pancakes

very rarely i get this crazy craving for pancakes. it's a craving that you can't just ignore. you've got to succumb to it, or it will just keep nagging at you. i fulfill it by going to sweet maple. one of the best breakfast places i've ever been to. and i'd say one of the best in chicago. not pretentious, but always packed, sweet maple makes down home goodness. their biscuits alone are to die for. whenever there i usually get one of the scrambles, scrambled eggs with a selection of toppings mixed in. an omelet but not so buttoned-up. but periodically, when i get that crazy craving, i get their pancakes. as large as a large plate, you get two of them. quite a large serving. i can never finish it. but oh so good. every once in a while they make it a special with a side of meat and eggs. which is so big i don't think anyone should eat it by themselves. also they come in many styles (blueberry, banana, chocolate chip). today, well yesterday i got the craving, and so i went to sweet maple for lunch. i ordered the plain buttermilk and only ate half. i always only eat half; the pancakes are huge. when i was done, the server offered me a take-home box, which i declined. then she informed me that they serve a half-order. a half-order!!! if i only knew! i would have been ordering that all along! plus this completely changes how my boyfriend and i order there. now we can order the pancake and a side! (the pancakes come by themselves and are so big you don't have room for anything else.) but now, the possibilities!!!

i recommend sweet maple to one and all. though it's better to go on a weekday then the weekend, as is usual for breakfast places. they don't serve lunch on the weekends. and they don't deliver. ever. but you can pick up, which i recommend if you live in the neighborhood.

sweet maple
1339 west taylor st
chicago, il 60607-4706
(312) 243-8908
 www.sweetmaplecafe.com

popcorn made in a paper bag!

holy cow!!! i didn't know this was possible. and was just sitting and watching alton brown make creamed corn and cornbread, when out of nowhere he makes popcorn... in his microwave... using a paper lunch bag!!!! who knew?!?!

plain brown popper recipe
literally the last minute

chocolate lava muffins a la alton brown

so this afternoon i, semi-successfully, made the chocolate lava muffins from good eats. the dough didn't become creamy in the way described in the recipe, but the color did lighten. they didn't cook in the time described. it took them 20+ minutes to become cake-like on the outside. and by the time they were done on the outside, they were not so gooey on the inside. but all-in-all still a delicious treat. i think reheated with some vanilla ice cream they will still be yummy.














as shown on good eats, episode thirteen: the art of darkness.
recipe

alton brown... i love you!

so i realized yesterday that there is really nothing good on tv. while searching through tvguide.com i saw that, if only i have food network, i could watch good eats. which is always good television. then i occurred to me that i saw online somewhere that you could watch it online. and with just a google search i found this: the like the hat channel on youtube. it could be alton brown's personal channel, but all i know is that it is the first nine seasons of good eats. that's what i did last night. and what i did this afternoon. i have even bought all of the ingredients for the chocolate lava muffins that were in the chocolate episode in season one, the art of darkness. including a set of pyrex bowls that i can use as a double boiler. i even passed this information onto a friend who is a food network fanatic, like myself.

mmmmmm... good eats!

rearrange the refridge

i was pleasantly surprised when i walked into my kitchen tonight. my roommate had rearranged the magnets on the fridge. i think they look quite artistic.

audrey hepburn

as most women do, i love audrey hepburn! i've seen quite a few of her films. and i just love her style. i'm a slender woman, as well, so i always wish i had her wardrobe. this was brought to mind, because i just watched a good portion of a biography about her, magic of audrey.

featuring ample film clips and rare footage of screen tests and interviews, the magic of audrey captures the unique allure and charisma of one of the world’s most famous and photographed women. audrey hepburn, who lit up the silver screen for decades with her beauty and elegance, is one of hollywood's all time greatest stars. the essence of grace and charm, she brought a certain "magic" quality to a myriad of memorable films from sabrina to breakfast at tiffany's, and from roman holiday to my fair lady. the magic of audrey revisits her classic roles; the causes she championed; the people she loved, the clothes she wore and the fashions she inspired, and her leading men — including cary grant, humphrey bogart, gregory peck. an inspiration and role model, audrey hepburn devoted much of her time and effort in later years to her role as a goodwill ambassador for the united nations.

she was married three times and had two children, both boys. she has inspired millions of women. and has inspired me to be the classy and stylish woman i am.

a new blog

so i've given in. i thought of an idea for a blog a while ago and i finally gave in and created it. it's called chi-town loves dr pepper. and it's for all those people, like me, who constantly search out places that offer this tasty beverage.

the problem is that i can't find a template that i like for it. and i can't find a worthwhile tutorial about how to make your own template. so once i figure it out maybe i'll write a tutorial, for all the computer illiterates out there. i certainly don't know how to write html, and i certainly don't know how to do anything like this. the only thing i have going for myself is that i already know how to use photoshop, which i guess is a big help. we'll see though. i'll keep you in the loop.

oh that calm place in my mind...

i don't know about you, but i can only reach that calm place in my mind, after a cleaning of my bedroom. with everything in its place, or in its temporary home i feel much more at ease. i breathe easier and think clearer. i start to dream of the future, since i don't have to worry about the present.

everything is good right now. grad school is going better than i would let myself hope. i have a great apartment with a great roommate. i'm in a great relationship, even though it's long-distance. and i have all the free time in the world.

i could use a job. and my boyfriend could finally decide to move to chicago. and my family is always a bit of a problem. but i really wouldn't change anything right at this moment. (except maybe the family. hahaha) but i do think of an ideal future. and what can i do now to make it a reality. is it really that difficult to be happy? i don't believe people who say it is. i believe that whatever you want to can get. though you may have to make some compromises. and be realistic.

i love being in this place. where i can let my thoughts run to such things without stressing me out, without adding onto all the other things i have got to get done. where i'm just calm.