Lauren

The 2nd Annual Twenty Days of Thankful (now with words!)

Last year I jumped on board the happy, cheesy, month of thankfulness train by posting a picture a day of things I was thankful for. I thought I might like to do it again, but like last year, I couldn’t get myself together enough in time to start on November 1st… can we just say that I’m fashionably late to the party?

While I’m not sure I wholly endorse the thankfulness project (as I rarely endorse anything that’s trending with stay-at-home moms on Facebook), I will say that my attempt last year was fun, and cathartic.

For me anyway.

I hope you enjoyed it to.

Then again, honestly, blogging is a selfish pursuit so even if you didn’t like it I’m going to do it anyway.

Last year’s 20 Days of Thankful was housed in this other blog – which is more conducive to micro-blogging and posting single photos. This year I’m upping my game (which might be a little crazy considering my schedule, but what the hell). I thought it would be fair to evolve the project and actually, maybe, explain why I’m thankful for that thing you’re seeing.

It’s going to be a challenge. I mean, I blog a lot (like, a lot), but the Crafty Lady often gets neglected while I pursue those things that you know, are going to advance my career. The point is, I’ve blogged every day for 20 days, well, never. Here’s hoping I can make it happen, starting now….

Day #1: Leftovers

I’m staying at my mother’s house in my home town for the week taking care of her dog while she and my step-father are in Hawaii (way to go, champs!). While Crystal Lake is not a realistically commutable distance for me, I figure I owe the lady a favor for bringing me into this world.

There is a feeling about coming home, and I’ll be honest, I’m old enough and far enough removed from this town that I no longer think of it as “going home.” It’s my Mom’s house. My bedroom was redecorated 10 years ago. The only things that remain is a bunch of my childhood toys in the basement in boxes and bins that I don’t have room for in my apartment, but which nobody wants to part with.

But then, the first night I arrived, there were labelled leftovers in the fridge, and I got an overwhelming sense of nostalgia. Taking care of this dog is pretty inconvenient, but I’m sure that, like, 20 years of my Mother’s life were inconvenient because of me. Like how she used to fix me dinner, pick me up at school, drive me to dance class, pick me up again, drive me to band practice, pick me up again, and console me as I cried over Algebra at midnight. These labelled leftovers were a little reminder of what it takes to be an awesome parent, and also a reminder that I don’t have that in me now, if ever. So thanks, Mom.

Mussels are Delicious! and Easy!

Why mussels? Because we felt like having a fancy dinner and they were $5 per pound cheaper than shrimp. I’ve had mussels, like, twice, and enjoyed them, but preparing them was a pretty frightening thought.

Good thing it’s Halloween.

When you bring mussels home from the store (and I fully admit that these were not sourced anywhere even remotely close to the Midwest), they’re given to you in a bag of ice and it’s important to leave the bag open. No ice and a twistie tie = no bueno. Another admission: this recipe was picked up at the deli counter at Jewel and I had very little to do with the preparation of the mussels. I was on sides, where were also delicious and easy. So here’s the whole meal:

The Perfect Mussel Meal

Ingredients:

2 lb mussels
2 TB olive oil
2 TB butter
Dash salt
2 tsp crushed red pepper
2 TB fresh minced garlic
1/4 C. cheap white wine
1/4 C. each finely chopped basil and parsley

Directions:

Add olive oil, butter, salt, red pepper, and garlic to a large sauté pan or wok and bring to a simmer
Add mussels, herbs, and wine. Cover and bring to a boil (5 min)
Make sure all the mussels have opened, and pour them with the sauce into a large bowl to serve

The Sides!

I chose small potatoes, brussel sprouts, fennel and pearl onions for roasting as a side with the mussels. Par boil the potatoes for about 10 minutes, the sprouts for about six, until they are all just beginning to get soft. Drain and pat dry, then spread the potatoes, fennel bulb and pearl onions on a baking sheet in a single layer. Drizzle olive oil and salt over everything and roast for about 10 minutes in a 350-deg oven. After 10 minutes, add the brussel sprouts to the baking sheet (pre-drizzled and salted), and roast everything for another 10 minutes.

Serve all of this with a crock of melted butter and lemon wedges (or, just add a splash of lemon juice to the butter), a hunk of crusty bread, an empty bowl for the shells, a glass of wine, and extra napkins. I realize that chilled white wine probably would have been better than red, but the bottle was already open. For fun, we also grilled some small chicken thighs for the meal.

Who would have thought such an extravagant meal was so easy to make?

…and so beautifully delicious.

Starbucks Around the World: 8 S. Michigan

I’m flying solo tonight going to (can you guess?!?) a dance show and stopped for a greek yogurt and short hot chocolate. It’s the dinner of champs, right?

There is a buzz about downtown stores that reminds me of mine. Lots of guests, even in the evening, and lots of baristas, all quite friendly. The wifi, the stale smell of past grindings… it almost makes me miss it.

Almost.

Reasons I love Edgewater: Brunch and a $27 Subaru

I’ve spent about 5 years living in the Edgewater neighborhood (split between two tours), and I’m starting to think that this is the place I belong.

Love it or leave it, Edgewater is as strange as I am, which might be why we get along so well.

