keeping it simple

Driving home after dinner the other night with a friend, the talk turned from babies, jobs, design, and clothes to blogs. Why are blogs so hard to write? Should posts be personal? Do they need a focus? What should it be? What should mine be? What is interesting? Will people read it? Do I care?

All these questions came up unanswered as we turned in the driveway – but I could tell ideas were reeling through each of our heads.

I get the feeling food blogs might be a bit of old news – something that peaked with the last theater showing of Julie & Julia before Redbox, and took on a whole new identity with the birth of Pinterest “food” boards. There are much easier, quicker, cut-around-the-personal-blah ways of accessing recipes online. But is that why we read food blogs? Is that why we write food blogs?

My idea really took flight on my lunch break today. I have been coming home for lunch (I work a mere 5 highway miles away from my office) in an effort to save money, and save my waistline by cooking my own healthy meals at lunch. Today, I decided to make a quick “breakfast burrito”. Andrew is usually the scrambled egg maker in residence, but with him out of town  – I was left to my own devices. As I stood stirring my stringy, dry scrambled eggs at the stove (frustrated to no end) I felt defeated. My list of “easy things I can’t make” only has really contained Chocolate Chip Cookies until today (true fact). Adding scrambled eggs to that list made question -  I am so willing to dive right into roasting my first whole chicken last week, creating my own spice blends and combinations of my favorite dishes…why do I not take this on with the same gusto I do when making those?

SO – back to basics. No, I’m not going all Ina Garten on you (yet)…but back to the beginning of how to really cook. I sat down to eat my scrambled egg mush and pulled two cookbooks off the shelf – first, How to Boil Water and second, How to Cook. Recipe by recipe I’m going to make each one – no matter how simple, no matter how complicated. No matter how many dishes (sorry Andrew), no matter the left overs. And maybe I’ll even throw my own little twist into each dish!

So if you’d like to join me, cook along with me – let me know! Let’s learn how to cook!

I heart you.

Happy Valentines Day to all my favorite, faithful foodie readers out there! Muah!

sturdy’s and the city

New York….New. York.

Ahhhh how a weekend in this city can re-energize my soul and tire my legs.

Our anniversary is in October, so Andrew decided the perfect way to celebrate was with an east coast “stay-cation” to NY on one of the last beautiful “indian summer” weekends this past fall. We like to stay at this little brownstone on the Upper West Side where the streets are quiet, friendly, and Central Park is a mere 1/2 block to the east. So we packed our bags and rolled towards the city on Friday morning.

The city was wonderful: “quiet” and 65 degrees cool as we took our morning walking down 3rd Avenue from Grand Central to SoHo (yes we walked from E 42nd street to below Houston…44 blocks). We explored for a bit, shopped, and headed north to the UWS. 20 minutes and a cat nap later we were walking down Columbus to our favorite West side lunchery: Nanoosh. They are a little Middle Eastern place between 68/69th on Broadway just north of Lincoln Center. We love their hummus, tabbouleh, and especially their mint iced tea. It’s perfection. Plus, outdoor seating to people watch on a beautiful fall day.
For dessert, another west side find…Levain Bakery.

Um…ya. Only the best, warm, crumbly, delectable chocolate chip walnut cookie in New York City…truly the best cookie you’ll ever eat. Not to be beat out by the laundry list of other delicious treats we had during our city-stay. I mean: we had crepes. we had beer. we had panini’s. we had the best sweet potato fries i’ve ever had. The cookie was just a snack on our way back downtown. But oh so good.

apple pomegranate tabbouleh

One thing I have really missed about our neighborhood in Chicago, was you could get good middle eastern food at multiple places within a 3 block radius of our house. I have been making middle eastern food at home for a few years now…things like hummus, tabbouleh, taziki sauce, jerusalem salad; but I think this recipe always is my favorite. You can make it year round since most of these ingredients simple to find. My favorite part is the chopped fresh parsley, crisp apples, and tart pomegranates that pop in your mouth.

