Family Feast
Was it just me or was this the loooongest month? Looking back at pictures - the beginning of January seems like eons ago - but it was filled with so much goodness.
Friends - New & Old
pretty common theme here
I started the month back at the good ‘ol stomping grounds for NYE with marquee and old fashioneds (let’s be real…did you expect anything else?) Ended the month with new friends that have become family throwing it back 90s style.
THE PERFECT COMBO
Is there anything better than friends & food?
FINALLY went to Kanela with one of my favs and crushed breakfast & conversation.
I’m not quite sure if I’ve ever had as much as a food comma as I did at Walton Street - Started off with the pastry flight: carrot cake muffin, cinna roll & Jam donut. Followed by OPEN-FACED CROQUE MADAME, chicken sausage, and by far the best double fried hashbrown triangles I’ve ever had (and I don’t even like hash browns)
Aster Hall - a cool little food hall at the top of the 900 N Michigan Ave shops - we opted for bourbon & burgers and it was a great idea. If you haven’t had Small Cheval or even better Au Cheval - make your way to go Chicago and get it.
Small little girls night with loaded tacos and wine made my heart STUPIDLY happy…goodness I love hosting.
Friends who love to cook, are friends for me. My new girl, Bekah, is a big fan of the kitchen and made this amazingly healthy and flavorful dish. Full of roasted eggplant, mozzarella, golden raisins, mozzarella, mint and some other things I can’t remember but made it TO DIE FOR - if you are interested, hit me up and I’ll get the deats.
Also, friends who are engaged to dudes who love to make pizza, are friends for me. Nick (aka @forkinpancakes) makes some KILLER pies - these were 2 of the 3 - constantly craving more.
Last but not least, a big bowl of noods from Kizuki - although it took me over a solid hour to make it to this gem of a place, the service was great and I pretty much slurped my way to the bottom of the bowl.
STAR OF THE SHOW
It would be straight dumb of me to not mention my first 2-star michelin restaurant in Chicago at Smyth. Rather than bogging you all down with all the deats - here’s a separate little gem of all the goods.
Home Cooking
The latter half of this month was a very kitchen heavy - but let me tell you - some good things were created.
breakfast tacos: Siete Cassava tortillas filled with sautéed kale, portobello mushrooms, two scrambled eggs and a dollop of siete cashew queso.
Ramen: a new staple in the Bedell studio - (Recipe linked)
In a pinch bark: Melt a bag of chocolate chips. Spread out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover with alllll the things your heart desires. Pop in the freezer for a hour & break!
Funfetti puppy chow: 1 box chex mix, 20 oz melted vanilla almond bark, 1 box funfetti cake mix. Pour the melted chocolate over the chex and toss in 2/3 of cake mix.
WFH
My office was under construction for 2 weeks - which means I was able to live my best life. Now, I did have the flu for the first week, which was less than ideal. But don't you worry, I took major advantage of getting out and trying out coffee shops as my temporary homes.
this city is full of all things amazing coffee shops.
Hoxton - the lobby is a dream. comfortable, jazzy, cozzy - the perfect post up spot.
dark matter - a definite hipster spot, I had a barrel aged mocha which had so much flavor.
Stockyard coffeehouse - tiny little family owned gem, in the - you guessed it - south side
NomaD - okay yall…I can’t even with this place. It’s an event space, a mini boutique, a coffee shop - all with the best coffee & atmosphere
beatrix - great service and good food - also got some good laughs when we got aggressively hit on by older men
Passion house - Located in politan row. For you WFH peeps - this is a great spot for the early morning, super dead.
MIRRORS - A SERIES
“NECESSITIES”
motivational words, popcorn & sunrises are the “little things” that give me so much joy.
FAITH
yall…family was on another level this month. I had some crazy things happen. I am not one who has historically believed in signs, but with everything that happened, there is no denying that god was showing up in so many ways. this past month has given me a lot, and to be honest - I have been very overwhelmed by it. overwhelmed to the point that I want to ignore it, but things just keep happening that I can’t. Literally to the point of visibly seeing things and/or having someone come up to me and telling me they feel like I will understand community, family and my calling more than ever this year. I am excited for myself, this community and his family as a whole with everything that he is going to do within us and around us. Keep your eyes, ears, arms and most importantly your heart open yall.
DOODLES
February is
the “month of love”…which can be a little lonely, but it’s also natty pizza day month…
so I think I’ll be just fine.