mac and cheese

I'm lucky to still have all 10 fingers. So Megan tells me. We popped into a tapas restaurant a few nights ago and had a mac and cheese dish that was beyond words. Literally. Once it was placed on table, I'm fairly certain no words were spoken between us until one forkful remained and Megan said "Are we going to have to fight for the last bite?" I graciously let her enjoy that final noodle.

What made it so amazing? One word. Bacon.

I share the theory of many - everything (well, almost) is better with bacon. If you keep following my blog, you'll likely read plenty more on this topic.

In the meantime, if you are in the mood for some out of this world, mouth-watering, absolutely to die for mac and cheese, head to Twist tapas restaurant and order the mac and cheese a la twist. (You might even see Megan and I there; pretty sure this won't be one time thing.) noodles, bacon, red pepper, monterey jack baked together so it's just a little crispy on top. YUM!

Lobster Thermidor

I'm not really sure where to begin. How about lessons learned on Valentine's Day: 1) don't go to Whole Foods in Lincoln Park, the mecca of grocery stores, it's an absolute nightmare; 400 parking spots & the parking lot was still FULL of cars circling like buzzards looking for a kill. For the record, I live next door, it's more of an effort for me to go somewhere else. It would have been worth it yesterday. 2) If you want to buy a live lobster for your un-romantic dinner, place your order in advance. Who knew there were so many Chicagoans with no qualms about throwing a live lobster in a pot of boiling water or plunging a knife between its eyes?! (Apparently, if you are opposed to steaming live lobster, you'll be more comfortable stabbing it to death. Personally, the rather passive act of dropping it into the pot wouldn't phase me. The whole plunging knife scenario is more than a little on the violent side for me.)

It must have been the scotch talking when Megan and I decided to tackle Lobster Thermidor as our first Top 10 event. I'm certain it's the most daunting item on the list. In the world of "go big or go home", we went big. And I gotta say, I'm pretty impressed. I first read the recipe last Monday, figuring I should probably know what we had gotten ourselves into & possibly start mentally preparing. Oh. My. Mental preparation definitely in order. I immediately notified Megan that this could take us most of Sunday. Not because of lengthy cooking times or overly complicated steps, but because I was certain we would a) be disgusted at certain points, b) need to pause for gagging, pep talks, more champagne, (in actuality, all of the above) and c) have to take breaks for laughter and photos. Take, for instance, my favorite step in the process:

Split the lobsters in half lengthwise, keeping the shell halves intact. Discard the sand sacks in the heads - (what is a sand sack?!) - and the intestinal tubes. (Right.) Rub lobster coral and green matter (gagging) through a fine sieve into the mixing bowl, and blend it into the mustard, egg yolks, cream and pepper. (Whoa. Coral and green matter. I did not sign up for this. Who eats anything that has something kindly referred to as "MATTER" blended into it?!?)

Easy as pie. Even though it was her idea, Megan had her doubts about our ability to conquer Lobster Thermidor from the beginning. I was confident ... until I read this step. But I had faith, I knew we'd find the strength to pull it out. In hindsight, we are total rockstars. There was no gagging, but plenty of fun and laughter. Not to mention some hilarious pictures. Thanks to Christy and Jamie for joining us for the adventure! J - the pictures wouldn't be the same without your talent for the candid; they truly capture the moments. C - you are either very brave or had no idea what you were agreeing to when you accepted the invite to join us for dinner!

A few other random anecdotes from the evening:

When we arrived at the fish market to buy the live lobster, there was 1 left. Good news! Except for one little thing, he was almost 8 pounds and most definitely bigger in size than Olive (my little black pug). See for yourself. I got to hold him and then kindly left him to wait for a better home. Dropping him into a pot of boiling water is not a fight I would have won. I'm afraid I would have lost an arm, a couple of fingers at the least!

After choosing our 3 small (approx 1.5 lbs each) already steamed lobsters, battling the crowds at Whole Foods & then having to make a trip to another grocery store for whipping cream (not talking about Cool Whip, folks) and cognac, arrived back home just after 4 pm to no electricity. Awesome. Hundreds of dollars worth of perishable food items & no electricity. Not to worry, we kicked into survival mode and made the best of it. I climbed on top of the counter for the wine bucket, took the ice out of the freezer -- had to anyway so I didn't have a pool of water in my freezer! -- and set the champagne to chill. If everything else went to waste, at least we would enjoy the champagne!

While I was dealing with all of the matter, Megan and Christy got the job of getting the lobster meat out of the tails and claws. I wasn't paying much attention, but I know they were using pliers at one point because I had to go dig them out of the closet. Obviously they took their jobs seriously! By the way, Megan, reviews on the lobster juice facial?!

