chicago on our mind

after a long skype today with our sister hannah, I realized that I never posted pictures of our trip to Chicago about a month ago to visit her. we went for a long weekend to meet her roommates (she lives with one other woman and two guys) and see the house she is hoping to buy and use to start a powerful example of living in community. hannah is one of the most inspirational people that i know. she isn't afraid to dream big and has faith that those dreams will come true, assured of the vision that God has given her.



currently, she is dreaming of extending hospitality to her neighbors and those she comes in contact with in her neighborhood of east garfield park. she imagines people living life together and also being outward focused on those around them, digging into relationships in an authentic way that seems rare these days. i could go on and on about hannah, but i'll leave you with some pics of our trip and you can see for yourself how much she cared for us on our trip to see her in january.


deep dish pizza at gino's east- aka cheese and gluten overload!


waiting for the L


some beautiful flowers in the conservatory a few blocks from their house


we even found a banana plant!


guerrila tile mosaiac work


the lights at a yummy gyro place we ate at!


hannah cutting our hair at the salon where she works


the finished product


a rousing game of mennonite madness! one of the many moments of uncontrollable laughter during the weekend.



hannah banana, we are so proud to have you as our sister!

time to relax and what do i do?

why head for the kitchen of course... :)

here's a peek into my afternoon in the kitchen this weekend.

I painted these with simple chalkboard paint and I love how they turned out!

This is admitting one of my guiltiest pleasures- checking out cookbooks from the library. Currently reading Flour by Joanne Chang and drooling over every page.

Food processor = kitchen wonder tool. This one was assembled for us by our brother in law, all from parts he found at the Goodwill bins! (I was making bread crumbs!)

Rosemary Raisin Pecan Crips, created to be like the ones you can buy at Trader Joes. I used this recipe. They're tasty with some cream cheese on top.

Two things I can't live without in my kitchen. Misto- like Pam nonstick spray, only you fill/refill it with olive oil to grease pans, spritz on popcorn, and a myriad of other uses. We like it because we get to buy the big jug of olive oil from the Lebanese store down the street. The other tip- if you're still living in the last century like me and use paper recipes, slip them into a plastic sheet protector before you expect them to brave your kitchen. That way, they survive all the drips, spills, and splatters of your creative cooking!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Courtesy of Wendy Shaver
2 c butter (room temp)
1 c sugar
1 c brown sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2c flour
2 c whole wheat flour
5 c quick oatmeal
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
24 oz semi sweet choc chips
Opt. 2 cups of chopped pecans or walnuts
 
In a large bowl or mixer, cream butter and sugars. Add eggs one at a time, beating to blend, then vanilla. Mix dry ingredients together, then add to butter mixture. Mix until moistened and blended. Mix in choc chips. Bake 375 degrees for 8-10 mins. *This makes a big batch of dough, so I always bake some right away and with the leftover, I scoop it into balls, freeze it in a single layer, and then keep it in a Ziploc. This way, you can pull out however many you need and always have cookies- warm from the oven. Or you can pop a frozen dough ball after a hard day!*

why do i have such a way of making such a messy kitchen? good thing at our house, the philosophy luke aspires to is, "i cook and he cleans!"