Girls Weekend In Denver

So you want to go to Denver? Excellent Choice.

My two friends and I had been on the hunt for a girls weekend excursion and while we were craving a beach getaway, the threat of Zika had me gently nudging them to places to the el norte. When we discovered that you can take a yoga class at the hipster mecca of Red Rocks Amphitheater for the low price of $12, we knew we had found our destination.

It was endlessly delightful to respond to the standard query of "what brought you to Denver?" with, "oh we came for a yoga class." Like, one class. Flying half way across the country for one hour of exercise. But it was totally worth it. I frickin' love Denver. I can't wait to go back.

What we did:

Yoga at Red Rocks - they have eight classes a summer and there is a very, very real chance I'll go again because it was an out of (white girl) body experience. An awesome flow, perfect weather, incredible music, free granola bars. If Heaven has yoga classes, they're all at Red Rocks.

(more) Yoga in the Civic Center Conservancy - if I was going to haul my yoga mat on an airplane, I wanted to make it worth my while. So I scoped out free yoga classes. Most cities have them (this is now my second free-yoga-while-traveling class, and I'm making it a habit) and it is a fun way to do something that isn't eating, walking, or napping.

The Flatirons (1 and 2) - we wanted a hike that was only going to take a morning but not make us feel like we hadn't accomplished anything. Flatirons was perfect. We ended up with a 30 minute detour (the trail marking is not great) and still made it up to the end of the trail within a few hours. There was some rock scrambling and it required a little Beyonce motivation, but we did it and it was totally worth it for the views, the sense of accomplishment, and the cheeseburgers we got at the end.

The Trading Post Trail at Red Rocks - after the yoga class we were not feeling particularly go-getter-y. This trail was perfect for some instagramable rocks and a leisurely "let's talk about our feelings" pace.

The first .3 miles of the Dino Ridge Trail - I demanded this because I love me some dinos. We parked right at the end of the road and took the 10 minute walk up, learned things, had a moment of awe over these being Actual Dinosaur Foot Prints, and walked back down. Skipped the crowd and the tours.

Improv at Voodoo Comedy - Improv and Podcast Superstar Mel Evans has relocated to the Denver area (much to the devastation of Chicago) and we saw her crush it so hard in some improv musical comedy.

What we ate and drank:

Lunch at Mountain Sun - If you're going to climb a flat iron, you deserve a cheese burger slathered in blue cheese. These were perfect. With delicious beers to boot.

Dinner at Work and Class/Working Class/Work and Release - (we could not ever actually remember the name of this restaurant) was exactly what these snobby-ass Chicago foodies wanted. Good cocktails, killer small plates, and no wait for a table. Everything was delicious but the mac and cheese, corn, and house salad were particularly scrumptious.

Ice Cream at Sweet Action - TWICE. No regrets.

Potions at Shine Restaurant - on the recommendation of a colleague we had some post-hiking potions. Good for an introspective giggle (do you need a restarter or a firestarter?) bad for being not particularly delicious. Though I'm sure they were good for our souls in a tetanus shot kind of way. 

Brunch at Rioja - This was the best possible last meal of the trip, but it also could have been the last meal of my life and I would have been okay. We picked it because of my companion's aversion to eggs (making brunch a challenge) - almost everything on their menu did not require a pair of sunny-side-ups to complete it which was perfect. The service was kind of garbage but you can redeem all manner of sins with free goat cheese biscuits and honey butter.

Where we stayed:

An absurd little Airbnb that stank to high heaven of the whacky tabacky (Welcome to Denver, I suppose). It was perfectly located next to a Whole Foods that provided the many, many kombucha varieties we needed for four days.

How we got around:

Frontier got us there. If you're 5'2", can pack light, and always have your own snacks, Frontier is not as bad as everyone says and was $150 cheaper than even Southwest. A tiny little Chevy Spark rental got us around. It was like a Harry Potter car, it fit into every parallel parking space we found and used like 6 ounces of gas the whole trip.

