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.

Peppermint Cheesecake Brownies, oh my!

I recently made these brownies for my colleagues at work - they're courtesy of Cooking Light (which I love)...they were quite delicious and with a slight peppermint flavor. C loves cheesecake brownies (quite possibly the most sinful of brownies) so I'm pleased to find a recipe that is lighter and still as tasty!

Cheesecake batter:
1 (8-ounce) block 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
1 large egg
1 large egg white
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Brownie batter:
4.5 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large egg whites
1 large egg
Cooking spray

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. To prepare cheesecake batter, place cheese in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Add granulated sugar and peppermint extract; beat well. Add 1 egg and 1 egg white; beat well. Add 1 tablespoon flour; beat mixture just until blended.

3. To prepare brownie batter, weigh or lightly spoon 4.5 ounces (about 1 cup) flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine 4.5 ounces flour, cocoa, and salt in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. In a separate bowl, combine brown sugar, oil, buttermilk, vanilla, 2 egg whites, and 1 egg in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium-high speed until well blended. Add flour mixture to brown sugar mixture; beat at low speed just until blended.

4. Reserve 1/2 cup of brownie batter. Pour remaining batter into a 9-inch square baking pan coated with cooking spray. Carefully pour cheesecake batter over top; spread evenly to edges. Dot cheesecake batter with reserved brownie batter. Swirl top two layers of batters together using the tip of a knife. Bake at 350° for 26 minutes or until top is set. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.

Calories: 213 (32% from fat)