Ok. So, being two blocks from one of my five jobs, I visit this Starbucks quite frequently. But this particular visit was purely for personal gain and healthy snacks from the adjacent Jewel prior to a day’s car trek to St. Louis. I made it one of my standards… Iced coffee with a pump of peppermint and soy milk (try it! it’s delicious!). I was delighted to find one of my former students behind the counter, who not only gave great service but informed me he was running four races this season (2 of which are half marathons). Way to go, Alex! And way to pick an honorable place of employment that gives nice benefits, free coffee, and a snazzy apron. Even though it was packed when I walked in, the line moved fast and overall the South Loop store gets a thumbs up from me.
Having previously stopped in Elkhart, IN on the way to Cleveland, I wasn’t exactly needing a reason to go there again. But with excitement rising for my pending trip to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally this August, and the promise of lower sales tax in the great state of Indiana, it was only natural to make a stop-off at the Hoosier Harley store.
Elkhart, my friends, does not disappoint (insert rolled eyes here). Aside from being ignored entirely by every employee in the Harley shop, the marquee sign includes a lovely Bible quote along with the store hours. Next to the shop is Lucky’s donuts. that also serves Thai food. The biker dudes, bible verses, coconut curry / donut smell wafting from Lucky’s, all combined with a full half mile of fast food restaurants and a Wal-Mart made for what I consider to be the ultimate Midwestern small town experience. And now that I’ve described it for you, you don’t need to go there.
It’s been awhile since I’ve travel blogged. You know, I mean, for REAL travel blogged.
Cleveland rocks!! At the Lava Lounge in Tremont
I guess that’s probably because it’s been awhile since I travelled. A menacing schedule and many, many recent life changes have added up to a rather dry spell in the world explorations. However a number of mini-trips have shaped up this summer and so I’m once again stretching my traveling legs starting off with a weekend in Cleveland. This simple little road trip kind of blew me away and Cleveland proved itself as a new and surprising place that actually does, as they say, rock**
Or, I should say, Lakewood rocks.
Here’s the thing…. while I did make it into the city limits of Cleveland, it wasn’t the focus of the trip. On this approximately 36-hour vacay, Julie (my lady friend) and I stayed with friends in the charming suburb of Lakewood. Typically, charming and suburb are not two words that would ever share a sentence together, however Lakewood is a delightful walking town that purports big trees, chirping birds, unique old homes, and surprisingly the largest gay population per capita in the tri-state area.
Cleveland was all about friends, and food, and wine, and good conversation. It was a chance to escape from the chaos of life and the NATO summit in Chicago to slow down a little bit. Expecting something akin to Indianapolis, I found Cleveland to be a more progressive, unique, and hip experience than I ever could have anticipated (in other words, not at all like Indianapolis). Add to that good, honest, and honestly hip people and there’s not much else to report. I will, however, say that if ever in Cleveland, I have two off-the-beaten-path recommendations:
Sangria at Properity Social Club
Be sure to make a stop in Tremont at either Prosperity Social Club or Lava Lounge. Better yet, visit both. Within a block from one another, these two establishments are locally owned and make for a great evening when packaged together. Steamed mussels and sangria at Prosperity were followed by a beautiful waldorf salad, mac and cheese, and a substantial wine list at Lava Lounge. Let it be known that Greg, our server, was hip, chillaxed, but simultaneously attentive and suave.
Good job, Greg. And good job, Cleveland.
** Apparently, Instagram, my new favorite iphone app, also rocks. I do believe that iphone photos come out infinitely hipper and better this way, as evidenced here.
An ominous sky hung over the Ohio turnpike on the return trip from Cleveland to Chicago. I was fairly hyper-caffenated already, but this being one of my last opportunities for a Starbucks before the Ohio state line made the stop imperative. I should add that I’d much rather pee in Ohio than in Indiana; the famed swing state is notorious, in my experience, for roadside rest cleanliness. No disappointment here, and since I was already 3 cups of coffee down from breakfast with friends I opted for the over-priced, but super delicious Iced Soy Chai. There were three lovely Midwestern Grannies running the floor – which made me rather giggle inside – and when I asked one of them what town I was in her reply was a confident “Well, you’re near Clyde, Ohio.” Well done, desolate rest stop at not-on-the-map-but-near-Clyde. Well done.
