Visiting the Morton Arbor(eat)um.

Annnnnnnnnd it's happening. My friends are starting to get married. It's officially "Wave 1" of the ladies who are becoming engaged and married. A sorority sister of mine got married this past weekend. Let me tell you, probably one of the pretties couples I've ever seen (and nicest). What a treat to share their day with them, seriously, it was a very heartwarming night that I was happy I was included in. Morton Arboretum was the location of the ceremony and the reception, in Lisle, Illinois. By a stroke of luck, we were fortunate with 80 degree temperatures in October. Rainy sleet wind with a side of 50 degree temperatures the weekend before (super glad that I didn't choose to have my housewarming party that weekend as originally intended) changed to a sunny end of August-ish day with sun and not too much wind.

While sitting and waiting for my friend to say "I do," I was reminded of a science project that I did growing up, my partner's name was Diana, which involved studying different varieties of trees (and put them in an album with the sticky background and the clear covers that went over it) by visiting this preserve that was on Dempster Street in Evanston on the way to the place that I used to take Jazz classes at (Gus Giordano). It was a pretty worthless project, but nonetheless, I looked down to the left of my chair placed on the lawn, to see that the tree and bush type next to me were labeled. Kind of a cool thing to have a wedding in a unique venue that prides itself on preserving nature. It certainly looked like that, since the greens and gardens outside for the ceremony were absolutely pristine and stunning. One thing I learned by visiting the site, was How Plants are Named (it's kind of interesting actually. Almost like how humans are named. I wonder if there will ever be a plant named Michelle.....)

The grounds of the Arboretum contained a club house of sorts where events are hosted. Doug and I agreed that it looked very Frank Lloyd Wright era. Very modern and streamline. Minus the mosquito bites that cover my calves, the ceremony was gorgeous outdoors. We were happy to get inside afterward and especially use the restroom in the indoor ballroom. And it was, in fact, a large room. I am thinking that there were at least 250 to 275 friends and family in attendance. Quite a good amount!

To explain my entry title of choice, the food was surprisingly delicious. I kind of have a strange phobia, so I'm discovering, when it comes to seafood or poultry at weddings. I don't know what it is, but unless I know the caterer, I'm rarely happy with what I order. In this instance, I chose the vegetarian meal. A fine choice. The couscous was to die for, which was topped with multiple grilled veggies such as eggplant and portobello mushrooms. All the other dishes (Sea Bass, and Steak) were pretty tasty, according to my friends. Doug had a steak and said it was relatively under control for a wedding despite the fact that it's hard to make everyone happy with a steak at a wedding I feel (some like it well done, some like it medium rare, etc). It was a pretty fun night overall, and the space worked nicely for the larger group of people. The dance floor was adjacent to the dining area as opposed to in the center of it, which seemed to be the only possible configuration considering how many family and friends were there. Plus, the dance floor was right by the restrooms and the bar(s) so that worked out best for everyone involved.

Depending on your location, it's certainly a gorgeous venue for a reception of any sort. Just make sure you have nice weather to enjoy the grounds and make sure that you follow the instructions in the bathroom stalls to "flush the dial upwards for Number 1 to conserve water" (I swear this is true!).

Cheers,
Mish

Wedding Location: Morton Arboretum
Dress: Caspian Blue Silk Taffeta Strapless

Popping my CHAIR-y.

We are no longer side chair virgins. Woo! West Elm comes to the rescue again. A quick decision was made one day, and Doug and I took yet another trip to West Elm. Yes, I officially have a company credit card which was opened for me by a very enthusiastic salesperson on a Saturday morning when I was hungover. Excellent.

Hello Tulip Leather Chair in Honey,
My name is Mish. I'm looking forward to becoming friends. I'm sure we will have many fun nights together in front of the TV. Hopefully you enjoy your tweed Blue Line pillow friend. Welcome to Wicker Park.
Sincerely,
Mish

I just wanted to share this new addition to my living room. We felt it was a nice new texture to balance out the room with another neutral tone. And also what I found out, is that a West Elm card is actually worth it if you plan on making a good deal of larger purchases since you actually get money back on all your point accrued (unlike my trusty old J Crew card).

TAKASHI!

