vacationing in Hanoi. And it was pretty great. We ate pho, shopped in the grocery stores for cheap noodles and exotic tea, and then bought a LOT of baked goods. Do we know how to travel or what?

We took the red line up to Pho 888, sat down and each ordered a bowl of vegetarian pho.  I had never had this mystical meal before, but I had heard Matt sing its praises for months. And now I see why. It was so great. First of all it came in a huge bowl along with a plate of lime wedges, anise leaves, bean sprouts (maybe?), and chili peppers. There was tofu and broccoli and noodles all floating in a yummy broth. Delicious.

On Monday I was already craving it again so I decided to try my hand at it using only things I already had. Basically it was a lazy version, but it turned out pretty yummy. I used some of the soba noodles I'd gotten, and then put them in chicken broth with some basil, red pepper flakes and some Thai chili sauce. It was no pho, but it was alright.

miranda's spicy lemon pasta

It's funny who all reads your blog and you have no idea. It throws me off to hear someone bring it up because I am not really sure how I feel about the whole thing. To be honest, if it weren't for my sisters' nagging encouragement I would not still be doing it. I cannot imagine my life or what I eat to be that interesting to anyone but myself, and I'm afraid I come off as really self-centered. Or maybe I'm just afraid that I really am that self-centered and this blog highlights it.  See- I just turned this paragraph into myself. It was supposed to be about getting an email from Miranda.

So let's get back to it. I received an email from my friend Miranda last week in response to my post about the disappointing spaghetti with lemon, chile, and creamy spinach. I worked with her in college and we hadn't been in touch for several months. It went like this:

try your lemon, spinach pasta with some [sriracha] instead.
we've actually been making angel hair with a splash of lemon and this and various veggies... like mushrooms and spinach lightly sauteed.

i couldn't respond on your blog.
yes i've been cyber-stalking you.... :)

And then a follow-up one saying this:

so not to get too bossy, but i usually make the pasta and toss it with some olive oil, sauce and lemon juice then toss the sauteed veggies on top. i've noticed that if you cook the sauce it loses it's punch.

 Well! What a wonderful surprise all that was! Not just the email, but also the meal she suggested. I made it the next day with some spinach (yes, I bought another 2 1/2 lb bag), mushrooms, and  whole wheat spaghetti because that's what I had. It was so good that I've been making variations of it for lunch about three times a week.


Miranda's spicy lemon pasta
via Miranda Meyer
*I have never actually measured this out, so all of these are guesses

1/2 lb. angel hair or spaghetti
lemon
1 T (more or less) sriracha 
6-8 oz mushrooms, sliced
8 oz spinach
2 T olive oil


Heat a salted pot of water to boil. Cook pasta until al dente, drain and return to pot.
Meanwhile, heat 1 T olive oil in large skillet over med heat. Add mushrooms and saute until they release their water and it is almost all evaporated. Add spinach to skillet in batches, stirring until all is wilted. 
Mix together juice of one lemon, desired amount of sriracha and remaining tablespoon of oil. Pour over pasta and toss. Add sauteed vegetables and enjoy!

parmesan cream crackers

One of the great things about working from home is that you can have this train of thought: 'Man, I'm hungry. Do I have any crackers? No.... Hey! I should make some during my lunch break." And then you do and they're great. Mine were a little thick, so they didn't get too crispy. Also, I used whole milk instead of cream because that's what I had on hand. I minced some garlic for the top, as well as sprinkled them with some coarse sea salt. Pretty nice.

Parmesan Cream Crackers

via The New York Times, Published: February 2, 2009

Time: About 20 minutes

1 cup all-purpose flour, more as needed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup finely grated fresh Parmesan cheese
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup cream or half-and-half, more as needed
Coarse salt, pepper, sesame or poppy seeds, minced garlic or whatever you like for sprinkling (optional).

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly dust with flour. Put flour, salt, cheese and butter in bowl of a food processor. Pulse until flour and butter are combined. Add about 1/4 cup cream or half-and-half and let machine run for a bit; continue to add liquid a teaspoon at a time, until mixture holds together but is not sticky.
2. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface until 1/2-inch thick or even thinner, adding flour as needed. Transfer sheet of dough to prepared baking sheet (drape it over rolling pin to make it easier). Score lightly with a sharp knife, pizza cutter or a pastry wheel if you want to break crackers into squares or rectangles later on. Sprinkle with salt or other topping if you like.
3. Bake until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Cool on a rack; serve warm or at room temperature or store in a tin for a few days.
Yield: About 4 servings.

hot dog octopus train wreck

When people I don't know ask me if I'm a vegetarian I usually say yes. This is a lie, but it saves so much time. I prefer to avoid going into the whole, "I eat some meat, but I have to know where it comes from, blahblahblah." Because it's very hard to come out of that explanation without sounding pretentious. And I'm not, I swear. I just watched a horrifying PETA video about factory farms my freshman year of college and realized I couldn't support something so unnatural. To me, eating meat is very natural. However I believe that you have a responsibility to the life you're eating, because it is a life and it should be allowed to have one up until it is killed.

And now here's the part where I throw all that out the window for a hot dog in a novelty shape. My boyfriend and I were at the grocery store a couple of weeks ago, trying to quickly pick up things for supper before the Blackhawks game. He had a craving for hot dogs, and once he told me I did too. Have you ever bought veggie hot dogs? They're ridiculously more expensive than meat ones. We're both very poor. It just made sense to get the beef ones that were two for $5.

So we got them and he cooked and cut them into octopi for an appetizer while I made an actual meal for us. Let me just set the scene for you- we were eating hot dogs, drinking beer out of cozies, while I cooked and Matt was on the couch watching a sporting event. I have never felt so normal in my life.

This is a long post, so I'll just cut to the next morning. I went the the gym, was on the treadmill when BAM crazy stomach cramp. My gym is two blocks from my apartment, yet walking home in that time I resigned myself to pooping my pants. I didn't.  But I wasn't going to judge if I did. Two days later I ate another hot dog, though. They're really good!