mhadam

this is should be great, wonderful start! Maggie

For those local residents (Wendy), the Creperie is having a Beaujolais Nouveau celebration party on the 21st. There are two seatings: 500pm and 7pm. I will be attending the 500pm.

Very odd, I went to edit a post to add pictures of the delis and it wouldn't let me. Oh well.... This is Shop N Save -- a polish deli/supermarket in Niles, Illinois The deli counter, all of these sausages are made there The central cooler that has already packaged meats and sausages, for those not wanting to wait in line We sure do like bottled water don't we? These all are from Poland. Mom and I usually buy a case or two of the large bottles. These are small aisles and the shelves are filled from top to bottom with goodies. Majority of the products are from Europe with a few from Asia. A picture from the main aisle: The center cooler has frozen meats and fish, while fresh meat flanks from the right and dry products on the left Yummy pastries: And the checkout (for some reason, neon colors are popular with the Polish my dad calls them "fashion colors" The Russian farmer's market, also located in Niles: They sell almost every piece of meat you can imagine or want Extensive produce:

We have returned from Crystal Lake's own Creperie. Before I begin the description, I'd like to apologize for the lack of sweet and sour pork and food homage to John's grandfather. This week's best intentions have succumbed, like most things in our lives, to the whims of others and family. Should I have the opportunity to blog again, I promise to cover more ground. But I do hope that you have enjoyed what I have shared and showed you. With that my final meal for you to enjoy: the Creperie. Chef Pierre is from France and quite a noted chef. He has worked throughout France and the US (primarly in Phoenix and Illinois). His little Creperie is the perfect place for a light and warming dinner. He is open Tuesday - Saturday from 11am - 830pm. He only accepts cash or check. He has a very good wine list and makes everything himself. (no pictures as the camera is dead and I can't find the charger) We ordered the 4 course meal: soup, entree crepe with salad, dessert crepe and coffee. Tonight's soup was Italian Wedding soup -- I love those mini meatballs John had the beef bourginon crepe (home cooked beef stew with carrots, celery, onion, wine and herbage), and for dessert nutella with bananas. I had the special crepe: prosciutto/goat cheese and tomato, and for dessert apricot jam and almonds. I love nutella but after the too-fudgy chocolate cake I can't stand even the thought of chocolate. The salad is always baby field greens with Pierre's homemade vinaigrette (olive oil, mustard, vinegar). The dressing coats the greens perfectly. The dessert crepe is served with french vanilla ice cream, whipped cream and a pretty powdered sugar design. I passed on the ice cream, but John of course did not. We also had a bottle of wine: Georges De Bouef: Cab. Thank you again for letting me blog, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I.

