The whole point of me starting this blog was originally to show off our house projects, share about our vacations and post recipes because I love to cook. However, the perfectionist that I am, every time I went to take photos of our house, I’ve managed to come up with every excuse in the book not to. First it was “it’s cloudy/raining/snowing so the pictures won’t be good. Then I came up with a perfect one – which I do think is “legitimate”…the house needs cleaning. Justifying it as “Well, I can’t very well show photos of house projects we’ve worked on when the rooms are a mess!”
So, I’ve delayed and delayed. And I think what it comes down to is 1) laziness and 2) “fear” of my design efforts not being up to snuff. So I think I’m finally ready to tackle this fear, because, well, I’m not a designer and well, so there!
In working on our house we have and always will have (unless we add on/win the lottery) 2 constants: our house is small and therefore we must work within the constraints of small rooms and 2) we have a small budge and need to be thrifty.
But honestly, I like the fact that our house is cottage-like, i.e. small, and having a limited budget to work with makes you quite resourceful; it can be frustrating at times because I’m always looking for deals in order to purchase something, but now I make it a game/challenge.
When we first bought the house, I decorated with dark colors, which is what I typically fall back on – you’ll see what I mean when I post the downstairs photos. But after being in the house for 7 years, I think I have convinced myself that going “lighter” in our house is the way to go, as well as maybe tweaking the “first” makeover we did. In addition, we were still using some “pre-marriage” furniture” at the time (actually we still have quite a bit of that, which is fine) and I just worked with what I had, with the thought that maybe someday I’d get the chance to purchase exactly what I wanted for a room instead of making a piece fit the room – it’s a little battle I have with myself, especially when you see all the nice design options out there. So if we ever put on an addition, I’ll hopefully get to change some things, probably much to Larry’s dismay, because I think he’s happy with things as is.
I do think that if I’m able to get things the way I want design-wise, I am the type of person who will be able to live with something for a long time – it’s just that initial “newlywed decorating” (now going on 11 years!) that I’d like to tweak and then I’ll be done – which would certainly free up my head which always has some sort of design idea floating around!
So my plan is to first post pictures of my current projects – the upstairs bedrooms and work my way down to the downstairs rooms, which were done first, but again, I’d like to change at some point.
Excuses, Excuses
The Perfect Place
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One of my intentions on this blog is to highlight local places that I/we love/frequent in the area – which pretty much comes down to restaurants and shopping! We love living in McHenry County and want people to know that it is a fabulous place to live with wonderful offerings.
My favorite shop in the area and beyond is The Perfect Pear in downtown Crystal Lake. Everyone that knows me knows I’m obsessed with decorating and this shop hands down satisfies my fix.
The shop opened in fall 2008 and is owned by Sara Burke. Sara and her mother Wanda Bennet, both with decorating backgrounds, provide the design genius that you see in the wonderfully appointed shop - I’ve actually shopped there so often that I’ve become friends with Sara and Wanda – just wonderfully friendly and really have the touch in terms of interior design know-how and have been very helpful when I shoot all my decorating questions at them.
The shop offers an eclectic mix of shabby/chic/French style with offerings of candles, painted furniture and other decorative accents and what I think are very reasonable prices. I sometimes struggle to know what goes well with what and honestly, all you need to do is set foot in this store and it’s all figured out for you! It’s a great place to find the perfect gift, but I find myself there on a regular basis with the purpose of finding things for decorating our house. I’ve even got my Mom hooked!
The Perfect Pear is located in this cute little building (see above) on Grant Street (one street over from Williams Street, in Crystal Lake’s downtown).
It’s such a great shop that I wanted to “plug” it on my blog. If you are in the area, you should really plan on making a stop – you won’t be disappointed!
I believe the shop will have a website shortly, so stay tuned and I’ll post the information.
The Perfect Pear:
Location: 87 Grant Street, Crystal Lake, IL 60014
Hours: 10:00am – 5:00pm Friday and Saturday, or by appointment.
Phone: 847-209-7879.
Email: burke-s@sbcglobal.net
Café 20 – Marengo, IL
I seem to have this fixation with Marengo, IL. Larry and I always drive through it on our way to either Galena, IL or Madison, WI. We’re back roads kind of people in terms driving – we love to enjoy the slowness of meandering to our destination and enjoying the landscape vs. seeing nothing on the highway. An added bonus is being able to stop in a small town for a bite to eat or to check out a store.
Marengo is a tiny town - and I always seem to be drawn to it. Unfortunately it has seen better days and it is definitely sleepy, but I just look at some of the older buildings and think what it must have looked like years ago as a bustling farm community that I’m sure was one of the places to go to for area residents. I just think it’s got potential to thrive again. On top of that people do seem to care and are trying to make improvements: it’s part of the Illinois Main Street Trust program, there’s a seasonal farmer’s market and several restaurants that I think are worth the a stop – most notably Café 20 (on Route 20) and the Flatlander Market (more on that in a later post). In addition, both the city and the economic development commission are working hard to get the name out there on their town.
Larry and I have been to Café 20 (http://www.cafe20marengo.com/) quite a few times. First, years ago when it was under different ownership and most recently in January – I believe the current owner took over not to long ago.
The outside of Café 20 looks like the building may have been a former fast food/diner joint before its current incarnation, but when you go inside it’s positively charming: a new bar in the corner, counter space a la diner, the wood-fired open hearth oven, tables and booths. The décor, I’d say is “cozy Italian.”
