Homemade Chili & Weekend Events

Gooood Morning!

This weekend was quite eventful to say the least.  Full of long walks, festivals and Bailey accidents… wait what?

Friday afternoon, I left work early to head out to the suburbs to spend time with my sister before she headed back to North Carolina to enjoy her senior year of college.  Leaving early from work allowed me to completely miss rush hour traffic which put me in a great mood upon my arrival!  When we got to my parents house, Bailey was all excited and in her true hyper self was pulling and tugging on the leash to cross the street where my sister was.  Somehow.  Someway.  Bailey finagled her way out of her leash running right into a car.

Naturally, I screamed bloody murder and Bailey came running back towards me.  I could see that she was bleeding and after examining her shaking body, saw that there were only a few cuts on the back of her legs and her bottom lip.  Nevertheless, we took her to the Doggie ER right away.

I knew the visit would turn out well when Bailey got so excited to be going back into the car that she hopped right in the front seat.  Clearly, the whole getting hit by a car thing did not phase her.  While I knew that her cuts and bruises were merely cosmetic, I wanted to make sure there was not damage on the INSIDE of her body.  We ordered an ultrasound to make sure all her parts were in the right places and it came back negative.

Quite the start to the weekend!  The doggie doc gave us some antibiotics and pain medicine for her minor cuts and bruises and we were on our way.  Luckily.

After that scary ordeal, my family needed a drink.  So we busted open some champagne to toast Kristan’s final year in college and to Baileys health.  The weekend had begun.

After we rested and relaxed for a couple hours, we headed downtown Arlington Heights where the ‘Taste of Arlington Heights’ was occurring.  There were a boat load of people down there.  I think all of AH came out that night – but I swear it was more crowded than some of the street festivals I’ve been to in Chicago.  Insane.

We brought our lawn chairs and posted up by the stage where a local favorite Mike & Joe were slotted to play.  The rest of the evening was spent sipping on sangria and enjoying the music.  I was happy that the day made a dramatic 180.

Saturday morning, Bailey wanted to sleep in – for obvious reasons – so Brian and I headed up north to dine at one of our FAVORITE brunch spots – Tweet.

There was already a line out the door when we arrived, so we posted up at the bar for a half hour before our name was called.  While we waited I sipped on this delicious bad boy…

Extra Hot!

Once we were seated, I opted for a more traditional mimosa while feasting on their version of a California Benedict.

Poached Eggs over Grilled Tomatoes, Avocado and an English Muffin.  No hollandaise sauce.  This was sooooo good.  I am never disappointed when I go to Tweet.

After brunch, Brian and I walked over to Clark Street and stopped in a couple of the boutiques in the heart of Andersonville.

I’ve been going to Andersonville since I was very little because of the strong Swedish presence in the area.  I am half Swedish, and every year growing up we would attend the St. Lucia mass at a nearby church and dine on Scandinavian cuisine at Svea.  Yes, we even ordered the Lutefisk so that the owner would sing us the Lutefisk song.  Andersonville definitely holds a special place in my heart, which is why I love going up there as often as possible.

Once we had gotten our fix in, we went back home to hang out with Bailey before taking a walk over to the Retro on Roscoe festival in Roscoe Village.  Clearly, I was in a fest mood all weekend.  The walk over was awesome due to the great weather we were graced with.

Brian and I dined on some local grub while Bailey got to mingle with some local doggies.

It was a great evening.

You are now probably wondering if I went to a festival on Sunday, but the answer is no.  Sunday was spent working on some projects for work and making some delicious homemade chili.

Homemade Chili

Ingredients:

• 1 large yellow onion – chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic – minced
• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1 lb ground chuck
• 2 large cans of tomato sauce
• 1 can rotel tomatoes
• 1 box 3 Alarm Chili Mix
• 1 tbsp. olive oil

Directions:

1. In a large soup pot, pour the olive oil in and saute the onion and garlic over medium high heat until translucent.
2. Add the ground turkey and ground chuck and cook until brown, breaking into pieces as it cookes
3. Once the meat is browned, add the tomato sauce and rotel tomatoes to the pot.  Stir
4. Add the 3 Alarm seasoning packets (I don’t use the Masa Flour – and use about 3/4 of the red pepper.  I also only use about 1/4 of the salt packet)
5. Give the chili a good stir, reduce the heat to a simmer and let that bad boy cook away for an hour.

Serve with desired toppings and enjoy!

Picnics and Long Walks

These past two days have been wild and wonderful.

Friday

Friday after work, Brian and I met one of my best friends at the train station to head out to Ravinia Park for the Sting concert.  Ravinia concerts are one of my favorite summer activities, however, this night in particular did not exactly feel like a summer night.  With visions of coldness from the ‘Chase Corporate Challenge’ still embedded in my brain, I was fully prepared for the 50 degree weather we were about to endure.

When we arrived at the park it was sunny and there was a flood of people carrying their chairs and picnic items ready to find a spot on the lawn.  Fortunately for us, my parents had gotten there early and had already claimed a spot for our party of 13!  The best part of Ravinia is checking out/judging everyone’s picnic set up 🙂  Some people go all out and bring flowers, cloth napkins and real silverware… while others just stick to the Tupperware containers and citronella candles.   Our spread was massive considering how many people were a part of group.

I snacked on turkey sandwiches, fresh fruit, smooth and creamy brie cheese, pasta salads and of course cookies!

It was one of those nights where you pretty much consistently snack on something because there are so many options.  Brian and I  also made sure to stock up on red wine and our favorite – ‘Daisy Cutter’.

