I got ambitious today and decided to walk up to The Spice House on Central and get some more of that magic powdered cheddar cheese that is the secret ingredient to Smoke House garlic bread. I took the residential streets west of NU and shot photos along the way.
On the way back I stopped at Rollin to Go, a sandwich shop on Noyes, and had a very tasty chicken sandwich on flatbread. There’s also a deli next door I’d like to try, but it’s closed Wednesdays. For dinner I made Scampi on linguine marinara with Smoke House garlic bread.
My head was a bit better today, but I mostly took it easy. I fixed Dani a steak sandwich for lunch using the leftover strip steak from last night, and then went to Sashimi Sashimi for sushi while her tutor, Lee, was here.
I also stopped into the last two coffee houses I know of: Starbucks, which was packed with people standing in line — I used their restroom but couldn’t bring myself to order their coffee; and Cosi, which is almost next door to Starbucks, serves the same types of coffee, and was empty. I had a mocha there and read an interesting article on Instapaper about the development of phone phreaks in 1971.
For dinner I made Indian Butter Curry Chicken and froze the leftovers in three separate meals for two that she can use next quarter. I must say the freezer is pretty much full of ready made meals as a result of the last seven weeks.
The forecast was for scattered thunderstorms and it was gloomy when I awoke, so despite the persistent head / sinus / jaw ache I went the Whole Foods early to restock the kitchen.
But by lunch it had cleared off and turned into a beautiful day, so I went to Trattoria Demi, a short walk down Orrington. The Fettuccine Cacciatore lunch special was tasty, and the espresso was excellent.
By this afternoon my headache was finally starting to abate. Dani got home pretty late — almost 6pm — because she was working on her lab data. Her raw score on the midterm was pretty low but apparently on the curve it was quite high. It must have been a very hard test, compounded by the rushed delivery of lessons last week. So far she has an A- the first “quarter” and an A the second, with seven days of lessons and two tests to go.
I grilled a strip steak for Dani and some Tuna for me, on what will probably be the BBQ’s final outing for the year, although I have one load of charcoal left.
I’ve been converting Bill Bryson’s new book, At Home, from CD to m4b so I can listen to it as an audiobook on our trip to England next month. I use a program called audiobookbuilder which works quite nicely. I could have purchased it as an audiobook, I suppose, but I wanted the original BBC version, which was only available as a 14 CD set.
Bryson is an interesting guy. He grew up in Iowa, lived in England for twenty years, and then returned to the US and lived in New Hampshire for almost a decade.
I bet this frat house fire escape gets a workout during parties.
He became famous writing about his travels, and I think he’s actually bigger in England than here. Since 2003 he’s been back in England, and is now the Chancellor of Durham University.
Bryson always reads his own audiobooks. He’s actually not a great reader, but because they’re his, there’s something endearing about his delivery; you can pretty much hear the twinkle in his eye. For anyone visiting Australia, his In a Sunburned Country is essential reading.
I spent the afternoon walking around Evanston, visiting the US Bank up on the Northwestern campus, and then continuing my survey of coffee (and tea shops).
Dream About Tea is a strange cross between a cafe and a shop. The Chinese owner sells a hundred or so herbal teas, brewed or dry, plus accessories. The Morrocan mint I had was pleasant and inexpensive, but unremarkable.
Across the street at Bennison’s Bakery I had a pretty good large espresso and a pain au chocolat. The espresso was one of the better ones I’ve had in town, but La Duree in Paris needn’t worry about the pastry competition.
For dinner I tried a recipe from Simply Recipes. It was definitely a hit. Very lemony. I found the pine nuts at Whole Foods ($30 a pound! Fortunately they’re very light.) In retrospect I don’t think they’re very important, but using the juice and zest of a whole fresh lemon is. I think it should be called Lemony Smoked Salmon Pasta.
Ingredients
8 ounces pasta
Salt
1/4 cup pine nuts
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/3 cup chopped onions
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup cream
1/2 cup diced frozen carrots and peas
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp lemon zest (divided into 1 Tbsp and 1 Tbsp)
2 Tbsp chopped fresh dill
4 ounces smoked salmon, cut into bite sized pieces
Fresh ground black pepper
Method
Brown the pine nuts.
Saute onion and garlic.
Cook pasta.
Add white wine, lemon juice, and 1 Tbsp of lemon zest. Increase the heat and let boil down by half.
If you want a slightly creamy sauce, add the cream and let boil a minute more.
