something new

June 09 2009 by Kristin at The Kitchen Sink in Chicago » 16 comments

For a bunch of reasons, I don’t talk about work on this site. The biggest reason is that it’s boring. I blog precisely to escape work, to give myself a creative outlet. It’s an outlet that I can desperately need after a day in which my nose has been stuck in a thick stack of cases, rather than in the inspiring pages of, say, a cookbook. When I first started working, back in the fall, it worked out well. I had to scale back on posting a bit, but I still felt like I was managing the lawyer-by-day/blogger-by-night balance. Over the past month or so, though, (and here comes the boring part), I’ve been lawyer-by-day and lawyer-by-night. Which means that I’ve been letting things slip around here lately. I’m still cooking (even lawyers-by-night have to eat, you see), but I’ve had less time to photograph and write. The upshot is that I’m really loving my work, though that’s not much of a silver lining for you all, I suppose.

In the interest of giving myself a little break (and shaking things up (pun intended) a bit too), today’s post offers a glimpse into the past weekend via my phone and the new ShakeIt app I downloaded at Sassy Radish‘s excellent suggestion (warning: it’s incredibly addictive). Most of the photos are food-related, which just goes to show that cooking and eating and such are still making me smile, even if I don’t always have the time to document it here. And it also goes to show that I’m thinking about all you out there, even if I’m not here all the time. Promise.

We start with Friday night, a lovely early summer night—all warm breezes and late light—that we spent at The Publican. We started with some sparkling rose:

And then some of the incredibly delicious bread with a pat of equally delicious butter:

And then I got too distracted by actually eating the excellent food to take many more photos of it. But I did manage to snap a photo of the communal table that stretched down from where we sat:

As good as the food is, a couple other things give the food a run for its money. First, the completely amazing lights—like big white gumballs hanging from the ceiling:

The second is the porcine-themed art that adorns the walls:

Sadly, we were too full to sample anything on the After menu, though I thought about the chocolate buttermilk cake (with a scoop of yogurt sorbet, no less) long and hard:

By the time we got home, we were ready for a night cap on the roof:
.

shakeit8

By candelight:

Saturday morning started with a cup of coffee at home, as Kevin slept …

…followed by Milk & Honey, where I had a thick slice of my beloved banana-walnut bread:

That night, we grilled burgers, even though it was about 50 degrees outside. Needless to say, we ate indoors. Flickery tea lights helped lessen the blow:

Sunday morning began with grocery shopping as usual:

We also visited the Wicker Park Farmers’ Market, on its inaugural Sunday of the summer, where we got that cute little box of strawberries in the first photo up top. The market is just south of this photo:

The rest of the day is the subject of upcoming posts, so come back soon! To close things out, some El tracks:

shakeitlast

That’s all!

16 comments so far. »
| Leave a Reply

Vicki says on June 09 2009 at 8:53 pm:

1. Shakelt makes me want to get an iPhone, your pics are awesome! 2. Those artichokes are monsters! 3. El tracks make me homesick
Half Assed Kitchen says on June 09 2009 at 9:52 pm:

Oh my. I would love to have such an app.
Risa says on June 10 2009 at 3:54 am:

I am an auditor by day and blogger by night so I know exactly how you feel.
cathy says on June 10 2009 at 6:16 am:

Why can’t they make this app for the blackberry???? I hear ya on the blogging bit – the past 2 weeks I thought all I’d be able to blog about were the hot dogs I was eating while cramming for exams and working 14 hours a day.
radish says on June 10 2009 at 6:34 am:

Oh my, those are some lovely fauxlaroids!! Nicely done — so pretty!! Glad you like the app! I can relate.. I’ve been doing hedge funds by day and hedge funds by night lately. It’s crimped my blogging style – so I sympathize!
Amanda B says on June 10 2009 at 6:48 am:

These little snapshots in to your life are very cute. I like the polaroids but I don’t know how to download that app on to my blackberry. it might not be compatible
Jen says on June 10 2009 at 7:54 am:

Thanks for the glimpse through these amazing photos. I can’t wait to get an iPhone…
Whitney Merritt says on June 10 2009 at 11:12 am:

It was so nice meeting you today during your lawyer-by-day lunch break Hope we can do it again sometime (maybe some joint baking or something?!).

I can’t wait to get an IPhone. Dave has one, so maybe I will make him get this app.
rose says on June 10 2009 at 11:26 am:

I love this post!

ShakeIt App? Thanks for the tip =) I’m downloading it right now!

Sounds like a lovely weekend *_*
Kate says on June 10 2009 at 2:11 pm:

Hey — at least you still have your weekends free! Having been a first year lawyer (and being currently married to one) I know that’s a coup!
sue bette says on June 11 2009 at 3:40 am:

I’ve been reading about the Publican and can’t wait to get there! Looks like a great weekend – and I am totally downloading that app now.
Caroline says on June 11 2009 at 10:42 am:

This is a great way to reach out and let us readers know what a fancy lawyer like you is up to in her down time. Loved these photos… thanks for sharing.
Emily says on June 13 2009 at 7:58 am:

Love these photos! They’re so Chicago, too.
Kristin at The Kitchen Sink says on June 13 2009 at 10:48 am:

Vicki: (1) You wouldn’t regret it. (2) Huge, aren’t they?!? (3) Nothing like sweet home Chicago.

Half Assed Kitchen: I. Can’t. Stop. Using. It. Send help.

Risa: It’s a tough life we lead. : )

cathy: Oh, I’m so happy to be done with exams. Hang in there with yours.

radish: You have completely hooked me with this app. I am in love, for sure.

amanda: Thanks! Not sure about the bb-compatible question. I’ll cross my fingers for you though.

Jen: There’s a new one coming out next week, I think …

Whitney: Nice to meet you, too!

rose: Thank you!

Kate: Hmmm, kind of. The working moments just weren’t very, shall we say, photogenic. : )

sue bette: Oh you must try it! So fun, so good.

Caroline: Fancy, huh? Not sure about that. : )

Emily: Thanks! Coming from a fellow Chicagoan, I’ll take that as high praise!
KellyB says on June 17 2009 at 2:18 pm:

Hi Kristin! This is my first time leaving a comment, though I’ve been reading your site for a whle. Thank you so much for the photos of The Publican!

My husband and I lived in a loft on the northwest side of that building on W Fulton Market, and I remember seeing that they’d put in those beautiful lights before we (sadly) moved to Minneapolis (we used to peek in when we could and see the progress).

I miss Chicago daily, but your blog helps me keep a little connection to home. I don’t cook nearly as much as I’d like, but I have a folder full of recipes you’ve posted here, and will work my way through them. Thanks for such a great blog!
Mary says on June 23 2009 at 5:06 pm:

I’ve been reading your blog for a couple of months now; I found it when I googled homemade granola bars. I love your photos, but I’ve wondered all along how a new lawyer had time for all this cooking, photography, and writing. My husband is a first year attorney, and he barely has time to shower and sleep! I hope you’ll be able to continue sharing your cooking with us.