12.28 - Chinese Food Christmas

I've heard of many people who go out for Chinese food on Christmas day, especially if they don't celebrate Christmas or if they just don't feel like eating at home that day. Never have I actually partaken in this kind of tradition. Until this year.

For Christmas Day, "I," his family, and I randomly found ourselves at a new Chinese restaurant that was promoting a buy one-get one lobster special. With the purchase of three entrees, we could get one lobster for the price of $5.99 and get an additional one for free. Pretty awesome, right? So we ended up ordering six entrees and getting four lobsters (sauteed in a nice ginger sauce) that evening.

Extremely satisfying and unique Christmas dinner, I would have to say. :)

12.06 - Distant Memory

I haven't thought about this in years (and I probably repressed the memory because it was too difficult to go without), but I used to work for a company that treated all its employees to lunch every day of the week. Granted we only had 10 employees and it was a sly tactic to keep everyone in the building at all times, but it was still a pretty awesome perk.

One person was in charge of ordering-- and every morning, she'd pass around the chosen menu for the day and each person would write down what they wanted on the accompanying sheet of paper. The order was usually placed at 11 a.m., and we'd all be eating and sitting pretty around noon. We could eat from any restaurant we wanted as long as we had the menu for it, they could deliver to us, and we didn't go too crazy.

I got over 300 free lunches from that job. Oh man, I'm feeling envious of my former self. Ha. No wonder I gained so much weight back then.

11.19 - Killer Sandwich

If someone wanted to kill me, all they'd have to do is put poison-laced food on my desk while I was away and then wait for me to come back and consume it. It's a sure-fire way to get rid of me. Sad, but true.

The reason I say this is because I came back to my desk right now to find half of a suspicious-looking sandwich sitting inside a baggie with a descriptive label included. Never seen anything like it before. The label tells me everything I need to know: what kind of sandwich it is, what's in the sandwich, and where the sandwich was made. But one thing it does not tell me is who the sandwich is from. Critical information . . . yet irrelevant because I ate it anyway.

*shrug*

11.08 - Cooking Catastrophes

When I cook, it's usually because I've gotten excited about something. And when I'm excited about something, I usually go overboard. And when I go overboard, I never give myself the amount of time that's required. And when I don't have enough time, I'm frantically trying to get to the finish line. And when I'm frantic, I'm clumsy. And when I'm clumsy, nothing ever comes out quite right.

Best examples of above:

- The time I decided an hour or two before my family Christmas party that I wanted to bake sugar cookies for my cousins' children (about ten of them). I busted out a cookie cookbook I had gotten as a gift, and I dove right in. I finished with 20 minutes to spare . . . only to taste one and realize that the cookies were rock hard and sweeter than any normal cookie should be. What went wrong, you ask? I was too in a rush to realize that the cookbook was written in the metric system (or to listen to the voice in the back of my head telling me that the measurements were so obviously off). *sigh* I still bagged those cookies up and gave them out as gifts. Is that wrong?

- The time my cousin was coming to visit for the holidays and had mentioned this cut of beef that was popular in the West coast. I wanted to surprise him with it, so I took a special trip to the butcher shop and bought a few pounds of said cut of beef. I started cooking about two hours prior to leaving for the family party at another relative's house. By the end of the second hour (as my parents were yelling for me to hurry up and get in the car), I realized that the meat was absolutely not tender enough and still needed at least an hour more of cooking (despite what the recipe had told me). I had no choice but to pack up the beef and bring it anyway. Ha. As appetizing as it looked, no one could even chew it. *sigh* My dad brought it all back home and did his best to salvage it for the next day's dinner.

- The time I decided to make a Korean dish for I's birthday last year. Of course I started too late, and of course I was struggling to finish it up till the moment he came over. In my hecticness, I zealously poured in too much gochujang (hot pepper paste). When I realized what I had done, it was too late to start over and I had to make do with what I already had. By the time I was done, it looked great and I personally think it tasted great, but normal taste buds seemed to stop working after the first three seconds because there was so much heat. "I" very graciously ate as much as he could, but even this dish exceeded his spiciness limit. *sigh*

Note to self: Give yourself time, woman. You struggle. Really.