The sauce should be done about the same time the pasta is done. If you get done earlier with it than the pasta, take it off the heat.
Combine pasta and sauce. Add the smoked salmon, toasted pine nuts, dill, and the remaining lemon zest. Season with freshly ground black pepper.
Serves 2 to 3.
Most importantly, I FIGURED OUT HOW TO MAKE SMOKE HOUSE GARLIC BREAD!
The cheddar cheese powder is definitely what they use. In the past I’ve tried it with Kraft Macaroni and Cheese mix, but that has other stuff in it, too. It’s just straight, sharp cheddar cheese powder that duplicates not only the flavor, but also the crumbly texture. Win!
The day began with a thunderstorm, but by 10am the rain had moved through leaving things hot and steamy, with intermittent sunshine.
I walked down to Main Street, towing the shopping basket behind me, and killed time at the newsstand until Lupita’s was open. It’s the third Mexican restaurant I’ve tried in Evanston, and saying it’s the best isn’t saying much. It certainly wasn’t worth the long, hot walk. It’s weird that just a couple of miles farther south there are all kinds of neat little hole in the wall Mexican cafes, but none up near the university.
On the way back I stopped at Jewel and stocked up on Diet Coke for Dani, then bought salmon for dinner at Whole Foods.
By mid-afternoon the rain had settled back in, and it was hard to believe I was getting sunburned on my morning walk.
I had a variety of different plans for the salmon, but in the end decided to keep it simple, sauteing it with seafood rub, and accompanying it with basmati rice. It turns out Jewel carries bread from LaBrea Bakery in Los Angeles. It’s better than any of the bread from Whole Foods. Who would have thought?
It was sprinkling lightly this morning, and was almost cool, but it soon cleared off.
At the office, Loren and Crystal organized a baby shower for Joy, and among the gifts were several Alcorn McBride inspired joke garments and this fabulous boat bassinet.
While Dani’s chemistry tutor was here I walked over to what I thought was a small used and rare bookstore off of an alley, and appropriately called Bookman’s Alley. What a shock! The place goes on for room after room, stacked high with mostly well organized old books. I kept coming upon artifacts, like an old printing press, a magic lantern, and the proprietor himself, who is as old as most of his books. The place had quite a few customers, but it’s such a labyrinth that it was always a surprise to stumble upon one. Of course I bought books. The most interesting were signed copies of Marguerite Henry’s Brighty of Grand Canyon, and a 1929 Who’s Who in Music that I got for Tommy.
Tonight I’m revisiting the Crock Pot BBQ Shortrib recipe, but cheating, in that I saved the sauce from the last batch as a starter. But I’ve added shortribs, leftover pork from The Stained Glass, potatoes, pearl onions, bacon, mushrooms and carrots, plus more wine and BBQ sauce. I started early in the morning, making a large batch so that hopefully this time the leftovers will include meat, and I can freeze it in small batches for Dani to use later.
I walked around Evanston a bit today, having breakfast at Einstein’s and running errands to CVS and Whole Foods.
Lunch was at Olive Mountain, a new Middle Eastern place on Davis, a couple blocks from the condo. They offer at least a dozen lunch combos with an entree and choice of hummus or salad plus a drink for $5.95, with sit down service. Needless to say, the place was packed. The falafel sandwich was excellent, and the hummus was the best I’ve had, seasoned with olive oil, lemon juice and various bits of herbs. Much better than Pomegranate.
For dinner I fixed tarragon chicken, using some fresh herbs I bought last week, and accompanying it with brown sugar carrots, broccoli, Caesar salad and cranberry walnut bread.
Since tomorrow is the chemistry final, Dani had Lee come over for three hours today to review for the test, so I had plenty of time for a long walk. I went to Ace Hardware, which it turns out can cut the roll-up blinds to order. Unfortunately I already ordered one on Amazon, but haven’t heard a shipping date.
I stopped at Amaranth Books, a “Used and Rare” bookstore on Davis. The owner seems like a bit of a jerk. They don’t really carry much in the way of fiction, but what they do they consider used, not rare, so I bought two $1 books for Dani that I enjoyed a while back as audiobooks.
Since I’m running out of coffee places (and haven’t yet stooped to going to Starbucks) I tried Argo Tea, where I had an espresso that was good but very bitter. Like Starbucks, they’re mostly interested in selling high calorie sweetened beverages, so I guess it doesn’t matter if the ingredients are bitter.