Larry and I love to get a booth because booths are always better for conversation – you can actually hear the person you’re with and vs. being at an open table trying to yell over the next table.
Under the former owner, the restaurant was just OK, but under the new owner I think it’s just great – it just seems that an effort is being made to offer interesting and eclectic options vs. bland-run-of-the-mill-so-everyone-will-eat-it-so-we-don’t-have-to-try options. Café 20 seems to get it.
We’ve had their pizza, veal marsala, spaghetti, fish fry etc. – all very good. As an added bonus, both Larry and I were thrilled that they offered Pinot Noir and Hacker-Pschorr Dunkle Weisse – oddly enough we seem to have a hard time find restaurants who have offer these, especially the beer.
So on our most recent visit, you can imagine we were downright giddy when they said “yes, we do offer them” – we were just beaming. Ok, I suppose it was pretty sad that we were so excited, but heck, we take out joy from wherever we can find it! : )
So if you are in the area, I recommend that you stop in and give Café 20 a shot – I don’t think you will be disappointed.
Maltese Torta
A word about this recipe: Ever since I can remember I have loved, loved, loved when my Mom made Torta. My Ukrainian-German mother, who is a phenomenal cook, has managed over the years to become an expert in Maltese cooking, which is my Dad's side of the family.
Malta, which is located in located in the Mediterranean Sea, is about 60 miles South of Sicily and about 175 miles from the coast of Africa (Tunisia) - my Grandparents emigrated in the late 1930s and settled in Stamford, CT.
Growing up visiting my Granparents every Sunday was a real treat for me: I loved listening to them conversing in Maltese (although unfortunately I did not understand what they were saying) and always anxiously awaiting to see what amazing Maltese dish Nanna would make. My favorites are the torta (see below) and pastizzi (a meat or cheese "pastry").
Torta is beyond easy to make and is a great dish to make especially in the winter.
I must admit that I have a hard time conceptualizing something that's basically a meat pie, because when I think of "pie", I think of dessert - but torta is so good I can't resist! This is truly a comfort food in my book. Actually, when I moved away from home in Connecticut, whenever I was somewhat homesick, I made torta and and it made me feel at home again - what's not to love about that!
I hope to try my hand at making pastizzi shortly - again, my Mom has managed to also make incredible pastizzi - you'd think she was a native Maltese - I've been putting it off for awhile, but I think I should face my "fear" and tackle this phyllo wonder! I'll post shortly.
Enjoy!
Ingredients:
2 Deep dish 9" pie shells
1 Lb ground beef (I use 95% lean)
3 Onions, chopped (or 1 ½ c) - you can use a fresh onions, but I highly recommend using frozen chopped onions - it saves you time and your eyes will thank you.
1 C peas - again, use frozen
¼ C fresh shredded parmesean cheese - you can play with this amount
2 Eggs
1 T olive oil
Salt to taste
Canned Milk
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. On the stovetop on high, saute onions in olive oil.
3. Add meat. Saute until no longer brown. Drain fat.
4. On medium heat, add peas and parmesean cheese, stir until dispersed throughout.
6. Stir in eggs.
7. Salt to taste. (Jane’s Crazy Mixed Up Salt is fabulous).
8. Add to one pie shell. Cover with 2nd pie shell. Seal and use fork to poke with holes for steam. Brush with some canned milk.
9. Bake for 35-45 minutes.
Voila!
Source: Vassallo Family Recipe
Parmesan Garlic Chicken
Note: Freezer labels available. Feel free to email me if you'd like the PDF file.
A word about this recipe: What can I say? This was a phenomenally easy freezer meal to prepare and you can't miss with garlic. This was just "yum." My only "complaint" is that as we all know, if the chicken had its skin on it's always more tasty, but my current motto is...if you don't want your thighs to rub together...you don't need the chicken skin! At least that's what I keep telling myself...as I shove another celery stalk in my mouth to avoid visiting the freezer which currently houses ice cream....
Enjoy!
Ingredients:
6 servings:
6 boneless chicken breasts (pound thin)
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 envelope Italian salad dressing mix packet
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup olive oil
18 servings:
18 boneless chicken breasts (pound thin)
3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3 envelope Italian salad dressing mix packet
6 cloves garlic, minced
1½ cup olive oil
36 servings:
36 boneless chicken breasts (pound thin)
6 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
6 envelope Italian salad dressing mix packet
12 cloves garlic, minced
3 cup olive oil
54 servings:
54 boneless chicken breasts (pound thin)
9 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
9 envelope Italian salad dressing mix packet
18 cloves garlic, minced
4½ cup olive oil
Directions:
1. Thaw completely.
2. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Unwrap desired number of chicken breasts and placed in a greased baking dish (I use olive oil spray).
3. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes until chicken is tender and no longer pink. (Check after 35 minutes so it doesn't dry out)
For Freezer Meals: Mix together cheese, garlic, and Italian dressing mix. Dip chicken breasts in olive oil, then coat with cheese mixture. Wrap each coated chicken breast individually in plastic wrap, then place in a freezer bag. Freeze, using freezer bag method. I put two pieces of chicken per bag - which would be 1 meal for Larry and I.
Nutritional Information (per serving): Calories: 299; Total Fat: 24g; Cholesterol: 51mg; Sodium: 560mg; Total Carbs: 2g; Protein: 18g.
Source: Don't Panic - More Dinner's in the Freezer: A Second Helping of Tasty Meals You Can Make Ahead, Susie Martinez, Vanda Howell & Bonnie Garcia