No matter how I try, I can't get a nice shot of the menu from Tru without washing it out in light. So my description must suffice. In addition, there are no pictures from the restaurant as it didn't seem appropriate -- especially after we saw someone take a picture and be stared down by the wait staff until the camera was put away. I must preface this write-up by saying dinner was like a religious experience. The rituals and patterns and attention to detail are what set Tru aside from a regular restaurant, beyond the fact that their wine list is 2 inches thick and everything is custom made. When I made the reservations in July, I stated that this would be an anniversary celebration. Boy did they remember. Not only did the menus wish us a Happy Anniversary, the entire staff knew -- even at the end of the meal, a beautiful gold tray was brought out with a chocolate heart cake with 2 candles and our names written in chocolate as well as Happy Anniversary. It was perfect, even the mistakes (I'll get to that). We both ordered Rick Tramonto’s Collection and the sommelier’s wine recommendations for each meal. So we began the meal with an amuse: Acorn Squash Panna Cotta, with toasted Pumpkin seed brittle. This was served a silver spoon. It was cold, sweet/savory at the same time and the crisp brittle broke the creaminess wonderfully. At this point, John’s scotch (neat Glenmorangie 10 year) arrived as did my straight up Hendrick’s gimlet with two limes. Next was the grande amuse-bouche. First was a creamy apple soup, then the cumin/almond/golden raisin cous cous, then the black lentil/beet salad with micro-watercress and a line of truffle vinaigrette. My plate didn't have the vinaigrette that the "explaining waiter" (waiter who explained what we will be eating) didn't notice. I quietly called over one of the "hoverers" (the wonderful wait staff that hover waiting to assist in any manner) and pointed out the lack of vinaigrette. He profusely apologized and in a few minutes came back with a delicate bowl filled with the stuff. He tried, as best he could, to make a beautiful mark with the demitasse spoon but failed miserably it ended up to be a tasty blob of vinaigrette that if allowed I would have licked clean away. Anyway … the final amuse was a ginger and pear shooter. Cold, refreshing and perfectly biting on the tongue. Next was the Golden Osetra Caviar Staircase. Need I say more? There was a small fight over the last of the wasabi-infused flying fish roe. John won! To drink we had the Alan McCorkindale Pinot Gris Waipara Valley, 2004. Now the change-up beings. First bite was our own plate; second bite was for the other. If there were two items on the plate that required tasting, we’d do that with three and four. I had the deconstructed waygu (same explaining waiter said Kobe) beef tartar with a garlic foam (to die for – this is what John would lick up if he could. It was like eating fluffy garlic butter), marinated caper pods, white anchovy, over-easy quail egg and a consommé gelee. Yummers. I love tartar, I love garlic. I was in heaven. The History of Food explains that those who eat raw meat are bloodthirsty, and those who eat garlic and moral degenerates – I say bring it on! To drink I had the Naia Verdejo Rueda, 2004. John had the salmon, hamachi and ahi tuna tartar with avocado and seaweed salad and a potato gaufrrette. Again a wonderful dish, perfect for John and his love of fish. John had the Dewasakura Green Ridge Dawasansan Junmai Ginjo Sake. The sake was so herbal, I can’t even describe it. Next was foie. I had the Hudson Valley Foie Gras with Bricohe French Toast, Banana Chutney, a caramelized banana, and finished tableside with chocolate sauce. Very interesting and I never thought that foie and chocolate go together. The banana’s really tied the dish together. John preferred this dish to his (and I his to mine). The wine was Barbeito New York Malmsey Special Reserve Madeira. John had the Hudson Valley Foie Gras with autumn berries (ligonberries and raspberries) and braised red cabbage. The fruit was sweet and the cabbage was so tart you could pucker. I loved the combo of sweet, sour with the delicate liver. Truly outstanding – the wine: Tokaji Aszu 5 Puttonyos Chateau Pajzos 1999. Soup time – done in the style of a cappuccino with milk foam on top I had the Potato-Leek Soup with crispy apple wood bacon – the bacon was laid across the top of the cup. Very nice, very smooth, very creamy. I ate the bacon too soon and wanted something crunchy towards the end of my tongue licking out the cup (discreetly of course) John had the Porcini Mushroom with a parmesan tuile. It’s porcini mushrooms – this couldn’t be bad. We had the same wine: K Vintners Viognier Columbia Valley, 2004. Fish course: I had the steamed Nova Scotia Halibut with snowcap and enoki mushrooms, and finished tableside with a tomato lemongrass nage. Once my delicious flaky fish was finished, I used my spoon and ate the nage. I couldn’t resist. It was so fresh, so powerful so great on my now getting sore again throat. The wine was (yeah – I love Riesling) Rudesheim Estate Riesling Georg Breuer Rheingau, 2003. John being the lover of old-world things had the roasted Columbia Rover Sturgeon with braised oxtail and a spiced carrot puree (that was completely eaten from his plate). He had a nice full bodied, Lucia Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands, 2003. The principal course: I had the beef Rossini (on the nicely rare side) with wild mushrooms, summer truffle, and foie gras-beef jus on a garlicky toasted brioche. I ate my fillet first and left the brioche for last. I actually enjoyed the brioche more as it was so soaked with jus and was so powerfully garlicky that John could smell it. As I said – moral degenerate. I had a (too strong for me) Barbera d’Asti Superiore Fava Garetto, 2000. John had (originally was told veal but it could not be so an additional explanation was requested) assiette of pork: loin with bread stuffing and (I could eat this very day) belly with great northern beans. The belly required no chewing; it LITERALLY melted in the mouth. I tried to trade meals, stupid John wouldn’t. He drank a Pauillac Reserve de la Comtesse, 2000. Next was cheese. Now we know a thing or two about cheese so this was fun. If I remember correctly, there are 12-14 cheeses offered: cow, goat, and sheep’s’ milk. We were allowed three and choose: the Humboldt fog (this is a favorite of ours especially after being in Napa), the Robiola, and a Spanish blue that John let me have a taste of before devouring happily. To accompany we had a few glazed nuts, two water crackers, pear chutney for the blue, and some dried fruit bread. We shared a glass of Churchill’s 10-year Porto. Dessert time: Amuse: honeydew-lime-mint shooter. Very nice and refreshing after all that heavy food. It was very tart so it was the perfect foil to dessert. I had the way-too-fudgy chocolate cake that I forced myself to finish. It was too dense for me after the above meal. The cake came with thyme ice cream that I loved and will try at home. No particles of thyme in the ice cream so it was all infused flavor. A freeform pulled sugar decoration had the thyme leaves. I also had a pannacotta with macerated strawberries. Very nice, very delicate and it was eaten last. To drink I had an espresso. John had a grilled Madeline with sour cream ice cream and quince. Very nice! And a chocolate and mocha mousse. Again very little and delicate. To drink – John finished his scotch. Next were the mignardises and lollipops. Aforementioned explaining water didn’t explain any of the lollipops so we passed on those. My selection of 3: blackberry pate de fruit, Gale’s own candy corn (one kernel) and lavender shortbread that smelled oh so lavendery I loved it. John also had the shortbread, and chose the pistachio brittle, the chocolate mint meringue. Out of the chocolate tray, I had the white chocolate and pumpkin while John had a spicy (cardamom) dark chocolate nugget of goodness. Oh, I forgot to mention – we were presented with bread: we both choose the pumpernickel but really didn’t eat much of it. That was the wonderful, memorable meal. I also drank about a bottle of water Thank you for letting me share these meals with you, I apologize for the recent delays due to illness and family matters. It’s 610 now and we are off to the Creperie for dinner.

