Adler Planetarium

It was one of those perfect days when the stars aliened and everything fell into place. We found the closest parking spot on the street!!! (metered parking for $4.50 for 3 hours!!!)... we had perfect weather (35 degrees sunny, Chicago-style and no wind!) and we had free admission to the planetarium!

Raw Bar

This is a restaurant I have wanted to try for some time now. But it is located in Wrigleyville, a Chicago neighborhood that we only visit during baseball season and most of the Wrigelyville restaurants that we visit fit the whole rowdy, fun baseball scene.

So 3 days after the 2011 blizzard of Chicago, we ventured to Raw Bar which specializes in seafood and Persian and Mediterranean Cuisine. (And honestly, hats off to the Chicago Street department, because you never would have know there was a blizzard just a few days before! The streets and sidewalks were clean and the only reminder of the blizzard were the plentiful signs that sat on the sidewalks of the downtown saying "beware of falling ice".) Upon entering Raw Bar, I was honestly expecting a sports bar and was surprised by everything that followed including the art deco decor.

We started our dinner with a champagne martini for me and a pomegranate martini for my husband. The bread was served with parmesan cheese and Egyptian oil, which had a very distinct taste and was somewhat bitter but still full of flavor. For tapas, I ordered the little top necks steamers which had a wine au jus with garlic and scallions and my husband order the crayfish soup--which was so delicious I ended up ordering one for myself! He ordered the homemade cheese raviolis also. For dinner my husband had the jumbo charcoal shrimp with pistachios, pomegranate and cranberry and saffron rice. I had the special "sea fiesta" which was angel hair pasta with calamari, clams, mussels, squid and shrimp. They were very generous in their seafood and portions! Each plate that we were served was seasoned perfectly without compromising the dish--which is very difficult to achieve!

This restaurant also serves frogs legs, alligator, and ostrich for the more adventurous diner!

MY TIP: There is a ice skating rink right next to Wrigley Field--how fun! These is one of 10 rinks around Chicago.

Super Bowl

Normally I try out recipes in advance to make sure they are "company ready", but heck it is football and hungry guys (who have been drinking) who really don't care, so I decided to make this...

From a "sober"point of view this was a good one to make!

24 good white rolls
24 pieces good honey ham
24 small slices Swiss cheese
2/3 cup mayo

POPPY SEED SAUCE:

1 1/2 TBSP poppy seed
1 1/2 TBSP yellow mustard
1 stick butter, melted
1 TBSP minced onion
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Spread mayo on both sides of the roll. Place a slice of ham and a slice of Swiss cheese inside each roll. Close rolls and place on a large baking dish. In a medium bowl, whisk together the poppy seed sauce ingredients and pour evenly over all the sandwiches. Let sit for 10 minutes. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 13-15 minutes or until cheese is melted. Uncover and cook for 2 additional minutes.

Roasted Olives

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup kalamata olives
1 can ripe olives
1 jar green olives
1/2 pint grape tomatoes
8 cloves of garlic, peeled, left whole
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 Tablespoon Herbs de Provence

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Put all the ingredients on a cookie sheet and roast for 15-20 minutes. Can be served warm or at room temperature.

MY TIP: I was sure I had Herbs de Provence, but actually had Fine Herbs, so I decided to make my own Herbs de Provence. I used 1/2 Tablespoon of basil and 1/2 Tablespoon of thyme and a few fresh sprigs of rosemary and it tasted wonderful, even the garlic was sweet from roasting!

MY OTHER TIP: Although this recipe said you could serve this warm or at room temperature, I found that room temperature was more flavorful.

Mussels, Clams and Shrimp in a Spicy Broth

This recipe packs some heat! Despite my grocery not having mussels today, I made this anyway and it was delicious. Just make sure to serve this with crusty bread to soak up the juices.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 scant teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 24 small Littleneck clams (about 2 1/2 pounds total), scrubbed
• 24 mussels (about 1 1/2 pounds total), debearded
• 20 large shrimp (about 1 pound), peeled, deveined, butterflied
• 1/2teaspoon basil
  
• Warm crusty bread

Directions

Heat the oil in a heavy large pot over medium heat. Add the garlic, bay leaf, and crushed red pepper. Saute until the garlic is tender, about 1 minute. Add the wine and bring to a boil. Add the tomatoes. Bring to a simmer. Simmer until the tomatoes begin to break down and the flavors blend, about 5 minutes. Stir in the clams and mussels. Cover and cook for 4 minutes until the clams and mussels open.

Using a tongs, transfer the opened shellfish to serving bowls (discard any shellfish that do not open). Add the shrimp and basil to the simmering tomato broth. Simmer until the shrimp are just cooked through, about 1 1/2 minutes. Divide the shrimp and tomato broth among the bowls. Serve with the warm bread.

Wine Not?

When we walked into our hotel in Chicago I noticed there was a wine tasting event in the atrium. When I asked the bellhop about it, he told me it was not open to the public. It was a gathering of wine makers (mainly from France, Italy and Spain) who were trying to convince the American distributors to purchase their wine, some going for as much as $500 a bottle! Although I joked with some of the distributors about their "fun job", they told me that in one day they "swished and spit" at least 50 wines and "had" to do it a second day! They did not seems as terribly excited about their job as me!

So in the atrium later that evening, enjoying a drink with my family and joking with our server about all the wine, she brought us a bottle of wine to sample, then another, then another, then a box to put it in(!) and then another and another! And if that was not enough she brought a wonderful cheese plate and later desserts! All compliments of our new foreign friends!...and no we could not drink all that wine but took it home to enjoy at another time!

2011 House Goals

It's the new year and I always make resolutions and goals. This year for my home I have been thinking of the updates that I want to make. (Insert my husband rolling his eyes and saying no.) I always start my home improvement projects with "I won't even need your help"... which is never true.

But on my list for this year is to update all the light fixtures (the four bathrooms are excluded), buy new rugs in the kitchen and dining area, reupholster the dining room chairs, reupholster the two bench chairs in my gathering room, remove the existing banister and add rod iron banisters to our lower level and replace the existing light fixture there, repaint the gathering room it's existing color to "freshen" it up, and take down the wallpaper and paint our master bedroom and paint the lower level family room. Whoo! That should keep me busy...jeez...I wish I had someone to help me....Oh...Sweetie....