Chicago is My Kinda (Foodie) Town

Michigan may be my home, but Chicago feels like my hometown. It is a city I will never tire of visiting. Last weekend my husband and I drove to Chicago with some friends simply to eat and enjoy the Christmas spirit.

I am not ashamed to admit we ate at a Rick Bayless restaurant THREE TIMES in 36 hours. His food is just so incredibly magical. I could eat it every day and never tire of it. Jeff Bezos needs to forget about using drones to deliver my Amazon package in 30 minutes or less. I want him to deliver me some Rick Bayless food to my doorstep.

Some of the dishes you order from his restaurants can possibly incite a "Meg Ryan-like reaction", which is why we chose to eat there more than once. 

Here's the breakdown of where we ate while we were in Chicago:
Friday: dinner at Xoco
Saturday: Brunch at Frontera, dinner at Xoco
Sunday: Breakfast at Lyfe Kitchen, then trips to Sprinkles Cupcakes and Jeni's Ice Creams for some edible souvenirs of our trip to Chicago

At Xoco, I ordered my usual favorite sandwich, the torta ahdogada (that my husband has now renamed the "torta OhMyGod-a") which is pork carnitas and black beans, topped with pickled onions, swimming in a spicy tomato broth. We also ordered the guacamole which tells you right there how good the food is at Xoco -- I don't even like guacamole and I devour this stuff. I'd lick the bowl if I weren't in public. It's just so perfectly creamy and garlicky.

Top: green and red salsa and guacamole, Bottom: torta ahdogada, aka "torta OhMyGod-a"

At our brunch at Frontera I ordered the gorditas, which sounds like something you'd order at Taco Bell and then regret later, but at Frontera, gorditas are rounds of corn masa swimming in a black bean sauce. Each masa round then has a different topping: chicken, chorizo, and the most pillowy scrambled eggs I've ever eaten in my life.

Gorditas at Frontera with chorizo, chicken, and scrambled eggs

Inside Frontera Grill

And then finally, we culminated our weekend of eating at a trip to Sprinkles Cupcakes and Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams, which just recently opened a location in Chicago. I am praying for the day when they open a location in Michigan. Their ice cream is so heavenly, as you might have already seen me write about it before here on the blog. This time we brought pints home of cherry lambic sorbet, white chocolate peppermint, and brown butter almond brittle ice cream.

It was a fun, delicious weekend had by all. My only question now remains, when will I be going back?

Midwinter's Eve Giveaway Hop

For my portion of the blog hop I am giving away a copy of:

Pug Hill by Alison Pace
Published: May 2, 2006
Publisher: Berkley Trade
Format: Paperback
Pages: 293
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Audience: Adults
Disclosure: Used bookstore copy. Spine is a bit worn but otherwise in good condition

Goodreads summary:
For Holly Golightly, there was always Tiffany’s. For me, there’s always Pug Hill. For as long as I’ve lived in New York, whenever I’ve just wanted to think, or relax, or be happy, or even sad, my destination of choice has been, without fail, Pug Hill. For Hope McNeill, pugs are love, unconditional friendship, happiness, and freedom—all qualities currently in short supply in her own life. She’s also short on time and apartment space, and for those reasons she doesn’t have a pug of her own. But she does have Pug Hill in Central Park, where pugs (and their owners) from all over New York City convene.

She also has a serious crush on one of her co-workers at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a flailing relationship with her squash-playing, cold-weather-loving boyfriend, and an unspeakable fear of public speaking. When Hope’s father calls with a daunting assignment--to make a speech at her parent’s fortieth wedding anniversary party--Hope is completely taken off guard. As a last resort, she signs up for a public speaking class, but can't help wondering, will it be enough?

Some fears are so big that even all the pugs in the world might not be enough...

Terms and conditions:
Must be 13 or older to enter and have a U.S. mailing address
One winner will be selected
Use the Rafflecopter widget to enter 

The Animal Book by Steve Jenkins

Every so often an informational book comes along that doesn't put me to sleep. The Animal Book by Steve Jenkins is one of those books.The information presented in The Animal Book is the type that you would find in a textbook, but somehow it manages to be engaging and accessible rather than dull and lifeless.

All I can say is what a beautiful work of art Steve Jenkins has created. As someone who is not usually a fan of books filled with nothing but facts rather than story, I couldn't help but find myself hypnotized by Jenkins's gorgeous paper collage art. Despite the fact that an informational book of this type would normally be filled with color photographs, it was a huge risk for Jenkins to create it using nothing but paper cutouts. And yet, it would not have had the same impact had the illustrations been real photographs, which is a testament to the artistry and diligence of Steve Jenkins. I look at the 200+ pages of this book with its multitude of illustrations on each page and think to myself: how did it not take him fifty years to put this book together? It is one of the most unique books I have had the pleasure of reading. If I were still in the classroom this year I'd be seeing this book passed around from hand to hand without ever making it to the bookshelf, I am sure of it. 


