Surely Mrs. Potts Would be Proud

A few months ago, I paid culinary tribute to the Rolls Royce of slow cookers. Meanwhile, the pretty blue 5 1/2 quart Le Creuset sat patiently on our stove top with no public admiration. This is my one and only Le Creuset piece and I use it almost every single week (totally worth every cent in my mind). Why is it so grand? Where do I start?! It is attractive enough to keep out every day. Le Creuset is heavy without being so heavy that my pigeon arms can't lift it. It cleans beautifully. It heats evenly and fast, and can go right in the oven. I do think I have a cooking love affair with the Le Creuset. Ooo la la!! Shhh...don't tell RJB...

The November issue of Cooking Light boasted a Sweet Potato Chicken Curry. Everything about the title rang delicious to me. For those not in the know, I pine for curry (that's right, pine) and the spicier the better. I thought this recipe was worthy of Le Creuset's public adoration. Enjoy...

Quickly cooking up the chicken like a pro

Nothing better than 2 cups onion, a healthy portion of

garlic and ginger, and the co-star of the show - the curry

based spice mix

Onion time! Look at the golden brown

bits the chicken left.

More browning goodness. Also being showcased, the

best silicone spoon ever.

Worlds collide!

Bring on that curry

Look at that coquettish Le Creuset, simmering

at me happily

Go Sweet Potatoes!

Go final and extra-JMB-inspired

impromptu ingredients!

Steamy spicy goodness!

The curry took some time to make, but most of the time was simmer time. It was quite easy and SO tasty. I will make this one many times over and highly recommend it to my fellow curry loving readers. And yes, le Grande Dame cleaned beautifully as you would expect.

PS - the curry I used was from Penzeys Spices. I used the spicier of the curries and it came out very well, not overly spicy but it had a kick. I recommend using a curry powder you really like since it totally drives the flavor.

Bean Counters take on Bean Town

It's been a while since I blogged and I have to make a few posts over the weekend to catch up. The posts will be a little out of order but something tells me y'all don't mind. Somehow a week has quickly flown by! A week ago today I was in Boston, reuniting with two of my favorite people: ADF and CCB. We decided a few months ago that we needed to get together under the guise of our erudite underground club.

Highlights:

-We stayed at NineZero, one of the Kimptons. CCB enjoyed TWO free wine happy hours, ADF and I arrived too late on Thursday to partake. Oddly, none of us got into the animal print robes the entire weekend. meow!

-The hotel was uber close to (1) the granary cemetery: the one and only site we saw on the Freedom trail (more on that later). It also is the resting place of Ben Franklin's fam, Sam Adams, Paul Revere, the Boston Massacre victims, among others. (2) the Boston Athenaeum. The Mecca of Book Lovers. All three of us fell over each other in literary lust and jealously that none of us could join and enjoy the Athenaeum on a regular basis.

-On Friday, we headed over to Cambridge and spent some time at Harvard. The area is really pretty and reminded me a bit of Europe with the brick streets, old buildings, and little nooks of stores hidden away. We did a tour of campus and learned all the cool facts. The tour only covers Harvard Yard and a few other buildings so you only see a little bit of campus, but the tour still took close to two hours. Afterwards we headed back across the river to Boston, had coffee, and went through the Granary Cemetery.

Memorial Church

Memorial Hall

Harvard Square - apparently Bostonians eat more

ice cream than any other major US city

In Harvard Yard

Totally look like we belong here

"John Harvard"

LIBRARY!

-so more on the one lonely stop on the Freedom Trail. Weather was generally good, as in it was not sleeting, snowing, or below 40 degrees. But on Saturday, it rained. And the wind blew. And we were not prepared to walk around outside all day. However, we hit the Granary Cemetery at the end of day Friday at dusk and it was SO cool in a very historical, creepy way. I was taken aback at how thin the tombstones were and the macabre picture of skulls. Funny how nowadays, tombstones have cherubs and angels on them (Catholic ones at least). Apparently volunteers dress up circa 1750 and do tours around the cemetery, but we were rogue visitors and went on our own. After dinner this night, we went to the Parker House for Boston Cream Pie.

