First Class, All the Way...

Valentine's Day is so loaded with meaning at all stages of life... 

As a little kid, you relish decorating the shoebox in hopes of getting loads of little paper Valentines,

illegibly scribbled by your classmates...  

It's about quantity, not quality...

As you grow older, you hope that a limp, red carnation, bought for a dollar in the junior class fundraiser, 

is sent to you by your crush...  

I never got that carnation from the boy I liked, 

instead I would get one from a kid half my height who looked like Gonzo from the Muppet Show.  

In your twenties, you roller coaster from hating the holiday when you had no special someone, 

to hoping he gets it right if you had a boyfriend...

Nope....he usually didn't...on to the next one...

I pretty much could toss most of my twenty-something years into the circular file 

as it was a disaster most of the time...  

Now that I am married with two little kids, Valentine's Day takes on a whole new meaning...  

 

Long romantic dinners on the 14th are now delayed until a TBD date 

when the Groupon will take effect and a sitter can be found... 

Now the desire is to make the holiday fun for the kids... 

This year, Kate is old enough to fully participate so I went a little nuts as the Valentine's Elf... 

First event was my lovely neighbor's Valentine making party for the ladies...  

I baked Valentine sugar cookies that were, um, PG.  

Many glasses of champagne later, some gorgeous Valentines were created  by all....

and those lingerie cookies consumed.  

Nothing wrong with that, right?

Feeling guilty that I have not had the time to volunteer more at the school, I have been baking goodies for the teaching staff now and then...  

For Valentines day, I baked chocolate cupcakes with brownie heart garnishes.  

Yeah, I'm a suck up, but sweets make people happy, right?  

For the kid's personal teachers, I topped the cupcakes and 

went to the pains of making the candy roses I shared in last months blog.  

Let me tell you, they ain't as easy as they look... 

My version of the candy roses look like a lobotomy on top of those cupcakes...

The instructions said to paint off the cornstarch with vodka.  Is it wrong to sip and brush?

Cookies were also baked for the crew at Heat Armor...

Just hearts....all G-rated...

They were gone by 9:30, I think....

For my mother and sister in law, I went to the flower mart and purchased posies to 

make arrangements, which I delivered to my sister in law's law office this morning... 

Too bad, I didn't know she was out of town.  

It's the thought, right?  

For the kids, we took them to that classy joint, White Castle, for their annual Valentine's dinner event...  

They had flowers, table cloths, candles and waiters...  

The place was packed!  

It was so cute and the kids loved it.  

$25.00 for a Valentine's dinner for four is awesome, too. 

"Would you like that slider medium rare?"  

When we got home I had a Valentines treat scavenger hunt waiting for the kids as their dessert.  

Dang....I am tired just talking about it....  

I look tired, don't I?  This photo was taken this morning! Sheesh...

Maybe next year I'll order a heart-shaped pizza, get flowers from Jewel and call it a day..... 

White Castle didn't have prosecco, but Chez Herlihy did!

Starstruck

I don't get star struck usually...  

I once drove next to the guy who played Dr. Johnny Fever on WKRP in Cincinnati on Wilshire Drive....

big whoop...  

Then there was the time I saw Al Pacino step outside of the see and be seen restaurant, The Ivy, in LA...  

He leaned over the curb and launched a huge loogie...so gross.  

Bill Blass did a personal appearance at Neiman's and I met him while working for St. John Knits.  

He looked like he would rather have a ground glass milkshake than talk to me.  

Paula Deen had a book signing at Field's a few years back and 

I waited in line during my lunch hour to get my book signed.  

She was smooth as melted butter, Darlin', and very nice... 

She said I had an accent....Do Moliners have accents??  

Then it happened this morning...  

As I was cleaning bathrooms, picking up Legos, socks and an errant orange peel off the floor, 

I dropped a quick message to the Mad Hungry page on Facebook.  

The cookbook, Mad Hungry, Feeding Men & Boys, by Lucinda Scala Quinn, 

is one of my recent go-to cookbooks for great, fast food.  

I have mentioned this tasty tome in past posts.  

Anyway, I had a question about the Asian-Style Pork Roast that I have in the oven...  

I thought perhaps one of the Mad Hungry minions would send me back instruction, 

when lo and behold, the very LSQ herself, replied and gave instruction.  

I about fell out of my chair!  

Lucinda is part of the Martha Stewart dynasty... 

She has her own cooking show, for Pete's sake!  

And here I am, unshowered, in robe, hair in clippie, speaking with her... 

I'm a little verklempt.......

Schlep to my Lou....

I don't know about you, but I have just about had enough of this winter... 