We are finally home after a long day out. Breakfast consisted of the Drake's Room Service: John add steak and eggs: A medium-rare sirloin with two overhard eggs and hashbrowns. Note the picture shows the over-easy eggs that were quickly remedy with a fresh plate. The garnish was a broiled tomato, a strawberry half and slice of orange. I had the Eggs Benedict with fried potatoes: We shared a plate of bacon, some english muffins and a carafe of coffee. We also had freshly squeezed OJ.

Dinner was at Tru and the most exquiste meal I ever had. I don't have pictures, but do have a detailed menu that I will share later. It's almost time for breakfast so I will post on that later as well.

Thank you all for your concerns. It's so not like me to flake out, but it hit me hard and I wanted to recover for tonight.

I think I'm all caught up -- I mentioned this mornings breakfast: coffee and a chocolate donut. John had the plain donut. Before we left we split a greek pizza from TJ's. The camera was packed, so no pics. Their greek pizza is a regular crust topped with a spicy tomato sauce, feta, kalamata olives and some moz. I heated it in the delonghi for 10 minutes at 450. For lunch -- after shopping at Bloomingdale's (I so love the city ) we went to Water Tower place and ordered at Wow Bao. These are delicious steamed buns. John ordered a box of 6 and a hot/sour chicken soup combo for me - as my throat was getting raspy again. The combo is two buns plus the soup. These are the cutest little buns ever: They have 6 flavors: - kung pao cashew chicken - thai green curry - green vegetable - bbq pork - spicy beef - chicken teriyaki We had 3 buns (my two plus one from the box) where the cashew chicken, thai curry and bbq pork. We went halvsies on all 3. The bun is very soft, and slightly sweet. All three fillings were great. Very spicy. I'm having a tonic now to soothe my tummy. Oh -- every floor by the elevators has a fruit bowl -- courtsey of the fruit bowl: The room as a minibar: And in case you wonder what I look like -- I'm all splotchy from coughing and sneezing. Stupid cold