• 1 cup bulgur
• 3 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• 2 cucumbers, peeled and chopped
• 1 apple, chopped – any kind (preferably something crunchy but not tart)
• 1 cup of pomegranate seeds (you can buy these at the grocery store if you don’t want to seed your own pom)
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1/3 cup fresh mint leaves
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 2/3 cup olive oil
• 1/2 tbs paprika

Place bulgar in a pan (I use a longer pyrex glass dish) and cover with 2 cups boiling water. Soak for 30 minutes…the bulgar should soak up all the water. Fluff with a fork.

Chop all the above ingredients and combine in a bowl.

Toss everything in a bowl with bulgar. Sprinkle paprika and refrigerate for 2-3 hours to let flavors develop. Toss again before serving.

holiday dreaming

With Thanksgiving on the horizon, I am getting more excited every day….maybe about the three day work week, maybe about seeing my friends, maybe about the food…so much to look forward to this week!

Times when we’ve been in Chicago, we have shared a thanksgiving table with some dear friends, Mabrie & Jason (and a few others!). This year we’re heading to W. New York to the Burgetts to give thanks with a part of our “Chicago family”.

I can’t really name any one reason why I really like thanksgiving…actually I’m more of a Christmas morning girl. That is the food holiday I have been dreaming about.

Getting up early (more like being shook awake by my sisters), everyone in their pj’s sitting around the tree waiting as each family member pulls themselves away from the covers and gets a cup of coffee before joining us. Our dog would have usually found her chew bone by now. Snow is falling, it’s cloudy.

Now fast forward to the Christmas I am dreaming up this year. Andrew and I will be home in Connecticut on Christmas morning. On our rustic dining table I have taper candles lit in my hurricane glasses, greenery on the table, braided cardamom bread (with pill sugar…very important in my dream for some reason!).  Coffee in our Swedish kettle, mimosa’s, our colored lit tree & us sitting in the living room in Christmas pajamas, an egg dish, some sausage, and my warm brioche buns with honey butter for the morning & herb butter for the afternoon snacking.

These buns…ahhhh are the buns you dream of. My sister growing up was the “bun” girl, at all holidays she ate buns (at times only buns?). I made these a few years ago, and I can’t remember how many she ate (mostly because we were ALL eating them at record speed). But I hope that you enjoy these buns for thanksgiving this year, for parties in between, and your dream christmas morning.

warm brioche buns

from cooking light, november 10
makes 24 rolls

You will need two things: a muffin tin, and about 45 minutes on november 23th.

Ingredients

1 package dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons if you use the jar like me)
1/3 cup warm 1% low-fat milk
3 1/2 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
8 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened and cut into cubes
Cooking spray
1 tablespoon water
1 large egg white

Preparation

Dissolve yeast in warm milk in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; let stand 5 minutes.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife.

Add flour, sugar, salt, and eggs to milk mixture; beat with a stand mixer at low speed until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl with spatula as needed.

Remove paddle attachment; insert dough hook.

Mix dough at low speed 5 minutes or until soft and elastic and dough just begins to pull away from sides of bowl.

Cut 6 1/2 tablespoons butter into large cubes; add half of butter to dough, mixing at medium speed to blend.

Add remaining half of butter to dough; mix at medium speed until incorporated. Mix dough on medium speed 4 minutes or until smooth and elastic.

Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 1 hour or until doubled in size. (Gently press two fingers into dough. If indentation remains, dough has risen enough.)

After dough has doubled, punch dough down; form into a ball.
Return dough to bowl; cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.

—

The next day (or 8 hours later), uncover dough; let stand 90 minutes or until dough is at room temperature.

Divide dough into 4 equal portions. Working with one portion at a time (cover remaining dough to prevent drying), cut dough into 6 equal pieces.

Roll each piece into a 1 1/2-inch ball.

Repeat procedure with remaining 3 dough portions to make 24 rolls total.

Place rolls in muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Cover and let rise for 45 minutes or until almost doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Combine 1 tablespoon water and egg white; stir with a whisk. Gently brush rolls with egg mixture.