I know it's been a couple of days since I've last blogged. I think it's because I've been consumed with breaking in a new pair of patent leather glossy black winter flats from Endless.com (my Mecca for online shoe shopping--I even purchased a pair of boots last winter, wore them once, hated them, then returned them for a full refund. I'm now a loyal customer for life).

Anyways, last Friday I went to a place called Takashi that I had never heard of before. Well, let me tell you, I've not only heard of it now, but am obsessed with it and want to go back. Plus I can't stop raving about it. Find this place, and go there. It's on Damen and Armitage in Wicker Park. It's close enough to BlackBird, which is a cute little place we ventured to prior to having dinner with two of our out of town friends (Doug's friend since he was born). I would suggest you try the same (but bring band-aids in your purse if you are wearing new shoes, it's about a 7 minute walk in between the two locations).

Now to Takashi. This place is adorable. Absolutely precious. Small seating area outside with shades of gray painted awning and entry way. It's small yet refined, don't be taken aback by the small first room you walk into where the hostess "nook" is practically sitting in the door way, there is an upstairs area, too. Side note, that's where the restroom is hidden behind an orange piece of artwork. Good tip to know if you have had too much wine and can't find the restroom.

I'm proud to say it (although we were laughing in slight embarrassment during the meal) that we found the restaurant through Groupon. It's okay, it was a great deal Doug got, so we decided to use the coupon. MAN was it worth it. I haven't had a meal this tasty in a long time. We were with "foodies" who (I have a feeling) given their past eating experience, probably tend to be "good at menus" as I claim to be (except know more about food and wine than I do). So I trust what their opinion was and plan of action included for our night at Takashi: order lots of small plates. Done.

We ordered 8+ small dishes and got an assortment of multiple hot and cold plates. It was a perfect mix of taste, presentation, flavor, and creativity in each plate we received. From the lentil curry soup, to the pork belly (we ordered two of them because the meat was just incredible) to the home made tofu plate and these scallops that were absolutely to die for. Each dish I was pretty much more impressed than the next, to be honest. Nothing was too heavy either, but was perfectly balanced. I even forgot about the fact that my heels were bleeding during the start of the meal because the soup was so fantastically prepared. A must do. Please dine immediately. Ask for a table on the second floor. Trust me!

My Favorites:
Chilled Fresh Homemade Tofu: Oba Leaves, Green Onion, Bonito Flakes, Wakame, Umami-Ginger Soy
Soy-Ginger Carmel Pork Belly: with Pickled Daikon Salad, Steamed Buns (and mind you, I don't even eat a lot of red meat, it was just THAT good).
Sauteed Main Scallops and Soba Gnocchi: Trumpet Royale, Celery Root-Parmesan Foam

Dinner:
Takashi Main Website
Menu
Wine Menu

Pre-Drinks:
Bluebird (Not to be confused with BlackBird in the West Loop)

Come Warm My House.

We had the official first party at our new home. Our housewarming party. Let me tell you, our house was warmed. It reached hot in fact. Regardless of the number of invitees, 60+ people walked into our house holding a bottle of alcohol (usually red wine for me, sometimes beer for the beer trough on the roof barn dance style) and ready to mingle (minus of course a few people like our unshaven guy friend with a 2 year old son who showed up wearing a tired smile, mono-chromatic outfit and a bottle of Jameson).

I must admit that a type A person like myself freaks out just a tad about housewarming party. And by a tad I mean I totally freaked out. I think Doug was ready to find a new girlfriend by 2:30pm on Saturday when he was trying to watch Ohio State college football and I was trying to do last minute preparation in the kitchen when all I wanted to do was run and or drink 4 tequila drinks immediately. Thank you Doug for dealing with me while I was running around at the last minute stressed (and stressed you out because of my frazzled preparation of the pears slash writing the menu on the chalkboard while I should have been in the shower antics). I finished blow drying my hair 5 minutes before the first guest arrived, and can conclude one thing: next time I have a larger scale party, no matter how much planning in advance that I do, I'm going to enlist some of my friends to help me out as far as preparation "day of" is concerned, since that was what really threw me over the edge. It seems like there is never enough time. I even took off Friday from work to cook and organize.