11.03 - Leftover Halloween Candy . . .

is so bad for you. A few people have brought their leftover candy to work this week, and I have successfully devoured a significant portion of it. Six mini Snickers bar, two fun-size Snickers bar, one pack of M&Ms, three Hershey's peppermint kisses, eight Hershey's almond kisses, two mini Hershey's dark chocolate bars, and three mini Twix bars.

Coworkers, please, hide your candy bowls!

In other news, how cute is my blurry pumpkin goddaughter?

11.01 - My Caramel Apple

I had the perfect dessert for lunch today: a caramel apple.

I got it at our work Halloween gathering on Friday and was so excited to have it today. I went to our breakroom/kitchen just now to cut it up into bite-size pieces-- and as I took it out of the plastic container, the apple slid off the stick . . . and rolled out onto the floor . . . in view of two of my coworkers. My back was to my coworkers, so I immediately picked it up and wondered if they had seen what happened. Suddenly one of them said, "Ji, you have the best thing I've seen in this kitchen so far. So healthy for you and so bad for you all at the same time." I slowly turned around and smiled in agreement, trying to read their faces. Had they seen?? Did it really matter??

I turned back around, holding the apple in my hands and pretending to examine it, and waited until they finally left. Then I quickly cut it up, brought the gooey pieces back to my desk, and ate every bite. A little office kitchen floor never hurt anyone . . .

10.12 - The Trucks are Rolling In

I love New York for its food-- especially for its mobile food. I mean, some of the tastiest (and cheapest) food I've ever had there have come from a truck. But I always thought the truck thing was a NY thing . . . until trucks started popping up in LA and Atlanta. And, honestly, I've become really envious of LA because some of their trucks sound amazing.

This is just a sampling:
- Korean/Mexican fusion taco truck
- shaved ice truck
- grilled cheese truck
- Indian food truck
- sushi truck
- Philly food truck
- Filipino food truck
- crepe truck
- chicken and waffles truck
- dumpling truck
- Greek food truck
- smoked bbq truck
- and the list goes on and on . . .

Sadly, Chicago has been very slow at getting into the truck scene because our laws aren't as easy to work around as other cities' laws. As of right now, if you want to serve food from a truck, it has to be pre-made and pre-packaged (such as the Flirty Cupcake truck). But, honestly, cupcakes are just not going to cut it.

Fortunately, there are a whole bunch of Chicago restauranteurs and foodies alike who are demanding a change. Several restaurants already have food truck plans in the works and are just anxiously awaiting the city ordinance that permits trucks with onboard cooking equipment.

My belly, too, is anxiously awaiting. :}

10.07 - Cookie Radar!

It's so bad, but we have this really good bakery/cafe just around the corner from work . . . and I just found out they actually have a cookie radar on their website.  Oh my, what a magnificent idea! You can either check the site or sign up for alerts to find out when your favorite variety (or all of them really) have just come out of the oven.

So, at this moment, I'm waiting for the semi-sweet chocolate chip cookie alert. Their last batch came out a little less than an hour ago-- but I'm sorry, I would like mine fresh out of the oven, please. Haha. Mmm . . . coooookies.

Eatery Info: Specialty's Cafe & Bakery, 191 N Wacker Drive, Chicago, IL 60606

10.05 - For (Excessive) Love of BBQ

I attended a work conference last week in Kansas City, and the first thing I did upon my arrival was get burnt ends and ribs at my favorite KC barbecue place. I guess I could've attended some of the conference sessions to feed my brain . . . but, honestly, I really just wanted to feed my belly. I mean, the last time I had been in KCity was nearly four years ago, and that magnificent barbecue had been on my mind since then. Needless to say, it was a wonderful meal. And I went back to the hotel a very happy woman.