Bake at 350° for 14 minutes or until golden.

Place pans on wire racks.

Place remaining butter in a microwave-safe bowl; microwave at HIGH 20 seconds or until butter melts. Brush butter onto rolls

(please please please make these!! you will not regret it!)

happy birthday mama

Today is my mom’s birthday. She didn’t want me to post anything on facebook, so I thought I’d post it on my blog!

My mom is a great lady: she has helped me pack more apartments then I care to count. She has been (happily) dragged to many breakfast, lunch, brunch, dinner & dessert places around town…and is even willing to let me still drag her around to places on the East Coast! She is a listening ear, a comforting voice, and a strong wife and mother. She is the mom I want to be when we have some little Sturdlings of our own. She is fun, youthful, up for anything, and selfless.

One of my mom’s favorite things are my petite vanilla scones, and frankly, who wouldn’t want to make these for breakfast and sit down and enjoy them with a hot cup of coffee and mom! I cannot wait to enjoy these with her in 16 days when she’s here!

Petite Vanilla Scones

From Pioneer Women
Makes 12 mini scones

Ingredients

SCONES
3 cups All-purpose Flour
2/3 cups Sugar
5 teaspoons Baking Powder
1/4 teaspoon Salt
2 sticks UNSALTED Butter, Chilled
1 whole Large Egg
3/4 cups milk+1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 whole Vanilla Beans or 1 tsp vanilla extract

GLAZE
3 cups Powdered Sugar, Sifted
1/2 cup Milk
1 whole Vanilla Bean mixed in OR
if you do not want to buy a vanilla bean, 2 tablespoons of Lars Swedish Sugar will do…or nothing but the glaze would be just fine.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Split the vanilla beans down the middle lengthwise and scrape out all the vanilla “caviar” inside. Stir caviar into cream. Set aside for 15 minutes.

Sift together flour, 2/3 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Cut cold butter into pats, then use a pastry cutter or two knives to cut the butter into the flour. Keep going until mixture resembles crumbs.

Mix vanilla cream with egg, then combine with flour mixture; stir gently with a fork just until it comes together.

Turn dough onto a floured surface and lightly press it together until it forms a rough rectangle. (Mixture will be pretty crumbly.) Use a rolling pin to roll into a rectangle about 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch thick. Use your hands to help with the forming if necessary.

Use a knife to trim into a symmetrical rectangle, then cut the rectangle into 12 symmetrical squares/rectangles. Next, cut each square/rectangle in half diagonally, to form two triangles.

Transfer to a parchment or baking mat-lined cookie sheet and bake for 18 minutes, removing from the oven just before they start to turn golden. Allow to cool for 15 minutes on the cookie sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

VANILLA GLAZE

To make the icing, split one vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape out the caviar. Stir caviar into milk; allow to sit for awhile. Mix powdered sugar with the vanilla milk, adding more powdered sugar or milk if necessary to get the consistency the right thickness. Stir or whisk until completely smooth.

One at a time, carefully dunk each cooled scone in the glaze, turning it over if necessary. Transfer to parchment paper or the cooling rack. Allow the glaze to set completely, about an hour. Scones will keep several days if glazed.

Irene’s Banana Bread

Saturday- we prepared for Hurricane Irene.

Part of me was all like “THIS IS MY FIRST HURRICANE!!”

Part of me was like “ahhhh these is my first hurricane.”

As I started to write this post, I was anticipating the lights flickering off, our marathon of “50 best documentaries to see before you die” to end, and the rain to really pick up. I have to say, this little Yooper girl knows how to handle midwest thunderstorms and even a “Snonami”

 

But a hurricane? No clue. We stayed up until 2:30am in anticipation. What we got wasn’t a hurricane. It was a 500 mile wide thunderstorm and a Sunday morning free of church and responsibilities.

