Mambo Italiano

I hate to admit it, but I've never been someone who has enjoyed fruits or vegetables.  To me, most fruit is too sweet and most vegetables are too bitter and just all out... gross.  Much to my chagrin, I'm what you would call a "picky eater."  I am one of those people you hate to go through a drive-thru with because I am always adding this, and subtracting that.  Onions?  No.  Extra mustard?  Yes.  Ketchup?  No.  Lettuce?  No.  Mayo?  Absolutely NOT!  Have I always been this way?  I'm not sure, but I'm pretty sure the answer is an overwhelming "Yes!"

One thing I remember my mother telling me as a child was that I should keep trying foods I don't like, as my tastes may change as I become an adult.  She told me how she hated avocados after eating them way too often, but then later tried them as an adult and found that she liked them all over again.  This is one thing I have carried with me over the years.  I may be a "picky eater," but I pride myself on being willing to try (most) new things.  My only problem is that I developed weird food allergies after I turned twenty and I have to be very label-conscious with my food decisions (now I'm even less fun to have at a drive-thru), especially when it comes to fruits and vegetables (turns out most of my food allergies stem from my environmental allergies).  I am now an adventurous food-taster, of sorts, equipped with an Epi-pen and Benedryl at all times!

Several months ago, I experienced Chicago's Greek Town for the first time.  If you're itching for Greek food, this is certainly the place to be!  The menu contained some items I was familiar with (I heart Baklava!) and some that I had never heard of at all.  Being the cavalier, yet cautious food taster that I am, I ordered a combination platter with all sorts of Greekiness on one plate.  I found that I don't care for Dolmathakia/Dolmades (grape leaves stuffed with meat and rice), but I was a HUGE fan of Spanakopita (phyllo pastry with spinach and feta cheese) and Moussaka (a casserole made with eggplant, meat, and a creamy sauce).  Out of everything that I tried, I was most concerned about the eggplant.  If you've never tried it (and you have the same aversions to fruits and veggies as I do), eggplant can be very intimidating! To me, eggplants have always looked like dark plum-colored boobs... with stems.  Not very appetizing if you ask me.  I was surprised to discover that the actual inside of the eggplant is white and has seeds!  I'd never really thought about the inside before, but I guess I always assumed that the innards of an eggplant would have a purpleish tone as well.  Joke's on me.

For the last couple months I have been thinking about the eggplant, wondering what I could possible do with it, and also wondering if I actually like the flavor or if I was just distracted by all the other Moussaka goodness.  Do I like eggplant?  Does it taste as bitter as I have always heard that it is?  Gosh darn it, I am figuring this out tonight! 

The only other dish I know that has eggplant is the estimed "Egglant Parmesan."  After weeks of considering it, I decided to just make it and try the darn thing already.  I left work and headed directly to Meijer (like a Super Walmart, for those of you who don't have a Meijer [pronouned Meyer] in your neck of the woods) and purchased all the ingredients for this dish.  I looked up tons of recipes online and it started to seem like it was going to be way too much work.  Thanks to food.com, I was able to find a simplified recipe.  It took a while, but I ended up with the following results:

Aside from the big chunks of onion and tomato in the sauce (I know, picky, picky!), I thought it was actually pretty good.  I would have been happy with the fried eggplant alone, but the tomato sauce (Prego's Chunky Garden sauce) and the parmesan and mozarella cheeses really added to the flavor.  I am quite pleased with myself and am excited to let my mother know that I tried eggplant again and that I realized that I actually do like it!  Kudos to you, adult taste-buds... maybe I'll become a better drive-thru companion before we know it!

Happy Easter!

The weather has been dreary and cold the last week or so, but the sun finally came out again today for Easter.  The sunshine and the warmer weather was just the cap to the fabulous day!  I started out by making the early service at a local church I've been wanting to check out, and then enjoying a lovely Easter brunch at Emmett's Ale House in downtown Downers Grove.  It was a great spread of traditional brunch fare: bacon, sausage, Eggs Benedict (my favorite!), lox and bagels, salad, croissants, shrimp cocktail, pork tenderloin, spring veggies, pastries and of course, champagne and mimosas!  The food was great and it made me feel all Eastery and fancy!  :) 

Afterwards, I picked up my dog, Hippo, and made the trek to my brother's house.  The rest of the day was spent with family, more food, and lounging on the couch, watching movies.

It may not have been an "adventure," per se, but it couldn't have been a more perfect day!

Happy Easter, everyone!

Reading Between The Wines

For the last few years, I have considered joining or starting a book club.  I love to read, and I know plenty of people who do as well, but I never knew where to start.  I'm not sure if it was a lack of gumption, know-how or courage, but I've pretty much gone book-clubless all this time.  With my new found resolve to get out more, I finally decided to put the wheels into motion. 

After a couple Google searches, I remember my previous roommate, Rebecca, had used the website, meetup.com to find a photography group in our area.  If it worked for her, it could work for me, right?  Right!  I pulled up the site, and after entering "book club" and "Downers Grove, IL," I had a list of local book clubs ripe for the pickin'. 