Elkhart, IN proved to be an ideal rest stop en route to my first stay in Cleveland. In an effort to escape the NATO summit, it took two full hours in an un-air-conditioned sedan to get past the Chicago Skyway that overlooks scenic Hammond, IN. As such, Elkhart was as far as I could make it before needing a toilet and a refreshing specialty coffee beverage. Aside from asking if I wanted whipped cream on my grande coffee frappuccino (silly, the plain coffee ones don’t ever get whip), legendary service with a smile with a side of fries and stuffed crust pizza to boot from the neighboring Burger King and Pizza Hut (I kid, I kid).
Life changes, stress, and too much Starbucks have been keeping me up at night and I’m having a bit of insomnia this week. Last night I woke up around 2am, answered a few emails, took a bath, and made limeade.
Yes, you heard me right.
Insomnia aside, yesterday was a pretty warm day – skirting 85 at times and there’s nothing quite as refreshing as a delightful glass of fresh lemonade on a warm evening. However, my inability to waste combined with having procured 30 limes for the Produce photo shoot a couple weeks ago (how can I resist when they are 15 for $1???), resulted in my opting for limemade.
And it was good.
Not to get religious on you here, but this limeade might be what happened on the ninth day of creation. I’ll never go back to that store bought bottle of sugary yellow chemical water. Trust me on this…….
Homemade Limeade
Ingredients:
Limes (lots)
Water
Sugar
Elbow Grease
Directions:
Using a juicer, juice limes with a citrus juicer and add to pitcher. If you don’t care for pulp, pour the juice through a strainer before it goes into the pitcher. Add sugar and stir until dissolved (the amount depends on your personal taste. For 1 C. lime juice, I used 2/3 C. sugar and it was a teensy bit on the tarter side… which for me is perfect). Add water and stir. Your juice:water ratio should be approximately 1:2.
Store in the refrigerator, but trust me, it won’t be there long.
P.S. If you find yourself with an overabundance of lemons, the recipe works the same way for making lemonade.
The past couple of weeks I’ve been going through a series of life changes. Sometimes you have to give up a few things in order to grow, and part of my last few weeks has included a serious downsize back to apartment living.
While I can say for certain that I’m in a good place personally, perhaps the hardest part has been giving up my enormous chef’s kitchen for a 2′ x 4′ slab of Formica in my current abode. While I have every confidence in my ability to cook in a small kitchen (proved, in part, by the mean apple cobbler you see here), I’ll admit that I got pretty accustomed to spreading out.
As Alton Brown has drilled into me, muti-taskers are key, and in a small kitchen this is all the more true. So the things that I’ve chosen to take with me to the apartment are going to have maximum impact with a minimum footprint. If ever faced with nuclear holocaust, or a downsize of major proportions, these are the things I would (and did) take with me.
Lauren’s must-haves for a happy kitchen of any size:
An awesome wooden spoon, spatula, and scraper. Don’t skimp on quality here; break the bank and get the best.
Corning ware. My set was a wedding gift to my parents in 1975. Oven, microwave and dishwasher safe (not that I have one of those anymore). Plus they have lids, so you don’t need extra tupperware. You can use them for baking, too!
A fantastic mixing bowl. Do I really have to justify this?
Chef’s knife. No meal is made without it. Again, don’t skimp here; get the best and keep it sharp.
A soup pot, a skillet, and a sauce pan. If they are good ones, you only need one of each. Will Calphalon pay me if I plug them as my brand of choice?
A french press. The coffee tastes better, and it’s small enough to store in the cupboard.
My vintage, 1st edition Betty Crocker Cookbook. When times get tough, my mantra is always that Betty knows best.
Lauren Warnecke 
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