let's pretend it's summer

People who complain about the weather generally annoy me.  Until this month, when I became one of them.  June has been ridiculous in Chicago.  I just read this:

State climatologist Jim Angel said Sunday that rainfall the past few days has officially made the month Illinois' wettest June in recorded state history. State records go back to 1895.
Angel said that through Saturday, the statewide average rainfall total for the month was 8.91 inches.

That's compared to an average of 3.5 inches.   It has been really stinkin rainy.  And cold. It's barely cracked 70 by the lake most days this month.  I keep dressing for the weather I want, not the weather that's actually out there, so I've been freezing all month.  And continuing that theme, I'm also cooking as though it's summer.  Who says we're too old to pretend?

Anyway, here are a  few yummy summer meals, sides and drinks from the past week:

Jennifer's Corn Salad 
 c/o Jennifer Jordan, my sister-in-law Sue's longtime friend

It's a fantastic side for any grill food.

1 pkg frozen corn

1 can black beans, rinsed

 add a chopped red pepper and a chopped red onion

 Sautee a couple zucchini and dice them.

Cut up an avocado or two

Add some chopped cilantro and crumbled feta.

then season with salt, pepper, olive oil and red wine vinegar.  Let it sit a bit for maximum yum.

Shrimp Tacos with Avocado Jalapeno Salsa

This was killer and the whole thing took about 20 minutes.  

 mix in a food processor: 

1 small onion or shallot, 1 quartered and seeded jalapeno and 2 cloves garlic. Pulse till blended.

 Put that yumminess in a bowl with 1 lg chopped tomato, 1 diced avocado, 1/4 cup chopped cilantro.

Add 3/4 tsp salt & 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice. Mix and set aside.

 Take 2 lb peeled and deveined large shrimp and mix with 1-1/2 Tbsp olive oil, 1-1/2 tsp chili powder, 1/2 tsp salt & a few good dashes cayenne pepper. 

 Either grill the shrimp 90 sec per side or oven roast them at 400 for 9 minutes.

Serve on corn tortillas with the avocado salsa.

I made brown rice and black beans for sides. 

Watermelon-Feta-Mint salad 

Thinly slice 1/2 red onion.   Add 2 TBSP fresh lime juice and let sit about 10 minutes.
Add 1 TBSP olive oil.

 Wash, trim and thinly slice about 1/4 cup mint leaves

 Cut up 1/2 round watermelon into large dice

peel and cube 1 large hothouse cucumber

add 1/2 cup crumbled feta

Add the onion mixture and stir well.

I served it with chicken kabobs (marinate in italian dressing, grill about 10 minutes) and corn

And then?  Last but definitely not least.  

La Paloma.

My sister Ellie emailed about this drink a couple weeks ago and I tell you what, it's a summer time 

game changer. 

rim a highball glass with kosher salt.

put a jalapeno slice on the bottom

add:

1/2 ounce fresh lime juice

2 ounces silver or blanco tequila

fill the glass with ice

top with grapefruit soda.  (sometimes hard to find but persevere, it's worth it.)

I ran into my neighbor this morning and she declared, July is going to be awesome.  

I'm buying what she's selling.   

Happy summer everyone.

kaitlyn & johno & paleo

We have had TWO family weddings this summer!  We're so lucky!!!    Julie's epic wedding I wrote of here a few weeks ago, and  I'm still basking in the glow of that love fest.  Then, this weekend, we attended the wedding of my nephew, John Andrew Vasko, who married Kaitlyn Hastings.

John is Doug's sister Sue's oldest (of five).  I met John when Doug and I started dating, in 1990, when John was just about to turn 4.  He was a very precocious kid:  hyper articulate, always had his nose in a book, very comfortable around adults.  At that stage, I recall his being obsessed with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and I remember sharing the back seat with him en route to something and he talked about those turtles the entire time, without taking a breath.That adorable little dude became a very dear teenager who became a really special young adult.   He's been so good to my kids, always affirming and interested.  This April, as he was finishing up med school and had a rare few weeks virtually free,  Noah took the train down to the city one day during his spring break. John picked him up and they went rock climbing, then to lunch, then played video games at John's apartment before he put Noah back on the train.  What a nice cousin!

John is one of those people who is just insanely capable:  he's good at every thing he does, he's crazy smart, and yet there is not a whiff of arrogance about that guy.   So a few years ago, when we heard he was getting serious with a girl he was dating I thought, is she good enough for him?

Answer:  she is.

Kaitlyn is smart, and beautiful, and strong and thoughtful, and  they are a wonderful match. 

Evanston is a very quick train rain from the city so we have John and Kaitlyn up for dinner with some regularity and it's been so fun to get to know them both as a couple.   They are balanced and adorable and we love them.

So it was with nothing but love and joy that we rang in their monumental wedding last weekend in Galena.  It was traditional and beautiful and poignant and sacred and a BLAST.

In addition to being fun and thoughtful and successful (she's a lawyer, he just got his MD in emergency medicine), they are also gorgeous.  AND - they do Crossfit!  Yeah!  I can't tell you how fun it is to have that bond.  As anyone who does Crossfit or hangs with people who do Crossfit knows, people who do Crossfit really like to talk about Crossfit.  A lot.

Epic WODs, PRs, milestones, it's fascinating!  To.... the other people who do Crossfit.  Doug is always sweet and listens, and I've learned not to bore my kids too much with it, but when my CF buddies and I did MURPH on memorial day at my box? Or when I got my first handstand pushup?   It's John and Kaitlyn I texted.  During the Crossfit Open, each week we'd text back and forth dreading or dissecting each workout.  When John got his first muscle up, I was out to dinner with Doug, heard my phone chime, and watched that video they sent with awe and joy!! Despite being 20 years older than them, it's so much fun to share this crazy bond.

and you should see her back

 Now, to food.  I always get there!