. . . until I ran into my boss and he asked me if I had attended any sessions. *sigh*

I sheepishly told him that I had not . . . and that I had been busy doing something else, desperately hoping he wouldn't smell the strong scent of hickory wood all over me. He didn't seem at all happy, but oh well. If that wasn't bad enough, the boss ended up wanting me to have dinner with him and some other colleagues at the same exact place. :\ While I do love my Jack Stack, I just couldn't do two rounds of it within four hours. But I couldn't very well reject my boss's invitation after being such a slacker employee, so I sucked it up and agreed to go along.

As the four of us sat down at a table, Brian (oh, Brian . . . my dear waiter from earlier that day who must have some crazy visual memorization skills because I looked completely different the second time around) took a double take as he passed me, smiled, and said, "Welcome back!" Within seconds, all (wide) eyes were on me, and I very quickly raised the menu to cover my face.

Epic fail. :\

09.22 - Sushi Mania

"I" and I had some friends over the other day for a little sushi making extravaganza. People brought over soo many great fillings, it was almost a bit overwhelming (in the most delightful sense, haha).

Fillings
- salmon
- tuna
- white tuna
- fluke
- smoked salmon
- shrimp tempura
- imitation crab meat
- jalapenos
- scallions
- cream cheese
- cucumbers
- avocados
- spicy wormy things of which I can't remember the Korean name
- tobiko (flying fish roe)
- cilantro

Most of us were newbies, but everyone really went all out on their creations. Some a little too "out." Haha. I have to say, though, that this experience tops going to the sushi buffet. Yummy, messy, and fun. ;)

Our spread (pre-destruction)

JJ's random concotion with galbi jjim and those spicy wormy things (ha)

















RC's delicious concoction with Alaskan wild salmon, jalapenos, and cream cheese (mmm...cream cheese)

08.13 - Malodorous Fridge

The communal office refrigerator started giving off a rancid smell at the beginning of this week. By Wednesday, I couldn't take it, and I immediately sniffed out an open container of blue cheese which went right into the trash. Um, come on people, either cover your blue cheese or throw it out. Bleh.

Then today, one of my coworkers offered to share her food from home with me so she told me where to find it in the fridge. When I went in there, it still smelled pretty bad. So as I was sniffing around for the remaining culprit, I came across a tupperware wrapped in a plastic bag. I picked it up and looked at it closely because, honestly, it looked like a very familiar piece of tupperware. Upon opening the bag and slowing prying off the tupperware lid, I was horrified to find Mom's pancit (Filipino noodles) all covered in mold. Umm...yeah. I have no idea how long that was in there, but it smelled (and looked) pretty horrible.

Bad, bad, hypocritical me. Whoever smelt it, sure as heck dealt it. :\

07.26 - Up Close and Personal with the Pizza Delivery Guy

In a last-minute moment of inspiration, I invited some people over the other day for some post-worship service fellowship. So I called a pizza place to get in my order as soon as possible, and I got home just in time to let the delivery guy in. When he handed me the receipt, I handed him my credit card, and he gave me a perplexed look. The realization hit me that the guy I had placed my phone order with had never asked me how I would be paying for it and I didn't bother to ask since I had been so flustered. So there we stood, both unsure of what to do.

Me: I don't have cash.
Pizza Delivery Guy (PDG): *crazy, wide eyes*
Me: Umm . . . (turns to look at a few friends who were there with me)
Friends: (frantically begin taking out their wallets, pulling out singles and fives)
Me: (sigh, shaking my head at them) It won't be enough. (looks at PDG) I'm sorry, I don't have cash.
PDG: *shrugs, but maintains his position*
Me: Umm . . . there's a Walgreens down the street! I can go to the ATM and get some cash!
PDG: *nods*

Long story short, I had planned on driving to Walgreens on my own, but PDG looked so uncertain and perplexed (found out he had just moved here from Bulgaria which would explain his curt manner) and I wasn't really thinking straight, so I somehow ended up in the passenger seat of his car and the poor guy drove me to Walgreens and back home.

Yep . . . just another day.

