Mighty Leaf - Chamomile Citrus tea

Recently we picked up a box of the Mighty Leaf Chamomile Citrus tea from Whole Foods. I have had it several times before, but hadn't noticed it in the supermarkets. It is definitely a premium tea, though after doing the math of what "premium tea" meant, I realized that is simply $0.50 per tea bag - just a fun fact.

I think for any tea lovers out there, it's a fabulous chamomile. The subtle citrus flavor is great, it smells delicious while brewing, and is naturally sweet and doesn't need honey or sugar (in my opinion). The packet is also the nicest one I've seen, it's reminiscent of a sachet packet - smooth, silky, looks hand-sewn, AND biodegradable.

Brew some and test it out.

The Basil Leaf

Saturday night was f-ing cold, we were sick, and had no food in the house that was appetizing - sounds like a recipe for take-out. BUT, we ended up taking a quick cab up Clark Street to The Basil Leaf Cafe. I had heard it was a cozy neighborhood spot and that's what we needed...

We sat down as soon as we arrived, it was on the early side and ridiculously cold, and had a nice two-top in the center of the room. I mention this because I didn't feel like I was sitting on top of anyone and C and I could talk about all the other diners without hesitation!

After reviewing the novelette which is the menu, we both selected quite basic chicken options...I wanted to confirm something with the waitress so I asked her:
"The Chicken Milano - is that Chicken Milanese?"
"The Chicken Milano? Yes", she said, but with a tone that was NOT convincing.
"Great, so it's a pounded, breaded, crispy chicken breast? Does the artichoke salad come on top and then pasta on the side?"
"No, it's not crispy."
"Oh, so it's not breaded? Sorry, I was hoping it was Chicken Milanese"
"No, no, no, it's breaded, just not crispy. And, the artichokes, tomatoes and mushrooms are in the pasta"
"Ah, ok, so the pasta is mixed with the veggies and the chicken is breaded, not crispy and on the top?"
"No, the chicken is on the side."
"You know what? I'll take the Chicken Piccata. Thanks."

I guess I was confused, but apparently so was she. Regardless, the chicken piccata was tender and salty with lemon, tomatoes, mushrooms (a little unusual) and capers. C had some sort of sausage, chicken, green pepper madness that was enormous (yet, apparently pretty good). They don't make their own pasta, but did an okay job with their execution. We both picked at our meals, taking the majority home for leftovers. I think regardless of your appetite, eating the entire plate would be quite a feat - there must be at least a 1/2 pound of pasta on the plate. Even as I type that, it doesn't seem a big enough number to represent the pile of pasta.

Anyway, we skipped dessert and paid our check - it was an early night due to illness, but we did leave a full dining room. An empty bar, which was confusing to me, because it seemed warm, open and inviting in there...maybe next time we'll try their apps and have drinks at the bar. In short, it was decent and we'd go again, but it was not necessarily interesting. For someone who wants 65 options avec pasta, it's a good choice for you.

Weekend Flix

So, C and I are under the weather and have been home sleep-watching movies for the past few days (week). Thank god we had the foresight to return our overdue Netflix and we received two fresh films on Thursday afternoon - ripe for the weekend.

Much to his chagrin, I am (sort of) in charge of the queue. In my opinion, I pick movies worth seeing...his version is a little different and generally involves a comment about subtitles. Regardless, I think that at least 50% of my recent choices were good and I am obviously so convinced that I'm writing about it. "Lars and the Real Girl" was the clear winner this weekend - honestly, I had no panging desire to see this film, but thought that it sounded like an interesting concept, so I added it to the queue a while back. It is basically about a guy who thinks a sex-doll is a real person/woman and the life of him, her, and their town as they broach this relationship. I laughed out loud, I teared up, I wanted to see another film by the writers...isn't that a good movie experience? Especially if you don't feel good and have these same emotions.

Anyone else seen it and loved/hated it? The "Shower" was a little less popular in our house...but I digress.

Obama-icon

Today, the US had a pretty ordinary event (it's happened 44 times) with an extraordinary response from our country, our allies, the world. It's a pretty amazing time in America - what with the nation on a high from the recent election and now the inauguration of our winner...I think people are genuinely proud of our country in a new way. That is not a new statement, I think the sentiment has been said before, though I don't know how else to say it...

