gogochicago

Ok, so this week will be a two entry week!

I’ve been working a lot, and my fledgling business got its fist write up in the press!

Via Daily Candy Chicago!

A Jibarito is a delicious Puerto Rican sandwich. The first one was invented in Chicago!

It’s also an enjoyable genre of music.

What more could you want than music and a sandwich?

Let’s go over the Jibarito’s finer points. Instead of using bread, you use fried plaintains, which is actually harder than you might think to make. I prefer my jibaritos with steak (some people like it with chicken, lechon, or ((gasp)) veggie patties), and it’s best you marinate it in homemade mojo for a day before you cook the meat. A Jibarito is really one of the only appropriate uses for American cheese. You’ll also want to include a seasoned mayonnaise, some sliced tomatoes, and crisp lettuce. It doesn’t sound like much, but believe me, the sum is greater than its parts.

I’ve long been a fan of the Jibarito as it’s gluten free and a great way to consume American cheese without being judged too harshly by your peers. Some of my favorite places to consume these sandwiches include Cafe Central, D’Noche, and Borinquen Restaurant. Jibaritos were one of those things that I left to the professionals, until I decided to try it myself.

I had some friends from work over for a belated holiday party. I set the table.

Got the extra chairs out.

And made 6 Jibaritos using this recipe! One of them was vegetarian.

Ok, I was a little harsh on Debra Moreland‘s flapper hair chain. But this is pretty beautiful.

2012 is pretty cool so far. Wedding planning is going well (venue, bartenders, caterer, and hotels booked) Save the dates are designed and addresses are pouring in. It’s going to be a fun party! I’d have to say I’m the most excited about the Mariachi band and seeing everyone we love in the same place.

I promise I won’t spend the year blathering on about preparations for the big day, but I am just a little excited. Our colors are grey, navy, and red. The gals will be wearing navy and the guys grey suits. I’m thinking dahlias (big ones) for flowers and striped table runners. It’s a little hard not to fall into the trap of looking at wedding stuff all the time, but then I find myself freaking out about a feathered headpiece and Gerard or a pal will remind me to reel it in… I’m not really a feather lady.

And also, as with most things Anthropologie, it’s important to stay away from the Bhldn website. Not that I dislike the goods, I just feel that both websites skew my vision of what is attainable/reasonable/attractive. I mean, come on.

I mean, this is a nice enough Treasure Hunter’s Halo, but the model looks like a child bride (a very pretty one, but still YOUNG! But maybe I’m just bitter because I’m pushing 30) AND the darn thing costs $560. That’s bananas. Only my small opinion, but if I were into that look, I think a fun part of the whole aesthetic is the whole d-i-y nature of piece like that. Amiright? That’s like a whole night at a SUPER FANCY DELUXE HOTEL or a BRAND NEW RUG.

On my list of things to do, I’ve been doing a good job of exercising 4x a week (!!!) and we’ve done a good job of not eating out, unless we’re planning on it. I’ve been enjoying roasting chicken. My favorite recipe is a combination of Thomas Keller’s Roasted Chicken & the Zuni Cafe Chicken recipes. I follow all of Thomas Keller’s directions, but I use the Zuni Cafe method of airing out the chicken in the fridge for a few days before I roast it. I also let it rest at room temperature for an hour before I cook it. Tempering your meat is an important thing to do. I think we get too worried about food safety, but it’s actually harder to cook something safely when it’s the wrong temperature. We’ve also been doing a better job of sticking to a cleaning schedule around here, which mostly involves just cleaning it up as we go.

via design hotels

Wouldn’t this be a nice relaxing cap to a hiking vacation in the South Pacific?

We’ve been living in our “new” apartment since May. It’s been nice to settle in, but now we are ready to make some changes, since we’re going to be here for a few more years.

Currently our bathroom is a little boring. We got the go ahead from our landlord to paint it and change some things up. I’m excited for this project.

Our bathroom has this ubiquitous and ugly mirror:
via faucetdirect.com

I’d like to replace it with something a bit more simple.

via Ikea

However, we’ll lose some valuable storage. My solution to this is to install some shelves in a small un-utilized area next to the sink.

Additionally, we have an ugly vanity thing above the toilet. It is small and unattractive, but not useless. I’d like to put some open shelving above the toilet where we can store towels and use more of our jars.

Here’s some inspiration:

via Remodelista

Hopefully we’ll be able to make this happen by February or March!

2011 was kind of a big deal.

Onto 2012.