panera

today's lunch

guac...chic...chips

chipotle really knows what they're doing...

PMS

This is what PMS will make you do late @ nite- run to the bakery!

today is national ice cream pie day

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who would've thought..today is ice cream pie day! if you're in chicago this weekend, celebrate this joyous occasion at the chicago ice cream & gelato festival which starts today and ends friday. some of the city's top pastry chefs and soda shops will be in tow. and get this- a homemade ice cream demo is waiting for you! now how exciting is it to know that you can learn how to make your own ice cream in the comfort of your own home? i'm sure you'll be able to learn a few pointers (flavors, last minute add-in ingredients) out of this demo as well. there's a grill area on site too for some savory pickings that'll help balance out your urge to want to climb a wall and embarrass yourself in public from your much anticipated sugar rush.

opens at 6pm, shuts down at 9pm each day. $25 entry fee. 1431 west taylor street at the grand piazza. go get it while it's cold!

trader day tuesday

gummy bears. these aren't your typical bears...they are all natural and made with real fruit and vegetable extracts. there's no artificial flavors or preservatives. and for the first time ever since this universal chewy, gummy goodness was manufactured in the 1920s, now you can get your daily fruit and veggie allowances too. well, don't quote me exactly on that one...but it can be a small bit of a contribution in some sort of way...hehe

strawberry, apple, orange, lemon, pineapple, and cherry are the flavors of the gummy rainbow that are included in this bag that reminds you of the bunny holiday. the bears are the perfect texture and the flavor is present in each candy yet subtle at the same time. i'm addicted. so addicted i'm going to buy a few more bags at trader's tomorrow. so go get a bag too. let me know how much you enjoy them. or didn't. oh, and tell trader greedy food chic sent you. like they know who i am. one day they might. enjoy! $1.99/bag

eats off the street

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stop the press...food trucks are totally invading the streets of chicago. from frozen yogurt, gourmet mac & cheese, cupcakes, slider sammiches...you name it. trucks are the new restaurants. so does this mean restaurants will eventually become extinct? well, maybe not totally written off...i meeeean you couldn't have a business lunch or dinner meeting in front of a truck on the street or gather all your friends for happy hour while you dangle in front of the truck buying off all their goods with your libations in hand. so restaurants are not really going anywhere. but trucks are definitely a good alternative for something quick and conveinient...and if you wanted to plan to eat out of a truck everyday of the week, you could. go here to view a map, get tweet updates, links to their menus, and trucks new to the scene.

reuben, i'm stuttering

corn beef

sauerkraut (broiled in the corn beef prior to placing it on the sammich to grill)

mustard

homemade rye bread slathered & grilled in butter

all made by daddy ham.

i'm a stir-fry fanatic

so good...so easy....

chicken chow mein stir-fry (trader joe's)

i added extra broccoli

brussel sprouts

corn

tuna (sauteed in olive oil, cayenne pepper, & seasoning salt)

all mixed & bundled in thai sauce

...it's about to go down...ciao, baby!

dole whip from disney

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can i get to disney world and get one of these like asap! i mean...how delicious does this look!?! i was thinking i could make this somehow by going to pick up some soft serve and pouring pineapple juice all over it. that easy, right? so for those of you thinking the same thing, let me know how you like it! and for those of you that just so happen to have a soft serve machine on hand and want to buy the dry mix from the manufacturer, go here and thank me later.

grilled cheese social

can you believe the 'bread' on this sandwich here is pound cake:

i am so making this stack of french toast as soon as i can find someone to share it with! nutella, strawberries, whipped cream, and challah bread! c'mon...there's NO way i'm eating this all by myself. must.share. ...do i see a family get together in the near future? you all know you're so coming over.

another absolute in divine order..ha! honey, morbier and gorgonzola cheese shelled into english muffins...ooowweeee!! although she used blue cheese..well, blue is just bold and in your face. gorgon has a smoother approach. need i say more?

what a genius. see everything she has to offer in the social world here.

getting over it all

ginger tea

honey (not pictured)

fresh cut lemons

along with tons of homeopathic medicine that help clear the sinuses up! who has time to be sick..not me. happy spring!