-Given the rain, on Saturday, we hit the Athenaeum, then to the Boston Museum, then to a bookstore. Bliss! We ate at a yummy seafood place and had the best crab cakes. Afterwards we shopped a bit then back to the hotel to read in bed and get ready for our superfly dinner that night. (sorry photos are out of order here and I am too lazy to redo it...forgive me!)

Inside the Boston Library

Outside the Athenaeum

-Saturday night we were very trendy with our 9pm reservations at Bricco. We got cocktails at the hotel at 8 and then waited at the Bricco bar. At 10 we were seated and had the pre fixe menu. They were out of the bottle of wine we ordered so we got an $80 bottle for $40! yay! Now here's the exciting part - we saw TomKat!! Can't believe they were there. It was way cool, especially since the place was so small (though they ate upstairs). After being star struck for about an hour, we headed home and to bed. So sad we had to leave the next morning!

It was great seeing these lovely ladies over the weekend and I am happy to know RJB and I will see them again, along with more friends, at a wedding in Texas in two weeks! yay!

I can't wait to go back to Boston. It is a haven for history buffs. RJB and I have discussed going there once we are released from fiscal responsibility.

It's a Girl!

The year was 1978. The place was Texas City at Mainland Center Hospital. There, my mom was likely already in labor. Not only was she in a new state (the family moved to Texas less than 2 months before this blessed day from Milwaukee), but she didn't know if she was delivering a boy or a girl. Yes, the time when sex wasn't determined before birth and before the said-to-be heaven-sent epidural. Indeed, today is my birthday.

Chicago has rolled out a beautiful day - in the 60's (gasp!), not a cloud in the sky. RJB went to the frantic and stress inducing grocery to get breakfast supplies this morning and whipped up a tasty breakfast of bacon, hash browns, and flap jacks. Yum! Not sure what the rest of the day will bring though I know it will include the ND game and dinner out. Hopefully it will also include a run in this Indian Summer weather.

Happy birthday to me and happy delivery day to my family!

It's the Hidden Valley

Happy All Saints Day! RJB and I had an uneventful Halloween. I spent most of the afternoon at Aveda, then over to Crate and Barrel to make our registry completion purchase (by the way, C&B advertises a 10% registry completion benefit, but unlike Macys and W-S, it is for a ONE TIME purchase. Not cool in my mind). We got the 18 oz glasses, coasters, and 2 platters. I was successful in talking RJB into buying all 12 glasses even though we currently don't have room for them. Because in less than a year, we should be condo owners with more room (more than 2 overhead cabinets to hold food, plates, and cups!!! oh my!). More on that later. Back to the story... I hit C&B and RJB agreed to pick me up so I wouldn't have to deal with carrying all the glass items on the bus. Cue The Aggressive Husband Driver. Yes, the one who thinks every driver and pedestrian on the road is out to make his driving experience horrible (I mean, it is the trolley's fault that it always drives slow on Michigan Ave? Have you ever seen a speedy trolley? We aren't talking about being cut off or drive by shooters on the road here). Remarkably, the C&B purchases and I made it home safely.

I have decided that RJB and I will not dress up for Halloween until we have kids. And at that point, it is likely that I will dress up and RJB will dress up as, well, RJB. We have never dressed up before as a couple and sadly, I get the feeling that RJB isn't in to it any longer (I do have proof that he did participate in such festivities in college). Anyways, it was fun for me to see friend's kid's costumes on FB this year. We stayed in, I cooked, watched as much of the ND game as we could bear, then watched Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

RJB has decided that we should not rent for another year (I agree). Our lease is up on August 31 and we pay Big Bucks in rent now (upon buying, a mortgage and RE taxes are likely right around what we currently pay as a period expense - crikey!) We have found a new building we really like in Printers Row, though it is already 60% owned, so who knows what will be left by the end of summer. RJB has created an aggressive savings plan for us to follow starting on January 1 (which after I dragged my feet, challenged, and pouted about, finally agreed to - it is appropriate but will be a challenge). Why then and not now? Well, we have a few other things to take care of first.

This morning was the NYC Marathon. First US men's winner since 1982. USA! USA! Another side note, during the spring and summer, didn't all the talking heads say the recession would be over and the happy days would be here again? Interesting. Lastly, apparently the Winter Olympics start in February. Really? RJB and I were both surprised. I continue to be saddened that the winter and summer games are always one month before a significant IRS deadline. Seriously, throw us public kids a bone!