Pictures of the Day] Apricot Button Cookie
Mood] Tired and moody
Weather] Pretty cool
Currently] In the kitchen
Quote of the day: "Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others."
Soooooooooooooooooooooo things are annoying. I hate it when you plan something and it doesn't turn out right. I ended up trying to get together with some friends and due to unforseen circumstances, it just didn't work out. I mean, it's unfortunate, but totally legitimate and I can't help but feel upset about it anyway. I think it's natural. So of course what did I do? I baked! I made these small bite size cookies with sugar free apricot and blackberry jam. They were very soft and crumbly, not exactly to my taste, but decent enough. I used smart balance margarine and splenda.
Anyway, not much has been happening. I've been home putzing around, cleaning up now and then. Within the few weeks I have returned, my room has become a mess. It looks completely disheveled.
In other news, re-reading Harry Potter has been awesome! :D I am finding some more details that I overlooked before, so hooray! Not much else to report now...
Baked out,
~Jaye
Pictures of the Day] Shrimp Tempura and Vegetable Tempura, Teriyaki Chicken, Glazed Pumpkin
Mood] Joyful
Weather] Too hot to be driving with the windows down.
Currently] At the front desk
Quote of the day: "There was a disturbance in my heart, a voice that spoke there and said, I want, I want, I want! It happened every afternoon, and when I tried to suppress it it got even stronger."
I have been craving to get out to Mitsuwa for the past, I don't know, year, so I finally did it! HOORAY! It was good and bad, a wonderful and terrible time coming. I ended up of course, buying more than I was supposed to, but it was delicious food that I got, so I was proud. For those who do not know the wonderful land known as Mitsuwa, it is a Japanese food market, like a grocery store, but much more! There is a bookstore within, a liquor store, home decor store, and food court. It's pretty much like it's own little minimall. H-Mart is the Korean version of it. Needless to say, happy place. It is located in Arlington Heights. Link here: http://www.mitsuwa.com/english/ . Totally check it out! A fun place to go for a few hours or a half day.
So long story short, I ended up perusing for way too long with a CART no less, bought tons of groceries and ended up making some delicious tempura. I made up shrimp and vegetable. For veggies I used carrot, zucchini, eggplant, okra, green beans, and Japanese pumpkin (DELISH). I also decided not to use as much batter as is usually done in restaurants because if you fill up on batter, then you won't be able to eat as much! I also made up the sauce for the tempura, which is comprised of pretty much vegetable stock, soy sauce, and mirin (cooking rice wine). It was way too much, be tastey. I also did chicken teriyaki, which unfortunately was not glazed like my mom's, but rather was marinated. It still tasted fine, but I think I just miss my mom's cooking :)
Stuffed,
~Jaye
Pictures of the Day] The City Hall Green Roof and Me!
Mood] Gross
Weather] Nasty. All I have to say.
Currently] At the front desk
Quote of the day: "Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects."
This field trip was to City Hall Green Roof, which hopefully is NOT a once in a lifetime experience, but very well may be. There are guided tours offered, but I am not sure if you have to register or pay for those. The opportunity to see it was great! The green roof was absolutely fantastic! It was soooo hot and gross, but it was awesome to actually walk across the circular stone tiles on the sloping lawns and look at all the different plants. My professor named them as we looked, showing us the leaves and the flowers to emphasize how we could distinguish them. The man who gave us our tour, Michael, works in the Environmental department at City Hall. He helps with the planning of sustainability and different ways the city handles the Environmental issues, like drainage, insulation on buildings, etc...Quite neat!
Our tour was very short. We just traipsed around the top of the roof, but it was nice. Michael showed us the bees that they actually keep on the top of the roof in a bare patch toward the center of the roof. These bees produce a lot of honey (I forget how many pounds of it Michael detailed, but it was a large amount!) that the City of Chicago actually sells and gives away as gifts. I think all the proceeds go to charity and non-profit organizations! Cool, huh?
I wondered if the honey from those bees differ in any way, but I didn't mention it at the time. I was engrossed with the different sedum and flowering varieties. It was quite lovely even though it was burning! I was glad when we got off even though it was a great time.
Sweating up a storm,
~Jaye
Pictures of the Day] The Art Institute and the Taste of Chicago!!!
Mood] Satisfied
Weather] Sticky. High 92
Currently] In the living room
Quote of the day: "Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air…"
YAY for adventures downtown Chicago! There were so many things to look at! First at the Art Institute, they had a great exhibit for children's story book authors. The artwork for the stories was sooo beautiful, most done in graphite and acrylic. It was great. It really inspired me to actually pick up doing some art, namely, painting. It all looks quite whimsical. The 3rd photo above is of me with one of the paintings. It is a story about mussels (or oysters, it is difficult to tell) getting out of their shells and having adventures. Kind of reminded me of that Walrus and Clam story from Disney? Am I just crazy or do you know which cartoon I'm talking about? Totally youtube it. Worth it.
Anyway, that was neat. Then the taste was fabulous! Really it's like a carnival, more fun to do with friends. I mean, you end up spending a lot of money, but it is worth it to be able to try things and laugh. I have become more tan. @.@ Too much sunlight! Probably should use sun block...oh well. >.>
Anyway, my food details are pictured above! I started out with a great hibiscus sorbet (totally into hibiscus now...), followed by fiery drumettes, THEN a giNORMOUS turkey leg smothered with BBQ sauce (it totally defeated me), and topped with a rainbow waffle cone ice-cream. It was AMAZING. The ice-cream had like, 5 different flavours and real nuts in it (I liked the pistachio!). I encourage anyone who has not yet visitted Chicago for the Taste, to definitely try the next time around!
Definitely stuffed,
~Jaye
Pictures of the Day] Apricot Button Cookie