07.01 - Flirty Cupcake Truck

So "I" bought me four cupcakes the other day. From a truck! Sitting right outside of his office!

Yes, Chicago, a cupcake truck has come to our city. How exciting! Not quite as mouthwatering as, say, NYC's taco or middle eastern trucks, but it's quite a nice addition. I mean, who doesn't love a moist cupcake topped with delicious frosting?

The cupcakes I had were quite good, but unfortunately quite small and pretty pricey. Still, cupcakes out of a truck are pretty hard to resist. It's definitely an ice cream truck for grown-ups. I just wish they sold tacos at the same time . . .

Eatery Info: Flirty Cupcakes on Wheels, "the intersection of oooh and aaah", Chicago, IL

06.29 - How wrong is it . . .

. . . to buy two Boston Creme donuts (one for myself and one for my coworker friend), to place one on her desk while she's away, to consume my own donut with delight, to realize that my donut was darn good, and to then take her donut away without her even knowing it?

I mean hypothetically, of course. How wrong is that really?

06.10 - The People are Hungry

So Jimmy John's had this Customer Appreciation Sale today from 11-3. They were selling their regular 8" subs for $1 instead of the five or whatever dollars they usually cost. I wasn't really hungry until 2 o'clock and I wanted to wait for the crowd to die down, so a coworker and I finally made it over there around 2:30.

The crowd surely had not died down. We stood in a line that was out the door and down the block, but Jimmy John's workers were taking our orders and giving us these order sheets so at least it made us feel like we were getting somewhere. By 2:45, we were within a few feet of the store. By 2:55, we had just stepped in the store. By 3:00, we were right behind another person at the counter . . . and then they announced, "It's 3 o'clock! The sale is over! We're out of bread!"

Before I knew it, my sweet 40-something year old Guyanese coworker C started mouthing off big time. "That is just ruddddee!" she said loudly. "All these people waited in line with the assumption that they would get a sandwich, and now you're just telling them to leave?! That is sooo inconsiderate!!" At this point, I'm trying to pull her quietly out of the store. "I am never buying a sandwich here again!" she yelled (though she has never set foot into a Jimmy John's before and has no idea what their sandwiches even taste like-- haha). As we were making our way out past the crowd, a lady asked C what was going on and C told her the sale was over. The lady had these wild eyes and she said with vehemence, "Oh nooooo. The sale is NOT over!!"

Haha. Oh man. I wish we had stuck around to see if a riot ensued. Instead we walked hungrily back to the office, and I got to listen to C rant and rave about how "the people are hungry! The people have been standing out there and they're hungggrry!!" Haha. *shrug* Oh well.

05.27 - Best Meal EVER

The perfect surf & turf combo does exist. It is comprised of the most tender, flavorful bone-in filet mignon and a ginormous helping of succulent, sweet Alaskan king crab legs. *drooling* I have no words.

Eatery Info: Joe's Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab Restaurant, 60 E Grand Ave, Chicago, IL 60611

05.24 - My Lifelong Struggle

I'll admit it, I've always been rather clumsy. But it's generally just dropped crumbs or a little bit of spilled coffee here and there. Nothing major, nothing to stress about. That is until recent months . . .

Several months ago, while "I" and I were in California and on the way to visit my cousins one morning, we decided to stop by Jamba Juice for a Power size (30 oz.) smoothie. I offered to drive and we soon headed back onto the highway. While maintaining a nice steady speed, I picked up the large drink and brought the straw to my mouth . . . only to have the lid pop off and the entire 30 ounces of cold, fruity liquid slide onto my lap. *sigh* I drove for a miserable 20 more minutes before we got to an exit and found a Walmart to get a dry pair of replacement jeans. :\

Last week, I was out to dinner with some of the LP boys and we were all having a nice time with our delicious food and yummy beverages. My beverage of choice was strawberry lemonade. As I was sliding the large 22 oz. glass closer to me, the entire thing (ice, strawberries, sugarly lemonade and all) spilled onto my lap. Needless to say, I had an uncomfortable walk back to their house, and I ended up borrowing light-colored boy jeans that made me look straight out of the '80s for the rest of the night. *sigh*