Unpretentious and often bizarre, “the edge”, as our silly lamp post neighborhood banners say, is the sort of neighborhood where you can eat really fancy, really expensive ice cream on one block, and get shot on the next. Yeah. We live on “the edge”.

Whatever.

All I know, is that this past Sunday was kind of a pivotal moment for me. The GF and I have been scouting this tiny diner two blocks from our house for the past several months. You know the type… the decor hasn’t been updated since 1963, and you’re pretty sure the food is going to be the best thing ever or the worst thing ever.

Sunday was the day we finally bit the bullet and went to Alexander’s for breakfast. I’ve never seen waitresses that good. My omelette was the size of my ass. The coffee was free-flowing. You get half a banana as a garnish, and homemade salsa on the side. Alexander’s was everything I hoped it could be, but I’m a little afraid to admit it lest you start going there too. I want Alexander’s to be my little secret. A place where we can walk to on a Sunday and always get a table, and always have fantastic service. Please don’t change, Alexander’s. You haven’t changed since 1963, so there’s no reason to start now…

… and then on the way home we came across a $27 Subaru.

Yeah. That’s my ‘hood. We are a match made in heaven.

The Fanciest Bathroom I’ve Ever Seen

Every once in awhile, it’s fun to schmooze downtown at a fancy place – the sort of place where you might go hang out as a tourist. Last weekend, the GF and I got an opportunity to meet up with some friends at the Radisson Blu hotel bar before a dance performance at the Harris Theater. The bar was fancy enough, but the bathroom was out of this world. We all decided it was like being inside a disco ball. I wouldn’t want to be the guy that placed all those individual mirrored tiles (and, let’s be honest, it doesn’t make for the most flattering image).

But wait, there’s something else! The toilets are named after my guilty pleasure band.

Learning to Live With, and Eventually Love, my Tiny Kitchen

It’s been nearly 18 months since I downsized from house to apartment. Downsizing can be difficult, and at first I felt like the biggest sacrifice was in the kitchen. I love to cook (duh), and in the 12 years since dorm life I’ve accumulated, and accumulated, and accumulated some more. Each kitchen I’ve cooked in was bursting at the seams (literally… I’ve spilled over into dining rooms, coat closets, you name it). So you can bet I was concerned when faced with the approximately 7 x 15 foot space that was to be my kitchen. Where do I put the canning supplies? The stand mixer?!? The worms?!?!?

Apparently, I was being dramatic. 18 months later, what once felt crowded is now cozy, organized, and remarkably easy to keep clean.

As it turns out, I don’t need 2 blenders, 3 crockpots, a juicer, 2 coffee grinders, or 18 feet of counter space. As I moved in, settled in, and hunkered down in the apartment I realized that there were a lot of things I could part with – things that I hadn’t used in months to a year – things I sometimes didn’t want or need to begin with – things I would have rather done without anyway.

As it turns out, all that stuff didn’t matter, and it didn’t make me a better cook. In evaluating what I wanted to keep, I discovered the things that were most precious to me, and most useful.

As it turns out, the food that comes out of my little kitchen tastes better, because this is a kitchen that only contains things that I love.

This is a kitchen that’s processed a hundred pounds of tomatoes (not all at the same time), pumpkin purees, and salsas galore. It’s frozen enough fresh vegetables to last for the winter, canned cranberry juice, and made pot after pot after pot of morning coffee. It’s churned out pies, frittatas, and an 18-pound turkey. Everything has a place – even the worms

I can do anything in my kitchen you can do in yours – mine just takes less time to clean.

A Crafty Fall Give-Away!

Ok, so on occasion I’ve done product reviews at craftylauren.com, but this is definitely a first for me.

A GIVE-AWAY!?!

I know what you’re thinking…

“I’m going to get sucked into a rolling payment for something I just wanted for free.”

I thought that too when Zinio first contacted me. My initial reaction was actually:

“Get lost, because I’m not interested in screwing the readers who actually take the time to give a crap about my life and the zillion Starbucks-es I visit.”

But this is totally legit.

Some of my fondest memories as a kid were leafing through my Mom’s Better Homes and Gardens or Country Home magazines and day-dreaming about my future decorating scheme. Ok, I still do this on a regular basis, but the point is: magazines are neat and Zinio is an online newsstand that hosts magazine subscriptions for your desktop, phone, or tablet. Sometimes I’m just not that into mobile formats of reading (which is totally weird considering the whole semi-professional blogger thing I have going on), but I also don’t like piles of magazines on my dining room table. If you’ve ever thought you might like to test out switching to a digital format, here’s your chance!

To kick off my favorite time of the year, Zinio and I are giving away 10 magazine subscriptions FOR FREE. There are only two strings:

1) Fill out the form below with your full name, email address, and magazine title chosen from Zinio.com (note: it’s an annual subscription, so the number of actual issues depends on the magazine). You don’t have to give me or Zinio ANY payment or personal information other than your email address.

2) In the comments below, tell me what your favorite magazine is and why.

The first 10 people to complete both these steps before Oct 15 win!

That’s it.

Go back

Your message has been sent

Oh, and if one title isn’t enough, or you miss the boat on the giveaway, all home, design, and garden related magazines are 50% off until October 8! For more information, visit http://bit.ly/ziniohome