I did the laundry this morning (wow, that’s a big washer) and then walked down Chicago about half a mile to Addis Abeba, an Ethiopian restaurant. It was delicious. I had a variety of vegetarian items: spicy chick peas, mild yellow lentils, spicy red lentils, marinated cabbage, and salad. There are no utensils in Ethiopian restaurants; you tear off pieces of the crepe-like bread and use it to scoop things up. Excellent service and iced tea. I’ll definitely be going back to this place.
For dinner I made meatloaf. The new secret ingredient is five spice.
I took advantage of still having the rental car and ran lots of errands. Sam’s Club for ziploc bags and gum, the market for Diet Coke, the gourmet shop for some caramels Dani likes and some artisan bread.
I went south on Clarke about 5 miles to the Mexican district and tried La Cazuela Mariscos. It had great reviews on the Internet, so I was expecting a bit fancier place than the simple storefront and counter, but it was delicious, and almost free. My torta de pescadero (fish sandwich) was $4.99, and hand made delicious guacamole was $2.50. I felt bad that I was the only customer. My bill with a Diet Coke came to less than $9, but I left a $20.
Dinner was homemade fish sticks using a recipe I got from Scott Joseph’s blog: tilapia, coated with beaten egg, Japanese panko breadcrumbs, dill, seasoning and spray grape seed oil. Very tasty.
I tried vacuuming this morning, but I don’t think much of Dani’s vacuum; it doesn’t suck.
While her chemistry tutor was here I went out to the Unicorn Cafe for coffee. It’s funny how that place is always packed, since the coffee isn’t as good as at Peet’s and the ambience isn’t as good as Kafein. I guess it’s the location on Sherman. The oatmeal raisin cookies are tasty, though.
For dinner I fixed an Indian curry dish that was a combination of two Geeta’s spice and stir sauces: medium Karai Bhuna and spicy Jalfrezi; plus sauteed chicken, onions, peas, carrots, and potatoes, served over rice biryani.
The place that sells used books by the pound, Market Fresh Books, has opened a second location only two blocks from their original spot. The rents must be cheap on theses abandoned storefronts. I bought 12 ounces of book this afternoon.
I fixed a couple of quiches for dinner and to freeze the leftovers. They turned out really good. The ingredients were ham, bacon, brocollini, green onions and the secret ingredient: Chinese five spice.
Bonnie Wilson, our realtor, came over to see the condo today, and we went to lunch at a grill with an outside patio in the rear, down Sherman a few blocks. It’s called Prairie Moon. The blackened fish tacos were quite good.
I walked back, and on the way stopped at the Evanston Library, which is gorgeous. It’s huge, light and airy, with a faintly oriental or national park lodge feel. They have some extensive collections, including newspapers, magazines, audiobooks, and sheet music.
I walked down to Jewel and bought their pesticide-laced bananas because they taste better than Whole Foods‘ organic ones. On the way back I spent an hour at Cafe Mozart sipping coffee and reading articles from Instapaper, including an interesting one about an art forger named Biro. Then at whole Foods I picked up supplies to make basil chicken and oven roasted brussels sprouts, which turned out surprisingly good.
I walked over to the west of the tracks, took some photos, and finally ate at Flat Top. There’s a new place next door that Dani recommended called Andy’s Frozen Custard, which sounded good at 195 calories per serving — until I got home and looked it up on the web and discovered there are three servings in a small!
She wanted stuffing for dinner, so she had to tell me how to make it. We’re also having a “ham nugget” from Whole Foods that is spherical.
We hung out today, Dani did some chemistry reading and met her friend Kyra for coffee, and for dinner we fixed chicken curry and samosas. Then we played the piano for a bit, working out It’s Too Late, after being inspired at the concert the other night.
Not too much to report today. I tried to duplicate Yellow Dog Eats tuna for lunch, with cranberries, almonds and allspice, but it really needs five spice, which I bought later at Whole Foods.
While Dani was being tutored I went to Peet’s Coffee and read The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, which, after a slow start, has gotten good. Much like Harry Potter, it has the feel of a new author learning the ropes in the first third of the book.
I went to CVS to transfer my prescriptions and to Whole Foods to restock the kitchen. The plan for dinner was Roasted Salmon with Orange-Herb Sauce, which turned out to be more trouble than it was worth. Not bad, just not worth the bother.