After these two episodes, I'm terribly afraid that this mishap will follow me all the days of my life . . . :\

05.19 - Changing it Up

I wanted some oatmeal this morning, but I didn't want the same old plain oatmeal with brown sugar. So I cooked the oatmeal with hot coffee, then I threw in some brown sugar. That may seem a little strange but it's pretty darn good, I'd have to say. Not only does it make for a yummy breakfast, but I get a slight pick-me-up as well. Good job, me. :}

05.05 - Eat with Your Head, Not with Your Eyes

"I" and I had a huge sushi craving the other day, so we decided to eat at an all-you-can-eat place we had heard good things about. They had a nice, wide selection, so we were hyped up when we got there.

For our first round, we chose five different rolls and four pieces of sushi-- altogether over 30 pieces. All of it was quite good (except for one bad decision on my part) and we stuffed our faces. With only five pieces left on the platter, we went ahead and placed our round two order. We chose two rolls and 12 pieces of sushi, and only at the last minute took off one of the rolls.

You know . . . we should've just stopped at round one. I have no idea what we were thinking. :\ When the second platter finally came out, both of us were already full beyond limit. The problem we faced, though, was that this place charges for uneaten food. Any normal person (with any lick of common sense and no qualms about spending money) would've just paid extra for the food on the plate-- but we don't have that luxury, and since we got ourselves into that predicament, we were gonna get ourselves out of it.

So "I" was my lookout and I was his, and with as much strength (and stealth) as possible . . . we ate every single piece of fish (and threw all the rice into a napkin conveniently placed in my jacket pocket). Despite letting out a few hysterical giggles here and there, I am pleased to say we did not raise any suspicion. By the end of it, we were both so close to being sick that it was scary . . . but we cheered each other on and made it through. Ha. After we left, I was hit by a food coma so hard I didn't wake up for two hours. Never again . . .

04.27 - Funny People

I went on a business trip this past weekend and, since I had to work through my Sunday evening, I decided to treat myself to room service around 9:30 p.m. I wanted some comfort food, so I decided on the crab mac and five cheese along with some chamomile tea. The in-room dining service lady on the phone was quite amusing, almost like an overly involved aunt. Our convo went something like this:

Me: Hi, I'd like to order the crab mac and five cheese.
Lady: Ooh. Have you had that before?
Me: No, but I'm craving something comforting.
Lady: Oh, it's good, you'll enjoy that.
Me: Great, can I also have chamomile tea, please?
Lady: Wait a minute, are you trying to get to sleep?
Me: Well, eventually, yeah.
Lady: Well, the tea will definitely help with that. But the mac and cheese is too heavy.
Me: Well, I think I'll be okay.
Lady: Are you sure about that? If you're the only one eating, that'll be too much. You're not going to be able to sleep.
Me: Actually, I tend to sleep after eating heavy food.
Lady: Oh, you do!? Well then, okay. That's interesting that you can sleep after eating something so heavy. If I had that at 9:30 in the evening, I'd be up all night.

Ha. What a struggle it was to order room service with that lady. I eventually did get my food, and while it was good, it wasn't as cheesy as I would have wanted. Oh well.

In other news, I was out to dinner last night with "I," and I stopped dead in my tracks and started laughing when I saw the sign below. He couldn't quite understand it at first, but when I busted out with a thick Spanish accent and said it aloud, he was amused. Haha.

04.05 - Dinner Unexpected

This past Friday night, I found myself wandering around near Clark and Fullerton. I was just enjoying the nice weather and walking leisurely to my next destination when I spotted an eatery with its doors wide open, exposing a very clean, stark interior. It was a salad place and I hadn't had dinner yet and, alas, I have been trying to incorporate fruits and vegetables into my diet. So I purposefully walked in and asked the guy behind the counter for recommendations. He gave me a few and then very apologetically admitted that it's hard to say what his favorite is because he's more of a steak guy.