Other shout outs:

Golden Farmer's Market (and Izzybelle Chocolate Sauce), Union Station's new make-over, and Dirt Coffee.

Always sweet

When you want dessert. Eat dessert.

I spend most of my time locked in eternal mental battles. No decision is ever really made with full confidence. My favorite decision is when someone else makes the decision for me.  

All travel, career choices, meals, written words, everything is considered for as long as I possibly can before finally just blurting out something and then spending the rest of my life silently panicking that I made the wrong choice.

Except dessert. When I want dessert, I do not think about it - I find and enjoy dessert (like a Good Humor Birthday Cake Ice Cream Pop) and I never once have regretted it. 

If I'm full to the brim of other delicious things, I know enough not to pick out a dessert, but when there is room, I'll fill it up. The exception to this rule is when I give up all carbs because I am a competitive asshole with a weird religious bent.

When we went to Alinea (so long ago!) and the most.amazing.dessert.of.all.time was performed in front of us, I ate until my stomach nearly exploded. I wanted to just be given, like, 20 minutes to nap and come back for the rest. I wanted it just shove it all in my clutch and take it home to eat in bed. I miss that dessert more than some people I've known.

Food has always been a source of struggle for me. A battle of being happy versus being happier. The one battle I refuse to fight is the one against chocolate, against pie crust, against buttercream frosting. 

My birthday will have cake, it will have Berger cookies, it will have more cake, and it might have some delicious and spirited Notre Dame chocolates, and I will eat them all. 

My heart sings

If I were going to write a love song it would be in the key of goat cheese cashew caramel gelato.

(shown here with my favorite back-up singer, blackberry cabernet sorbet).

A week away

So. I took a week off from blogging. I was tired and pulled away from everything that wasn't totally necessary. It was a week of saying no mostly, instead of yes.

Instead of blogging here are some things I did:

-smelled flowers (I was gifted not one, but TWO bouquets last week. Twice as many as I have ever received in ever. I love having fresh flowers around. It is quite addicting).
-ate things that were so delicious. Mostly this.
-slept on the couch too much.
-wrote thank you notes.
-went to the zoo.
-finished three books (almost. let's just say 2.75).
-did some lunges and squats.
-regretted most lunges and all squats.
-forgot to wash my hair.
-encouraged people.
-considered the future.
-planned a party.
-drank a mint julep.
-stole a gold-painted horse.

Real life (and blogging) starts again tomorrow.

Passing the Bar

This weekend I went to this amazing politics and television festival that was basically six or so hours spent ogling my favorite on-screen people and listening to them talk about how amazing they and their work are - not lying it was a 2014 highlight for sure.

On my way to the festival I panicked about having enough food to eat- 12 pm-6 pm is a tricky time, especially on a Saturday when I don't even think about breakfast until well past 9:45 am.

I ducked into one of Hyde Park's fancy coffee shop market places and hemmed and hawed about what would be the best choice for a carb-ish/gluten-ish free snack.

I stumbled upon a whole shelf of bars and scooped up all three of these in the name of science and the small hope that some sort of natural disaster would hit and Bradley Whitford would need to share my Kind bar.

What ended up happening was one crazy Saturday and the a crazy Monday and Tuesday. This experiment could not have come at a better time as I haven't managed to be doing anything except working or sleeping for more than 30 minutes the past few days.

I was delighted to find that all three of these bars taste pretty fantastic. I purposefully got peanut butter and coconut flavored ones as those are always dominate flavors that do a good job of masking all the healthy business.

The Jimmy Bar was the only one I had never heard of, and talk about an unsung hero - I snarfed this at 11:00 am on Monday with a clementine and a cup of coffee and it kept me full until well past 6:00 pm. I only ate my hummus and veggies because I started to feel bad for them.

The Kind bar was the most delicious, probably due to its generous lack of dates, but it also kept me full the longest. It needed to be crumbled up and put in yogurt (apparently you can buy Kind granola which I will be doing) to be an actual full snack.

