Last night, we celebrated Dave's 30th birthday at his home, where his lovely wife Amanda had arranged for a private chef to prepare us a traditional kangaroo birthday steak... outstanding stuff. It really put a hop in our step for the rest of the eventing... ahem! 
The finished product... garnished with homemade croutons, Parmesan, and olive oil... not to bad for beans, garlic, tomatoes, carrots, sage, and onions...
Today, I decided to take a crack at an Italian classic... paste e fagioli soup. I first fell in love with this soup at Olive Garden, but as I grew up and my culinary horizons broadened, I discovered that the pasta e fagioli at Olive Garden is not a pasta e fagioli at all. It is still delicious, but not a pasta e fagioli. This is a run at the classic recipe... mistake number 1, the beans must soak overnight... soup tomorrow...
This year, Thanksgiving was held at the Bransen home, and my mom drove in from Elgin for the fantastic meal prepared by Lauren's mom. After the feast, Lauren and I drove out to Elgin to spend the night and spend some time at my childhood home. As the Bransen leftovers made their way to the fridges of various other Bransen family members, my mom, not wanting Lauren and I to miss out on the tradition of leftovers, made turkey, taters, and stuffing, just for Lauren and I to take home. 100% pure leftover gold. Thanks mom.
Normally, I'm against any sort of Christmas prep before Thanksgiving, but on Tuesday Lauren and I picked up some Advent calendars just to be sure our holiday chocolate supply was complete and pre-rationed. Looking forward to December 1st. I bet the first tasty treat will be a wreath... or a bunny... or a beach ball...
The folks who dole out the much coveted Michelin Stars to restaurants have been visiting Chicago. The recipients of the stars were announced this morning and several Chicago dining establishments earned honors. One such establishment is Longman & Eagle, a tiny whiskey bar in Logan Square. Lauren and I went to see for ourselves tonight... The food was outstanding.
Roditys in Chicago, I'm convinced, has the best gyros in the city. Crispy, juicy, and flavorful, you can tell they make it themselves and with an experienced expert's touch. My family has been dining there for years, and now Lauren and I have made it our own go to spot for Greek delights. Classic Greektown at its finest. If you haven't been... go there... now! 
Today has been filled with football watching and eating. A Bears win today was chased by taco night tonight. A perfect Sunday...
This Saturday, back in Chicago, Lauren I attended the nuptials of Lauren's friends Sarah and Shawn. At the Modern Wing of the Art Institute, there was an impressive array of cup sized cakes in lieu of wedding sized cakes. Also, Lauren survived a drink spillage episode with hilarity and grace... Standard wedding stuff as usual...
Today, I flew in and out of Philadelphia, PA, to participate in a deposition for work. While I didn't have much time to see the sights, I was fortunate to have time to meet my friend Adam for lunch at the Reading Terminal Market, a massive bazaar of places to eat and purchase fresh produce and meat. I've never seen anything like it before. It was quite possibly the world's best food court. No Sabarro or Boardwalk Fries to be found here...
Monday Night Football. Bears v. Packers. And Lauren made her first attempt at pizza from scratch. Success all over the place. The Bears won. Lauren's pies were outstanding. An outstanding evening on all levels.
A work related one day trip to St. Louis brought me (along with my gracious hosts, The Guymons) back to one of my favorite STL spots, a true dive with excellent pizza pies, the Black Thorn Pub. A hole in the wall if there ever was one, this gem is tucked away in a residential area of the Tower Grove neighborhood. The beer is cold, the pizza a hot (and spicy), shuffleboard is a must, and people affix dollar bills to the ceiling with thumb tacks (by folding quarters into the dollar and tossing the expensive customer crafted decor at said ceiling). You can't find a place like this anywhere else on Earth. 
Lauren and I have vowed to take on and master the American culinary classics. This Monday, Lauren cranked out this lovely Chicken Pot Pie (or Chicken Pot Pan). We had our portions and it sure was comforting and delicious... Now if we only have 5 other dinner guests to finish the rest...
We've returned to the city from the Bransen family weekend extravaganza in Elkhart Lake... it is back to reality for now... The food supply in our house was sparse, so these two piggies went to market and picked up some supplies... including a fine looking jalapeno.... The colors of fresh produce are so vivid when you first pick them up. Now if we can only eat it all before the colors fade...
On Sunday, we finally did a little grocery shopping and Lauren prepared the first meal at our new place. She had to cook because I won one of our dinner bets. The bet can be about anything at all. This one was about a certain NBA-er who made a decision of sorts last week. Lauren thought this player would stay at home and re-sign with his home team. I thought that he would bolt to another squad. As it turns out, I was right. The bet winner selects a recipe and the loser must shop, cook, and clean up after the meal. Lauren makes a great chicken parmesan...
At lunch today, I took a stroll in the beautiful weather to Grant Park and visited the Taste of Chicago. After a few minutes fighting through the crowds, I exchanged some cash for some tickets, and exchanged some tickets for some food. By far, the best bites were offered up by Kasia's Delicatessen. The potato pierogies were delicious buttery pillows of Polish perfection. As good as these pierogies were, they pale in comparison to the pierogies that my Grandma Helen used to churn out of her Ambridge, PA, kitchen. Nonetheless, they filled my pierogi craving until wintertime...
In what is actually my second post in a row featuring dessert foods, here you have a piece of hot apple pie with two scoops of ice cream. I just finished eating this very dish. It was superb. It represents a love / hate relationship I have with the Bransen's freezer. The thing is jam packed with amazing treats, and multiple flavors of ice cream are stacked like bricks. The variety is astounding, I've never seen anything like it. I no longer have the will to resist the siren song of dessert. The freezer has defeated me....
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