And then Sunday morning, we went out and explored…while it was still raining with 50 mph wind gusts…but if you have ever walked between the Hancock Building and Watertower Place on a cold, windy, Chicago day…you have felt worst wind gusts then Irene produced…trust me!

So what did I do instead of hide from Irene? I cooked (and cleaned a lot)!

I made a giant pot of my potato leek chowder.
I made banana bread.
I made donuts.
I made chocolate sauce to dip the donuts in.

If you are Gluten Free, well then this is your lucky day! I’m going to share with you this absolutely delicious banana bread recipe from Babycakes NYC. And there is also a surprise…I dare you to make the chocolate dipping sauce and drizzle it over the banana bread to make it THE most decedent, home-style treat.

Erin’s Favorite Banana Bread Recipe from Babycakes NYC

12 Servings | Weight Watchers Points + 5 points per slice.

1 1/2 cups Bob’s Red Mill All Purpose Gluten Free Flour (gotta be Bob’s, no sub)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoons xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon

1/3 cup oil (I used canola)
2/3 cup agave nectar
1/2 cup rice milk
2 tablespoons of good quality vanilla
1 1/4 cups mashed bananas

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2.Brush your loaf pan with oil and set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, measure in flour, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum, salt, cinnamon and whisk.
4. Add oil, agave nectar, rice milk and vanilla and then mix again.
5. Fold in bananas until nicely distributed.

6. Pour batter into loaf pan (only halfway!) and set in the oven.
7. After 20 minutes, check on the loaf and continue baking until it passes the toothpick test. (Mine got very brown staying in the oven so long because the center took the longest to bake).
8. Remove from oven and cool for 30 minutes.
*If you have extra batter, you can make them into muffins. I put mine in doughnut tins…but they turned out too moist to be a traditional doughnut texture, but it was still fun.

Sugar Sweetened Chocolate Drizzle Sauce
from Babycakes NYC

Makes enough to cover banana bread loaf. Weight Waters + Points: Add 1 point to each slice of bread.

4 tablespoons of your favorite chocolate chips (I use vegan chocolate chips because they are dairy free)
1/2 tablespoon of oil (I used canola)
pinch of salt

1. In a double boiler or the microwave, melt chocolate chips 85-90% of the way (you will see some unmelted pieces). Remove from heat and stir until smooth.
2. Add oil & salt; stir until combined.
3. Drizzle or dip. Let set for 3-4 hours to harden, or dig in immediately for dribbly chocolate.

dreams

About a month ago I was skyping with my lovely Chicago sista’s, Mabrie & Rachael. Right before we hung up, we were talking about if we could do anything, what would we do? None of us really answered, as babies started crying, husbands got home from work, and we all decided we needed to hang up. Ever since then, this question has remained in my head…and I have been dreaming about what could be next in my life.

Not that what is going on in my life isn’t awesome right now, but I could see some big things on the horizon if I kept toying with the idea.

Also, not that I have time to ponder these things right now, as we just moved into our new place on Saturday, I am in the middle of a few projects at work, and I am of course, have been busying myself with projects I don’t have time for.

I get in these moods sometimes when things feel uncertain or changing. Example: the last two times I thought about going to grad school were 1)before I graduated undergrad, and 2)as we were leaving seminary a few months ago.
I honestly would love to…

keep doing what I’m doing AND:

keep designing and expand my business.

maybe even start a creative design group with my friend Erikka.

go to seminary or grad school (for what…I don’t know)

go to cooking school.

open a bakery. (um, I have already found the perfect building in Middletown for a bakery or storefront/office)

For the mean time, I need to concentrate on today…or this week. (aka settling our house!).

Here is one of my favorite summer recipes for you to enjoy the last month of summer. I love it because it is so fancy tasting, and a very quick dinner. You just have to have everything ready (this is key!)
Still unsure? Do you like pizza from those Neapolitan places where the crust is cooked in a wood-burning oven? Then you’ll love this, I guarantee it. Bon Apetit.

