Salty and Sweet

Saltine Toffee

I was introduced to Saltine Toffee when I was working in an office.  I work from home now and I love it, but I miss the office banter and recipes like this that get passed around among co-workers.  The woman who made these verbally gave me the recipe and I made it from memory.  You can get the recipe here.  Not only did I get these from the office, I think I also devoured them after a really bad day at the office.  Have to love a place that has the dual role of causing and curing pain.

New Apartment

Living Room

I moved and although I love the way my place looks, this has been a very difficult transition.  On top of many issues with my Landlord, my place was burglarized while I was on vacation.  I was fine traveling on a plane after 9/11 but I had to stay at my parent's place for a couple of weeks before I was able to come back to this place.  What they say is true, you do feel violated and unsafe after someone breaks into your home.

Dining and Office Area

Second Half Bathroom Wall

Stay tuned for upstairs rooms and if I ever get to it, the basement.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies

Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies

I checked out "Desserts by the Yard" by Sherry Yard about half a dozen times before I actually made something in the book.  After drooling over the photos and examining the delicious ingredients and descriptions, I settled on the Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies.  You can find the recipe here.  To be honest, my son and I liked these cookies but they did not blow us away.  I think I need to make Ina Garten's Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars to do a comparison.  Stay tuned.

Reading...

I am reading "Open" by Andre Agassi.  If the introduction and 1st Chapter are indicators of how this book is going to read, I will not be able to put it down.

Park City, Utah

 Biking

I had never been to Utah and I took my first trip out there this summer.  Utah is an outdoor lover's paradise and I fell in love.  The mountains are breathtaking, the outdoor activities are abundant, the air is dry, the climate is moderate and my allergies, which have been driving me insane all summer in the horrible Chicago heat and humidity, poof, went away!

We rented a condo through VRBO in  Park City at a resort called The Canyons.  I am working on getting back out there for Spring Break to try out what is supposed to be incredible powder and amazing sky country.  Until then, I can enjoy the memories and abundance of photos.    

 Hiking

High Flying Olympic Practice

Ski Mountains Waiting for Snow

Beet Burgers

Beet Burgers with Garlic Kale and Spinach

I have been one pathetic blogger lately.  I blame life.  Kid, job, boyfriend, running, travel...I have an endless surplus of excuses.

What I did have time to do was read "Skinny Bitch" by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin.  Then, in the middle of thinking twice about meat after the horror stories in that scary book, I heard a story on NPR that graphically described how ducks are fattened up to make foie gras.  Ugh, not very nice what they do to those duckies.

Fast forward to a night out with my boyfriend.  As he drove, I sat there agonizing about what happens to animals to get us our precious meats and cheeses.  He said to me, "If you are not comfortable with the process, then you shouldn't be eating it."  He then went on to talk about how people are too disconnected from what they eat, they just see it packaged in the store and don't think about how it got there.  Mind you, this man is a carnivore of carnivores.  His signature dish is Chicken Adobo, he waxes poetic about the taste of lamb, he killed a chicken for his own dinner while living in Africa and sucking on bone marrow with straight bourbon after boxing is his idea of a good time.  Needless to say, he is perfectly fine with lambs being lead to slaughter.    

Working Girl, Chocolate Strawberry Cupcakes and Camping Fun

Chocolate Strawberry Cupcakes

Been a little busy lately and had to shelf the blog so I could actually get some sleep at night.  

About 6 months ago, right around the time of my last post, I decided to do a big job change.  Usually a job change along with the already hectic lifestyle of a single Mom is enough to cause some anxiety.  I decided to take that anxiety and add a little jet fuel.  You see, this job change also entailed quite a bit of travel and in the midst of the job ramp up work and the travel, I also decided to move back to Oak Park.  Hooray for that but holy stress attack.  Not only did I have to shelf my blog and cooking but my running and spinning also went on hiatus.  

Despite the craziness, I am absolutely thrilled with the new job and I love being back in Oak Park.  This is a wonderful neighborhood where I can walk my son to and from school every morning and afternoon down gorgeous tree lined streets.  Along those lines, my son did start Kindergarten a few weeks ago and I have been enjoying the experience of yet another chapter in this great adventure of raising a child.  

          

Tyler - First Day of Kindergarten