Sunday breakfast -- This was intended to be a picnic style breakfast/brunch/lunch, and it turned out well. I was still off key so we started much later than expected. First the table: What was had: (clockwise) - roasted red pepper hummus (the bowl with the red peppers on top) from TJ's - tomato and olive bruschetta from TJ's - bulk olives from Whole Foods - horseradish hummus from TJ's - in the middle: giardinera (sp?) (left to right) - kabanosy (thin smoked sausages from the polish deli) - the white cheddar, from WF - a piece from the log of goat cheese (originally from TJ's, purchased a week ago) - above the goat cheese is some rosemary ham from TJ's - the piece of Brillat Savarin - next to BS is some munster cheese, again from the Polish deli - last bit of meat is some prosciutto from TJ's The bread plate has polish rye, the ciabatta, mini wheat pitas (TJ's), some swedish crackers, and some black pepper crackers from Sur la Table - quartered tomatoes, diced cucumbers, sprinkling of a few diced peppers (from John's quesadillas), green onion, salt and pepper - quartered honey crisp apple - a glazed and crumb coating donut from Entemmann's - a wedge of the Louisiana crunch cake Beverages: Earl Grey tea and an Asti Sparkling wine (from TJ's) were served. I had two cups of the earl grey and a cup of some anise tea. I had maybe half a glass of the asti. Then I went to bed. We didn't have dinner, I was to make sweet and sour pork, because I was quite nauseated and didn't want to think of food. The sweat and sour pork is now moved to Tuesday night. John ate a chocolate donut and had some aged white cheddar potato chips from TJ's.

After the Farmer's Market, we went to Whole Foods. The place was packed and John was getting antsy so we didn't stay long. We purchased: -- a small piece of Brillat Savarin cheese -- some olives from the bulk bar The white blot is the peeled garlic. -- Ciabatta -- NY raw milk white sharp cheddar -- two Hillary's cookies -- oatmeal current -- chocolate almond These are so good and this is the only WF I can find them at. She's a Chicago-town girl trying to make a living selling awesome cookies. Afterwards, we went to my parents and my whole plan was thrown. My parents got a dog -- this would be great news if the circumstances were different. As a result of the dog, my parents forgot our anniversary, and my mother didn't want to go to the stores we planned since she didn't want to leave the doggy for too long. So I apologize for the lack of polish delis. We went to the Russian Farmer's Market and Shop N Save only. (I will post pics later) John and I, after leaving my parents, went to Entemmann's Bakery outlet -- no pictures. The cashier caught us and yelled. We purchased: -- Louisiana crunch cake: this is not the cake from my childhood. It is no longer crunchy and it's too sweet. It's a denser angel food cake with a sticky, icky glaze -- a variety pack of donuts as John had a hankering: the box contained plain, crumb coating, chocolate glazed and "regular" glaze. The crumbs are now big chunks of crumb I hate it when tasty things turn bad. We also went to Trader Joes. None of the store photos turned out well, sorry. For breakfast we had a cup of coffee (made in the press) and donuts. I had a chocolate glazed and John had the plain. I have to say the plain donuts are wonderful. Not too dry, not to sweet. Perfect! Today's plan -- emissions test, the Drake, dinner at Tru. Talk to you soon. Enjoy the day, Maggie

We did and had a ball. Almost all the little ones were dressed up for Halloween, plus some of the vendors. It was cute. In the back, the man in the chef's jacket is making pizzas. He brings out a woodburning oven and makes pizzas. I asked him if I could take a picture and he said no, so that's the best I could do. the cooking demo: What we bought -- -- 1 small bunchs of white japenese turnips. They are so beautiful. -- 1 2lb purple and white turnip. I couldn't resist -- 2 Honey Crisp apples -- 2 apple ciders: one is a cinnamon apple cider, the other is a tart cherry apple cider -- 2lbs of potatoes: purple potatoes, german butterballs and french fingerlings -- 1 lebanese eggplant -- John want's another Maggie's eggplant next week

