Graceland, The Exorcist and Hummus

Do we really need much more than a few friends, some good food and light entertainment?  It's easier for me to answer that now that I know I didn't win the $640 million Mega Millions jackpot - friends, hummus and trivia are back in style. 

Chris and Eryka

 We had a great time answering 100 trivia questions with Chris, Eryka, Doug, Lou, Steve and Angie all for the benefit of a local elementary school.  We scored respectably -95 out of 100 for 6th place.  The winning team scored 105.  Our team had a great time, everyone had a specialty and clicked with at least one of the topics.  Diversity is important for trivia nights.  Eryka rocked the fairy tale category.  Tracy and Chris knew their science.  Doug was spot on with sports films and local sports  history.  Angie kept up with the television them songs and everyone chipped in for commercials and movie and themes. It was a bit light on history and geography and we fumbled our lone history question,
"Who came first as president - Wilson or Harding?"  Answers at the bottom.

We also blew,
"Who retired first - Larry Bird or Magic Johnson?" 

We did get this one right,
"What is the name of Paul Simon's grammy winning album of the late 80's with South African backup singers?

In the end, like most group activities our team result was better than anyone could have done individually and we talked ourselves out of a few correct answers  (Halloween instead of the Exorcist) along the way; but we had fun, good food and some laughs.

Doug and Lou

We had too much good food.  I was able to limit the damage to only 1.2 pounds on the scale this morning.  Tracy and I have grown to appreciate hummus as a snack/appetizer in our lower calorie lifestyle.  Over the last couple of months we've refined our recipe to a more trendy, tasty version of this ancient classic.  If I had stuck to hummus last night instead of pizza and cheesecake, I'd be in better shape this morning.



Tracy's Hummus

1 16 oz can of Garbanzo beans (drained and rinsed)
1/3 cup Tahini
2 Tbsp of roasted red peppers or sun-dried tomatoes
3-4 cloves of garlic
1/2 tsp cumin
3 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp Sriracha hot sauce
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp of olive oil

Combine the first 8 ingredients in a food processor and mix until smooth.  Blend in olive oil until desired consistency.


ANSWERS:  Wilson, Magic and Graceland

Trains, a Consulate and Marilyn

The odds of the unexpected increase significantly when you travel.  You’re never quite sure what you’ll get when meeting new people in new places.  In spite of my Type A preparation and planning, I still find myself surprised – usually for the good.  Today was one of those days – the good, the bad and the unexpected.

We were notified ~2 days ago that our VISA applications for Brazil had been rejected (60 days was too long).  The easy part was rebooking our flights for a 30 day stay (except for the $250 change fee – thank you Delta Airlines) and collecting a bit more documentation.  The challenge was that because we were now within two weeks of our departure date that either Tracy or I would have to appear in person at the Brazilian Consulate in downtown Chicago between 9 and 11am weekdays – quickly. 

Without serious traffic the drive to Chicago is about three hours for us.  It’s very predictable until you hit the western suburbs after that you just don’t know what to expect.  Today I changed up.  After leaving the house at 4 am I drove to the western suburbs (Naperville) and bought a commuter train ticket on METRA.  Round trip was $12.50 and far less than parking in downtown Chicago.  The train worked out very well – highly recommended and very likely to ride in the future. 

The Good  The METRA train to downtown Chicago.  Clean, timely, efficient and very reasonably priced.

The Bad  I took the local train that stopped ~every mile instead of the express; I’ll pay more attention next time.

The next couple of hours were a blur….

·         Chicago Union Station at 7:45

·         Starbucks for coffee and 8 am conference call – too noisy

·         8:20 began walking east on Madison Avenue

·         8:30 stopped at Argo Tea for second call

·         8:50 Madison Ave to Michigan Ave just north of Millennium Park to Prudential Plaza and CIBT office on 31^st floor at 9:10

·         Collected documents and then headed north on Michigan Avenue to Brazilian consulate at 9:25.  First noticed Marilyn statue.

·         Consulate said new documents are fine but fee is $140 not $160 and they cannot accept $160 or make change.  Go to the post office.

·         Exchanged money order at the post office on Ohio Avenue and returned to Brazilian Consulate with money order for $140.

·         Collected receipt and returned to CIBT at 10:30

·         Walked back to Union Station for 12:30 train

Between 8 and 11:05 I walked 3.7 miles, visited a coffee shop, tea shop, three offices and fielded four phone calls and checked emails on my Blackberry.  Thank goodness I wore comfortable shoes and clothing.

So where does Marilyn come in?  She’s the unexpected.  Earlier in the week we watched My Week with Marilyn.  It was a fascinating portrayal of a complex, misunderstood, mercurial personality.  Michelle Williams was outstanding.  My wife and I discussed Marilyn’s appeal 50 years after her death.  Our conclusion – yes, she was beautiful and voluptuous but what made her captivating was an innocent sincerity.   You can’t help but be drawn in by her beauty and personality. 



40 ft statue at 401 N Michigan Avenue





This statue of Marilyn captures her most iconic moment –the famous white dress over the ventilation shaft.  It’s in front of the Brazilian consulate at 401 N. Michigan Avenue.  The adolescent boy in me couldn’t resist the picture of the Wrigley Building in the second photo.  You have to admire Chicago architecture.

Sunday's - Food and Family

Food, drink and family are at the heart of our Midwestern home.  It's who we are and what we do.  Sunday's are the best for these sometimes planned/sometimes impromptu celebrations.  This past Sunday was picture perfect.  We cooked.  We gardened.  We tapped our first homebrewed beer of 2012.  And we ate.  All in one day.

This week, I'll tell you a bit about each.  What worked?  What didn't?  And a bit about how you can do some of this yourself.  Today, it's about the food.

My wife and I turned 50 in 2011.  Like most of us at 50 we've noticed a few things...

1. We've put on a few pounds
2. The pounds are harder to take off and easier to put on

So what's a foodie to do?



Chipotle Pork



In our case, we've developed a strategy of limiting trips to the grocery store, menu planning, eliminating simple carbs in most meals and using recipes from Cooking Light to cut calories without sacrificing quality.  We're both down in weight from January 1.  It's working.

These two recipes came from the February 2012 issue of Cooking Light. 

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/chipotle-pork-50400000120182/

We adapted the pork recipe to our family needs and tastes.   I doubled the recipe and used a leander cut of pork to begin with - a 3 lb. pork loin roast.  The aroma from the combination of garlic (15 cloves) and chipotles was quite pleasing during the 2 1/2 hour roasting.  It was a nice side-benefit.  Other than that we followed the recipe closely. 

What we liked

• the pork roast was falling apart when it came out of the oven and was perfect for pulled pork
• the tiny amount of cinnamon added an unexpected flavor, aroma and warmth
• we have leftovers for tacos tonight

What we'll do different

• likely use lime juice only instead of pureed, sectioned limes

The second recipe was equally as pleasing and also came from Cooking Light.  We doubled the amount of yogurt and this resulted in a creamier texture.  The best results were serving within 1 hour of freezing.  NOTE: We served leftovers a couple of nights later and the texture was hard and brittle - don't recommend.

What we liked

• this could not have been easier
• the combinations are now endless for the remainder of spring and summer
• fresh and low calorie dessert



Last Minute Tropical Sherbet



http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/last-minute-tropical-sherbet-50400000110480/