All in all, major success. The food was amazing and the memories will bring laughter for years to come. Can't say I want to see coral or green matter again anytime soon (still makes me cringe to think of it), but when you blend it with enough butter and cream, Y-U-M! Enjoy the pictures! (slideshow included below)

Oh, one last thing -- this claim that French women don't get fat. Complete crap. There was a definite roundness to my stomach when I woke up this morning that was not there yesterday. That's what approx 16 Tbs of butter and a cup of heavy cream will do to you.

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Top 10

About a week and a half ago, my dear friend Megan and I met on a Tuesday evening for burgers and scotch tasting at a local Irish restaurant and tavern. This was no typical Tuesday and any old bar and grill with a Tuesday night burger and beer special simply wouldn't do. Our purpose on this particular Tuesday night was to decide on the "Top 10 of 2010". The 10 things we would vow to do together in 2010. One event every month other than January and December. Somehow we reasoned that scotch tasting solidified the seriousness of our mission.

After coming up with the initial idea, we took a few weeks to independently think of possible items for the list. The only stipulations: it had to be something neither of us had done previously, and it had to be FUN. Obviously, it also needed to be something we would both be interested in and willing to do. We started with a list of about 16 possibilities; thankfully we reached agreement with relative ease. Maybe it was the scotch!

So, without further ado, the list ...

Top 10 of 2010

1. take sailing lessons
2. go on an architectural walking tour of downtown Chicago
3. go to the Kentucky Derby (note: this may have to be swapped out due to a potential conflict; maybe we'll go to a NASCAR event or something equally classy for two single thirty-something women!)
4. Master the Art of French Cooking with Julia Child and make Lobster Thermidor. No messing around with the "easy" stuff, we're going for gold.
5. go line dancing in Chicago. why not?! She's from the South and I'm from Kansas, isn't this what we're supposed to do?!
6. take a class at Kendall College (a college in downtown Chicago with a culinary arts program)
7. drink an expensive bottle of wine (yes, just to see what all the fuss is about)
8. pick a supper club event around Chicago to attend
9. spend the Thanksgiving holiday helping the less fortunate
10. long weekend trip somewhere neither of us has been (i know, i know, very vague; 3 potentials: 1) camping, 2) wine-tasting, 3) pick the weekend & book whatever last-minute travel deal is available 3-5 days prior)

We haven't even begun & I already feel like I want to make a Top 10 list every year. Kinda makes it more exciting!

I'll provide post-game commentary & pictures as we complete each item on the list. We invite everyone to stay tuned and track our progress, or join us on one of our adventures! Hint, hint, we're tackling our first one tomorrow and I can't wait .... stay tuned!

Why Sunday Supper?

Sunday Supper just kind of happened. Naturally. When I moved back to Chicago from NYC in September 2007, one of the things I enjoyed and appreciated most was the kitchen in the 1-bedroom apartment I was renting at the time. Compared to my NYC apartments, this kitchen was HUGE. Cabinets galore, plenty of counter space, more than 1 butt could fit in the kitchen at a time, it had an island, and it was completely open to the rest of the living room. Heaven! I could cook a respectable meal again, and I could even invite guests to dine with me. Unheard of in NYC! (Okay, so more often than not, it was girls night with wine and cheese, but that's beside the point.) Suddenly, I remembered how much I enjoyed cooking, trying new recipes and experimenting with my own ideas on occasions when I was feeling particularly courageous. Even more so, I loved having friends and family gathered around the kitchen. The sound of conversation and laughter, and the smell of a home-cooked meal. That is what I came from, it was home to me.

When I decided it was time to buy my first condo, my real estate agent asked for my "MUST HAVE" list. #1 - open kitchen with plenty of room to entertain. And she found me the perfect place. Once I had finished all of the unpacking, painting, furniture assembly and at least a little of the decorating, it was time. The first Sunday Supper actually took place in December 2009. At the time, it was really only intended as one event & the name was something catchy to serve as a memory aid for my friends in case they had a little too much fun on Saturday night. As it turned out, there was simply something about Sunday evening that fit. To me, there is nothing better on Sunday evening than a home-cooked meal shared amongst friends and family. Sunday Supper was exactly what I was looking for to make my house a home. Laughter, friendship, tradition. Good friends, good food, good wine. Memories to last a lifetime.

And so, Sunday Supper became one of my 2010 "resolutions". A monthly dinner party in my home. The food I put in front of my friends isn't half bad for a girl from Kansas who has been picking up culinary inspiration along the way ... from my roots (thanks to Mom and Grandma's who taught me that homemade with love is always best!) to two years living in NYC that turned me into a bit of a foodie to all of the amazing local cuisine I've experienced in my travels abroad ... but when they ask me when the next Sunday Supper will be, I'm pretty sure they're looking forward to something other than the food. To friendship, love, and the journey!