Larabar wins for having the most appetizing flavor variety. I was torn in the hipster bodega for which sounded the best. I regret not going chocolate. I think that even with the overwhelming after-taste of dates, it would have been worth it.

Normally, I would never spend $2 on anything that isn't slathered in icing and delayed regretful sugar high, but in a pinch it is nice to know that all three of these options could keep me going for most of a day without tasting too healthy to be satisfying.

Truism five-or-six

If you're going to work too hard, and demand too much of yourself, and push yourself to your limit - the least you can do is schedule yourself one night to get boozy on fancy cocktails and pork belly with two of your favorite people.

Friday five: great things about this week.

This week has been terrible. Icky bad nasty sad terrible. I wanted to spend most of it crying, but it was not the kind of week that could be spent hiding, it was the kind where I had to keepittogether, keep my head down and just get through it.

That being said. Here are five things that were wonderful and amazing this week:

1- My coworker friends introduced me to Protein Bar, if I had the audacity to call myself a lifestyle blogger, I would eat here at least twice a week and just cover my instagram in pictures of it happening. Oh my buffalo quinoa bowl. It is so good.

2- It was flip flop day! Thursday was my favorite day of the year. The day I finally wear flip flops. Oh Chicago warm weather, I missed you so much. Don't ever, ever, ever leave.

3- I got to celebrate the last friday-before-good-friday by eating fish fry al fresco with some of the nicest people in Chicago, with special guest appearance by my favorite Chi-town baby who charmed us all with her blowing raspberries and bouncing and giggling and snuggling until my heart almost burst. That little bundle of love is the cure for nearly all my sadness.

4- Boyfriend liked it so he put a down payment on it. He officially owns our apartment. Its his celebration, but I am excited for him. He is part of the landed gentry! So classy and fancy. Let's hope nothing ever breaks.

5- Tomorrow I am going to forego spending my entire day in the beautiful 75 degree weather for an amazing IOP Political TV Festival at the University of Chicago. Six hours with some of my besties including Josh Lyman, Toby Ziegler and Cyrus Beene. Its tots sold out, so just hang out in the sun and be jealous of this crazy line-up.

That was not that hard, although it was heavy on the end of the week. I am thankful I got through the first three days because the rest of the week was pretty nice. And after a great Saturday, Sunday is going to be pretty amazing too.

Say cheese.

My office has been full of free cheese this week.

Its like universe knew this was going to be a really crappy week and decided that it would do what it could to make it better by providing a bounty of cheese platters (with bonus dried fruit and walnuts) that I shamelessly scooped into my salad and then took some extra for later.

I think if I were to start a revolution, it might have to be making cheese the office-party food of choice. Keep your donuts and your stale grocery store cookies and just give me all your cheese.

Monday Meals: Spags Squash

Now that we are very well acquainted with quinoa, lets explore a new substitute for things you love and eat all the time.

Spaghetti Squash! Yaaaay!

Spags squash is my favorite carb-void filler. It is easy enough to roast and then you can be fancy and make some thing delicious to go with, or you can be lazy and pour a jar of store bought sauce and it is just as delicious, and you can eat dinner before 10 p.m. Wheeee!

I prefer to roast it but it requires some he-lady knife skills.

How to Roast the Spags squash:
First preheat the oven to 375.

Then slice that monster in half, long-wise. It will be intense. So be cool.

Fun fact, my newest addition to my hand-scar collection came from me pushing too hard on the back of a knife. This is not a joke.

Once its cut, scoop the seeds out ala a Halloween pumpkin.

Once the oven is preheated put the halves in a baking dish (not a cookie sheet, something with a rim) - make sure you put them skin/rind side up (innards side down).

Then cook it for 35ish minutes (when it starts getting brown on top, you can call it).

How to nuke the Spags Squash:
If you are feeling SO.Lazy - you can microwave it and/or you can keep it whole when cooking.

If you keep it whole, poke a fork in it at least 10 times all over the place so it doesn't explode.