I apologize for the delay in responding. I was exhausted and caught a bit of a bug on Saturday. I needed to "fix myself" or else today wasn't going to be enjoyable. I do feek better but my throat is a bit sore and my head is still throbbing. Saturday's Breakfast: Individual Frittatas with hashbrowns. I topped each frittata with a dollop of sourcream and a quartered tomato. This pic is of one slightly cut up so you can see how moist it was. The set table: The after breakfast table -- John took the picture. He insisted I post it even though it's weird The preparation: On Friday night, I chopped the veg and left them waiting for me: 1 red pepper, diced 1 small onion, diced 1/2 a small leek, diced 2 green onions, chopped 1/4 of frozen green peas a pinch of rosemary, hand-crushed A close up I also prepped the press for coffee: You can see the bowl with the foil -- that's the veg on the counter waiting for tomorrow And took out the potatoes to defrost: I don't have pics of me frying the pototoes, I forgot to charge them camera -- so you will need to visulize this: on Saturday morning, I took half of the potatoes out and re-froze the rest in a ziploc bag. I preheated a large non-stick pan (the one I used to fry the gyoza) and added some olive oil and butter. I fried the potatoes turning every so often, on medium heat, for about 10 minutes. In the meantime, the frittatas were baking and I was taking a shower. I like to multi-task The frittatas -- In the morning, I decided I wanted some sun-dried tomatoes in this. So I added two forkfuls of TJ's julienned sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil. I added only a drop of two of oil. The rest of the ingredients: (I didn't take a pic of the Oberweiss milk) The preparation: I used four eggs, 1 tsb of white pepper (penzy's), a pinch of kosher salt and a shot of milk. I used about 2 inches of goat cheese, from the log, and roughly chopped it. After I added the eggs to the veg, I whisked the mixture until the cheese broke down and the tomato slices separated. Prepartion for baking: Two oven-proof ramekins That need to be buttered And filled: The delonghi was heating at 400 for about 5 minutes. In went the tray for 3 minutes at 400 and then I turned it down to 350. The frittatas baked for about 20 minutes. When I went to take my shower, I turned the oven to 300 so that they wouldn't burn or dry out. To drink, we had some coffee. Saturday Dinner -- Since I wasn't feeling so hot and was too tired to move, we had a scaled down version of what was planned. John did all of the cooking and let me rest in bed now that's an anniversary present. John made me his quesadillas -- he didn't take pics, so please visualize: Equipment: -- large flour tortilla -- shredded cheese: mont. jack/cheddar blend -- finely shredded -- red and green diced peppers -- 2 plates -- non-stick frying pan - microwave To prepare: - on one plate, lay the tortilla down and top with a line of diced peppers. Peppers should be placed along the short-end of the tortilla vertically, about 1/4 inch from the edge - top peppers with a good graspful of cheese - place plate in microwave for 33 seconds - remove plate and fold over the edge over the filling and then roll tightly. - lay the rolled tortilla in a hot (ungreased) nonstick pan - brown, flip over and brown the other side - once browned, remove from pan, cut in half -- diagonally for nicest presentation and serve. John also made me pan-fried shrimp: of this, we have pics Equipment: - non-stick frying pan - olive oil - shrimp (precooked, frozen shrimp - allowed to thaw) Preparation: - heat a non-stick frying pan with a splash of olive oil - lay in shrimp, once pan is hot Cook on high heat for a few minutes. That's it. No salt, no herbage, no sauce. Great shrimp prepared quickly need no adornation. The natural sweetness is enough. John likes to place the shrimp on a papertowel to wick away the oil. We had a bottle of Prosecco from Trader Joe's with it. I really only had a glass as my tummy was starting to get upset from eating. Note the lighthouse placemats. We honey-mooned in Cape Cod.

We are home after a long day out. I will post a recap of breakfast and the day later. I need a good sit right now

As no one responded to my breakfast question for tomorrow, I decided that I will make a frittata, hash browns, and a salad of some sort -- maybe fruit or tomato, not sure yet. The coffee press is prepped, the veg for the frittata are cut, the table is set and I just finished wrapping John's gift -- after much struggling with Cashew and the tissue paper. Mizducky -- thanks for the compliment on the photo. It is a beautiful plate isn't it? btw -- your cat story a few days ago was so cute and heart-warming. Thanks for sharing. Well good night all. Till tomorrow.