Steak?! Did someone say steak? Though I thoroughly enjoyed my big mama of a farmer's salad, my stomach felt empty and airy after consuming it all . . . and I simply craved a cheeseburger. I planned on swinging by Five Guys on the way and told my newfound friend just that, but he suggested I try the meat bakery next door. Yes, a meat bakery. An eatery that looks exactly like a bakery and serves food that looks exactly like cupcakes and other pastries but all of which is actually made of meat. Oh man . . . I ran over there with a quickness and bought myself a spaghetti and meatball cupcake.

So there you have it. A big healthy salad followed by a meat cupcake. Who would've thunk it?

Eatery Info: Lettuce Mix, 2468 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60614
                     Meatloaf Bakery, 2464 North Clark St, Chicago, IL 60614

03.26 - The Health Assessment

My company is all about health and wellness these days, so we get to take part in this wellness program that involves a health screening, health seminars and activities, etc. etc.

My BMI, blood pressure, cholesterol, and glucose levels were all pretty good-- but when they assessed my exercise regimen and nutrition intake, they were quite concerned. On the scale from "at risk" to "excellent," I was near "at risk" in both areas. I couldn't help but giggle.

But on a serious note (*sigh*), I need to incorporate four more servings of fruits and vegetables a day, and I have to partake in 30 minutes of physical activity three days a week. Argh. Here goes . . .

03.25 - My Reputation Precedes Me

My friend Q and I went to visit our buddy N in Minneapolis last weekend. Usually, when we three girls get together, it becomes an all-out eating fest.

Upon my arrival, N greeted me with a frozen family-size package of bean and cheese burritos (a past love of mine), of which I helped myself to two. After that, the weekend was a barrage of ketchup chips and fancy Asian/Latin American fusion dishes and brownie tres leches and Squirt cans and frozen custard and cheesy broccoli omelettes and Italian puff pastries and mushroom/chicken lasagna . . . *pausing for a breath*

It was all wonderful, of course. The only downside was that N must have told her fiance that I tend to eat in large quantities (a.k.a. till there is no morsel left). He literally kept insisting I finish whatever food was left over. *sigh* What? There's 3/4 of a plate of marinated pork with plaintains left? Oh, Ji will eat it. What? No one wants to finish off the 13" x 19" dish of lasagna? Let's leave that for Ji.

Haha. Please make it stop! I understand that I used to be a human garbage disposal. But...maybe not so much anymore. *weak smile* My stomach is no longer what it used to be. It's shrinking...shrinking...

03.05 - Bread Smuggler

Have you ever been to a restaurant where they placed a basket full of surprisingly fresh, delicious, toasty bread on the table but you either didn't want to get full on bread or didn't want to OD on unnecessary carbs? Well, I faced that same predicament at lunchtime. So instead of completely forfeiting on the bread, I threw it into my purse for a later time.

Fast forward two and a half hours, and I am at my desk at work chomping away on a significantly sized loaf of bread. Best afternoon snack ever.

02.24 - Mac and Dessert

The brother and I decided to go out for some late-night dessert yesterday evening. We ordered so much chocolate that I knew I wouldn't be able to take it (I have a sweet limit), so I requested an accompaniment of macaroni and cheese. I thought nothing of it until one of the waitresses actually stopped dead in her tracks as she passed by our table. She gave me a funny look and said,"Macaroni and cheese with dessert, huh?" My guess is that she thought the combination was either disgustingly indulgent or unbelievably brilliant. I smiled sweetly and proceeded to shove a forkful of chocolate souffle followed by a spoonful of mac and cheese into my mouth. Haha, mmm.