Perhaps you've heard of this whole paleo thing.  Basically it's meat, eggs, veggies, nuts and some fruit. No carbs/grains, no dairy, no sugar, no caffeine and no fun -hah.  It's annoying. But lots and lots of Crossfit folks eat this way. 

Exercise is something I need.  I need it so I don't go crazy.  But I also need it because I love to eat and I don't want to think too much about what I'm eating or have to limit myself.  I'm pretty disciplined, I eat mostly whole foods and keep my portions pretty reasonable, but I love desert and I definitely love wine so when you tell me I can't have something that's when I start getting hangry and grumpy and I want it more.  So I've resisted this whole paleo thing because, really, if that means I can't clean & jerk 150 lbs who the hell cares?

Of course, John and Kaitlyn have gone to the dark side paleo.  Or at least paleo-ish.  So when Corey was looking for some sort of eating plan/reset after 9 months of dorm food I suggested we do a paleo/eating clean week or two.  (Well, except for the liquids part - I'll never give up coffee or wine. Let's be reasonable)  It's been interesting.  And it feels pretty great.  And since I'm the family cook, the fam has come along for the ride and the results have been surprisingly tasty.  This week was all paleo.  We'll see how long it lasts but it's been fun.

To the lovely bride and groom - thank you for such a wonderful celebration. 

The future is bright with 'kids' like you in charge.  We love you.

Ngunja -

I've written about it before.  It's phenomenal - you really should try it tonight. 

Pork Tenderloin with cherries and balsamic served over mashed cauliflower (recipe below)

Paleo Frittata 

Sautee a 1/2 red onion and a cup of diced broccoli in 1 tsp coconut oil

 Add 1/2 cup diced sun dried tomatoes and 1 cup diced ham

 whisk 7 eggs, add to skillet and turn heat to low until edges start to firm up.  Then put in 375 oven for about 12 minutes, until it's set all the way through.  add salt & pepper.

 Pork Tenderloin with Cherry Sauce

 Season with salt and pepper then brown1-1/2 lb pork tenderloins in tsp coconut oil, about 3 min/side.

 add 1 cup chicken broth, 1/4 cup balsamic, 1 cup unsweetened dried cherries and a sprig of rosemary and cook covered for about 20 minutes, turning occasionally.

 meanwhile steam a large head of cauliflower then mash with a potato masher.  season.

 move the pork to a bowl and cover it and let rest for about 10 minutes. 

 uncover and simmer the sauce for those 10 minutes, until it's reduced in half.

remove rosemary and  serve it over the cauliflower. 

Saints Out

My dad used to say that, as a parent, the days are long but the years fly by.   And fly they do.

When did this

and this

become this?

When did this?

 

And this

 Become this?

When did this

and this

Become this?

And when did this

and especially this

Become this?

Dylan is going to high school.

After 14 years, our family has graduated out of St. Joan of Arc School.  St. Joan of Arc is a tiny parish tucked into "Skevanston" - that random pocket in which Skokie and Evanston overlap. It's a special place: many of my friends who live in the neighborhood attended SJA themselves, and now send their kids there as the new generation of SJA 'saints'.  It's not a perfect place - Corey's class had too few girls and we found Noah to be way too out of the box to follow the in-the-box Catholic school model, but St. Joan of Arc one of the most nurturing, genuine, old-fashioned pockets of love and faith-filled community I've encountered in my adult life.

And Dylan hit the jackpot here.  His class held a wonderful group of sporty boys who laugh a lot, play hard and are unfailingly polite. Last week his class of 27 graduated after a solid week of activities and celebrations, culminating in a wonderful class banquet during which we watched a video filled with memories of all those years. It was emotional, to see his and his friends' lives encapsulated that way.  St. Joan's is a tiny school so after 8 years plus pre-school, these kids are ready to roll.  And so are the parents.  When the kids were little I was hyper-involved and so glad to have a place to meet other parents, compare stories, commiserate, and share the sometimes crushing work of raising a pack of little people.  I chaperoned a million field trips, volunteered endless lunch duties and showed up for every prayer service and music program.  I served on the school board for three years and helped form the marketing materials they still use today.  But then I went back to work and Corey graduated and Noah moved to another school, and independence was foisted on Dylan a lot earlier than it was with the first two.   Dylan has been so well supported, by my many friends who gave him endless rides home once I went to work full time, by the teachers and parish priest who know his name and by the many friends who I know watched out for him as he biked by on his way to school.

And now it's over.  The class will split - some will go to ETHS, some to Loyola, some to Ignatius and Niles West.  But my hope, and my belief,  is that their time at SJA has given them the foundation and tools they need to take the next stage by storm.  Thanks for the memories, SJA.
Saints, Out.
Go Wildkits!

And look - a recipe!!!  It's a good one  - Dylan asked, after trying it, can you make this more often? 

Shrimp Orzo Pesto

Dice a red bell pepper

 Heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil and add the pepper and 2 tsp capers and sautee for 5 min

 Meanwhile, cook a box of orzo and drain, then add 4TBSP olive oil and 4 tsp pesto - mix well

 the recipe called for sauteeing the shrimp but I like to roast it - toss with olive oil salt and pepper and roast at 425 for 8 minutes for med-large shrimp

 Add it all to the orzo plus another 2 tsp pesto, some garlic, oregano,crushed red pepper salt & pepper

 Add lots of fresh parmy (1/2 cup?)

 Voila.  Next time I'd add the juice of a lemon to give it a little tartness but it was delicious.