It's the little things that get me all excited. I spotted a Nothing Bundt Cakes store opening in a little strip mall not far from the mall I frequent and was so excited. They opened today, so you know I had to stop in and pick up a few bundtlets to sample! The cake is moist and has just the right amount of cream cheese frosting. Ohhhhh, this could prove to be dangerous for me. 
I heart bread
I love it when I find a new local business to support. I read all sorts of good things leading up to the opening of a new bakery called Hewn. They hand forge their bread fresh each day and let me tell you... they have spoiled me for all other bread. It's the most perfect combination of crispy crust, pillowy middle and so much flavor you don't need to put anything on it - just eat it as is! I picked up their aged cheddar this past weekend when I stopped in (in addition to my usual croissant and baguette) and OMG! I am in love!
So glad to have such a quality artisan in the neighborhood! 
10 on 10 { aug 2013 }
It's the tenth of the month and that means ten photos in ten hours!! I love this challenge - gets me out and about with the camera to find beauty in my day. And I really love it when the tenth falls on a weekend! Woot! 
Visited the hair salon this morning - aren't these foils just the most attractive thing? I wanted to get a better photo, but the salon was busy and people were looking at me strange trying to take a photo with my iPhone of my foils. I'm sure they were like wtf? :)
Ran a bunch of errands - picking up the necessary supplies for my last Ravinia show tomorrow.
Whipped up a batch of my famous roasted almonds. They are the easiest things to make and a huge hit! If you like almonds, you need this recipe!
2 c. sliced almonds 1/4 c. sugar 1/16 c. water salt (I use pink himalayan)
Combine sugar and water - basically making a simple syrup - in a microwave save bowl or cup. Microwave for 1 minute or until the sugar is completely dissolved. Pour over almonds and quickly stir. (The syrup should be just enough to coat the almonds - you do not want any liquid standing the bottom of the bowl). Evenly spread on non-stick cookie sheet and generously sprinkle salt across top. Bake at 325 stirring every 10 minutes until golden. (30-40 min depending on your oven). Enjoy!
And then decided to whip up French Macarons too! I'm just a domestic diva today!! I found a new recipe (here) that worked beautifully should you wish to give them a try. They are the fussiest cookies I've ever made, but SO worth it! I'll whip up some salted caramel and chocolate ganache to fill these babies in the morning!
Hope you had a beautiful day! Thanks for stopping by.
walt's favorite fluffy pudding
My grandparents (on my mother's side) were farmers. I loved going to the farm as a kid - endles possibilites for fun and adventure! My grandmother would pick me up every Sunday for church and I'd go back to her house for lunch and games and whatever the day would hold. I loved those Sundays. She would plant me at the kitchen table, I would draw while she would cook up something delicious for the fam. I loved her food - it was simple and exactly what you'd want in a home cooked meal!
For some reason I have been craving the fluffy pudding she would make for my grandfather - he ate it every day for breakfast. So this morning I dug out the church cookbook and whipped up a batch. It does not taste anything like store-bought pudding, it's light and savory, not at all sweet. It's almost like a mild flavored custard. I like to use it a as a base and couple it with granola and brown sugar or throw in a little cinnamon and pecans or maple syrup and walnuts. Anyway .. it's made for a great start to my Sunday!
Here's the recipe should you wish to give it a try.
4 3/4 c. milk (my grandmother used powdered milk 1 3/4c. with 4 3/4c cold water) 7/8 c. flour (or 4 heaping tablespoon fulls) 2/3 c. sugar 1/4 tsp. salt 3 eggs (separated) 1/2c. cold water 1 tsp vanilla (you could also use vanilla bean paste if you want those cute little vanilla specs)
Heat the milk over medium heat in large saucepan. Mix flour, sugar and salt in small bowl. Blend egg yolks and 1/2 c. cold water. Add to dry ingredients; mix well. Pour egg mixture into warm milk over medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook until thickened and smooth (5-10min). Remove from heat. Beat egg whites until stiff; add vanilla. Fold into pudding mixture. Let set to cool before serving. Can be stored in covered bowl in refrigerator for several days. This is makes a LARGE bowl full.
Enjoy. 
macaron class deux
Took in another French macaron making class, this time at Sur la Table. They just opened a store at a mall near me - so happy that I can now just run in and pick up my cooking/baking needs!! We had about 15 people in the class, a mix of singles, friends and mother/daughter groups. We made three macaron flavors - chocolate salted caramel, lavender with white chocolate ganache and hazelnut with praline buttercream. We certainly had fun, and learned a couple of new tips, but sadly each batch had some kind of problem. I have made many a macaron and know just how fussy they are - look at them wrong and they blow out - but some of the ladies were kind of grumpy about the whole thing. The chef was very apologetic and very sweet, but I do think they need to test the recipes a few times before getting all of in a class. AND they need to make larger batches - before our filling had set, the other groups had theirs filled and completely eaten. That was so odd to me ... eat a couple, but leave enough so that everyone has a few of each to take home. Ahh well... Here's the thing I really took away from the class. Practice makes perfect. It's not the equipment, it's all what feels good and works for you. And if you fail, try again.