Dinner was wonderful, as it always is at Francesca's. We are what you can consider regulars and are quite intimate with the staff. This relationship adds to the whole experience for us. The first few photos are dark, so I apologize if the images aren't that clear. I also have a copy of the menu, so if you'd like more info on a dish I can provide that. I don't want to type out the menu if no one cares. (I tried taking pics of it and I can't get a clear and usable shot - or multiple shots.) When you are seated, the busboys bring over warmed bread and fresh butter. The tables are preset with flavored (herbs) olive oil, salt and pepper. Of course the tables have water glasses, bread plates, napkins and silverware. The bread is delivered to the restaurant every morning. It's perfectly crispy on the outside and so delicate and soft inside. A note on the tables -- as with most italian restaurants, the tables have the thick white cloth with the thin paper overlay. I love how the busboys use the "combs" to sweep away crumbs. Appetizers: Francesca's offers a standard set of appetizers and adds on 3-4 special apps. The standards: Calamari fritti, mussels in a spicy tomato sauce, spinach with garlic and oil, bruschette roman style, carpaccio, and risotto. Tonight's additions were: bruschette prosciutto (prosciutto, moz, tomatoes and basil), risotto with manila clams, prosciutto and grana parm, a salami salad and a wild mushroom polenta. We had the calamari which is accompanied with a spicy tomato sauce that is made in house. The sauce base is shellfish. I did squeeze some lemon over the calamari. It was fresh from the fryer so it was piping hot and so crispy. We've never had a problem with the squid being rubbery or chewy. Salads: Eight standard salads are offered in the summer/winter: String bean, Tomato and Onion Pea Pods, tomato and cuke Tomato, onion and blue cheese Asparagus, blue cheese and tomato Dinner salad Caesar salad Insalata alla Francesca -- romaine, radicchio, blue cheese, and fresh veg Insalata Caprese -- what we had. 3 big beautiful thick slices of ripe tomatoes, thick slices of fresh moz, hug lettuce leaf basil leafs, olive oil and freshly ground pepper - tableside. We each had a plate. (Francesca's does offer Napolean pizzas -- we've never ordered them but they are quite popular. Again, 4 standards and one special -- tonight's special was intriguing: sliced grilled eggplant, ricotta and tomato basil sauce) Pasta: John usually orders off the Pasta section while I choose an Entree. Six pasta dishes were offered: Linguine con Frutti di Mare: Linquine with fish - shrimp, scallops, manila clams, mussels, calamari in a spicy tomato sauce. I've had this before and it's wonderful. Penne con Escarole -- with sausage, roasted cherry tomatoes, white beans, garlic, pine nuts in a light herb broth. Linguine all Amatriciana: onion, pancetta in a tomato sauce with parm. Ravioli di Zucca: pumpkin ravioli with a sage brown butter sauce, veal reductoin, fresh tomatoes and parm. I wanted to have this for dinner, but ordered something sooooo much yummier instead. Penne con Asparagi -- sauteed with asapargus and pine nuts in a lemon cream sauce. Orrecchiette Bavosa -- John ordered and loved this. Orecchiette pasta sauteed in a light tomato basil sauce with melted moz, olive oil and parm. The dish was quite tasty. Entrees: six entrees were offered. The 1/2 roasted chicken is a constant as well as 2 fish dishes. Tonight there were 3, plus a special not on the menu -- those who knew to ask were treated royally Pollo Arrosto all Romana -- the 1/2 roasted chicken, tonight served with garlic, shallots, rosemary, lemon and olive oil. On the side were roasted potatoes. Pollo alla Disperata -- sauteed chicken breat with peppers, onion, wild mushrooms, garlic, white wine and olive oil Vitello al Limone -- I love their veal and have had it many times. Tonight it was prepared with a light lemon white wine sauce with capers and spinach. The spinach is sauteed with wine, lemon and onions. It's bright green, very fresh and a great side dish. Salmone con Vongole -- salmon with manila clams, escarole, garlic, white wine and capers Pesce alla Livornese -- roasted tilapia with peas, white onion, oregano in a garlic white wine tomato broth over polenta. What I was going to get -- Pesce mia Notte: swordfish with oven dried tomatoes, roasted artichokes, capers, lemon and a brown butter sauce. However I had a craving and was delighted when, one of our favorite servers -- Drew, said that they had skate. I love skate! It's so light, delicate and has a natural sweet taste (almost like a scallop). The skate was prepared in a lemon and white wine sauce with fresh tomatoes and capers. On the side was some of the spinach, that I mentioned above. The skate was roasted. The edges were crispy but the meat was so delicate and tender. A spoon could flake the meat up. I tried getting a closeup but couldn't get a nice enough shot. To drink we ordered two glasses of a Sonoma 2003 Cab. The winery was Stephen Vincento. It was a nice dry red that cut the sauce of the skate perfectly. I had two glasses. Jamie, the hostess, and Stash, the host, brought us two limonciello's to celebrate our anniversary. We were also treated to a delicious lemon tart. The sauce was a puree of tart raspberries. The white fluff was freshly whipped cream. The fruit garnish was marinated strawberries and fresh blueberries. I love the little candle they gave us. John had an Oban scotch with dessert, while I finished my 2nd glass of wine. I usually order a Strega, but as I had wine leftover..... That was dinner.