It was an awesome night, though. I was bustling around so much that I didn't manage to get a photo of Doug and I together, nor did I get a photo of my college ladies all sitting around my dining room table! Oh well, I certainly will next time around. I love having people at my place, so the time and energy spent is (well) worth it.

Menu: Below. All recipes that I have included below are actually the "smaller" and or "normal" version of a typical menu size. I multiplied each by roughly 3 to make enough food for the guests.

Favors: Sunglasses from Amazon.com (yes I bought favors like it was a 5 year old birthday party). Big League Chew. Tootsie Rolls.

Drink: The 2136 Division Signature Paloma

Time: 5:00pm (i.e. 5:25, thank God, because I wasn't ready yet) until 10:00pm (let's be honest, people were still getting Iced at 12:05am, while I took another back of dripping garbage to the back landing area of our stairs).

Outfit: J Crew Black Strapless Dress, Gap Flats, Pink J Crew Cardigan, Kate Spade studded earrings

MVP: Molly McMahon. Tthis breaks my streak of not mentioning people's names as much as possible on my blog, but she was just so helpful, I couldn't help but to mention her fantastic cheese plate, the platter she gave me for keeps, or that she ran across the street to get Diet 7 Up when we needed to make another batch of Palomas). Thanks fellow co-worker, life coach, fashion adviser, and Dailey Method motivator! You are such a supporter, woman! Mazel Tov!




















MENU
Cilantro Citrus Shrimp

• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 16 jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined

Chicken Satay Skewers with Peanut Sauce

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (6 to 8 ounces each), thinly sliced lengthwise into 12 strips
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• Vegetable oil, for pan

Directions

1. In a bowl, toss chicken with sesame oil, soy sauce, garlic, and teaspoon red-pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper. Thread each chicken strip lengthwise onto a skewer.
2. Make dipping sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together peanut butter, vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes, and 2 to 3 tablespoons water.
3. Heat grill pan over high. Working in batches, brush pan with oil, and cook chicken until opaque throughout, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Serve chicken skewers with dipping sauce.

Mini Meatballs with Mint Dipping Sauce

Ingredients

1. 1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2. 1 pound ground lamb
3. 1/2 cup minced onion
4. 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons dry bread crumbs
5. 2 extra-la rge eggs
6. 2 tablespoons chopped mint
7. 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
8. 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
9. 1/4 cup chopped dill
10. 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon minced garlic
11. Salt
12. One 8-ounce container Greek yogurt or plain whole milk yogurt
13. 1 tablespoon milk

Directions

1. Preheat the broiler. Brush a rimmed baking sheet with the olive oil.
2. In a large bowl, combine the lamb with the onion, bread crumbs, eggs, mint, lemon juice, cinnamon, 1 tablespoon of the dill, 2 teaspoons of the garlic and 1 teaspoon of salt; knead until combined. Form the mixture into 1 1/4-inch meatballs. Arrange the meatballs on the oiled baking sheet and broil as close to the heat as possible for 6 minutes, turning the pan halfway through, until firm and lightly browned.
3. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk the yogurt with the remaining 3 tablespoons of dill and 2 teaspoons of garlic; whisk in the milk and season with salt. Transfer the meatballs to a plate and serve with the sauce.

Potato Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette

Ingredients

• 3 pounds potatoes (I used red ones)
  
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons coarse-grain mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup Basic Vinaigrette
• 1 Bunch Tarragon (s mall about 1 t
  

Directions

1. Place the potatoes and salt in a medium pot and add enough cold water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the potatoes are fork-tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and transfer to a serving dish.
2. Whisk together the vinaigrette and mustard in a small bowl. Pour half the mixture over the hot potatoes, toss, and let stand for 1 hour. Just before serving, drizzle the remaining vinaigrette mixture over the potatoes, add the tarragon and pepper, and toss.

Pears with Blue Cheese and Prosciutto

Ingredients

• 2 pears
  
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 3 ounces blue cheese, cut into small pieces
• 6 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, cut in half lengthwise

Directions

1. In a large bowl, toss the pears and lemon juice.
2. Layer a slice of pear, an arugula leaf, and a piece of cheese on a piece of prosciutto and roll up.

