The Getty Center

Our next stop after lunch (and Babies R Us) was the Getty Center. I didn’t really know what this place was until we got off the tram and walked up the steps.  Then it clicked! I've seen this on Project Runway!  Thanks Bravo/Lifetime for broadening my horizons.

Babies R Us to the Rescue!

This is probably TMI for 99% of you, but it may be helpful to other moms out there.

Tailgate Chili Recipe

Before I left for California, I knew I had to leave Doug with a few meals so he doesn’t starve while caring for our baby.  He requested chili. To eat the entire weekend.

While tailgating at UofI for the Ohio State game a few years ago, Andrea warmed up individually packaged tins of chili on the grill.  It was perfect for a cold day of tailgating. 

Andrea gave me her mom’s recipe and I adapted it a little to make it my own.  Thanks Mrs. Z! I also made a batch for Doug’s Bears/Packers tailgate last year.  His friend said it was better than his dad’s, who is from Texas!  Now that’s a compliment. J

The necessities which serves 8:

3 lbs of ground beef

2 packages of Spicy Chili Mix

1 large can Tomato Sauce

2 cans Tomato Soup

2 cans Diced Tomatoes

1 can Spicy Chili Beans, drained

1 large onion, diced

Spices to taste:

Chili powder

Cumin

Paprika

Cayenne

Black pepper

Hot sauce

Serve with:

Club crackers

Cheddar Cheese

Brown the meat. Then drain all the fat.

Toss in the chili mix, all the canned goods and the diced onions.

Add the spices to your liking.  I’m sure chili powder and the chili mix already have all the remaining spices, but I throw some extra in just to feel like I’m contributing to the recipe.  I also like my chili with a good kick, so I definitely add extra pinches of cayenne and dashes of hot sauce.

Give it a good stir and transfer to crock pot.  Set it. And forget it! Is that infomercial still on anymore?  I wouldn’t know, I sleep at 9:30pm.  If you don't have a crock pot, letting it simmer on the stove works too.   I set my crockpot on low for a few hours and give it a good stir every half hour or so. 

I love cheese, so I add some on top and let it melt.  I absolutely must have buttery club crackers to eat alongside it or it's just not the same!

If you'll be taking this along for a tailgate, you can buy some foil/tin mini loaf pans (they come with lids too) which are perfect for individual serving sizes.  Just put them on the grill over indirect heat to warm them up on a cold football afternoon. Be careful when handling the hot tin off the grill though!

If you have way more chili than you can eat in a week, the recipe freezes well too.  Just defrost in the fridge and pop it in a pot when you want it later.

Warning: As tempting as it may be, if you eat the entire batch of chili in one weekend (by yourself), like Doug did, you may feel ill. 

Good Night Chicago - Museum Campus

Auntie Liza bought Mia her first books when she was only a few months old, including Goodnight Chicago.   Now Mia enjoys flipping through the pages of her books before bedtime every night.  Since I enjoyed making a book on blurb for our wedding guest book and love taking pictures of our city, I thought, let’s make Mia her very own Goodnight Chicago book!   So in the next few years as we enjoy our city life, I plan to take pictures of Mia at all the landmarks in her book.  Since the weather has been unseasonably warm lately, we had a family day last week to check a few things off our list. 

 

 Hello, great Chicago buildings, reaching up into the sky.

  

 Wow! Look at those dinosaur bones at the Field Museum of Natural History.

Good evening, stargazers at the planetarium.



Good night, Chicago. Sleep tight. I'm pooped.

Can’t wait to take her to more places and to practice shooting!



Can We Keep Her In Her Bubble?

Hearing stories about suicides resulting from bullying in young kids (and apparently college kids too) in articles such as these, makes me realize yet another way technology completely changed social interactions. 

Welcome Home!

My best friend/aspiring gypsy returned home yesterday after wandering Europe for 3+ months.  To show Agatha how much we missed her over the summer, we decided to throw her a rather last minute, surprise welcome home party. 

Weekend Recap

Another Monday morning….first I see the bus pass me by.  So I wait for the next one, with no Red Eye because they moved the newspaper box to a corner where there is no bus stop.  No Red Eye Guy at the train station either, bummer.  I bet he didn’t want to stand out there on this 40 degree October morning. Then I see the train pass me by.  So I get on the next train, which is a stinky one.  Bored, with no reading materials. Oh well, at least it was sunny and we had a good weekend J