Grilled Pizza

Weight Watchers Points+ 8 servings: 9 points depending on toppings+crust Serves 8 (1 mini pizza each)

Pizza Dough (Store bought or see my recipe below)
Toppings of your liking: see below the recipe for ideas.
Oil (any of these: canola/veg/olive) & pastry brush

1. Fire up the grill to medium high heat (if using charcoal, make sure your hotspot is off to the side and not right in the middle)
2. Prep your toppings and roll out your dough. If using the recipe below, this makes 2 pizza’s or 8 mini pizza’s. Do not roll it out TOO thing or it will do one or both of these things: a. rip in half as you are putting it out on the grill or b. crisp up and you will have too crackery of a crust.
3. Once grill is nice and hot, bring your dough out to the grill on a cookie sheet. Brush the top side of your dough with oil.
5. Take pizza and put it on the grill OILED SIDE DOWN. The oil is so it will not stick to the rack.
6. Cover and wait 90 seconds to 2 mins. Check underside of the crust. Cook until light golden brown.
7. Oil top (raw) side of dough while bottom is cooking.
8. When ready, flip the pizza so the raw side will cook.
9. IMMEDIATELY get your sauce, cheese and toppings on the pizza. CLOSE grill to trap heat inside and melt your cheese.
10. Cook until cheese is melted. Keep checking the underside of your crust to make sure it doesn’t burn.

Suggestions for toppings

Alicia’s Favorite
Mozzarella Cheese, Shredded or in my case: Rice Mozzarella Cheese (I can’t remember the brand I like, but there are two at Whole Foods that are shredded and I do NOT like Daiya)
Canned Pizza Sauce (if you want to drop some $, go with San Marzano pizza sauce, if you’re looking for cheap and delicious, RAGU!)
To be completely honest, I would do half just plain cheese and half with meat+mushrooms for Andrew.

BBQ Chicken
Your favorite BBQ sauce (any will work)
1/2 red onion slices (I prefer slices to diced because diced almost “sneak attack” you when you bite in)
Rotisserie Chicken (I just buy one, and shred the breasts and save the rest for Andrew’s lunch the next day)
Mozzarella Cheese (or Rice cheese if you’re me)

Chicken Pesto
Rotisserie Chicken, shredded off the bone.
Pesto Sauce
Mozzarella Cheese
Tomatoes (choose sundried or sliced fresh)

And last but not least; how about a little meat? This is the pizza that my dad makes me get him when we order takeout.

Yooper Special (call your cardiologist tomorrow)
Pizza Sauce
Mozarella Cheese
Pepperoni (I like to get fresh sliced from the deli because they are a lot bigger and you can use less…plus they are fresh and not all dried out)
Crumbled Sausage, cooked on the stove first (remove the casing or buy it without)
Crumbled Bacon (you can cook your own before or use the microwave kind)
Mushrooms (saute them first on the stove so they brown)
*What is a Yooper?

Alicia’s Favorite Pizza Dough Recipe

Weight Watchers Points+ 8 servings-1 mini pizza each: 5 points for just the crust
 Makes 2 pizza's or 8 mini pizza's

I have used this recipe for years. While I have tried others, this one works every time. If you can, use my favorite flour: King Arthur Bread Flour. It gives the best rise & makes the best crust!

2 3/4 to 3-1/4 cups King Arthur Bread Flour (using all-purpose flour is not a problem either though!)
1 pkg. active dry yeast
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup warm water (120 degrees F to 130 degrees F)
2 Tbsp. cooking oil or olive oil

1. In a large mixing bowl combine 1-1/4 cups of the flour, the yeast, and salt; add warm water and oil.
2. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes.
3. Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can.
4.Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in enough remaining flour to make a moderately stiff dough that is smooth and elastic (6 to 8 minutes total).**
5. Cover; let rest for 10 minutes. Divide into 8 dough balls & roll them out!

** Sometimes I just take the paddle attachment off of my Kitchenaid and put the dough hook on for 5 minutes or so. Take the hook out, and let the dough rest for 10 minutes…you’re good to go and you don’t’ have dough all over your hands!

day 1

I have to say, my last day in Chicago was not exciting.