Treats

Double Marshmallow Treats

Ingredients

• 11 cups miniature marshmallows
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), plus extra for buttering the spatula and dish
• 8 cups puffed rice cereal, such as Rice Krispies

Directions

1. Coat the bottom of a metal spatula and a 13-by-9-inch baking dish with butter; set aside.
2. Combine 8 cups of the marshmallows and the butter in a medium pot and cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until melted and smooth, about 8 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and stir in cereal until well coated. Add re maining 3 cups marshmallows and stir just until mixed. Immediately turn mixture into the prepared baking dish and use the buttered spatula to uniformly flatten.
4. Let set up until room temperature and firm, about 45 minutes. Cut into 15 (2-1/2-inch-by-2-1/2-inch) squares and serve.

Cream Cheese Frosting Cupcakes

Frosting Ingredients:

• 8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 12 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 pound (4 cups) confectioners' sugar, sifted
• 3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Frosting Directions

1. Beat butter and cream cheese with a mixer on medium-high speed until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low. Add sugar, 1 cup at a time, and then vanilla; mix until smooth. Frosting can be refrigerated for up to 3 days; before using, bring to room temperature, and beat until smooth.

I also made chocolate cake cupcakes with peanut butter frosting. I used store bought (on sale) Pillsbury mix, and then used dark coco powder (HERSHEY'S) and then peanut butter with the sugar and cream cheese. It was absolutely fantastic. I highly advise to change it up as much as possible.

What I used to Decorate the Cupcakes: Bake it Pretty Website

Palomas
Ingredients:
Tequila
Lime Juice
Grapefruit Crystal Lite (Ruby Red)
Diet Squirt

FAIR-est of Them All.

I walked around the Wicker Park Renegade Handmade Art Fair about 2 weekends ago (after eating brunch with Doug's parents at "Feast" in my jazz pants). Although it was partially raining outside on the Saturday that I went, I was overall, extremely impressed. I also had the sudden urge, after witnessing the immensely creative talent being displayed, to go back to my apartment and start spontaneously bursting into craft projects using organic fabrics. Okay maybe that's too far, but either way, I was super impressed. I mean we are talking people who crafted pillows from old scarves, and letter-pressed band names etched across a photo of a Chicago landmark. Seriously interesting stuff. Above is the pillow that you'll see in an earlier post where I introduce everyone to my coffee table and couch. It's the print of a blue line El Train that is inked into the fabric with which the pillow was created. On the back second 1/2 of the pillow is a darker shade of gray tweed fabric. Super cool, eh? Totally hipster. I felt as though it added a nice touch to the preppy modern yet classic couch we purchased for the living room.
PILLOW: Zerobird Studio, (Click to View Website)

I'm super excited to share these posters I purchased (which we have yet to frame). I think these are pretty unique and adorable. It's amazing how something as minor as a couple of numbers in an area code can represent the two people that live in our apartment-"847" and "312". Of course, I'm an "847" since I am from Wilmette, inspiration to Mean Girls and the land of Range Rovers. Don't worry, I wasn't privileged to one of those $50,000+ vehicles at age 15. Doug, on the other hand, who is representing the "312" area code, is the person who had an Atlanta number, followed by a Champaign number, then when he interned in Leo Burnett, had a Chicago area code. Might be TMI, but hey, sorry, these posters just got my thinking of how defining an area code on your cell phone can be. It makes me thinking of the scene in Sex and the City 2 when Carrie Bradshaw is talking about being an "old New York" area code person versus the "new New York" when she has to get a new cell phone after throwing hers into the beach in Mexico after Big didn't show up at their wedding. Mish, stop going on tangents, move on. Back to the posters, these are prints that we will figure out where to hang in our apartment.
POSTERS: Area Code Project (Click to View Website)

Craft Fair Website

Crust is a Must!

Crust on Division is pure awesome. It's so much more than just pizza. I love restaurants that have more surprises on their menu to prove they are far from a specialized at only one area, and can actually offer a variety for their customers.

I liked everything about this place: from the red plastic water cups (boyfriend and I agreed at dinner that we do love a nice plastic water cup, not sure why), to our hippie waiter (that needs a haircut but was personable & practically squatted on the ground when he took our order so the sun wasn't in our eyes in the outdoor patio where we were seated). Most importantly, the food was fresh, and the ingredients well selected to create perfectly executed dishes.

