December 25, 2012

santa bear

 Photo © Brian Sorg

 (woof woof)


December 20, 2012

some times


During these days that are difficult to comprehend and incredibly sad, it's given us all reason to step back and enjoy each moment with the ones we love. Extra hugs. Extra kisses. Extra love.



 Photo © Brian Sorg

December 18, 2012

felines

Photo © Brian Sorg

Just another day with my buds: Miss Lion, the Librarian and Sir Panther, the Predator. 

December 17, 2012

a birthday dance


Image © Bill Watterson

to my man behind the lens...happy birthday brian!

December 14, 2012

snapshot

Photos © Brian Sorg

Fur + booze, an eames + choos → one night at the modern wing whose memory I don't want to lose

December 13, 2012

parts




Photos © Brian Sorg

Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes (but no nose)

December 12, 2012

(un)settling records

Photo © Brian Sorg

281 days and not a snowflake (or sweater) in sight...

December 11, 2012

christmas spirit

I lack the holiday decoration pinterest gene...in fact, it would be nice if my place was decorated at all. So, when a coworker asked me if we'd gotten our tree set up yet, I had to laugh as I was re-telling this to Brian over dinner. My tree would probably look something like this...

image © Charles Schutz

We started talking about the holidays though, and by the end of dinner we'd decided that not only would we get a tree, but we were going to chop it down ourselves and then bake cookies. A pretty ambitious plan considering we had no idea where to do this, nor do we own a mixer (I regrettably gave my Kitchen-Aid to the movers in a dramatic fit of house cleaning). 


Ultimately we decided on ginger molasses cookies, and worked from this recipe...we upgraded a few ingredients and cooked a little less than called for. The ingredients used are strong and full of flavor, making these delicious cookies spicy and rich, and not overly sweet. Here is our (enhanced) version:

Spiced Ginger and Molasses Cookies
2 1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup packed dark muscovado brown sugar *KEY (we used India Tree brand, found at whole foods)
1 egg
1/2 cup unsulfured molasses
1/3 cup diced candied ginger *KEY (the candied ginger at the spice house is fresh and delicious on its own)
Granulated sugar for rolling

1. Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ground ginger, allspice, salt and cloves in a bowl and mix well. 
2. Beat butter and sugar with electric mixer, around 3 minutes, until light and fluffy
3. Add egg and molasses. Mix to combine well. Stir in dry ingredients. Stir in candied ginger. Refrigerate batter 45 min
4. Preheat oven to 375 F. Roll dough into ~1" balls. Roll balls in granulated sugar. Arrange on baking sheets lined with parchment paper and gently flatten. Bake 10 min and let cool. 

Photos © Rex Waters

As far as that Christmas tree...after some research we realized that cutting one down was maybe just a little more than 2 (very) urban dwellers had bargained for. Instead we landed on buying a small 'christmas' plant that will live past the season and can hold the three ornaments we currently have...in the meantime, we'll be relying on Charlie Brown to keep it festive. 

December 7, 2012

[best] friends












"And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it" - Roald Dahl

December 6, 2012

ulterior motives

I would happily live a life of hermit-tude (you're never alone when you have a dog), but lately it seems a rarity to have a night in. Last saturday I totally wanted to chill and make this recipe from Food52 (an amazing culinary resource), but needed to get Brian on board first.

The conversation went something like this:

Rachel- What do you want to do tonight?
Brian - Not sure, what are you thinking?
R - Ummm, I'm open to whatever. (in my head I'm a very flexible person)
B - Uh huh. What do you really want to do?
R - Hmmm. Well......I was thinking staying in sounded fun.
B - .......
R - Also...how does Cauliflower Soup sound? Or anything else? (flexible x 2).
B - Rachel. You're not fooling anyone. 
And off to Whole Foods I went :) 

Photo © Rex Waters

Roasted Cauliflower Soup w/Chimichurri Sauce
(I followed the recipe pretty closely, and would tweak a few things if I made it again, including eliminating the creme fresh...here is my version)

1 head cauliflower, sliced, including core
1 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
1 leek, light green parts only, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3 ribs celery, diced
1 tsp salt
2 cup broth of choice
2 cup water
2 tbsp parmesan cheese

Chimichurri Sauce
2 serrano chilis, seeded (if you like a kick, leave some seeds in), coarsly chopped
1 garlic cloves, smashed (if you love the taste of garlic, do 2)
2 cups parsley leaves
6 tbsp olive oil
juice of one lemon
1/2 tsp kosher salt

1. Place all chimichurri sauce ingredients in a blender and process until finely chopped. Set aside.

2. Preheat oven to 350F. Place cauliflower on a dry cookie sheet and roast until tender, about 20 minutes.

3. In a large heavy pot, heat the butter and oil until hot. Saute the onion, garlic, and celery in the mixture until soft and very aromatic. Add salt & roasted cauliflower and toss with a spoon until caulflower is covered.
Cook another 2 minutes.

4. Add the broth and water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 - 7 minutes. Puree in a blender or with an immersion blender (I like my soups with texture so blend with caution). Pour back into pot and reheat to a simmer. Add parmesan cheese & chimichurri sauce until well incorporated.

image © Pixar Animation Studios

The soup is really delicious, it tastes creamy because of the cauliflower & the chimichurri sauce brings an unexpected quality to it. With soup in hand and Sophie at our feet, we watched Up, a movie I somehow hadn't seen which has subsequently become a new favorite. In the end, this quote says it best:

"That might sound boring, but I think the boring stuff is the stuff I remember the most"  - Russell (Up)


Also, many thanks to Daily Candy Chicago for featuring me in their 'Woman Behind the Blog' series...check out the post (and peruse the rest of their fabulous site) HERE.

December 5, 2012

(in)vested



It has been record-setting warm in chicago the past few days, and while it's a little unsettling, we, along with the rest of the city took full advantage of the surprise temperatures. 


Baring it all in Lincoln Park and a 'borrowed' denim vest. Kidding...I have a tank on. The vest though technically belongs to Brian but by the rules of osmosis means it's also mine. 


Photos © Brian Sorg

What other items will I be procuring from his closet? Not so fast...I'm playing those cards close to my vest. 



December 3, 2012

boots and ladders



Photos © Brian Sorg

Channeling my inner firefighter in a building stairwell. These boots probably wouldn't pass inspection, but then again, neither would I.

top x splendid, cut-offs x rag & bone, boots x theyskens theory