Tamale Chica Chronicles

For the Holiday season, I like to have healthy snacks, such as nuts, but one of my friends cannot have certain nuts because of some dental work he has had, so I decided to make him roasted ”tamari” almonds only using Bragg’s Amino Acids in place of Tamari.  Years ago I discovered that sprinkling almonds with Bragg’s for awhile, would soften them up a bit and reduce the chance of needing to see the Dentist.  However it is a bit messy and unappealing to serve wet nuts.

To make toasted almonds with Braggs, all you need to do is add Braggs to a bowl of shelled almonds, and toss them so that all of them are wet.  Spread them on a cookie sheet or cake roll pan (preferred since it has edges), having lined it before with parchment paper.

Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 15″ and make sure everything is completely cool before putting these in storage containers.  You’ll have slightly salty toasted almonds  that your guests will find to be less challenging if they have inlays or crowns. Best of all, by not soaking these but just making sure all the nuts are coated, your salt intake will be less if that is an issue.

In a long and overdue neighborhood visit, Mr. M and I went to Wicker Park. The weather was perfect for this, since we were on foot. Our first stop was Glazed and Infused at 1553 N. Damen.  Their gourmet donuts are not to be missed! We both picked up some goodies, and when I returned home I realized that some things seem smaller in a store and these were one of them. Their donuts are huge! Their classic donuts are a huge improvement over the mass produced ones that are generally available. These donuts are the type that you will want to cut in pieces and share (or maybe not).Looking for a fun gift item for the person who has everything, or just looking for something retro or unusual? Rudy’s Roundup   at 1410 N. Milwaukee has a nice selection of handmade and letterpress cards, fun nick nacks, vintage handbags, tees and other goodies

We then headed over to Antique Taco, at 1360 N. Milwaukee. The food was clearly fresh, and the quality and seasonings were excellent. I had the duck enchiladas, and Mr. M had the carnitas, and then went back for the steak tacos. If you want something different, check out the Agua Fresca, which is made with fresh fruit. The guacamole is a must have. Their tortilla chips are lighter and are fairly non greasy, which allows for the flavor of the guacamole to be better appreciated.

Our next stop was Reckless Records at 1532 N. Milwaukee. If you miss visiting an old fashioned ‘record store,’ then you must go to Reckless Records, where you can browse the bins and look at a great selection of vinyls. While downloading digital music is easy, listening to analog music is a different experience. If you are sensitive and can discern the quality difference, then head on over to one of the three Reckless Records. Here you can also browse the bins and appreciate the lost art of Album Art. Mr. M also pointed out that with ‘albums,’ the vinyls were designed to have pieces that worked together, a theme if you will. This gets lost when we download music, since usually it is only done to get one or two tunes off of an album.

After a trip to the lovely Store B Vintage   and Cooking Fools, we needed to take a break and we ended up at The Wormhole at 1462 N. Milwaukee. The WH is both a cozy and whimsical looking place, with the DeLorean from “Back to the Future” mounted up high, as well as a wall shelf covered with those childhood lunchboxes that some of us may remember. Perhaps the most memorable aspect of The Wormhole is their coffee. Ever since having their coffee, I could not stop thinking about how good their brew is. They are meticulous when they prepare their coffees and teas. We watched as one customer’s coffee was ever so carefully prepared. The multiple and careful steps were miles away from the way many coffee shops prepare their brew.

What a charming neighborhood – I will definitely be back for another visit!

A friend of mine took me to Brown Trout for my Birthday Dinner. With my now very strict dietary requirements, Brown Trout was the perfect choice in terms of quality of food and my need to avoid additives and preservatives. Add to this exquisite flavoring and service, and it was most certainly a treat to behold. When Sustainable Cuisine began to show popularity, for people like me, who have primarily eaten organic since being a teenager, farm to the table dining is not only exciting as a new value driven dining experience, but reminiscent of how my Mother used to describe meals (they were Organic Farmers before the term “organic” was needed to differentiate it from agri-chem farming).