We went after work this past Friday. I was not in the mood for pizza, since I had eaten it a few times within the last couple of weeks, so I actually ordered other items on the menu. I know what you are thinking "Mish you are crazy. You went to Folklore and didn't order steak and then went to Crust and didn't order pizza." Well if that's the case, you are probably right, but I guess it's a testament of how I have committed to stay true to self as far as determining what cuisine I'm in the mood to eat (not just what I'm "supposed" to eat a a restaurant). I think that it just proves that many places I've recently tried in Wicker Park have a breadth of items regardless of what your hankering is for.

To my surprise (I didn't do much research prior to attending dinner), everything was locally grown and totally organic. I got the sweet potato appetizer that was basically olive oil marinated sweet potatoes and pecans. It was a cold dish that was topped with sea salt. I know it sounds simple, but I could probably have had 14+ more servings, considering that it was seriously the perfect combination of sweet to salty, plus you really can't beat a locally grown ingredient at the peak of its season perfectly prepared. YUM. Also, I decided to get the beat salad with spinach and goat cheese. Another fantastic choice perfectly prepared. Doug got a pizza, slightly spicy with sausage on it. Of course, I tried some and picked off most the sausage (but don't worry, I tasted it a few times) like a wimpy girl, but the pieces I tasted were insanely juicy and well cooked, with a slight brown glaze on the top. Excellent.

By the way, this is perfect time to eat there at the weather isn't too hot. They have cute tables (of course I like the chairs! they are super cute and I think from IKEA) that are lined with green flower planters, sitting on the wide Division Street. It's perfect for people and/or chubby baby watching. We were so relaxed after our meal as a result of this environment, in fact, that we forgot the to-go box of pizza (oops! Sorry Doug, I know it was on my side of the table).

And P.S., they do have a side bar as well (the venue was much larger than I originally thought) so I will not hesitate heading there for some cocktails at the bar in the near future (they had great wine choices, a handful of micro-brews, and also some seasonal cocktails! Woo!). Seems like an awesome spot to be, regardless of your intended drinking/eating amount. The people are nice, the prices are reasonable, and I'll be back to eat again soon. I suggest you do the same.

Cheers,
Mish


Click to View the Website

In My Element.

Our house is coming together! Yeah baby! We only have roughly 2 million more things to purchase/paint & organize, but at least we are taking steps in the right direction. I have to keep reminding myself not to freak out prematurely and to remember how much we have ordered upon our arrival, and also, of course, how blessed and thankful I am to have a home to build. I never thought it could be this much fun, and also now completely understand why the home decorating industry is such a large and successful one. I seem to have been a stingy Jewish blonde my whole life, but suddenly when it comes to items that I will "use for years to come" in a new home, cost is not something that I focus on as being such an important factor.

In the photo above, I wanted to share my new coffee table that was just purchased. I know it's kind of stupid that I am trying to show the table but you can barely see it. I guess I'd like to display how much I enjoy it's size and shape in relation to the couch. It fits very nicely (despite it being a tad of an impulse purchase before a meeting one day at work). This is the website photos of it from CB2, Crate and Barrel's sister company. Have a look at the beauty shots of our coffee table titled the "Element Coffee Table." I think that the stone is very interesting. I wanted to get something a bit different in coloring and texture other than wood and or glass for something that we were going to end up putting our feet on. I'm not sure if the West Elm white tray is going to last on top of there, but for now, I am digging it (Doug not so much, but he's being a good sport about it, thanks Doug!).

Now that it's in the photo, I'll also share that our couch was purchased from West Elm. It's in the Walton Collection. Click for more information. We decided on the neutral tone very quickly as well. Luckily, I'm living with someone who has similar taste that I do, because if we see something that we like, we can choose pretty quickly that we 1. Want to own it 2. The color of it (although Doug is color blind, we both seem to like simple and basic color palettes rather than super bold tones--this might change as we accessorize further, but for this point in our lives, we are trying to get a clean canvas of items to work with as we grow into this home together). I'm looking forward to continue to decorate together & learn more about how we are going to visually represent our personalities within this space.