Yodele Hee Hoo... A Girl and her Guitar

You know that summer in Chicago is nearing an end when you catch the very last flick of the Movies in the Park series. This year's line-up ended with The Sound of Music, which I hadn't seen since I was a small child. It was so interesting to see it again and the setting couldn't have been more enchanting... The backdrop to the 50 by 34 foot screen was the downtown skyline of Chicago, with the steady whoosh of cars snaking down Lake Shore drive on my right, and about 9,000 other movie goers all around. Even with all of those other people it still felt intimate somehow (until it came time to leave). And the whole experience was made complete with perfect weather and a soft breeze wafting from Lake Michigan, not to mention the company of one of my best friends, a summer picnic, a bottle of wine, and the occasional plane flying overhead.

I must admit that as a designer who has a slight case of ADD anyway, I get pretty distracted by the set design in most movies. I'm always checking out the moldings, the wallpaper, the fabrics, furniture, etc. I was totally staring at the wallpaper in the Nun's office and checking out the damask 'drapes' that Maria eventually made into play clothes for the children.

Little Perk in the Big City

This wall of green belongs to a building that faces my back porch. It's three stories high and the entire facade is covered in vines. It helps make my porch a great place for relaxing, while watching the leaves flutter in the wind. And the soft noise they produce when tiny raindrops hit their surface is so nice, much like a light sprinkling on the surface of a tent. Another wonderful element is the intense color display that happens in the fall. Beautiful.

Black and White, green & yellow

Pink and Green, grey

Roasted Wild Salmon with Rice and Cauliflower

This recipe turned out to be pretty tasty. It's nice and light and summery (although a 400 degree oven on a hot day isn't always the best). It was something we found in a search on foodnetwork.com.

I was afraid the salmon would be too dry if I baked it on a baking sheet, so I baked it in a skillet, drizzled in olive oil and lemon juice, sprinkled with lemon pepper.

The parmesan cauliflower tasted great... almost like you were being really bad and having it fried because of the texture! I don't have cooking spray, so it too got a light drizzling of olive oil before baking.

Instead of instant brown rice, I used Texmati whole grain Royal Blend. It's much more interesting than regular brown rice (and tastes better too).

The leftover salmon and tomato mixture, combined with fresh avocado, made a great sandwich the next day.

Enjoy!

Substitutions for pesto!

This may seem like a small thing to you, but for a pesto lover like me, it was a fine discovery. A few nights ago I had some girlfriends over for wine and appetizers. At the last minute I decided I needed one more little dish and scavenged for something to whip up. Pesto is always a crowd pleaser, but I didn't have pine nuts or parmesan. My enormous basil plant was just begging to be pruned, so I decided to improvise with feta and pecans. The result was a hit and a less expensive way of making pesto, at that. (This photo is of the plant after I pruned it about halfway down!)

Naturally, I didn't measure anything out, but here is a rough idea:

1 cup fresh basil
1/4 cup pecans
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Pulse the top four ingredients with a splash of the olive oil in a blender or food processor to get them moving. As the ingredients puree, slowly add the olive oil until it has a consistency a little runnier than peanut butter.

Pesto is great with so many things.... Pita chips, veggies, tossed with pasta, as a sandwich spread, slathered over chicken before baking or broiling, as pizza sauce, etc. Plus it's loaded with fresh ingredients, healthy fats and the fresh aroma that emanates from the blender is amazing.

Enjoy!