Having been so remiss in posting this, one of the best meals I have had in years, trying to reconstruct the descriptions is a bit difficult. Perhaps the obvious items are the Brussels Sprouts with farm bacon, their hangar steak (which was undeniably the best hangar steak I’ve ever had) with chimichurri sauce, a lovely appetizer of smelts, lattice cut potato and smoked salmon, Pomme Frites and one generously sized pork chop. I’ve surprised myself that I could remember all the delectables.

One of the hallmarks of sustainable cuisine is the purity of your food and the freshness. When your meal is created by a skilled Chef, you are left with nothing short of perfection. Each bite of food was a pure delight to the senses. The service, as I have mentioned before, was par excellence. My only criticism, and I’ve noticed this in several fine dining establishments who do Sustainable Cuisine, is the lack of choice for those of us who need to be gluten free or dairy free. My friend, who does not have dietary issues, had homemade ice cream, which looks more than scrumptious.  This is one local restaurant that I will definitely be dining at again.

Brown Trout
4111 N. Lincoln Avenue
773 472-4111

Saturday was a perfect day to take some time and enjoy the neighborhood.   Being Small Business Saturday, most all the stores were offering a generous 20% off.  I started browsing on the Lincoln Avenue side, and then ended up at the Ravenswood Antique Mall where I picked up a retro ashtray done in white with turquoise colors.  Yes, it was very MadMen and in not quite excellent condition on the underside, but the top was top notch!  Oddly it matches the blue motif in both the sunroom and livingroom, and yes, it is so mid century!  My final stop was to Orange Beautiful.

OB was the last stop only because I could not carry much more, having also gone to the food market.  I was excited to see that Emily had hats!  Now for me, a cute hat is as challenging as finding that great pair of jeans or that perfect swimsuit, although more important since I love wearing hats.  Most of my hats are formed, which means they look lovely with wool coats, have a tad of dork-face when wearing them with down jackets, and will absolutely blow off when we are having a windy and gusty day.  If you take a visit and there are no more hats, you can go online to www.squashtbyles.com/ or visit their store in Ukrainian Village.

The irony is that I usually buy my hats at another neighborhood store, which I love but won’t mention at the moment.  Having stopped off at the other store last week, I was looking for Letterpress cards by a specific artist, and I was told that I should try Orange Beautiful.  Well, I didn’t score on the cards (back to Etsy for those!) but the hat was a great surprise!

Taking a trip down memory lane, I was on the Peace School’s Face Book page and had to share this one!

Magenta Concealment Bag

Jesse Gunleather

Inside of Concealment Bag

 

My regular readers are probably wondering, “gun leather?” Is there something else about TC that we should know about??? Readers know that I live in Chicago, and we do not legally carry guns here unless we are in law enforcement. How serendipitous is it, then, that I meet a gal who is a business partner in a new company that makes customized conceal carry leather goods. While not in Chicago, I have been known to be enthusiastic about unique businesses that I know of personally, if they provide Internet sales. And no, the owners are not clients.

My love of small business ventures prevents me from not looking at people’s websites when they tell me they have one. Visiting JesseGunLeather was worth every second of the visit once you see the product photos. Both of the owners are gun owners. This company concept started when one of the owners began custom designing beautiful hand crafted gun leather products for his business partner, a woman. Any woman who participates in activities that both men and women are involved in, knows that what often works for men does not work for a woman’s physique, especially where activity clothing is concerned.

So many people exaggerate when they say “beautiful” but these are seriously gorgeous leather belts, holsters and conceal bags. Collectively, the owners come from a background of engineering, entrepreneurship, high end fashion and a passion for excellence. This is apparent when you look at the workmanship.

If you are looking to buying gun leather products for anyone who loves exquisite craftsmanship and attention to detail, and is a woman, checkout their offerings. The only people I know who have guns are both men and law enforcement, but certainly there are others who benefit (read: find a most unusual item for their lady friends and relatives) who would need this type of product. If nothing else, consider ordering the conceal bags just for your own use, for makeup, keys, etc.

Jesse Gun Leather
http://www.jessegunleather.com

Purple gun belt with flowers