Spring Cleaning -- Bathroom Storage Solutions

Last week marked the official start to spring. And there is something about the vernal equinox that channels my inner OCD and just makes me want to organize and clean. The urge is rare, but once a year I embrace it.

I also had another motivation for a cleaning overhaul. Now that I have a better half who spends a lot of time at my place, he needs space to put his stuff. So I've willingly surrendered (minimal) closet space and surface area for another person. Yea, I must really like this guy.

So with the introduction of J and his belongings into my life and home, serious changes needed to be made.

Starting with the bathroom.

I have "his and hers" sinks which up until previously were "mine and also mine." But I thought it'd be a nice gesture to give one side of the sink and its cabinet up. I mean, how much stuff do I have to store in my bathroom anyway?

A lot, apparently.

Between the storm of cough drops, lotion, cleaning products and odds n ends, it was driving me nuts. So I enlisted the help of Bed Bath & Beyond, and with this product, my under-the-sink cabinet now looks like this:

What a relief! But it didn't end there, because I also needed to reorganize J's side.

Not as big of an improvement on his side, but it definitely feels more organized. And that under-the-sink sliding drawer is nice, too. It's a great place to store plastic bags and other items so it doesn't feel so cluttered. (And yes, J keeps an $80 bottle of Oban scotch under the sink.)

Next up I tackle my cosmetic and nail polish drawer, where a couple easy (and obvious!) solutions made a big difference.

Shamrock On

As I mentioned in Friday's post, yesterday was the Shamrock Shuffle. Despite over-indulging the night before with a huge meal of lamb chops, tuna tartare, carrot cake, and plenty of wine, I woke up and was ready to go. I'm not sure if it was the excitement of the race environment or the coffee I drank, but I had an amazing run -- including a burst of energy that enabled me to run the final mile in about 8 minutes!

That's exceptionally fast for me and it was a great confidence boost as I get deeper into my pre-marathon training regimen. I just started running again regularly only a couple weeks ago, so to get a PR yesterday was wonderful! It also made me very excited for the marathon -- there's just something I love about road races.

Two Italians up early and ready to run -- with Lou, my friend from college.

Enjoying a cold one after our five-miler!

Shamrock Shufflin'

This weekend is one of my favorites of the year because it officially kicks off running season in Chicago. Even though I've been able to run outside for weeks already given this unseasonably warm weather, I love this springtime ritual nonetheless. And so on Sunday, I'll run my third Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle 8k alongside 35,000 other runners. It's always a great time because no one takes it too seriously. You dress up, run through the downtown streets of one of America's best cities, and drink beer afterwards. Sounds pretty good, right?

And in the spirit of shamrockin', here are some pictures from St. Paddy's Day last weekend (since I didn't get around to posting them earlier).

J and I getting in the spirit.

Daley Plaza looking festive.

If I had a dollar for every view...

I'd have 20,226 bucks. Um, wow. That's a lot of dollars. I can't believe that this little blog has had that many page views and I didn't even realize it! I guess you could say that lately, life has come in the way of blogging.

I'll try to get better about updating, but in the meantime, follow my new Tumblr (because it is the easiest thing in the world to update, thanks to my Instagram obsession).

And speaking of views, here are a few from my run this morning before and during sunrise. Enjoy!

Monroe Harbor at the Chicago Yacht Club. My favorite picture of the day.

72 degrees at 6AM but it still looks like winter.

I love this spot more than anywhere else in Chicago.
The first time I ran past North Avenue Beach and saw this view back in the summer of 2009,
I thought to myself, "Wow. I live here. And I'm home."

Signs of spring in Lincoln Park. With the Hancock in the background looking on.

Sunrise in Lincoln Park at the chess benches. Totally spending a lot of time there this summer.

Obviously this wasn't this morning... but I took this last week when it was 80 degrees at night.
How lucky am I to live here?! And yes I still think so even when it's freezing.

BBQ Meatballs + "The Best Broccoli of Your Life"

Last night, I suddenly had appreciation for all those nights as a child when my mom didn't know what to make for dinner. She would threaten us with grilled cheese sandwiches if we didn't tell her what we wanted to eat, and I'd quickly think of something, anything else for her to cook.

(No offense, Mom, but I probably would have obliged with the grilled cheese had you employed more creativity than Kraft singles and ketchup. Like the brie, apple and nutella or sriracha, bacon, and avocado grilled cheeses that I spotted on A Cup of Jo recently. YUM.) Anyway...

Now there's Pinterest, providing a solution to your mental cooking block and saving kids (and boyfriends) everywhere from burnt GC's. After searching for a bit, I finally settled on two recipes that I thought sounded good and would work well together -- "the best broccoli of your life" and BBQ meatballs. Sure enough, they were delish, and I cannot wait to make them again!

BBQ Comfort Meatballs
adapted from The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lbs ground beef
• 3/4 cup quick oats
• 1 cup milk
• half an onion, finely diced (use half in meatballs, about 3 tbsp, and the rest in BBQ sauce)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• plenty of ground black pepper
• 4 tablespoons canola oil (I'm Italian... obviously I used extra virgin olive oil instead)
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 cup ketchup
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 3 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• dash of Tabasco sauce (I like it spicy, so I used several dashes.)
• Sriracha! (J and I looooove this stuff, so I squeezed the bottle generously several times. Probably 4 tbsp, if not more. It gave the sauce a really nice heat!)