It's 607 ct and I haven't left work yet. Looks like Trader Joe's might not happen tonight as dinner is set for 8pm. Sorry -- maybe tomorrow.

I was just given a cookie that will be eaten sometime this weekend. Thought I'd post it now lest I forget It's a Pumpkin cookie with Cinnamon icing. The cookie is quite soft and the icing is firm enough that it cracks when you apply pressure with your finger in a poking motion. Here is a pic of our coffee station at work

Lunchtime – After much whining, I was able to convince husband that we must have lunch – if not for us than for the blog. We went downstairs to Deli Time . Sorry no pictures, as it is a very small space with lots of people and I did not want it getting back to anyone that I was taking pictures. Corporate Nazis are scary and I prefer to not anger them. In order for me to accurately describe what we are eating, I insisted we go “halvsies” with our sandwiches. He ordered the Tuna Melt on wheat toast with cheddar cheese: The tuna is canned white tuna packed in water. There is mayo, salt, and pepper in the mixture. A there is no celery or onion, it is quite soft. At least the bread was toasted for some texture. You have the option of adding lettuce and/or tomato to the sandwich but John passed. To prepare the sandwich, the bread is first toasted. Then the premade tuna mixture is spread on, thickly as you can see, onto one side of the bread and topped with two slices of cheese. The second slice of bread is laid ontop of the cheese and the thing is slid under the broiler for a few seconds. I ordered the Hot Italian, which comes on a 10 inch toasted French Roll. The meat base consists of salami, pastrami, and ham with provolone cheese. The veg on top are: shredded iceberg lettuce, chopped black olives, diced onions, diced tomatoes, and diced green peppers. The whole thing is sprinkled with oregano and doused with “lite Italian vinaigrette.” The whole thing is run under the broiler. It is tasty but huge! There is no way I could eat the whole thing and have room for dinner. Both sandwiches came with a measly quarter of a pickle. It was all right. I'm having one of my large bottles of water to drink. I needed to lay off the caffeine as I was starting to get the shakes.

Thank you everyone for the nice comments! I truly appreciate them. When we were at the Morton Arboretum two, maybe three weeks ago I found some puffball mushrooms (the big white mushrooms that look like clouds). After much insisting, John let me pick them. I think I still might have some cell phone pics, if I do, I will post them. Bleudauvergne – what type of mushrooms did you pick and where? I love to forge but there aren’t many places to around here though. However, this is a come sight on the road, horses being transported: Yes, I drank all the coffee and refilled it twice already. I'm getting hungry so I might need to forge for lunch. I’ll keep you posted.

So tired......I slept in till 6am!!! I should have been up at 430, so no breakfast today except for Coffee from the Wild Bean cafe at the BP (formerly Amoco) gas station. We needed to feed the car anyway, and I thought caffenie was a smart move. I forgot the camera in the car -- sorry no pics of the inside. As they have a "make your own coffee bar" I took the 24oz cup and added - 2 shots of hazelnut flavored coffee syrup - 1 packet of equal sugar substitute (i prefer this in coffee as it melts better and quicker) - 2 shots of half and half - a few shakes of cinnamon - 1/2 cup of Ethiopian coffee (light bodied) - 1/2 cup of Costa Rican Tres Rios (dark roast, heavy flavor) For John I made, again in a 24oz cup - 2 shots of caramel flavored coffee syrup - 2 packets of sugar (since he thinks equal is evil) - 1/2 cup of French Roast (dark roast, heavy flavor) - 1/2 cup of ..... I don't remember, but it was another light bodied coffee but not the Ethiopian I almost forgot to grab something for lunch so i don't know what we will have. The plan is to be out of work by 6pm, go to Trader Joe's and then dinner at Francesca's.