a grand time

take 1: chicken meatballs marinara

take 2: duck triangles with spicy soy dipping sauce

main course: chicken royale- tenderized breaded chicken, garlic butter mashed potatoes, slow roasted carrots, and whole cut green beans...mmmmm!

thanks j, for joining me. what a feast..compliments of..but of course, the grand luxe cafe.

extra avo and evoo please

tomatoes topped w/liquid aminos

avocado lightly drizzled in olive oil

smoked applewood peppered turkey bacon

mushroom & onion stir-fry topped with hummus

such a yummy dinner and so good for you!

cupcake wars

following sunday service, i had the pleasure of participating in the first ever war at our church: cupcake wars. it was a fun, yet delicious experience to say the least. if you are familiar with the television show, then you would have enjoyed our version of watching the contestants get down and bring it! here they are in action as the countdown has began:

while the contestants were getting their mix, stir, and bake on, we the judges were having dinner and reviewing the rules and regulations of the war:

after the 35 minutes was completed, we had the opportunity to chat with the contestants as they presented the finished product one by one. first up, was a chocolate cupcake glazed with a velvety chocolate frosting and topped with sunflowers, surrounded by a bed of sprinkled grass. yum.

next contestant served us a vanilla cupcake with buttercream frosting and sprinkles. another treat that was tastefully enjoyed.

last but not least came the caramel french toast cupcake. myself and the other judge sitting beside me were able to witness the contestant frosting the cupcake(s) upon their exit out of the oven. since it was sort of a frosting mess, we were really not looking forward to sampling; however, to our surprise, these cupcakes were pretty delicious. proved to us that the more of a mess you make, the better the cupcake will taste. :) again, great job bri.

although all the contestants were winners today, we had to pick one. 3rd place went to the vanilla buttercream cupcake...2nd to the caramel french toast cupcake..and the 1st place winner was the chocolate sunflower garden cupcake. in the end, it all boiled down to presentation, moisture, texture, and the overall taste of the cupcake. what a pleasant experience this was. a fun time was had by all as we are certainly looking forward to the next round of cupcake wars. until next time, cheers!

turkey soup for the soul

my father always makes this soup with the leftover turkey particularly after a major holiday. never tried it with chicken..hmmmm and come to think of it, not sure if it would yield the same results taste wise. nonetheless, this recipe is in my daddy's top secret archives so i haven't a clue as to how this is prepared but i will give you a 'guess' list:

turkey

green peas

carrots

heavy whipping cream

wine (cooking wine..i really dunno)

broth (??...unsure as to how much or if any is used)

butter

but one thing i'm sure of is that garlic bread. oh, was that bread delicious:

bread (whatever you use)

butter (melted)

parmesan

parsley

garlic (of course, sprinkle in the melting butter concoction)

i think that's it. oh and paprika!

enjoy! :)

what i ate wednesday: ANOTHER veggie pasta plate

it was sooooooooo good here I had to make another:

fried onion

mushroom

green peas

sun-dried tomato

sunflower seeds

marinara sauce

salsa

whole wheat pasta

havarti cheese

make yours today! :)

happy easter

mac & cheese and sweet potatoes/candied yams (whatever you'd like to call them--is there really a difference? ha!)

sorry i was too busy hogging it out that i (shockingly) didn't get any more photos of the rest of our dinner so here's a quick run down of what else we had:

turkey & gravy

dressing

cranberry sauce

fried corn

collard greens

yeast dinner rolls

oh and dessert of course: pear pie (if you're a big apple pie fan, you'd love this!) and the infamous stop the press sugar cream pie (the sugar pie was truly what was poppin' on the streets!).

the empanada truck

this is all i got. unfortunately, they were sold out. it was a cold, windy, rainy mid-afternoon and they were sold.out..i got there about 15 minutes after 12. guess the early bird does get the worm! go here for more info and daily locations.

a morning at hoosier

it all started when I pulled up the saturday morning before easter sunday to a line that looked something like this:

and i thought i was doing something thinking i'd get there when the doors swung open for business at 9am! so i finally got out of my vehicle and decided to join the others in line.

i've never stood in a line where they served you hot chocolate chip scones fresh out of the oven and complimentary coffee while you wait. paula & the hoosier pie company family, you certainly know how to do business! it made me and everyone else that were standing in that line even more excited about our anticipating purchases!