The Animal Book by Steve Jenkins 
Published: October 29, 2013
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Pages: 208
Genre: Nonfiction
Audience: Middle Grade/Young Adult
Disclosure:  Library copy

It's Monday! What are you reading? 12-16-13

Originally hosted by Sheila at Book Journey, Jen over at Teach Mentor Texts along with Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers also host a kidlit version of It's Monday! What are You Reading?

Last week I reviewed:

The Geek's Guide to Dating by Eric Smith
The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson


Last week I finished reading:
 
The Animal Book by Steve Jenkins
Wow! I absolutely loved this, which is surprising since I'm not usually a fan of informational books. Longer review forthcoming this week.


Recipe for Adventure: Naples! by Giada deLaurentiis
A lovely story about the importance of food and family. While the writing lacked a true and distinct voice, it was an entertaining read nonetheless.


Finished reading with my ears:

The Paradox of Vertical Flight by Emil Ostovski
I really enjoyed this quirky little book. It's kind of a sleeper; not much has been publicized about it, but it packs a philosophical, literary punch in the YA world.


Picture books worth talking about:

God Got a Dog by Cynthia Rylant, illustrated by Marla Frazee
While certainly thought-provoking and discussion-worthy, I'm not entirely sure how I feel about these poems. It felt somehow wrong to bring God down to a human-level and think of Him/Her as anything other than Almighty. Then again, there is lots to talk about here with regards to humans being made in God's image and likeness. So there's that.


Snowflakes Fall by Patricia MacLachlan, illustrated by Steven Kellogg
Simply beautiful. MacLachlan and Kellogg teamed up to create this book as a tribute to the Sandy Hook shooting victims, but it is not overtly so. The writing and illustrations stand on their own, even without the knowledge of what inspired them.



Trouper by Meg Kearney, illustrated by E.B. Lewis
What I found so interesting about Trouper is that it didn't beat you over the head with the fact that he was a three-legged dog. In fact, it took a few minutes for me to process that he was missing a leg because the illustrations and text are not obvious. If you don't read the inside flap synopsis (which I admittedly did not at first), there's a lot of inferencing going on, especially when you get to the last page.
 

 
Daredevil: The Daring Life of Betty Skelton by Megan McCarthy
Loved this story of Betty Skelton and love that Meghan McCarthy took it on in the form of a picture book. I am a fan of her friendly, wide-eyed and sideways-smiled illustrations.



Not Your Typical Dragon by Dan Bar-el, illustrated by Tim Bowers
Crispin, upon his first attempt at breathing fire discovers he breathes something else instead. Hilarious story about celebrating differences. 

Currently reading:

The President Has Been Shot: The Assassination of John F. Kennedy by James L. Swanson
This book is a page-turner. I'm finding myself being so immersed in the story that I genuinely feel like I was there that day in November of 1963 when Kennedy was killed. I'm having a hard time separating reality from what I'm reading when I'm immersed in the pages of this book. It is so good!


Currently reading with my ears:

Not a Drop to Drink by  Mindy McGinnis
Amazing book paired with an amazing narrator = audiobook slam dunk.


Current giveaway:

The Memory of After by Lenore Appelhans (ends 12/18)

ARC review: The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson

Do I even need to review this book? Seriously. It's Laurie Halse Anderson. I mean, really. Who isn't just going to buy this book based on the name alone? Even the cover designers knew that when they made Anderson's name the most prominent feature of the cover. You know you've made it as an author with the name on the cover is more important than the title.

But just in case you need to be convinced to read The Impossible Knife of Memory, here is the lowdown:

Hayley Kincain has never been to high school before. For the past five years Hayley and her father Andy have been on the move, never settling down in one place for too long, almost as if they were on the run. In a way, they are on the run: from Andy's haunting memories of his time serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. But eventually Andy realizes the need for Hayley to have a normal life so he decides to move back to his hometown and put down roots so Hayley can attend school. Eventually, Andy's old habits get the best of him, turning to drinking and drugs to try to silence the demons that haunt both his dreams and his waking life.