Just got home -- it's 1053 ct. We are having Wendy's for dinner -- I'm enjoying a crispy spicy chicken sandwich and a baked potato. The chicken is breast meat that's breaded and fried. These are really good sandwiches. As the fast food joint didn't provide sour cream or butter, I used my daisy sour cream and Land O'Lakes butter. John is having chicken nuggets, and some small burgers. A doublestack: ie two patties, cheese, pickles and ketchup A Junior Bacon cheeseburger: ie patty, cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato -- I think that's it. The chicken nuggets were basic deepfried breast nuggets. Not bad, not great. Tomorrow's an exciting day so I hope you stay tuned. Night all

Yes!!! That was a staple growing up. I don't have any liverwurst though , we had it last week. Maybe I'll get some on Saturday.

Explanation of what's in the tea drawer: Starting in the back left corner: Blue box -- jasmine tea that was a gift from a former coworker Open box -- that is Puerh peach tea. My mom bought it for me at Wally's delicatessen Rooibos -- another tea mommy bought me. It's an african black tea. Nice and strong. Zurawina and Malina -- a polish tea it's cranberry and raspberry. Very tart! To sweeten it I add raspberry syrup. Not only does the tea become drinkable, the flavor composition isn't threw off. Sylwetka Lux -- it's a weight loss fennel/anise tea mommy bought me. She thinks I'm too "happy in the middle" and by drinking a box of tea a week, I'll lose weight. Technically I will but it's b/c of other reasons. It's a nice tea though Center row from the back: That's a metal tin on it's side -- it has Swiss Miss cocoa packets Jar with white lid -- Chamomile picked from the garden Clear Plastic Container on it's side: green tea leaves Long silver cansister: Dean and Deluca handmade green tea/jasmine flowers. Very pretty. Haven't had one in a while ..... Small jar with black lid (it's an old cavier jar) -- pion. Pion is wormwood. Great for tummy aches. Just a pinch in a cup of water and your all set. Again, another good way to lose weight *cough cough* The silver packets are the earl grey. My father thought we didn't have enough so he insisted my mother buy me a case of 100 packets. It's a good earl grey from Poland. No idea what it's called as I threw away the box. Right row from the back: Pink container -- it's pink grapefruit tea from Tazo Small green box -- it's an assam and the large orange cansister -- whole bunch of loose black and green teas. close up of the tea drawer

Lunchtime -- John (in case you didn't pick up yet - my husband works at the same company as I) and I split the piz and sandwich. Sandwich was turkey, luxdamer Swiss cheese, and smoked Gouda with cucumbers on polish rye. As I'm still out of mayo, I used butter. (Maybe I'll make mayo tomorrow). I microwaved the piz, as work doesn't have a toaster oven. As a result of the microwave, the whole thing was very soft. I'm glad I toasted the rye otherwise this morning since lunch would have been like baby food. You could taste the piz was made with leftover potatoes rather than potato flour. That just made my day, as it tasted so homemade. The filling was ground beef seasoned with nutmeg and allspice. There was some finely chopped onion as well. As I mentioned a few days ago, the pizy are boiled after forming -- it's the pan-frying that gives them the crispy exterior. I tried taking a picture of the Ikea showroom, I mean our cafe, but there were too many people down there to do so subtlety. I will try before we leave today. Next set of pictures, assuming I don't munch at work, will be late this evening once I'm home from class. There will be snacks on the drive to class, but I left the bag in the car: Quaker Fruit Bites (I believe iced strawberry) and Safeway (generic Dominick's line) sodas. I have the apple/pear and John will enjoy the Strawberry/Watermelon. Plan for tomorrow: breakfast at home, lunch from home, a stop at Trader Joe's in Glen Ellyn for groceries, dinner out at Francesca's in West Dundee - -it's a great Italian restaurant. Website address: Francesca's Saturday game plan: early breakfast -- this is where I will be more traditional. What would you like to see? Eggs in some style: frittata, scrambled, omelet? Pancakes? Waffles? Biscuits? You name it and I'll try to make it, then we have our emissions test, after which it's to the Green Market, Whole Foods, taking my mom grocery shopping (insert Polish delis here) and a comfort dinner. I will be on for another 30 minutes so feel free to ask questions. Oh -- do you want to see pictures of my food storage area (ie the place where I keep my jars and staples). I don't want to bore you, so I thought I'd ask.