finally in! can you believe at this point i'm still trying to figure out what i'm going to get? yes, i'm the most indecisive person you will ever meet! but look at this entire rack of pies:

misson accomplished! i decided to purchase 2 pies that morning: pear & sugar cream pie.

see my other hoosier post here

which pie(s) would you get?

caffe' mochalicious

at trader's you have options so take your pick here: caffe latte or mocha choka latte. both have a pretty smooth taste with a hint of vanilla and give you the uumph you need to get up and go in the morning or whenever. for only 99 cents, my only compliant is that they are too small. instead of 6.5 ozs., these cans should be boasting at least 8 ounces or even 10-12 for that matter. enjoy~

havarti monday

grilled havarti cheese with chicken breast and blackberry preserves on 7 grain sprouted sliced bread

olive oil, chili powder, and garlic sauteed veggies:
carrots
mushrooms
broccoli
garnished with nutritional yeast and goddess dressing (not pictured)

2 days of junk food are done...not it's back to 5 days of total healthy bliss. this was again a delicious dinner. for a split second i thought i was in a restaurant because it was that good! umph

what did you eat for dinner?

chicken & waffles invade chicago

well they've been in chicago since '08 and i finally got the nerve to try 'em out. very nice atmosphere, attentive service, and the food was magnificent to say the least. my friend was having foodgasms at the table as we were digging into all that chicken & waffle goodness. i mean we really couldn't make up our minds on what to order because there were so many choices and everything was described so deliciously. for example, did you see the french vanilla oatmeal? i bet it's good. i am curious to try the 'darnell' and the pecan waffle as well as the waffle a la mode. mmmm i say. i know i sound like a hogg but i just can't help it right now. i'll just say this: we will definitely be going back.

instead of heading back home to hug up to the delicacy of my bed, we went to the randolph vintage street market. once we pulled up to park, we quickly changed our minds and opted for the goodwill instead. boy were we glad we made that decision. as always, we made some pretty awesome purchases but that's another blog post.

this is of course my goodies from a trader joe's run. i mean what's a saturday if you didn't go to trader joe's...smile.

how's your weekend going?

coq au vin

chicken & rice. well not your typical chicken & rice...what we have here is breast of chicken in red wine sauce with pearlized onions and mushrooms laying delicately atop curry rice with peas, red pepper, and raisins. was it good? it was mmm mmmm delicious!

this weekend i'm headed towards sweet & savory. what exactly you might ask? well, you'll have to tune in tomorrow to see what ole' time favorite was at the top of the list for this weekend eats.

what do you have planned for the next 2 days?

what i ate wednesday: veggie pasta plate

whole wheat pasta

spring salad mix

green peas

lentils

avocado

mushrooms

sun-dried tomato

turkey meatballs

all sauteed in truffle oil followed by pouring tomato sauce over the entire concoction and simmering until ready to serve. finished it off with a bed of parmesan. not only delicious but filling & so healthy!

another stir-fried production

turkey bacon

lentils

mushrooms

brussel sprouts

avocado

melted havarti cheese

spring lettuce mix

not pictured: nutritional yeast, boiled egg, salsa, and goddess dressing!

these days, i am in love with experimenting with veggies in the pan with whatever i have laying around. there's no right or wrong to what you can create. grab those veggies, your favorite condiments, etc. and get to cooking. you'll be surprised at what you can create and how delicious and satisfying it is!

trader day tuesday

don't let the name fool you. these chips are crunchy, salty, savory, and spicy. not to mention calorie-less. well not exactly free of calories but they are certainly guilt free. have you had these before? pick them up on your next trader run. you'll see what i mean. hooked i tell you. just plain ole' addictive.

fried day

just got paid...it's friday night

party hunting...feeling right

booty shaking...all around

bought 1 drink...now i'm gettin' down

(song: just got paid by: johnny kemp)

woot woot! to celebrate the end of yet another productive week, we had a trio of salads for lunch: chicken penne, calamari with kalamata olives, feta, and zesty tomatoes, and mexican rice. it was just as yummy as that picture right there captured it!

btw, donut vault opened this past tuesday and i'm going to check it out. stay tuned...

what do you have planned this weekend?