A quiet 4th at the condo, particularly since the Comcast cable/telephone/Internet was out for seven hours. It hasn’t been quiet on the street, though, with sirens every 15 minutes or so. Lots of people busy blowing off their fingers, I suppose.
We grilled burgers and had Dani’s special 4th of July cake for dinner.
Last night there was a Disney-quality fireworks show visible from the balcony. It must have been up at the stadium. Tonight the crowds headed past the condo for the show at Clark Street Beach. It was a surprise benefit of Dani’s condo that we could see the whole show from the balcony. They were really close, and really big.
They’re replacing the wood railing tops on the building. In the morning they come and saw up the old railing, then in the evening they haul up a replacement and attach it. It’s a shame they’re just replacing the wood with more wood, rather than using recycled plastic planks. Actually, it’s a shame they’re replacing them at all, because it looks great without the wood; the view is much better.
I’m using the leftover Coq Au Vin sauce as the starter for barbecue short ribs.
A quiet day today. I walked over to “That Little Mexican Cafe” on Davis for lunch. Decent fish tacos, sturdy chips, very mild salsa. In the afternoon I walked down to a wine shop called Vinica that’s just a block beyond Whole Foods. Nice shop, but not much in the way of high end wines. At Whole Foods I bought ingredients to make Smoked Salmon in puff pastry. It didn’t turn out that great, although Dani was loyal.
Today I went on a five mile walk, up through the Northwestern campus to North Beach and the lighthouse, then across Central to a charming area of shops. I stopped at Mustard’s Last Stand by the stadium for a hot dog. Central Street is a lot more like an old downtown than Main Street was. There’s a stationery store, a gelato and espresso place, a gourmet shop and a wonderful smelling store called The Spice House.
I walked back to the “real” downtown Evanston and bought the makings for Coq Au Vin at Whole Foods. It takes six hours in the crock pot. I hadn’t made it before, but it turned out well.
Today was iPhone 4 launch day. Dani’s and mine showed up in a box shipped from my office, because they came a day early but I couldn’t get them sent here. I must say the new display, at four times the density of the old one, is impressive. And it will be nice to have a useful camera.
We had lunch at a new, inexpensive sushi restaurant that is only a block away. It’s called Sashimi Sashimi. You order at the counter, but they make it to order. It’s probably the best sushi in town.
I made teriyaki chicken and grilled brocollini on the barbecue for dinner.
I spent most of the day waiting for UPS to deliver my box from Orlando and some things I ordered, then went to Whole Foods while Dani’s chemistry tutor was here. Of course, as soon as I left the boxes came. One of them was a rack for hanging kitchen utensils, which I installed near the barbecue.
On my walk I also swung past World Market, where Linda will be delighted to learn I found the discontinued poultry seasoning she loves.
A very busy day. After seeing Dani off to the first day of chemistry class, I rearranged the pantry and fixed some shelves in the laundry, knocked apart the old table on the porch and threw it in the dumpster.
I walked down to Davis and over to the other side of the tracks to the Turin Bicycle shop to get a bolt to fix Dani’s bike. Next door I bought some decent wines at Evanston 1st Liquors. (They have an amazing beer selection, but city code doesn’t let you mix and match bottles, and I don’t want six of anything.) Across the street, at Lemoi Ace Hardware, I bought a washer to try to complete the repair, but I think I’ll need to go back and get a lock washer, too.
On my way back I stopped at Lulu’s Noodle Shop and had a delicious bento box and black currant iced tea. I also stopped at CVS for cleaning supplies.
Back at the condo I cleaned the shower (so you know it must have been bad) and the sliding doors.
Then I walked up onto the Northwestern campus to Norris to deposit some money to Dani’s account for her tuition. I noticed that her old dorm now has air conditioners, but also that there is major reconstruction going on next door.
After some computer time, I walked down to Whole Foods to pick up some lamb chops, Moroccan seasoning, and tropical fruits for dinner. I was looking for flowers or plants to put into the planters on the balcony, but it looks like that will have to wait for a trip to Lowe’s.
Whole Foods doesn’t carry many diet products because they use artificial sweeteners, so I was a bit skeptical when I selected a bottle of Galeos Miso Caesar dressing. It turned out to be the best bottle of Caesar dressing I’ve every tasted! It has almost no calories, since it contains no oil, yet it has a rich, creamy taste, with lots of lemon and garlic. I won’t be making my own Caesar dressing anymore!
Tomorrow will be quieter, because I have to wait for some deliveries.
Dream About Tea