Anyway, I thought this was fun and here's a little Obamicon from our family:

Valentine's Day

As we enter into the madness that is pre-Valentine's Day, just wanted to note the timely opening of Agent Provocateur in the Gold Coast. Being a huge fan of their lingerie, I am hereby dropping hints to all of my readers...women, buy it and wear it for your man. Men, buy it and GIFT it to your woman (notice they are different verbs).

What says "happy love day" better than this? Seriously.

Cold, cold, cold

So, this is it - winter in Chicago. I was warned, I was told to be prepared, I bought a jacket...but this is ridiculous. Honestly, I saw a woman on the news in an ear wrap, a hat, a hood, AND a face mask and she said she could barely move her lips. THEN STAY INSIDE. That is my ground-breaking advice to everyone in this city right now.

I put on all of my clothes to walk indoors to eat lunch yesterday just in case there was a chance that someone would open a door near me. Seriously. I am not taking any chances of getting that blast of arctic air. Arctic is a good word, as C mentioned to me that it was warmer in Alaska (you know, home state of Palin, Russian neighbor, tundra) than it was in the southern states of the lower 48.

If you can't stay inside, if you really MUST go out, get yourself a damn good hat (or two) and don't leave anything exposed. Not when this is considered "warmer":
Current conditions

Partly Cloudy
-3°

Wind:	SSW 8 mph
Dewpoint:	-13°
Humidity:	62%
Visibility:	10.0 miles
Barometer:	30.80 in

Brown Butter, Pine Nuts, & Spinach Sauce

Made this Sunday and failed to take a picture (I'm horrible with locating the camera in times of need) BUT, it was absolutely easy and delicious.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup pine nuts
Garlic to taste (I used a heaping tbsp and I like garlic)
1 bunch of spinach, torn

1. Heat a saute pan over medium-high heat
2. Add 2 tbsps butter to the pan, lower heat to medium
3. Brown the butter, stirring frequently, for 1 minute. Toss 1/4 cup pine nuts and brown in the butter.
4. Remove the pan from heat, add 1 tbsp minced garlic. Stir into butter/pine nut mixture. Put the pan back on the burner and continue cooking for 1 minute.
5. Add torn spinach and cooked pasta. When spinach is wilted and sauce is distributed, remove from heat and serve!

This makes enough sauce for a pound of bite-size pasta (anything not twirly). We used fresh gnocchi, but would be delicious with ravioli, penne, or tortellini!

God Bless America @ 401 N Michigan

In light of the recent historic election, as well as the proximity of the inauguration, I thought I'd share an appropriately named sculpture that appeared in front of C's work a few weeks back. It's called "God Bless America" and is a truly monumental sculpture with people subjects over 25' tall!

It is a recent installation from artist J. Seward Johnson, Jr., who recreates famous works of art (paintings, photos, etc.) as life-sized statues to match the detail of the original work Check out his website for more information. During the fall, we were lucky enough to see "King Lear", though we didn't exactly know he was King Lear for a few weeks (insert sheepish grin here).

An obvious nod to "American Gothic" by artist Grant Wood, this sculpture is a larger-than-life replica of the iconic couple and pitchfork...I don't get the suitcase (which is only barely visible in the photograph here) but the look on the wife's face is the same solemn stare. Eerily close to the original.

Either way, it's very cool to have sculpture installations outside of your office. For that, 1 point for 401 N Michigan.

The Art of Obama

I read in article in one of the recent "2008 in Review"-type pieces that touched on the topic of all the art that has been inspired by Barack Obama and this long, historic election year specifically in Chicago. I found it really interesting because we totally bought into it all (being big Obama fans as well as loving art) and picked up a few local artists creations (t-shirts, posters, buttons).

Some people may not consider a large button or t-shirt art, but when designed by well-known artists for appreciation, isn't that an art form? Regardless, we bought enough stuff that our kids might think we're a little politically-obsessed (which we were) but they'll know we were passionate, right?

Then read this article today, which is appropriate for this post, but also just a really cool exhibit that I don't think would/did happen with a President-elect like McCain or Bush.