This little Piper moved to Chicago, this little Piper went to market, this little Piper went to work, and this little Piper went wee wee wee all the way to this blog.
Smoke those fools…then pepper and eat ‘em.
Sometimes you just have to “ugly eat” something. Granted I was raised by the page with Miss Manners and a tenacious mother but there are a few moments in my life where I’ve had to throw caution, cuteness and manners to the wind, and ugly eat the hell out of something.
This includes but is not limited to drumsticks, bone-in steaks, doner kebab, super tacos, chili cheese fries/dogs and sloppy joes. It doesn’t help that I’ve always delighted in piling a plate with everything in, what may look to others to be, a giant slop. To “ugly eat” something in front of people is the ultimate friendship test; it separates the weak stomachs from your true ride-or-die friends. Go ears deep…but sparingly.
Monday night I raced home to change before heading downtown to Sub 51 for the 2nd Annual Taste Around Town #TasteCHI launch party thanks to Bottlenotes.com.
I showed up in my favorite hot pink, vintage linen dress and was delighted when I arrived, with fellow reader in tow, to be asked by the lovely event coordinators if I was This Little Piper. What fun! They tweeted me beforehand and after the event, and put on a lovely launch party.
The wines featured were from the Naked Grape winery: a Pinot Noir, Pinot Grigio, Moscato and a Grenache blend from Maison Camille Cayran. I’m a red girl myself so I liked but was not bowled over by the Pinot Noir (not as bold as others) but was pleasantly surprised by the Pinot Grigio and distracted from the rest by the world’s cutest tiny cheeseburgers. All in all a great event and it even changed my mind about white wine!
Thanks to an incredible group of friends who I’ve known for 6 months to 6 years, my 24th birthday was one I will never forget. I’ve always loved birthdays, be they mine or someone else’s, because it’s a time exclusively for celebrating that person and having fun with them. It doesn’t matter where you are or what you do but the simple fact of gathering your closest and celebrating is a good feeling that never gets old.
This year was marked by a food hangover from all the wonderful dishes people brought: the best guacamole, most amazing pulled pork sandwiches ever, Gigio’s pepperoni pizza, spaghetti sandwiches with veal/bison meatballs, bacon mac ‘n’ cheese, mint chocolate chip ice cream and my Brucey Bogtrotter cake (devil’s food cake frosted w/Nutella).
I was unable to sleep on my stomach that night. But Saturday was two days later and the amount of dancing I did that night at home and at Beauty Bar was enough to return my body to normal. A million thanks wouldn’t cover how many fantastic things happened because of the most thoughtful people this past weekend. So I’ll start with one…THANK YOU!!!
Friendly Fires - Paris (Aeroplane Remix) ft. Au Revoir Simone
Ugh take me back to Paris already! It’s been far too long. My delightful friend and I share our francophile natures with each other whenever possible, aka Marie Antoinette parties as an excuse for champers, furs and petit-fours. Just last night she was telling me her plans to create marzipan Daffodils and fill them with lemon mousse. Ah for the love of whimsy!
Happily fruit isn’t racist – so you don’t have to be a white lady to enjoy a white lady peach, it merely refers to the white flesh inside the peach. The color through the skin is beautiful and is quickly distinguishable from the red haven (yellow flesh) peach.
With a free-stone pit peach you don’t have to worry about losing any of the goods to a tenacious pit. It’s also easy to halve a peach without a knife – find the sutcher (butt crack) line, plunge both thumbs in and pull in opposite directions.
I picked these up from my family orchard, pulled them open, removed the pit and a dessert idea popped in my head: halved peaches, a spoon scoop of Fage 0% yogurt and sprinkling of ground ginger over top.
The peaches are insanely good, juicy and sweet and the cool tartness of the yogurt blends well with the textures while the ginger adds a subtle spicy happiness. With a bottle of Prosecco and two plates full of peaches between 4 people, these were gone in a flash.
Great WWI food rationing poster that falls in line with everything thing my mother has every told me and what you’ll read in Food Rules by Michael Pollan. In general, these are great guides from not only the #slowfood movement but also for a life of less excess.
Living in Chicago, I can walk 15 minutes to Trader Joe’s and buy what I need for the week or even just the night. My cupboards aren’t choking and my fridge isn’t bulging. I get my exercise, don’t overspend and produce less waste. Food for thought, and thought for food!
Jam is maybe the best thing in the world, next to champagne and love. Which is why I’ve been making as much of it as possible. The first batch I created (raspberry and ginger) made my roommate drool and this second one made me salivate/fooled my mother into thinking it was made with rhubarb “but better”.
This one is made with strawberries, candied orange peel, orange juice and a lot of ground coriander. The coriander has an orange aroma to it when the seeds are ground in a mortar and perfectly compliment the rest of the orange goodies. There’s a nice juxtaposition of the sweet strawberry aroma and the tang of the jam itself. Best served on a spoon directly to mouth.
