Flash Back

When Drew was much younger, he loved playing with his Thomas the Tank Engine trains and track.  He and SiMi spent countless hours at each other's houses, setting up elaborate passageways and inventing endless stories about their trains.

This afternoon, we brought J home with us after hanging out at the pool (J is a family friend who sort of acts as the little brother Drew's never going to have).  J found the old track pieces and started setting it up.  Drew helped him.  It brought back a lot of sweet memories for me!

Gushing about Gremolata

One of the things I love about being married to Baird is that he appreciates a strong, bold flavor at mealtime.  Whether it's a balsamic vinegar-based marinade for grilled steak-and-potato shish kabob or traditional cucumber salad spiked with serrano peppers, I know I'll get a hearty "Wow! That was fantastic!" instead of just "Thanks for dinner" when I crank up the seasonings.

Gremolata is one of those garnishes that lends some outright pizzaz to a dish.  Traditional gremolata was born in Italy and sprinkled over osso buco (veal shank and veggies served with risoto).  The basic ingredients are minced parlsey, lemon and garlic. I don't serve veal at home, but I've found that gremolata goes really well with chicken.

I love gremolata for its simplicity.  With just a few common ingredients, I can seriously up the ante in the flavor of my dish.

The other thing I love about gremolata is that I can use just about any fresh herb in my garden and it works.  Thyme gremolata is amazing.  So is rosemarry.  This evening I adapted a recipe from Cooking Light and made mint gremolata with pine nuts.  Yes.  I am aware that by adding pine nuts to my gremolata, I'm on a slippery slope toward pesto.  I don't care.  I absolutely love pine nuts, especially when they're toasted, chopped up, and thrown in with fresh herbs from my garden, who are also hanging out with lemon and garlic.
 

Here's the recipe:

3/4 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves

1/4 cup fresh parsley

1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted (divided)

2 tsp. grated lemon rind

2 garlic cloves, minced

4 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 tsp. kosher salt, or to taste

Toast pine nuts until fragrant and slightly browned.  Measure out 2 Tbs. of pine nuts; cool and set aside for use in gremolata.  Snack on the rest of the nuts.

Place mint, parsley, 2 Tbs. pine nuts, lemon rind and garlic in food processor; process just until combined.  Add olive oil and salt; process to combine.  Cover and set aside at room temperature until chicken is ready for garnish.  Sparingly spoon over chicken.  Remember:  this is a garnish, and a little goes a long way.

I served my gremolata over grilled citrus chicken.  For the chicken, I mixed fresh lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper, and then lightly coated the meat.  I made jasmine rice to go with it, and honestly, the gremolata complemented the slightly sweet flavor of the rice quite well.  Slapping some fresh spinach and watermellon on the table kept the meal from looking washed out.
Yum.  I'm so glad there's leftovers for lunch tomorrow!

Linguistics

Conversation with Drew usually involves sports, in one form or another.  Usually he's sharing a statistic or his take on a recent trade.  Sometimes he'll bring up a team's current streak ("Sox have won 11 straight, Mom.  You know, that hasn't happened since before you were born" or "The Cubs have 12 errors in their last 9 games.  No wonder they're not winning.").  On the way home from the pool this afternoon, Drew was able to work sports into a conversation about language:

Drew:  Mom, did you know I'm quadlingual?
Me:  No, really?
Drew:  Yea.  I speak English, Pokemon, Sports, and Japanese.  But I'm not fluent in Japanese yet, so I guess that makes me trilingual-and-a-half.  Or something like that.

Pool Time

Every summer for the past 13 years, the 5 Ring Circus has had pool passes.  Since we live just a couple of blocks from Rehm Pool, we're usually there several days a week, for an hour or two, weather permitting.  I realized that, like 4 Square, hanging out at the pool is something that is done so frequently, I sort of take it for granted, and I have next to no pictures showing where our summer afternoons are often spent.  Today I decided to take my camera to memorialize our pool days.

Another reason I love Oak Park and Rehm Pool: within 30 minutes of arriving at the pool today, Drew ran into 17 people he knew.  I reconnected with several people I hadn't seen in awhile.  That sense of community is priceless!

Happy 4th!

Baird's mom never liked celebrations or crowds, and she rarely took her kids to see fireworks.  In fact, Baird and Missy can only count a couple of times when they were growing up that they were at a 4th of July celebration.  Partly because of that, we make it a point every year of going to see fireworks, for for the past decade or so, we've been getting together with Missy and her family in Warrenville to celebrate.

There's something about fireworks that capture the imagination.  No matter how hard I try, I just can't quite get it all on film.  I think part of it is because a 4th of July fireworks display is equal parts pyrotechnology, magic, and national pride.  The electricity in the air just can't be captured with words or pictures, and that's part of what makes it so special.

Summer in the City

We spent today down at Taste of Chicago.  When I mentioned this on Facebook this morning, people thought I was crazy to take my family into the city to mingle with about a million other people.   Truth be told, I've avoided this event for years because I was just too afraid to take the kids down into the chaos when they were small.  Today I realized how much I've missed it.  There is no better way to sample ethnic food in Chicago.  We ate everything from fried chicken and Asian shrimp bundles to sauteed goat.

An added bonus:  Vera Bradley was giving away samples of their products, and the girls walked away with some fun bracelets and wallets.  Erin's friend A said it best when she remarked, "I just love free stuff!"

As if all that wasn't enough, getting to hear the Steve Miller Band live, for free, was amazing.  We were able to score third row, center seats to hear this legend perform.   There is something really special about a free outdoor summer concert on Chicago's front porch. Just when we thought it couldn't possibly get any better,  Gerald Johnson, the bass player, threw his guitar pick into the audience at the end of the concert, and Kelsey wound up with it.

I love summer in the city!

21

Then...

Yes, it was a fairy tale wedding, complete with a carriage-ride departure from the church.  I kept with tradition and wore:

*Something old:  Grandma Hodges' pearls (my mom and her sister wore them at their weddings too)

*Something new:  my wedding dress (made by my mom)

*Something borrowed:  my veil (it was my aunt's)

*Something blue:  my garter

Now...

We dined at (k)new restaurant in the Logan Square neighborhood.  Chef Omar Rodriguez is brilliant, and we enjoyed a fantastic dinner.  Everything from the amuse bouche to the dessert cheese plate was well thought out with layers and layers of flavor.

And, in honor of our 21 years together, I wore:

*Something old:  my necklace and earrings (Baird bought them for me on the beach in Barbados on our honeymoon)

*Something new:  my blouse

*Something borrowed:  the earrings in my second piercing (sorry, Mom.  I know I've had them forever.  I'll get them back to you at Cousins Camp)

*Something blue:  unmentionable ;-)

For the last 21 years, Baird has been my lover, my partner, my friend, my biggest fan.  He believes in me more than I believe in myself sometimes.  We can finish each others' sentences, and communicate volumes with just a look.  I cannot imagine my life without him.  I'm still head-over-heels in love with him, even after 21 years.  I'm so thankful God brought us together!