See Ya

I'm off for a little warm weather adventure. See you all in a week!

Sunday Brunch at Jam

After a pretty eventful weekend it's always relaxing to meet up with friends and enjoy a well done brunch. Chicago is a city with endless options so I usually try to explore new places.

This Sunday my friend, Maureen, and I headed to Logan Square to try a cute little spot called Jam. It's a tiny restaurant, filled to the brim with tables. I loved the bright white decor with soft lighting and green accents.

We started off with mimosas and poured through the menu. They had so many great options it was hard to decide: sweet or savory?

Luckily, they started us off with chocolate hazelnut cookies (the way all brunches should start!) while we mulled over the menu some more.

We started with the Malted Custard French Toast which Food and Wine Magazine rated as one of the 10 best dishes of 2010. I have to say, it was pretty amazing. They soak the brioche in vanilla custard then caramelize it in a hot pan. It's served with macerated cherries, whipped cream and pink peppercorns. Wow.

We also ordered a side of jowl bacon which I ate more than my fare share of. Sorry, Maureen!

Then round two of drinks before our entrees.

Maureen ordered the Eggs Benedict with butternut squash hollandaise sauce and brown sugar bacon sausage. I ordered the Burrito Suizo, which was a buckwheat crepe filled with the most tender braised beef, tomato creme and gouda. Holy cow, I could have eaten too.

 We had a great time and I'm still dreaming about that burrito. We cleared our plates pretty quickly. Hands down I would go back again, and highly recommend it.

Love

I saw this image on the blog Maskcara yesterday. It's a beautiful print from a London shop, TheMotivatedType available on Esty. One that I might have to order.

I loved this quote because I think it really is the best way to live life. Get excited about the silly small things in your life and you will be exponentially happier because of it. 

Fall in love with your job, a new dinner recipe, your 30 minute commute were you to listen to your favorite music. Fall in love with your pets, your comfy bed, the long dreary winter that lets you really appreciate summer and until then comfort food. Fall in love with your best friend, your significant other, your family. Fall in love with this one life that you can do anything with. Fall in love with yourself. You never know how much time you'll get to appreciate all of these things.

Although I've never been a big celebrator of Valentine's Day, I like the idea of surrounding our lives with love. And I think it has to start within ourself. 

Have a great weekend!

Yabba Dabba Do

I often find that cooking for one can restrict me from experimenting in the kitchen. So with a snowy Chicago Saturday, I invited a few friends over to try my hand at flank steak with chimichurri sauce. Time to mix things up.

Really, the snow never stops.

First things first, I picked up some tulips to distract us all from the weather. 

Then, I swung by The Butcher & Larder for a Fred Flintstone size flank steak. This butcher shop was pricey but offers local and sustainable meat that was well worth it. I mixed up a garlic marinade then popped it in the fridge for a few hours.

While the steak was in the fridge, I got busy making the chimichurri sauce. It's a gorgeous green concoction from fresh cilantro, parsley, oregano and garlic. A few whirls around the food processor and it's ready to go.

Look how stunning that sauce is! I've been putting the leftovers on top of everything from salads to eggs. Yum.

Around 7 friends began to arrive and that's where the real fun started. My lovely friend, Grace, brought all the fixings for shrimp spring rolls. She laid out the assembly line and taught us how to roll them like pros. Well, maybe there were a few oddly shaped rolls but they were all delicious!

Success!

Now it was time for the main event, steak! I broiled each side of the steak for about 5 minutes then seared it on the stovetop for a final touch.

I let it rest for about 5 minutes while we refilled on wine. And then started slicing away. Somehow this Fred Flintstone sized steak got demolished pretty quickly.

I'd say it was a successful night. I will definitely whip this dish up again. It was shockingly easy.

A Sephora Kind Of Night

Most women I know view Sephora as the adult equivalent of a candy shop. Aisles packed with beautiful colors, delicious scents AND you get to play with everything. Clearly you have just entered heaven.

I was back in Delaware, land of tax-free shopping, and couldn't pass up a quick trip. As usual I walk in with one or two things in mind but leave with a few more than expected. Allow me to share.

First up, the reason I went to Sephora, was to check out the newly released Elizabeth and James Nirvana fragrances by Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen: Nirvana Black and Nirvana White.

I tried Nirvana Black first. It's described as having notes of violet, sandalwood and vanilla. There is no denying this is a strong fragrance. I spritzed some on and walked around the store a bit to see how I felt. There is a strong sense of seductiveness to Nirvana Black and it takes a little getting use to. It is a scent I would definitely wear at night or on a date.  And the bottle is edgy yet elegant.

Then I tried on Nirvana White.  This fragrance is described as a blend of peony, chic muguet, and tender musk for a feminine scent with dark sophistication. It's definitely more my style and an everyday scent. Fresh and floral are words that come to mind. I loved it immediately.

So what to do? One of the Sephora staffers recommended I layer them together and it was pure brilliance. It mellows down the Black scent just a enough and gives the White a bit more edge. I snapped up both of the fragrances in the rollerball version so I didn't drop a fortune. I love them!

I also picked up Sugar Lip Polish from Fresh. I find that my lips get annoyingly chapped during the dry winter months and I want something to take that top layer off. I read a few reviews about this and decided to give it a try. I'll keep you posted!

Over the past year I started using eye cream in the AM and PM to prevent wrinkles and lines. I'm using All About Eyes from Clinique, but I'm not crazy about it. I guess I don't really notice a difference. So I picked up the Origins GinZing Refreshing Eye Cream from Sephora's bestseller wall. It has caffeine to wake up eyes and generally brighten. I'll let you know if I like this one better.

And last but not least, is Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade in Chocolate. This past year I've also discovered the difference a well defined brow can make. The amazing makeup blog, Mascara, has shown me the subtle enhancement of defined brows and raves about this product. I had the Sephora staff apply some on me and loved it.

That's all my goodies from a fun trip to Sephora. Until next time!