If you microwave it (which you can do whole or halves or quarters, whatever) - put a little bit of water (1/4 cup or less) in a cooking dish (I just use a bowl that is big enough to fit the piece I am cooking) and then cook it for about 5 minutes per half, or 10 minutes for the whole thing. It will be squishy when it is done.

Done Cooking?:
Use your oven mitts to flip one half over and take a fork to it to make sure the noodle-y bits come out easy. That's how you know it is donezo.

Then let it cool for a while otherwise you have a one-way ticket to ouchy-burn town. And then use a fork to scrape it and create your noodles.

Then you'll have noodles. Boom. Make this yum yum alfredo business. Or this taco-y version. Or just throw some jar sauce on it - maybe some protein if you are feeling crah-zey.

We're halfway through Lent! My breath apparently smells terrible from the lack of carbs in my diet (we self-diagnosed a little bit of ketosis), I am going to try to drink about a zillion times more water and chew some sugarless gum, but this party might end/change slightly for me if this butt-breath thing does not work itself out.

Monday Meals: Fill that empty chips hole

March is just draaaaaaagging. How has it only been Lent for two weeks? It has gotten maybe 2% easier since last week, but just barely.

Meals are getting easier but where things fall down is snacks.

I know baby brother loves him some snacks.

I have been trying to switch out fruit for my 3:00 p.m. Hershey's minature dark chocolate bar but when salty cravings strike, I have been scrambling to find something to fill the void that popcorn/potato chips/pretzels normlly do.

The secret is chick peas, my friend.

Here's how you make a quick and easy carb-free salty snack.

-Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
-Open and drain a can of chick peas (aka garbanzos, jic you are confused), rinse them if you feel so inclined.
-Put them in a bowl with some olive oil.
-Add salt and your favorite spices. This can be as simple as some Old Bay, or another all-spice type jam. Or you can get real fancy with multiple spices: cumin, chili powder, go crazy. Whatever sounds good. Make sure you have some salt.
-Mix it all up real good. Add more spice or olive oil if you want (but don't feel pressured, just do what feels right).
-Spread all the little chick peas on a cookie sheet.
-Cook them for 30 minutes or so.

Let them cool for a hot minute and then gobble them up. Nom nom nom. So salty and delicious.

If you need some recipes for inspiration, here are one, two to get you started.

An introduction to Quinoa

I gave up carbs/sweets/breads/starches/all that is good and wonderful in this world for Lent.

There was a part of me that was thinking I was making a bid deal out of nothing.

Five days in and I am going through what I can only imagine is a heroin-esque like withdrawal. I think about bread all the time. I want cookies, I want chocolate, I would give up my entire family for a half dozen cupcakes and a loaf of french bread.

But I've stayed strong, because I am quite the stubborn little mule and impressively enough, my baby brother is still in it to win it too.

Since he is just getting started in the carb-alternative game, this post is for him.

Why quinoa is your new best friend.

Quinoa is rice's better for you, more yummy cousin. It takes the same amount of time to cook and can be eaten with anything. Anything. All the benefits. None of the carbs. Plus bonus protein, iron and fiber (mmm, you love fiber).

Tonight we ate it with some cuke, red bell pepper and feta cheese. Easy Cheesey. Here is a list of some other things you could mix with it and make a crazy delicious side (or main course):

-sweet potato, kale, and chicken
-avocado, black beans, tomatoes
-bell peppers and lemon juice
-carrots, edamame, and cranberries
-spinach, pomegranate seeds, and walnuts (with bonus steak if you're feeling crazy)
-strawberries, goat cheese, and arugula
-broccoli and cheese

Mix and match any of these things or literally anything you want. When making a bowl of food, add this. If oatmeal is your jam in the morning, switch out the oatmeal for this, add in some brown sugar, a few nuts and berries and a banana if you are playing like a champion - and BOOM, breakfast. Bye.

Also, I checked and Price Chopper totally carries quinoa. So no complaints about it being too fancy for your neck of the woods.

