Picnics Under the Moon

dinner and a movie

A few weeks ago, my friend Neelu (my great travel buddy from the NYC trip) invited me over for dinner and a movie. I try to eat healthy, but I don't really venture out too far. So I was extremely excited about the night's menu! First we made a cabbage and beet salad with a vinegar and honey dressing if I remember correctly - really good, crunchy and a nice sweet and sour flavor.

The main course was wild rice soup - wow! (Pictured in the book above; it disappeared too quickly for me to take a nice picture). We skipped the mushrooms, but added gnocchi. Both of us had multiple helpings. The soup recipe came from the Fresh Food Fast cookbook, full of healthy, quick and easy recipes. I can't wait to pick up a copy for myself!

And of course, there had to be dessert. We made popcorn with roasted almonds, walnuts and cashews in maple sauce. Heavenly!

We topped off the night with P.S. I Love You. Thanks for such a wonderful evening Neelu!

new york, new york

At the beginning of January, I went on a 3 day trip to New York with my friend Neelu. I was in NY once before - about 10 years ago for some orientation so we were inside a hotel most of the time - so I consider this trip my first real visit.

I fell in love with NY right away. "Wow" was definitely the word of the day every day of the trip. I also found out that Neelu is a perfect travel buddy - we are interested in a lot of the same things, we got hungry at the same time and we both liked to sleep in a bit among other things. 

We stayed right by Central Park so we walked through it every day.

One day, we spotted this tree decorated with lanterns - our guess was Chinese New Year decorations.

Neelu and I had a list of things we decided we had to try: a New York bagel, something from a street vendor and New York style pizza.

The first morning we had bagels - with cream cheese and sun dried tomatoes - delicious! We also checked off street vendors, but we never ended up getting pizza. We did however try some New York cheesecake (whipped white chocolate raspberry) at Maxies by Times Square - really good. We also split a slice of tiramisu, which unfortunately was only OK at best.

Speaking of Times Square - seeing it on TV doesn't even compare.

My photo doesn't do it justice either - it was so mesmerizing.

Since I love sweets, I dragged Neelu to Dylan's Candy Bar - the biggest candy store in the world (according to Wikipedia) owned by Ralph Lauren's daughter, Dylan Lauren.

The store was a zoo on a Saturday afternoon, but nonetheless amazing. It's actually real candy in the floor!

I was so tempted to get one of those cupcakes - I'm drooling right now as I'm looking at this picture. I did however get the "it" bar, dark chocolate with sea salt flavor. Interesting combo, but really tasty. And yes, the cool package was probably the deciding factor.

Here are some other tasty spots we checked out. 1) Balthazar in SoHo is very hip and posh. Great food, but $20+ for eggs florentine was a little much for me - worth the experience though! 2) Rice to Riches, a place that sells only rice pudding, was heavenly. We split an order of coconut coma and hazelnut chocolate bear hug - both fantastically delicious! 3) Peperoncino in Brooklyn is the cutest and coziest little Italian spot with the nicest service - we went there with our friend Elizabeth who just moved to NY from Minneapolis.

Elizabeth did some improv back in MN, so she took us to the Upright Citizens Brigade theater. The show was so funny - I definitely recommend it!

But no, we didn't just eat on our trip - we did go to the Museum of Modern Art. Here are some of my favorites.

I love Tapestry of the Thousand Longest Rivers of the World by Alighiero e Boetti due to its graphic / typographic nature.

Same for Warhol's piece.

Wonderful Matisse.

Starry Night was surprisingly small, but gorgeous nonetheless.

Seurat... I just realized that A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte is at the Art Institute of Chicago - will have to go check it out!

And of course Picasso...

We also stopped by the Tim Burton exhibit - it's at MoMA through April 26th.

What's the conclusion from the trip? I love New York!

home for the holidays, part 2

After spending two weeks in Poland (you can see the pictures here), I went to visit my sister in Dublin, Ireland, for four days. On the first day, we went to Howth - a town located about 30 minutes east of Dublin known mostly for fishing and cliffs.

You can do a cliff walk that takes from 2 to 4 hours depending on the route you take. We got there a little too late to do a full walk though. The views were phenomenal and I loved all the shrubbery.