TGIF!

Sting did not come on until 8:00 p.m. and by then it was getting rather chilly out.  Luckily, I was prepared with hats and gloves this time and paid no mind to the chill in the air.

The Hanson ladies loved the concert and were rockin out the whole time!  Sting was great live!  His voice sounds exactly how i’ve always remembered it.

Saturday

When I woke up Saturday morning, I could not believe what the weather man was telling me on the news.  It was a beautiful blue-bird sunny day in the mid 70’s!  That’s Chicago weather for you.

I took full advantage of the weather and decided to take Ms. Bailey on a 4 mile walk on the lakefront.  There were so many people out and about being active and enjoying the day.  My favorite was watching some of the trapeze participants who were practicing right next to Belmont Harbor.  I’ve seen trapeze lessons on Groupon and LivingSocial and I really need to buy one of those vouchers because it looks like so much fun!

Bailey and I had a great walk.  She absolutely loves being outside – a couple people even asked to take her picture because she looked so ‘happy’.  Random.

We traveled south down the path, took a few pit stops to soak in the sun and enjoy the fantastic views.

While we were sitting by the lake, I noticed all of the runners that were out and got the itch to put on my shoes and concur some trails.  I fought the urge, however, because I needed Saturday to rest up for my race that I have this morning 🙂

Once Bailey and I made it home and Brian had gotten back from the gym, we made our way out to the Old Town area to pick up my race day packet AND visit the Old Town Art Festival.  This is one of Brian and I’s favorite festivals because it is one of the first we went to together when we first started dating.  If you are not from Chicago, Old Town is a beautiful neighborhood that has lots of historic buildings that line the streets.  The festival takes place in the quiet streets of the neighborhood where various art vendors set up their booths to sell their work.  In the past, I have bought several handmade jewelry items that are just fabulous.

This time, however, we were just there to enjoy the art and sip on some delicious sangria 🙂

There is another festival that Old Town hosts called the ‘Wells St. Art Festival’ that is on the more busy main street of the area.  I much prefer the Old Town Art Fair because it is not quite as crowded and there is a lot better music while you are walking around and enjoying the art.

The evening ended at home, carbo-loading for the race and watching the Blackhawks beat the LA Kings to move on to the Stanley Cup Finals.  I literally could not keep my eyes open for the whole game, not because it was not exciting, but because it had been such an active two days and I was exhausted!

Time to prep for the race!  Until tomorrow, friends.

Chicago Fest Season

Yesterday, before getting on the red line, I grabbed a Redeye and was immediately thrilled to see the cover!

Fest season is here!

Like many other cities, Chicago hosts over 100 outdoor festivals between early May and late September.  What makes Chicago festivals so unique is that there is a festival for just about every neighborhood in the city and the majority of them really exemplify the culture of that particular area.

My favorites of the season are:

1. Maifest! – (May 30th – June 2nd) My all-time FAVORITE in Lincoln Square.  Who doesn’t love drinking out of a huge plastic beer stein while eating delicious bratwurst and giant pretzels?  You DO NOT want to miss this German Festival.

1. Old Town Art Fair – (June 8th – 9th) This fair runs simultaneously with the Wells Street Art Festival, but the Old Town Art Fair is just so much better 🙂  Bring on the sangria!
2. Taste of Randolph Street – (June 14th – 16th) Some of the best restaurants in Chicago are in the West Loop – Girl & The Goat, Nellcote, Au Cheval, Maude’s…  Need I say more?
3. PRIDE – (June 22nd – 23rd; Parade: June 30th) This year, they have split the festival and the parade on two separate weekends.  Although the crowds can be rather annoying, PRIDE and the LGBT community are a huge part of Chicago and the Lakeview area I live in.  I love going out and supporting them!
4. Roscoe Village Burger Fest – (July 13th – 14th) Burgers. Yes.
5. Chicago Air & Water Show – (Aug. 17th – 18th) – This is right outside my front door – so I can avoid the crowds!  Literally – Love it.

Honorable Mentions: Oktoberfest, Guinness Oyster Fest, Retro on Roscoe, Ravinia, Craft Beer Fest – There are so many to choose from!

Work was busy, but great per usual.  During my lunch break I had to head over to the CTA office on Lake to pick up a new Chicago Card Plus because mine stopped working.  I was in and out very quickly and decided that it was a nice enough day to walk back to the office.  Along the way, I decided to make a pitstop and the Chicago French Market.

I love this place and if you have never been you need to go… NOW!

It’s in the bottom of Ogilvie station and is basically set up like a outdoor french market – but inside – obviously.  There are lots of produce vendors, bakeries selling delicious french macaroons, flowers shops and various food vendors.  My favorites are Saigon Sisters, Pastoral and Lillie Q’s which has created a small venue since their flagship restaurant burnt down!

I’ve been trying to save money on eating out lately, so I didn’t buy anything because some of their items are a little pricey.  Regardless, it was a great break!

Before stepping back in the office, I grabbed a salad from the BOA cafeteria that only cost me $4.00 because they charge you based on weight.  Love.

In this delicious creation of mine had roasted parsnips, mixed greens, shredded carrots, raw broccoli, bell peppers, citrus tabbouleh, avocado and a sliced up veggie burger I heated up in the office.

Bon Appetit!

I’m off to work and am very excited that it is Friday!  Lot’s of fun Cinco De Mayo activities planned for the weekend and lot’s of outdoor running!

Au Revoir!