Some reminders:
-always, always rinse it in cold water before cooking
-let it cool for a minute and then put it in a bowl before making it all fluffy with a fork. It will stick together if you leave it in the pot/microwavable bowl.
-a cup of dry quinoa makes a shit ton of cooked quinoa so plan on throwing it in everything for a couple days. You won't regret it and it will make you miss rice that mich less.

One week down, six to go.

No Panem for me, thanks.

The month of Be Happy Go Upside-down conveniently ended up coinciding with Lent this year. So it's going to be a really good month for shedding extra winter blubber and a really bad month for me being a fun person to be around.

This year for Lent I decided to give up bread and sweets. At first it was just "refined sugar," but people started questioning my methods for determining what contains "refined sugar," and once someone suggested cutting wine out of my diet, it was clear I needed to be more specific. 

This might be the most insane challenging thing I have ever done. Bread is my comfort food. Sweets are my reward. And while I know this will never stick past the 40 days (I am not a cave lady) - it is a chance to really think about what I am putting in my body for the next 5 and a half weeks. 

I so often just eat and eat without considering if I needed that extra crab puff. And let's be real - yes, I always do need that extra crab poof, but I don't always need four cake pops, and a cupcake with the crab puff.

Of course, the real challenge is getting past the, "but I want it," hurdle. This morning there is a giant array of bagels in my work kitchen. All the bagels telling me that they are going to help me get through this morning. And they would and that might be the heart of the problem.

There are a lot of delicious things I will be enjoying this month: bacon, avocado, fruit (can't kick this 2-a-day clementine habit #sorrynotsorry), and wine and those, I hope, will be enough to get me through the rough spots.

Since my baby brother, Buttmunch has also decided to attempt this journey, I am going to be posting lots of recipes and cheat codes for eating less carbs.

Also, at some point we will discuss why I let this religious event that I don't actually believe in be in control of my decisions every spring. 

If you need me, I'll be eating lettuce and hummus with my motivational team.

Be Happy 2014. Ate well and now going upside down.

February was delicious. There is no such thing as too delicious, but I am deliriously stuffed.

These are just a taste of all the amazing things that I said yes to this month. The problem is, while I love the food, I do not love the way my jeans are fitting now.

So! This month is a little bit harder because it is not such an immediate happiness. This is about being happy for a few months, even if it means some bruised wrists and frustrated evenings in March.

This month is about exercise, but not running or even run of the mill yoga or Zumba. This month is going upside-down to get fit. I bought a Gilt city deal for Air Aerial Fitness. I took my first class today and it was not as fun and easy as I magically thought it was going to be but I feel like I worked hard and so I will go back tomorrow (and the next day, and the next, and the next until April 1). I have always loved going upside down and so I am hoping that the fun of that will keep me happy as I try to make my belly smaller.

Friday slump.

It has been an up-and-down week over here at Grandipants.com, as you can clearly tell by this week's posts.  It's the cold, it's work, it's everything.

But! Boyfriend had a killer first birthday celebration last night complete with Honey Butter Fried Chicken (get in mah belly) and Magnolia Cupcakes (always this. Always). So things are going to be okay.

Also, this guy has really been getting me through the week.

I hate to say it, but I straight stole him from the internet. I sent him to a co-worker who was leaving and then made him my desktop (then I over-ed him for the blog). He is the best.

Guys, what should I name him?

 

Something to ponder this weekend...

Past lemon squared

I am thankful that I have so many opportunities to return to one of my favorite old work sites.

My experience of working in this amazing Chicago institution is one I treasure and only left because someone else pulled the trigger on the magic words (health insurance) first. 

Tonight getting to be the +1 of my most favorite as he did me proud representing for the collections team and as a dynamo volunteer captain was the perfect way to revisit the old haunt. 

Drinks and stories and ghosts and lemon squares - it made me so happy and reminded me that the reasons we work so hard not to burn bridges aren't always abundantly clear in the moment.

We put on a good face and smile when we would rather scream because eventually it will all make sense in its roundabout way. 

Never burn a bridge that might eventually have lemon squares and champagne at the end. 

Day Off - Keep on keepin' on.