Hayley, too,  is battling some demons of her own while trying to be strong for both herself and her father. Despite her failing grades and her "fish out of water" feeling at school, Hayley makes friends and even meets a boy who seems to be into her. But while Hayley continues to skip school and dig herself deeper into an academic hole, her father is digging himself deeper into a pit of despair and destructive behavior. Hayley thinks she can help her dad on her own, but it soon becomes clear that she needs some help. The problem is, Andy refuses to get help and his veterans benefits don't exactly make it an easy process even if he were a willing participant. But one thing is clear: if Hayley doesn't do something to change their circumstances, there isn't much hope for either her future or her father's.

The Impossible Knife of Memory gives a much-needed voice to teenagers living in families with a parent battling PTSD. Its inspiration stems from Anderson's own personal dealings of her father who returned home from World War II with deep-rooted emotional scars. As Anderson said in her keynote at the ALAN workshop in November, she doesn't write contemporary fiction, she writes resilience fiction, and Hayley's story is one that adds to Anderson's canon of beautiful and important resilience literature. It is her most personal work of fiction and one that she is quite open with her readers about how the story came to be. This is a book I see winning many awards and honors as 2014 comes to a close. I feel privileged to have had the chance to read it before its official publication date. And I am ridiculously excited that Anderson is coming to Michigan as part of her book tour. Big authors just don't come to Michigan in January. I don't blame them. Who wants to possibly get stuck in a snowstorm? So it seems an embarrassment of riches all the amazing authors that are coming to Michigan next month, with Anderson being at the top of my list to go see even though I just saw her at ALAN. It doesn't matter that I just saw her though. When you have an opportunity to see Laurie Halse Anderson, you take it.



The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson
Expected Publication: January 7, 2014
Publisher: Viking
Pages: 371
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Audience: Young Adult
Disclosure: ARC acquired at the ALAN workshop at NCTE

Best of 2013 Giveaway Hop

For my portion of the Best of 2013 blog hop, I am giving away a copy of one of my favorite YA books of the year:

The Memory of After (formerly Level 2) by Lenore Appelhans
Published: September 3, 2013 
Original Publication Date: January 15, 2013 as Level 2
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Pages: 304
Format: Paperback

Goodreads Summary:
 Since her untimely death the day before her eighteenth birthday, Felicia Ward has been trapped in Level 2, a stark white afterlife located between our world and the next. Along with her fellow drones, Felicia passes the endless hours reliving memories of her time on Earth and mourning what she’s lost-family, friends, and Neil, the boy she loved.

Then a girl in a neighboring chamber is found dead, and nobody but Felicia recalls that she existed in the first place. When Julian-a dangerously charming guy Felicia knew in life-comes to offer Felicia a way out, Felicia learns the truth: If she joins the rebellion to overthrow the Morati, the angel guardians of Level 2, she can be with Neil again.


Read my review of Level 2/The Memory of After here.

Terms and conditions:
Must be 13 or older to enter and have a U.S. mailing address
One winner will be selected
Use the Rafflecopter widget to enter 

The Geek's Guide to Dating by Eric Smith

Goodreads Summary:
You keep your action figures in their original packaging. Your bedsheets are officially licensed Star Wars merchandise. You’re hooked on Elder Scrolls and Metal Gear but now you’ve discovered an even bigger obsession: the new girl who just moved in down the hall. What’s a geek to do? Take some tips from Eric Smith in The Geek’s Guide to Dating. This hilarious primer leads geeks of all ages through the perils and pitfalls of meeting women, going on dates, getting serious, breaking up, and establishing a successful lifelong relationship (hint: it’s time to invest in new bedsheets). Full of whimsical 8-bit illustrations, The Geek’s Guide to Dating will teach fanboys everywhere to love long and prosper.

I'm going to be honest right up front: I didn't actually finish reading The Geek's Guide to Dating. It's not because I didn't like it, on the contrary. I found Eric Smith's voice delightfully humorous and fun to read, and I loved all the 8-bit illustrations peppered throughout its pages. I especially loved the video game references and tropes, along with the second person narration, referring to the reader as Player One in search of a Player Two. But here's why I just couldn't bring myself to finish it: I'm an old married lady who doesn't wish to relive my single days. I have been with my husband for twelve years, married for ten of those twelve, and quite frankly, I am grateful I don't have to deal with the dating scene anymore. Maybe there are some married people out there who long for their freedom-wielding single days but I am not one of those people. And reading this book reminded me how much I'm glad to be away from my single days. 

But if you are single and you just happen to be a geek, Eric Smith's guide will surely put a smile on your face and maybe even teach you a thing or two. I could envision this being a great stocking stuffer for the geek in your family.


The Geek's Guide to Dating by Eric Smith
Published: December 3, 2013
Publisher: Quirk Books
Pages: 208
Genre: Nonfiction
Audience: Isn't it obvious in the title? ;) 
Disclosure: Book provided by publisher