Here are some pictures of Howth cliffs my sister took last spring. Simply gorgeous.

And here, seals begging for food in the town's harbor.

The weather was pretty bad the rest of my stay (rainy and cold), so I didn't take any more pictures. I just did some relaxing and shopping... The night before I had to fly out, my sister and I went to Acapulco for dinner (an adorable Mexican restaurant, we went there last year too) for dinner. I think those were the best nachos I've ever had!

My sister ordered quesadillas and I had a Mexican pizza. Yum!

It was especially cold, wet and miserable that night, and it took us forever to find the place... But once we entered that quiet and cozy space flooded with low amber lights, it felt like stepping into a different world. Add great company and amazing food and I have a memory I'll treasure forever!

home for the holidays

I finally found some time to clear my camera... so here are a few pictures from my Christmas break I spent in Wroclaw, Poland (two whole weeks!). I noticed something "new" on this trip though. Since I grew up there, I took the architecture of my city for granted. However, being away for so long has allowed me to see it almost as if for the first time. And I think it's pretty amazing!

Here is the town square with the City Hall on the far side (it's the one with the clock tower). All the colorful buildings you see above are either shops or bars/restaurants (mainly on the street level, there are apartments on the upper floors). The town square with its surrounding area is one of the most popular places in Wroclaw for shopping, hanging out, going out or just strolling around.

This is the City Hall - it's probably shown on 95% of postcards from Wroclaw - the city's landmark if you will.

They had a live manger set up in the town square!

Here is what doors to some of the shops/restaurants/businesses/apartments in the town square look like. Aren't they just gorgeous?

Another fantastic doorway, isn't it? It actually leads to a bar/restaurant located in the basement of the City Hall. I just looked it up and it's supposedly the oldest restaurant/beer cellar in Europe dating back to the early 14th century!!

For a few nights before Christmas, they had booths set up in the town square with people selling specialty foods and handmade items like jewelry, hats, slippers, scarves, toys, home decor and more - so fun! I'm already looking forward to my next trip back!

You can read up more on Wroclaw here.

new year's resolutions

My sister gave me a great book for Christmas - Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. In brief, Gilbert talks about self-discovery and her search for more meaning in life as she travels across Italy, India and Indonesia. The book is actually being made into a movie with Julia Roberts as Elizabeth Gilbert, also starring James Franco and Javier Bardem according to the IMDb.

I've only gone through a third of the book so far (the third that made my 7+ hour flight from Dublin to Chicago bearable), but it made me think more about my own life. It made me want to spend more time discovering what makes me me and do more things that I enjoy. So here is my list of New Year's resolutions: 1) do more things that I want to do and things that make me happy; 2) create more fun memories with my husband and my friends; 3) travel more; 4) do a race (5K or 8K for now, hopefully a marathon in the future); 5) take a dance class; 6) put better/healthier things in my body... I think this is a good compilation for now. Hope you can all discover (if you haven't already) the best and happiest you possible. Happy New Year!

rock solid idea

I'm finally home for Christmas. The flight actually went by pretty fast considering the first leg was 9 hours (and my seat couldn't recline, because it was right in front of the restroom). Then I had a 4 hour layover and the last leg was only 1 hour or so. I survived thanks to Sophie Kinsella's "Remember Me?", which is a really fun and light read although with a somewhat disappointing ending. I haven't had time to work out in a while, so I also picked up a copy of Runner's World at the airport - because I guess reading about running would somehow make me feel like I had worked out? - but I still haven't opened it.

Every year I'm excited to see what my mom has done around the house and I thought this idea was too clever not to share. She has been collecting cool rocks from her trips over the past year. And you know how rocks look so nice when wet, but once they dry, the colors get so dull? Well, she's been using clear nail polish on them! It keeps them looking natural, yet the colors are so much more vibrant and intense, just how they'd look under water. How neat?! I'll definitely have to try that myself.

watch it

How gorgeous is this watch? I think very... I first found out about Nixon (a very neat watch brand) a few years ago from my friend Dan. I went to their site recently and noticed they added women's watches (and handbags, knits, jackets, etc.) - or maybe they had them all along, but I just didn't notice before. Regardless, their women's watch collection is worth checking out. It has all sorts of styles - elegant, classic, fun and quirky. The watch above caught my eye first... and then I saw the price...