Tom Skilling, the coolest weatherman around, said today that Chicago is a couple of inches away from the most snow totals ever, this time of year... 

Yippee... 

My feet have not felt warm in weeks, my boots are permanently wet and 

have a lovely white salt line meandering around the sole.  

Salt is swathed on my coats and dusted on my purse like I got in a fight at a bakery.  

Why bother to clean it off when you get tagged each time you venture outdoors?  

I am a definite Glamour Don't...  

Not sure where Chicago's Streets and Sanitation guys are, 

but they are not in my neighborhood clearing snow.  

I have seen the Lazy Boy's in their garage down the street.  

They are probably hangin' out, watching reruns of the Sopranos...

I have not seen a plow in days, yet the streets are still a disaster.  

The few parking spots that have been dug out have been claimed with flimsy chairs, 

lingerie drying racks, boxes and even kids wagons...

Don't get me started on how crazy THAT whole thing makes me.... 

People are crabby, too.  

I must admit I am extra impatient with the driver who is mind numbingly slow taking the corner... 

Good news is that warmer, snow melting weather is coming this weekend.....

Yahoo!  

I don't care about the slush, as long as it is slowly draining off the street and 

heading south to flood the Ohio and Mississippi River.  

As I hope for less snow and more sun, 

there are other things to  feel good about, like Valentine's Day!  

This week, a dear neighbor is hosting the annual Valentines making party.  

I plan to bring some rockin' cupcakes and maybe some cookies.  

Tonight I will make the sugar cookies and will decorate them tomorrow night.  

Sure, I could make them from scratch, but the fun part is the decorating.  

Tonight it's slice and bake, baby!

And a little chocolate therapy.....

Musings on a Blizzard....

 

It's been an exciting couple of days around here.....

"Snow-Mageddon"  "SnOwprah" and "Snowtorious B.I.G." lived up to its name.....

Here is what I observed:

Mother Nature likes to strike at interesting times, like oh, school pick up!

Strong winds shook our house, but not as much as before the new foundation...

Wind + snow makes cool sculptural drifts.....

They are not as cool when they are five feet high and slammed against the front door of the factory....

Snow looks so pristine and pretty until

A: you have to shovel it and 

B: once the kids play in it... 

Then it looks like cottage cheese...

  

Big storms bring neighbors together.... 

It was fun to shovel as the kids made snow tunnels...

The fun of shoveling wears off quickly...

especially the next morning when you feel like you just went 1/2 a round with Mike Tyson.....  

Being snowbound is fun if you have power... 

However, Heat Armor lost electricity and it is still out... 

Tom is pacing the floor like an expectant father....  

Snow days are exciting for everyone Day 1.  

Parents could do without Day 2....  

Then the "Entertainment Committee" is needed. 

 Coffee + Glitter = gross, but kind of cool looking....

Mom and Dad would like to be sipping a Bud or two at our favorite neighborhood establishment...

Can Little Gym come over and wear out my kids, please?  

Art projects are not doing it... 

Hot chocolate brings only temporary relief....  

One bonus of the snow day is impromptu taco night at the neighbors, margs and all.....  

Might as well all be hungover together....

Tomorrow we will go back to normal, 

inching our cars around the mountains of snow, 

kids trudging (parents skipping) back to school, sloshing into work.  

But what an event!  

A good story......and some happy memories.

 

I didn't cook as much as I wanted to, but I did make this tasty chocolate pound cake 

that we nibbled for the last two days.  

Enjoy and keep warm.......

Chocolate Pound Cake with Peanut Butter Glaze
Ingredients Makes 2 cakes. FOR THE CAKE 2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1 cup best-quality unsweetened cocoa powder 1 tablespoon coarse salt 4 sticks softened unsalted butter, plus more for pans 2 cups sugar 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 9 large, room-temperature eggs FOR THE TOPPING 1/4 cup peanut butter 5 to 6 tablespoons milk	Directions Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter two 5-by-9-inch loaf pans. Combine all-purpose flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, and salt in a bowl. Cream butter and sugar with a mixer on high speed until pale and fluffy, for 8 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl. Reduce speed to medium, and add vanilla extract. Lightly beat eggs, and add to mixer bowl in 4 additions, mixing thoroughly after each and scraping down sides. Reduce speed to low, and add flour mixture in 4 additions, mixing until just incorporated. Divide batter between pans. Tap on counter to distribute; smooth tops. Bake until a tester inserted into center of each cake comes out clean, about 65 minutes. Let cool in pans on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Remove from pans, and let cool completely on wire rack. Make peanut butter glaze: Warm peanut butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add milk, and stir until smooth. Drizzle over cooled cakes.