A quick scan of list confirms that I will be able to find a book club meeting in my area... it also draws my attention to a title called "Reading between the wines."  To be honest, I'm already sold on the group... but I figure I should check out the information before committing my time (and so as not to seem too eager).  Imagine my surprise and happiness when I read the information and the group leader indicates that she loves "chick-lit," is not all that into fantasy, vampires, werewolves, etc., AND enjoys a nice glass of wine?  Yes!  I am joining this group for sure!  The kicker?  Tonight we met at Anna Shea Chocolates!  What is Anna Shea Chocolates, you ask?  Only the most adorable chocolate/cupcake/gelato/wine lounge there is!  I've been a giddy little girl since I found this group and have been excited ALL day, gearing up for this evening's meeting!  It was a little bit of a drive, and the weather wasn't as nice as I blogged that it was going to be, but it was worth it!  The wine was great, the chocolate was great and I really think I am going to enjoy myself in this group!  We seem to have the same taste in genres and when I mentioned that Jen Lancaster has an upcoming book signing in May, they already knew who she was!

The books that are up for consideration at this point are:  Mennonite In A Little Black Dress by Rhoda Janzen, The Four Mrs. Bradwells by Meg Waite Clayton, Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin, and The Kitchen Daughter by Jael McHenry.  I'm excited to find out what collective group has decided on.  I hoping to make some friends in this group and hoping that it leads to even more adventures.  If you have any book suggestions, please let me know.  I'd be happy to pass them along.  :)

Sweat & The City

I have a feeling that livingsocial.com and groupon.com are going to get constant "shout outs" on this page.  Thanks to these daily emails, I am constantly finding new things to try in Chicago and the Western Suburbs!  My first purchase?  A two-month, unlimited pass to... wait for it... BIKRAM YOGA!  What?!?  I suppose it's not the first activity one might think of when considering what the "Windy City" has to offer, but at $30.00, how could I possibly pass this up?  Now, I've never tried Bikram Yoga (or regular yoga, for that matter) and if you know me, I'm not all that in to sports or exercise... or sweating, but I'm desperate to find some type of fitness activity that can keep me motivated (livingsocial.com, you had me at $30.00/unlimited). 

I already know that Bikram Yoga is considered to be the "hot" yoga, but not much more than that.  My next step is to find out a little bit more about this program, and of course, consult a friend who has actually tried it.  After reading about the class on the website, I learn that I will be taught to manueuver through 26 yoga poses in a heated environment, for 90 minutes.  In all honesty, I'm a little concerned about the heat, but after considering all those times I've been to Las Vegas in the summer and the fact that I briefly lived in Texas, I'm starting to feel a little more confident.  Next point of reference?  My friend, Melissa.  I shoot her a quick text to get her opinion: 

Amy: Hey!  U did bikram yoga, right?  Did u like it?

Melissa:  Hey hun!!  I LOVED it!!  At first you love/hate it, but then it turns into just love.  It's challenging, but you can see yourself improve if you take it regularly.  It helps any other workout you do, and you sweat out all the toxins in your body & burn about 700 and something calories.  =)  and that's my txt informercial for Bikram.  Heehee.

Yeah, I basically signed up for the class after Melissa's sparkly review.  How could I not?

I arrived at the Bikram studio thirty minutes early, just as the web site instructed.  Upon check in, I was given a run down of the facility and instructions for the class.  Shoes off at the door, bag and personal items in the locker room, and then off to the classroom with my yoga mat, towels and bottle of water.  You would figure that since I have already done some research, I would have already anticipated that class was being held on the sun!  My goodness, it really is HOT in that room!  I'm pretty sure that I broke a sweat just unrolling my yoga mat.  Not only am I already sweating, but since I prefer to be early to anything, I spend about 20 minutes in the classroom before the class even starts.  I'm watching the people as they filter in and I notice that after they set up their area, they lay down on their mats, facing the back of the room.  I'm not sure why they're doing this, but who am I to question the process?  I, of course, imitate my classmates and lie down as well.  So far, I'm pretty sure I can handle this.

What seems like hours later (but has probably only been about 10 or 15 minutes) I am doing a pose where I'm bent over, grabbing my heels and trying to be as flat against my body as possible.  I am super hot, but I am really concentrating on keeping my balance, breathing properly, and not thinking about hot I am.     That's when I notice that even my legs are sweating!  Wow!  By the end of the class, my clothes are completely soaked.  I am quite certain that I have never sweat so much in my entire life!

All in all, it was actually a great class.  I had to sit down a couple times (mostly to refocus on the yoga and to stop thinking how super hot I was), but I got through most of the poses like a Bikram Yoga CHAMP!  I look forward to going back (I really am) and getting better.  (By the way, I totally stopped at Whole Foods on the way home.  Something about spending $6.00 on turkey meatballs just made me feel even healthier.)

My Illinoisy Life

I guess I never really appreciated nice weather until experiencing months and months of below freezing conditions.  I eventually stopped thinking about the temperature based on degrees, but rather on how many layers of clothes I have to put on before leaving my apartment.  (I cursed my dog every time I had to take him out to do his business, and often wondered if I could successfully train him to use the toilet like the human he thinks he is.)  I have also come to appreciate all those scarves my mother has knitted for me over the years!!  I am happy to report that that the temperature is finally on the rise, and the sun is again honoring us with its presence.  In Chicago, spring is not only marked by the new plant growth or melting of the snow, but the throng of people doing anything and everything that frees them from their hibernation.  I have decided to join the ranks of the spring-fevered!  I have decided to get out and about and make the most of this beautiful (above 50 degree) weather!!  I am hoping this blog encourages me to keep up with my adventures and inspire me to keep thinking bigger and better! 

(Special thanks to the creative Mike R. who came up with my blog title.  Who knows how long these adventures would have been put off without your help!)  :)