But they have a bunch of other cute and more wallet friendly options too. Hmmmm, a Christmas gift for myself perhaps?

where did the time go?

 
Seriously? Where did it go? I'm leaving to visit my family for Christmas in one month from Thursday! I'm super excited, because this year I'll be able to go for the whole 18 days. I'll spend the first two weeks in Poland and the last four days in Dublin, Ireland, where my sister lives.

Every year, the closer it gets to my departure, the more excited I get about my mom's cooking. After all, it's the stuff I grew up eating, so I think I will always crave it. Even if Wade thinks some of it is weird... really weird. He loves potato pierogi of course. But who wouldn't love carbs wrapped in more carbs... I personally also really like a sweet version of pierogi with either sweet cheese (sort of like cheese blintzes) or with strawberries. That's and example of what Wade would consider weird. Some dishes I definitely agree are quite disgusting, I can't even stand the smell. I came across this article that describes some of the crazier foods way better than I ever could if you care to read about cow tongues and such (which I've actually eaten when I was younger). 

One thing Wade thought was crazy to eat was pickle soup (ok, I totally see how one would think that might be gross). But we picked up a container of home made pickle soup from Kasia's Deli one day and he loved it! My family always served it hot, but we ate it cold and it was really good that way too. If you're in Chicago, I'd definitely recommend stopping at Kasia's if you're feeling adventurous. If anything, the candy is really good (3bit is our favorite) - can't go wrong with candy.

I know it's still a little early, but I hope everyone will be able to spend this holiday season with their loved ones and enjoy some of their favorite dishes and maybe try some new ones too!

*Image of pierogi via Ordinary Recipes Made Gourmet.

bring it!

I must say that Aimee's post about snow in Minneapolis freaked me out a little bit. I finally became ok with the fact that our summer was way cooler than I would've liked, but I was hoping that we'll at least get a beautiful and colorful fall. Wrong. It's been gray and gloomy and cold.

I always forget how cold it really gets here in the winter. For the past few years my winter coat has been a knee length wool coat. Definitely not enough. Even with a fleece underneath. That actually made it even worse, because once I managed to squeeze myself into the fairly fitted coat while wearing a fleece, I was left with a very limited range of motion.

This year I decided I'm done with suffering through winter (or November through March, sometimes April or May - it actually got down to 30 degrees this past May!). I'm getting The North Face Arctic Parka! I love that it's super warm and a little longer, but still has a fairly sleek silhouette (as much as a warm winter coat can). I'm afraid I'll have to start wearing it before the month is over though!

I love winter; watching the snow fall while curled up on the couch; drinking hot chocolate; the holiday season; skiing and ice skating. But I definitely do not like being cold. But this time, I'll be ready. So Chicago winter - bring it!

going camping

I'm super excited, because after my long absence, I'm coming back to Minnesota (to visit)! I moved to Chicago over two years ago now and I haven't gone back since. It's sad to say, but I just never had time... I'm actually flying back to go to Design Camp; however, a lot of my friends still live in Minneapolis, so I can't wait to see them and catch up as well.

Design Camp is a fantastic three day getaway organized by AIGA Minnesota. And what happens there? The name says it best actually. For the "Design" part, there will be an abundance of workshops and speakers. There will also be other designers, writers, photographers, printers (or anyone who loves design) you can meet, network with, exchange ideas or just enjoy being away from the city.

As for the "Camp" part, there will be karaoke, a bonfire and s'mores, a band, an astronomy hike and a tai chi class.

Design Camp takes place in Nisswa, MN, a tiny town about three hours north of Minneapolis. We will be staying at a beautiful lodge right on the lake. Getting there is one of my favorite parts of the whole trip, because you drive through the country and the trees are changing colors right about now, so it's just a really gorgeous drive.

I've gone to Design Camp three years in a row before I left for Chicago and it's always such an inspiring experience. I love being with people who are as passionate about something as I am. It's a fantastic way to clear your mind, get some new ideas, pick up new tricks, meet new people and all that while having some (or actually a LOT) of fun!