We got up, and started moving right away. Andrew and a few of our friends got the rest of the POD packed in an hour, and I did multiple rounds around the house to throw away trash, empty our fridge, organize what goes in the car, etc.

We ate lunch with some friends.

We came back and folded laundry and heard about some new adventures a friend has ahead of him.

We went to dinner with Mabrie, Jack, and Marelen. And of course got gelato.

We visited with some friends who are also in the transition from seminary to ministry process.

Now we crash and go to sleep.

Yes, this is not an exciting day…we didn’t do out of the ordinary, bucket list kind of stuff. Our lives carried on as normal. As if this place will remain the same when we returned as the day we left it.At the end of the day, I wouldn’t have wanted my day to be excited and whirlwind. It was absolutely perfect the way it was, I couldn’t have imagined it any other way. It was Us.

So Chicago, what If I never I’d never met you?

I wouldn’t be the lady I am today. (And I’m not talking about a street savvy, foodie who knows how to use her horn in traffic).

I’m talking about the lady who has bumped up against amazing people, and found family.
Who has seen the need for justice, mercy and grace and responded.
Who has made her faith her own.
Who has felt lost along the way at time, but has discovered who she is.

I recently printed off this prayer that we received as a staff at Covenant Point Bible Camp when I worked there and kept it at my desk. It stirs up so many things inside me about the work we have done here, and the work to be done in Connecticut and wherever else we find ourselves. I hope you read it, enjoy it, and take time to reflect on whatever season you find yourself in today.

 

The Prayer of Oscar Romero

It helps, now and then, to step back and take a long view.

The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts,
it is even beyond our vision.

We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction
of the magnificent enterprise that is God’s work.
Nothing we do is complete, which is a way of saying
that the kingdom always lies beyond us.
No statement says all that could be said.
No prayer fully expresses our faith.
No confession brings perfection.
No pastoral visit brings wholeness.
No program accomplishes the church’s mission.
No set of goals and objectives includes everything.

This is what we are about.
We plant the seeds that one day will grow.
We water seeds already planted,
knowing that they hold future promise.

We lay foundations that will need further development.
We provide yeast that produces far beyond our capabilities.

We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation
in realizing that. This enables us to do something,
and to do it very well. It may be incomplete,
but it is a beginning, a step along the way,
an opportunity for the Lord’s grace to enter and do the rest.

We may never see the end results, but that is the difference
between the master builder and the worker.

We are workers, not master builders; ministers, not messiahs.
We are prophets of a future not our own.
Amen.

 

 

day 2

A big part of my Chicago experience has been Andrew.

When we first met, we were leading a missions trip together and had started spending more time together (along with our MWF classes we were in together all day, and we were in a band together). To spend time together not on campus (aka not starting the rumor mill) we use to ride the brownline from Kimball through the Loop and back home. We’d always get off in Lincoln Square to grab coffee at Starbucks. One of my corniest memories is walking across Lincoln at Wilson, and Andrew asked me if he could “please” hold me hand. So sweet, right!? I think of that every time we walk through there…a great Chicago memory.

In March 2008, I got back from getting a pedicure with friends at lunch to a mound of envelopes on my desk. Little did I know that right at that moment, Andrew was waiting on the roof of our building with my engagement ring. I ran upstairs, threw open the door and rose pedals flew up everywhere. I went around the corner and there he was…on a beautiful Chicago spring day.

In October 2008, we got married and started our new life together on Christiana Avenue. We have been through a lot in this apartment…really wonderful days and really dark ones. We have had friends over, we have fallen asleep on our couch, we have cooked together. We became a family here, Andrew and I. Learning each others personalities, how each other makes the bed, brushes their teeth, decompresses, needs to be comforted, and needs to be celebrated.