I forgot I had MLK day off over and over again. Which is kind of a problem because it means I am missing a deadline (oops), but it also meant I had this magical free day with no plans or priorities.

I have a tendency of letting a day like this slip away in front of the TV or (way worse) facebook. The secret is never getting comfortable.

The day started with eggs and planning.

First things first: If you are not cooking your eggs in coconut oil, you are doing yourself a grave disservice. Everything should be cooked in coconut oil, it is so good.

Then I took a massive organizational project. I managed to go through the pantry, the guest room closet, and my closet with only a brief break to sit with Hazel and watch the end of Tommy Boy.

I am giving myself a bit of a respite because I started watching Top of the Lake and it has confused me enough to require a sit down (also because it was time for lunch). I will get through another episode (Maybe it will make sense after another one? Why is British TV so complicated?) and have picked out a dinner recipe before conquering one of our storage closets and the pile of recycling.

The secret is to not sit. The minute I sat down I got sucked into a vortex of being seated. While I kept myself moving it was easy enough to keep moving.

Movies are better than TV. Movies end and remind you to keep working. Finish a project before starting another one.  Drinking tea helps. Take a break every now and then to rub your cat down with a dryer sheet (so static-y!).

Feeling productive feels so much better than sleeping in the long run. Happy day off!

Doc Tuesday

After surviving our journeys to work amidst the arctic vortex today, we came home to bowls of soup with a side of Blackfish and then Bully.

And we reached the conclusion that humans are the worst.

But soup is good.

TYOE: Maryland (part 2)

More eating recommendations for any time you might spend in the Fredneck/MoCo area.

Isabella's has an amazing lunch tapas special. 3 ladies x 3 plates each = all the fried asparagus. Their plates are generous and delicious anytime but lunch seems like a no-brainer.  

Bonus points for popping into Muse, across the street, and buying a beautiful handmade stuffed animal for one of your besties, or any of their other amazing locally created trinkets and delights. 

I do not spend a ton of time in Charlestown, West Virginia but my favorite little monsters (ages 4 and 6) live there, and I have it on good authority that they are pizza experts, and they eat Papa Johns. So, clearly Papa Johns is the best in the biz, with a little Yellow Tail Shiraz blend for the grown-ups, hello Tuesday night.

Side note: this was the first time I have gotten to hang out with these kiddos in about three years, just us and not our entire enormous, loud, crazy pants family. It was so wonderful even though they are quite simply, the rottenest. 

I have a crafted a theory about the restaurants Voltaggio after having eaten at all four.

If you are looking for a fancy, lets impress everyone meal - you go to Volt. If you want to do this and have it not be an incredible strain on your wallet, you do it for brunch. 

If you are looking for a delicious dinner that will make everyone happy - you go to Family Meal. You make sure you have at least one order of duck fat fries for the table (maybe two if some people skipped lunch), and you order the fried chicken. Let your friends make their own choices, but don't mess around with this, it's fried chicken or its pack it up and go home.

If you need a sandwich, go to Lunchbox (duh). 

If you are just looking for some short eats and a craze-mazing cocktail, you go to Range. Having eaten dinner at Range, I can tell you it is not worth it. The price tag on a meal that makes you full is steep, and for the quality of food, impractical. We had some amazing bites, but that only made the bad ones all the more obvious. Get the rockfish, and the sunchokes, and anything that you can smear bacon relish on. Get a drink, be brave and order something with at least one word you don't know, and then be done.

When Congress continues to deny you buttermilk fried alligator bites, Good Stuff Eatery is getting all the sloppy seconds by way of some realdecent cheeseburgers. Get a milkshake, because you only live once. If you see Barack Obama there, tell him Rachel says hello. 

Pacifico has sangria. Apparently they have food too, but after all that cheeseburger, sangria is all you need to spend an afternoon catching up with your friend-who-is-family.