Eatery Info: Hot Chocolate, 1747 N Damen Ave, Chicago, IL 60647

02.08 - Baby Cake

Went to a baby shower this past weekend. A very good time was had. :)

While there, I realized that a beautiful cake with a baby on top is soooo adorable! But, on that same note, a beautiful cake with a baby on top is very (very) disturbing to eat. Haha. I think all the guests were a tad bit traumatized. It was a delicious cake, though . . . ;)

01.25 - Post-Baby Celebration

My cousin D and his wife's baby girl finally arrived last night after a much awaited nine months. I, along with the rest of D's immediate family, were so anxious that we practically stared at our phones till we finally got the OK to come to the hospital. "Baby I" was absolutely itty bitty and precious, and her siblings automatically fell in love with her.

So we celebrated with Italian beef sandwiches, dipped and smothered with sweet/hot peppers. ;) My cousin S had gotten overly excited (about her new niece or the celebratory food of choice, I'm not sure) and brought over 10 sandwiches from their family's fave local place. It was a good evening.

Poor Baby I. Imagine being only four hours old and enveloped by the smell of hot, delicious Italian beef and savory peppers. That little girl is gonna have food love issues when she grows up . . . ;)

01.21 - Fabulous Fondue

I (the initial, not me) got me a nifty little fondue cooking pot for Christmas, and I've been dying to break it in for the past month. We finally got to it this past weekend-- and it was quite delightful. I'm not sure what I enjoyed most-- pouring an entire beer into the pot (as the recipe called for); grating 8 ounces each of sharp cheddar and swiss; or dipping squares upon squares of fresh, grainy bread into the perfectly melty, gooey cheese. Mmm. Good stuff. I can't wait to try a chocolate recipe.

Here are some shots. I apologize in advance for the crazy filipino newspaper articles. *sheepish look*

01.14 - Bad Fiancee

I have this coworker who recently got married, and she always tells me about how she and her husband are trying to eat better and how he does the cooking and tries to incorporate more vegetables into their diet, bla bla bla.

I, on the other hand, feed my fiance chocolate chip cookies, Cinnabons, cream puffs, cheesy breakfast casseroles, slices of deep dish pizza, Dibs, potato chips, fried chicken, burritos, and who knows what else. :\

I am a thoughtlessly gluttonous woman. *sigh*

01.11 - Frozen Pizza Hearts Me

So a few months ago a writer for the RedEye, a free daily paper put out by the Chicago Tribune, randomly contacted me on a food review site. She noticed that I wrote a lot of reviews, particularly on Chicago's delicious pizza (ha), and wanted to know if I ate a lot of frozen pizza. Despite my initial embarassment, I told her that I did, in fact, partake in the occasional frozen pizza (especially recently).

Fast forward two months. Her article on frozen pizza came out this past Saturday, and the first sentence starts with my name. While I'd normally be excited at being mentioned in a cover story food article, I'm not as excited at being depicted as the penny saving, pure Chicago pizza betraying, frozen pizza lover. Haha. Oh well. I'm not gonna lie-- when I want cheesy, comforting pizza and I can't afford the fancy pizzas of the city, humble but tasty ol' DiGiorno or Tombstone does the trick. ;)

Here's a look at (and a short excerpt from) the article:

01.04 - Happy, Healthy New Year

Though I’m not exactly the healthiest piggie* in the pen, I am quite drawn to foods known for their antioxidant qualities. Foods such as:

• Tomatoes for its lycopene
• Red wine for its polyphenols and resveratrol
• Dark chocolate for its flavonoids
• Green tea for its catechins
• Blueberries for its vitamins C and E, anthocyanins, and phenolics

I really don’t even know what all those fancy word antioxidants do, but if they help reduce cholesterol, improve immune function, and work to lower the risk of cancer or other diseases, then I’m all for it. Ha. I didn’t realize just how much I’m into this stuff until this past weekend when my church conference car pool crew stopped by a travel rest area and I bought dark chocolate covered pretzels and a bottled dark chocolate frappuccino (yes, they make them now!) in a single bound. Mmm, delicious and healthy. ;) If only cheese had antioxidants . . . then I’d be set for life.

*Speaking of piggies, a friend gave this cute lamp to me for Christmas. Hmm. Does it come with a hidden message? ;)