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"Beautiful lilies on Easter Sunday"

Catering to my inner (imaginary) Puerto Rican side

I am the product of two Black parents…. but I swear there has to be some Latin in my blood, based on the way I obsess over the food. Here in Chicago, we have a number of places that claim to have the best JIBARITOS, and after trying out a few, we’ve found our A+ spot – Papa’s Cache Sobroso in Humboldt Park (with the jibarito originator “Borinquen” pulling a close second for the sandwich, but taking #1 for mofongo in Chicago).

For a while, Bobby and I were making regular trips for their tender, tasty rotisserie chicken dishes (with Spanish rice and tostones) and the wonderful jibarito sandwiches. The prices are what we call EXCELLENT for date night (dinner for 2 can easily come in under $20 and you’ll be full when you leave). This is a pic of our standard meal – a steak jibarito with Spanish rice. The sandwich comes with cheese (“white” or “yellow”), lettuce (which I remove), tomato, and mayo. Instead of bread you get all of this smashed between two perfectly fried garlicky plantains. Here’s a pic from our last trip to Papa’s…

After a few regular trips, it got me to thinking…. can I channel my inner imaginary Puerto Rican and make this dish myself??? Hmmm…..Why not try??? The hardest part was the research on cutting and frying the plantains… oh, and seeing the amount of oil that I had to use. LOL (don’t ask for nutritional content on this sandwich, I have convinced myself it doesn’t exist). In the end, my version came pretty close visually and the flavor was really good!!! I’ll definitely have to add this to my successful recipe list!

The item of the day, since I’m in a cooking mood, is something I have no room for in my kitchen but sure plan to get one day….. A couple of years ago my cousin found a great recipe a while back for potatoes au gratin that included Jarlsberg and Raclette cheeses (both of which were expensive and difficult to locate among the abundance of cheeses in Whole Foods). This was the BEST side ever. Half of the fun was in making it, and I had the job of potato slicer. In my kitchen this would be dreadful, with my somewhat dull knives and shaky hands. But in her kitchen I learned about a “mandoline” (a.k.a. “slicer”)… talk about amazing!

I don’t recall the brand she had, but it was similar to this one by Oxo, featured on the William Sonoma website:

Based on my past experiences (and the line on my pinky from the stitches that I got after slicing an avocado the wrong way) I think this may be a good idea to go with my mandoline, whenever I get it… the cut resistant glove from Microplane. Great invention indeed:

If I don’t see you before then…

Merry Christmas everyone!!!!!

Golf is Not Second Nature

My department's Holiday Party included an outing to Top Golf in Itasca, IL. While I own a set of nice clubs and a pair of cute Nike golf shoes, I've never actually used the clubs on a course and the shoes have never been worn. Needless to say, golf is not "my sport".

I must admit, despite the 20 degree weather (as you can see, this involved being outdoors) there were electric heaters all over the place and the hot cocoa was flowing! The food was actually really good (I admit, I wasn't expecting that from a driving range) and the concept of balls with microchips to assign points based on where you land made for a fun, competitive afternoon! I'll definitely be going back, with my own clubs.... Only next time it will be in the spring!

Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Chicago Food… on the other blog

Great times at Zocalo, Café Iberico and La Fonda del Gusto this weekend! Rather than posting twice, I’ll just direct you to ChiLanta Foodies where you can check out the pics and review….

http://chilantafoodies.blogspot.com/

Also check out my previous post on “A Taste of Brazil” in Oak Park, IL.

Blue Line - The End, At Forest Park

I went to the last stop on the Blue Line today (Chicago's el for those who aren't familiar with the trains here). Snapped a few pics and wandered around a bit. Not too many people out and the stop is in a quiet area of the near-western suburb Forest Park. It was nice and warm but kinda windy at times... but this is the "Windy City", so that's to be expected. Enjoy! (Disclaimer: I am not, nor do I pretend to be, any form of a photographer or a person who even knows how to use a digital camera other than crossing my fingers, pressing the button and downloading the pics)...

The Forest Park Blue Line transit center 

Danger sign, the cartoon is funny

Train pulling in

People getting off at the last stop

Man leaving the transit center in his Red Easter Suit with his iPod

Family on a stroll

The "ancient" steps

Wind and sun all in my face...horrible shot. LOL

Wind blowing through my curls... such a great feeling!

Jill Scott on iPod Shuffle with wind in curls with sun and 70+ degrees is a BEAUTIFUL SUNDAY!!!!

Happy Resurrection/Easter Sunday everyone!