When you find out your 21 year-old sister has never eaten Greek food, lament her entire childhood being spent in Western Maryland, and then head to Ayse (pronounced Eye-shay). You must get the Brussels sprouts. This is not a negotiation. These are world champion Brussels sprouts. They are so freaking delicious. Get two, who cares, they're a mystical, magical vegetable. Then whatever other Greek food you need, which is mostly just lamb and cheese on fire.

For your final meal, you convince your Granny to take you out to lunch, and really the only acceptable place is Clyde's. Cross your fingers for seating in the hunting room and enjoy the bizarre placement of this kitschy Adirondack lodge in the middle of sterile, boring Montgomery county. Get whatever you want (a crab cake). Thank your grandmother for lunch and for telling you about all the ways you could be a better granddaughter. 

And then as you're leaving, get Chipotle at the airport, because there is a chipotle at the airport. God bless you, BWI. 

Another Year Pt. 1

Its my birthday month! I don't like to celebrate my birthday as much as I just like to take time to think about how amazing it's been to take yet another trip around the sun. Here's the unfinished post I wrote last year. It is absolutely still true. Get ready for a weekly birthday post for the next few weeks as I prep for the last year of my 20's. 

I feel like I talk about traditions a fair amount. I don't know why, per se - but as I grow up and my life extends outward, I have found that traditions, both old and new, help keep me centered and inspire moments of reflection of how lucky I am in this little life of mine.

Sappy? Yes. But true.

Today is my birthday. I am 28 years old. Its a mellow birthday. I am easing into my late twenties slowly and quietly to avoid pulling a muscle. But luckily - slow and mellow is my favorite part of my newest birthday tradition.

For the past few years I have had the luxury of knowing when I wake up on my birthday that the day is mine and I can do whatever I want with it. If I want to carpe it. I can. Or I can curl up with a good book and let it wash over me. Most years it's been a little bit of both. But the rule is - no plans and no requirements beyond being happy.

So this year it was free donuts (guys, Beaver's Donuts gives you a free half dozen on your birthday if you can track them down. Fo' realz. Plus they give you a hat!)

...and coffee with Boyfriend who had raced back from a work trip to Kansas to spend the morning with me before giving me a kiss and promising dinner and presents.

Then a trip to anthropologie, a visit with one of the most important people in my Chicago-life, and now a moment at home to eat eggs and toast and be happy for all I've got.

My childhood with Marcella

Once upon a time. When boyfriend was not quite boyfriend yet, just a boy who made my chest hurt, he was trying very hard to impress me.

We were swapping memories and I told him I was going to make him one of my favorite meals from childhood - pasta with bacon, peas and ricotta. He said it sounded gross. To which I replied, you sound gross. 

In an attempts to win my affection, boyfriend went to the store to purchase all the things I said I needed for this meal.

"Why did you get black-eyed peas?"

"For your thing. You said you needed peas."

"Yeah. I need peas. Actual peas."

"Oh."

In an attempt to look like I handled crisis and change well, I went ahead and made the dish with the (eventually very incorrectly cooked) black-eyed peas.

When we sat down to eat, I could barely hold back my emotions.

"This is kind of ruining my childhood."

He stoically ate all of it, leftovers included.

Eventually, I must have made the dish correctly for him, and he was not impressed. He said he couldn't really taste the difference between this and the other version. 

Once again emotions rose up in me and I tried very hard not to punch this still-not-boyfriend in the nose.

This dish, and many others that came from the pages of Marcella Hazan's kitchen were such huge parts of my childhood happiness, it was hard (still is hard) for me to understand how they don't evoke the same emotions in others.   

The food of Marcella Hazan is the food of my favorite memories. This dish of everyday-excuse-for-bacon joy, rice salad of Nantucket summer nights, pasta al forno (with homemade bolognese) for birthdays and welcome homes. Any and all of these things, eaten the next morning, a bonus dinner for breakfast treat.

Boyfriend managed to stick. So did these meals. Every one now cooked in my kitchen too. 

Thank you, Marcella, for a delicious life.

Other people wrote about her too: In the New York Times, and the New Yorker.

Pictured: my first ever made all-by-myself pot of Bolognese.