My Chicago would not be complete without Andrew. And I am excited to move into this next new place with him as well.

day 5

holy crap, day 5. it’s getting real in here.

for day 5 I was going to write about something else…but then in bed this morning I just kept thinking about all the little things I’ve picked up in Chicago over the years that had made living here easier. I kept thinking I hope I meet those people in other cities who know all the little “secrets” of New York and Boston and wherever-else I might land.

I keep thinking that I need to download all my Chicago thoughts someplace for someone to read, and benefit from. Some of these are really silly…but I don’t care.

You can find “evening special” parking downtown for $10 (Van Buren/Wabash) or that there is a lot across the street that is $12 or $14 for the whole day on the weekends.

That you can park in the 900 N Michigan Ave building in the evening for $6 if you make a purchase in the mall (hello, this is why I have so many wonderful William Sonoma kitchen towels)

That you can find free neighborhood parking just about anywhere as long as you read signs and know what time it is.

That Sprinkles cupcakes does a “secret word” of the day that if you whisper it to the cashier they’ll give you free cupcakes…and you can go everyday but it’s only for the first x amount of people.

That the best all you can eat sushi place is “Sushi Para II” on Clark/Webster…$18.99 a person.

That you can get free museum passes from the library and go even if you don’t have kids.

If you are craving a slice of Chicago style pizza but don’t want to order a whole one, Art of Pizza in Lincoln Park sells Chicago Style by the slice for $3.

That the best Chicago Style Hotdog is “George’s” in Bucktown

That you can furnish an entire apartment (including your mattress if you’re brave) on chicago.craigslist.org

That IKEA is NOT really that far!

The best place to go sit by yourself with coffee and toast is Julius Meinl on Southport.

That George’s ice cream has the best Rocky Road I’ve ever had.

That you only need to get the 2 eggs special at Ann Sathers because it comes with ALL the sides you’ll need (including cinnamon rolls!) and it’s super cheap.

Hunan Wok is the best Chinese you’ll ever taste (Get the General Tso’s Chicken and you’ll see…)

That Lawrence Fish market may not be the nicest storefront but you’ll go back there for sushi when you’re broke and craving it.

There is a food court in Whole Foods on Kingsbury that you can eat on their beautiful outdoor deck.

Take a food tour in Wicker Park!

Go to iCream in Wicker Park.

The best falafel is Sultan’s Market, and remember the one in Wicker Park is cash only.

The best time to go to a “nice” restaurant is lunch if they are open: my favorites is Blackbird or Province in the West Loop.

Go to Mindy’s Hot Chocolate in Bucktown…and skip the hot chocolate. Get any of their appetizers (I love the mini pretzels and the cheeseboard) and get a dessert. Go with a Restaurant.com certificate.

Order Ala Cart from Mayan Palace…the Quesadilla+$4 margarita’s on Tuesday/Thursday.

Garcia’s in Lincoln Square have the best Fajita’s (yes, the chicken is orange, but that makes it better)

Frasca Pizza is buy one get one free pizza’s on Wednesdays.

DMK is known for their burgers, but when we go we get ONE burger to split, and order half orders of all the different kinds of french fries on the menu.

Big and Littles on Orleans/Oak. Just go and get one shrimp taco, one tilapia taco, and an order of truffle fries….! Don’t be scared of the neighborhood.

Pretty much any Bikram Yoga studio in the city has a $29/$30 special for the first month…so go try it.

The best way to find an apartment here is padmapper.com.

The best view of Chicago is from the Ladies Bathroom in the Hancock building.

Ride the brownline from Kimball to the Loop and back…it’s the best tour of the most neighborhoods in Chicago and it’s only $2.25.

Do not fear the Tamale Man…he has frequented the Maproom in Logan Square the few times we’ve been there…and yes he is selling Tamale’s out of a cooler.

My favorite Chicago beer is Half Acre Gossamer Ale.

Best quick bite downtown right of Michigan Ave is M Burger on Huron right behind the Apple Store. It has a window inside that looks into the kitchen of Tru.

The only place to get Stumptown Coffee in Chicago is Bagel on Damen (cash only!)

I’m sure I’ll think of more during the day…check back for updates.