P.S. How about those tatts? Crazy huh?
oatmeal pancake mix
A perfect Easter morning treat! A repost from my old blog because this recipe is just too good not to share! ***
I stumbled across a recipe for oatmeal pancakes over on The Sisters Cafe blog that sounded amazing and healthy too! What intrigued me about it was that you mix up a batch of the dry ingredients then just add the last couple of items and it's pancakes in minutes. Kind of like a healthy bisquick, but way yummier!
I modified the recipe just a smidge - I mixed the dry ingredients as directed, but with my first batch added a tsp of vanilla, tsp of cinnamon and used applesauce rather than buttermilk. These turned out so much better than I could have ever imagined! I was full for hours with just two pancakes!!
Oatmeal Pancake Mix
from www.sisterscafe.blogspot.com
This will make 10 cups of dry mix
3 1/2 cups rolled (quick) oats
3 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons baking powder
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 cup vegetable oil
Mix all the dry ingredients together in a mixer fitted with a paddle or you can do it by hand. With mixer on slow speed (or gently by hand), drizzle the vegetable oil into the bowl slowly while the mixer is running. When all the oil has been added, stop the mixer and squeeze a clump of mix in your hand. If it stays together, it is just right. If it is still crumbly, add another tablespoon of oil at a time until the consistency is correct). Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks at room temperature or indefinitely in the refrigerator or freezer.
To make the pancakes: whisk together 1 cup of mix, 1 cup buttermilk (a combination of half plain yogurt and half milk will also work)(or 1 4oz container of applesauce + 1/2c fat free milk), and 1 egg. The mixture may seem thin at first but the oats will soak up the milk as it stands while the griddle preheats. Heat a griddle and drop the batter onto it. When the edges look dry and bubbles come to the surface and don't break, turn the pancake over to finish cooking on the second side.
*1 cup of mix will make about 6-7 4-inch pancakes
Almond & Yogurt Waffles with Orange Honey Syrup
Almond & Yogurt Waffles with Orange Honey Syrup - Roost - Roost: A Simple Life.
This blog has the most beautiful food photos and yummy gluten-free recipes!
10 on 10 { mar 2013 }
Ten on Ten Challenge : Dose MarketSo I know I am supposed to take a photo per hour, but I thought it would be much more interesting to capture the market. I did throw in one photo of this dreary Chicago day ... rain + snow = beautiful fog!
Finally made it to Dose Market!! It's a great selection of local vendors - food, fashion and artists of all types. I bought a bunch of yummy food (mostly chocolate - oops) from Artisan Alfajores, Uptown Brownie, and Little Goat. Had a brown butter sage gnocchi sample that was delicious from a tavola - they are starting to package their gnocchi to take home and cook - can't wait for that!!
Two completely awesome vendors we found were Field & Florist - she makes the most beautiful arrangements (can't really tell from my crap iPhone photo - but trust me!) you can buy single or do one per month deal. I think it's just genius to sign up for a fresh arrangement to arrive at your front door each month! And it's all locally grown too!
And the perfect Ravinia companion - wine in a bag from winestyr.com. They partner with US wineries to get wine that is then packaged in a little bag with a spout (think boxed wine). Each bag holds two bottles of wine and shipped to your door. Perfect for wine on the go!
We loved the market. Will be back again for sure! Next time I will stay long enough to get a doodle from doodlebooth!
The 10 Best
The 10 Best Chocolatiers in the World – Intelligent Travel.
The 10 Best Chocolatiers in the World!!
I will consider myself extremely lucky... I have been to three of the ten!! Vosges Haut-Chocolate, Jacques Torres Chocolate and Puccini Bomboni! Not bad ehh? I made my friends crazy the last time I was in Amsterdam getting to Puccini - the previous visit they had been closed - so glad I did too, it was so good. Give me dark chocolate anything and I am pretty darn happy!
Hot chocolate at Hot Chocolate
![Hot chocolate at Hot Chocolate by YF [ yffoto ]](http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8355/8378106231_e85a9ab0a5.jpg)
FINALLY! I frequently dine at Mindy's Hot Chocolate in Bucktown, and for some crazy reason I have never had the hot chocolate! What the heck is wrong with me? Anyway ... today I finally had some of their hot chocolate with homemade marshmallows and have to say it completely lives up to the hype. I got the dark - 72% rich dark french chocolate - and also got a taste of the candy cane, both were perfect! Simply perfect! I even picked up some of their mix and marshmallows for home!