A Few New Things...

What a busy & HOT week! Not having central air in Chicago can be problematic a couple months of the year- so much so I couldn't even bring myself to cook this week! The temperature in our kitchen was at a steady 84 degrees- ugh. Luckily we have our new couch which made lounging and staying cool pretty easy. I also found some time to do a bit of rearranging and to enjoy some summer delights.

A gift of a vintage blue phone found it's place in the entry- thanks Linda!

Midwest organic berries- small & sweet!

Bright yellow in the dining room

A new spot for sunglasses to land

We moved this vintage hairpin leg table from the living room to the sunroom- a perfect fit!

Our New Couch!

Several years of cramming 2 adults, 2 wiener dogs, and a substantial sized cat on 2.5 seater love seat has finally come to an end...HOORAY! Our living room is not huge so we opted for a small modern sectional with a chaise made of a durable brown tweed fabric.We also took the opportunity to do a little rearranging of the room too. I have to say that we seriously love this sofa, let the relaxing begin!

Shrimp Chowder

I love a good summery chowder, and the combo of shrimp and fennel in this dish is just right! I altered the original version quite a bit and I opted to lighten up mine with low fat cream. I cheated and used a vegetable stock instead of making my own shrimp stock as well. If you love chowder you might want to check out my Elote Corn Chowder as well!

 

Ingredients:

1 lb small-medium peeled frozen shrimp, thawed & cut into thirds

3-4 ounces prosciutto, diced

2 1/2 cups vegetable broth

1 fennel bulb, (discard tough outer layers & core) inner layers are then diced

1 ½ lbs small gold or red potatoes, halved & then quartered

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium white onion, diced

1 cup canned whole peeled tomatoes, chopped

2 cups low-fat half & half

1 teaspoon crushed fennel seed

½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Salt & pepper to taste

Olive oil

How To:

-Boil potatoes until just done (meaning you can pierce them with a fork without breaking or crumbling) Drain & set aside

-Heat a tablespoon of oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium and add prosciutto and cook until browned & slightly crispy

-Add another splash of oil, onion, garlic, pepper flakes, fennel seed, and chopped fennel- cook until softened

-Season mixture with salt & pepper

-Add broth & tomatoes- bring to a boil

-Reduce to a simmer, add potatoes season with salt & pepper and cover- about 10 minutes

-Turn off heat, add shrimp and stir in cream, season again if needed

-Serve within the hour, or refrigerate and re-heat if serving later

Attention cat owners! This litter is AMAZING!

When you own a cat, the litter box becomes a huge part of your life. The smell, the mess, the cleaning is a daily battle. I have been reluctant to make the switch from the standard scoop-able clay to the wood chips or crystals due to cost and these alternative really don't do anything for the odor. You can imagine how very excited I was the other day when I went to Target to grab my usual litter and found a new affordable (the same price I paid for the old stuff) alternative, made by Tidy Cats. It's a clumping formula made with a blend of cedar, corn and pine, called Pure Nature. The scent is light and woody and far more pleasant than the clay and I HIGHLY recommend making the switch!

Thirsty Weekend: Cucumber Lime & Ginger Agua Fresca

Aguas Frescas are a simple & delicious concoction of fresh fruits or vegetables, water and sugar. You can find them sold by street vendors here in Chicago or in any Latin American country. I LOVE making this on an especially hot summer day, and the combinations of fruits and veggies is endless!

Ingredients:

4 seeded & peeled cucumbers, chopped

The juice of 7 fresh limes

1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger

½ cup sugar (you can use agave syrup too)

2 cups cold water

Pinch of salt

ice

How to:

-Working in batches, combine cucumbers, water, sugar, lime juice, salt and ginger in a blender

-Add approximately 1-2 cups ice and blend until smooth

-Serve over ice & enjoy poolside!

Kork-ease, my new summer obsession!

Every season I like to treat myself to a new pair of kicks, and I ALWAYS try to find the best deal, whether it's using a coupon code, waiting for a sale or in this case I found these Kork-ease "Deborah" sandals for less than half of the retail price on ebay. I had my eye on these in particular because of the moderate heel (3in, 2 with the platform toe), the overall known comfort factor of the Kork-ease brand, the authentic vintage aesthetic, and the I love the peachy nude color. You can't always find your size or wanted color of a certain shoe on ebay, but I always check there first...ebay, away!

Farmers Market Fun!

Yesterday was the first day of the Logan Square Framer's market and it really couldn't have been a more beautiful day, sunny and in the low 80's! It was VERY bustling, and we ran into some friends, listened to some music and just hung out for bit.  The market was disappointingly low on fresh produce, but it is still a little early in the season. We hit up our favorite taco stand, Cherub's, and enjoyed some of the best tacos, elote and horchata. Usually I take most of the snapshots for Mint Demode, but this time around I enlisted my husband to capture a few. Can't wait til next week!

Sunday Snack: Skinny Kale Dip

I always get off track with my eating schedule on the weekends and I don't tend to eat full meals. Sundays are the day to relax, sleep in, eat a late breakfast, walk the dogs and enjoy a super good late afternoon snack! I am a huge dip fan as some of you may have noticed, and this is my new favorite. It has kale (one of my favorite veggies), cottage cheese (another favorite) and that's pretty much it- the perfect snack for the figure conscious!

Ingredients:

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

1 garlic clove, sliced

1/2 small white onion, chopped

3-4 cups chopped kale (stems removed)

1 cup low-fat or fat free cottage cheese

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Salt & pepper

Red pepper flakes

How to:

-Heat oil in pan over medium and add garlic & onion, season with salt & pepper, cook until softened

-Add kale, cook covered and stir occasionally until tender, 3-4 minutes

-Transfer kale mixture to food processor and blend until kale is minced

-Add lemon juice and cottage cheese and puree until smooth

-Garnish with red pepper flakes

-Serve dip with chopped veggies or chips

-Refrigerate up to 3 days

Martha Stewart Weddings Online Gallery

Here's the link to our big day posted on Martha Stewart Weddings online...Check it out! A Special thanks to all of our friends & family that helped us pull off our NYE wedding, xoxo. CLICK HERE