Directions:

1. In a bowl, combine beef and oats. Pour in the milk, then add the diced onion, salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
2. Roll the mixture into tablespoon-sized balls and stick in the fridge for 45 minutes to firm up.*
3. Preheat oven to 350°F. 
4. In a bowl, stir together ketchup, sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire, onions and Tabasco (and Sriracha!). 
5. Heat the canola oil (or EVOO) in a large skillet over medium heat.
6. Dredge the meatballs in the flour, then brown in the hot skillet until light brown. As they finish, place them in a 9×13 baking dish.
7. Drizzle the BBQ sauce evenly over each and every meatball in the baking dish.
8. Bake for 45 minutes, or until hot and bubbly (it took about 35 minutes in my oven). Serve hot!

When I saw the pin that lead to this recipe, I didn't notice the "BBQ" component. It was a pleasant surprise, but J thought it'd be better as a meatloaf because of the flavors. I was inclined to agree, until I read this on the Pioneer Woman's blog: "They’re almost like little 'meatloaf balls,' with a lot more flavorful surface area than a big slice of meatloaf." She makes a valid point, but I don't think you can go wrong either way.

*I found an adapted version of this recipe on another blog, which suggested refrigerated the meatballs for 45 minutes instead of in the freezer for five. If you're roasting another dish at a higher heat beforehand (i.e. the best broccoli of your life!), then I'd stick to refrigerating them for timing's sake.



"Best Broccoli of Your Life" aka Roasted Broccoli with Basil, Pine Nuts, Lemon and Parmesan
recipe from Barefoot Contessa: Back to Basics (and The Amateur Gourmet), inspired via Pinterest

When I saw the caption on the pin for this recipe, I was skeptical. But intrigued. And let me tell you... it's no joke. This broccoli was amazing. And besides the extra calories from the pine nuts and parmesan (whose protein offsets my guilt), this is a really healthy dish as well.

Let's get to it.

Ingredients:

• 4-5 lbs. broccoli (about two large bunches)
• extra virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper (I eyeballed this and the salt, but I would definitely use more pepper than this)
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
• 1 lemon
• 3 tbsp pine nuts, toasted
• 2 tbsp fresh basil, julienned
• 1/3 cup parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 °F.
2. Cut broccoli into florets and trim or remove most of the woody stems. If you're washing your broccoli, it's crucial you dry it thoroughly! But an oven heated to 425 degrees is going to kill the germs anyway, so I didn't bother washing it beforehand.
3. Place broccoli and garlic on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil. Drizzle with EVOO and add salt and pepper. Toss to coat evenly.
4. Roast for 20-25 minutes. (It took 25 for mine, but I wanted it extra crispy.)
5. Toast the pine nuts on medium-low heat. Your nose will let you know when they are done! Be careful not to burn them.
6. Julienne basil by placing leaves on top of one another, and rolling together tightly. This is the best trick to quickly julienne basil!
7. Remove broccoli from oven. Drizzle with a little more EVOO and top with lemon zest (I left this out because I'm lazy), juice of one lemon, toasted pine nuts, parmesan, and basil. Toss to combine and serve warm.

Proof that this meal is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G? I sent the leftovers with J for his lunch today, and got this text:

Hahaha, I love that last text. Perhaps the way to a man's heart really is through his stomach.

Cooking Lesson Learned

If you're making two dishes like these that have varied cooking temperatures and long cook times, timing can get tricky. I decided to roast my broccoli first, then lower the heat and cook the meatballs. When the meatballs had about 5 minutes to go, I popped the broccoli back in and let them warm back up in the 350 degree oven.

It Keeps You Running

Chicago in the early morning light.

With only 12.5 short weeks before Chicago Marathon training officially begins, I've been trying my damnedest to wake up early to run and base-build. I've never been a morning person, so this is no small task -- believe me. But it's amazing how much more focused and energized I feel all day after a morning run. Not to mention that it's such a great way to decompress and melt away the stress (which I've been having lots of lately!).

A friend's mom once told me this is called "God's light." It's easy to understand why!

I'd have better mile times if I didn't stop to Instagram the beautiful views I experience on these early runs, but I like soaking it in. It keeps me running physically -- and mentally.


I'm running the Chicago Marathon for charity this year. If you'd like to donate, click here! You'll be helping some wonderful community programs in Chicago and in Africa AND you'll get a super cute homemade thank you note from me! (I'm sure the latter is the convincing factor, right?)

Salmon with Mediterranean Tapenade + Oven Roasted Asparagus

Since J and I began dating, I've been cooking a lot more. Go ahead and burn your bra over it, but there is something really gratifying about cooking for (and often, with) your significant other.

My latest culinary endeavor could possibly be my favorite to date -- a simple and healthy spin on fish and veggies that was easy and inexpensive. And J loved it, too!

Salmon with Mediterranean Tapenade
adapted from Culinate, inspired via Pinterest

• 1 lb. salmon* (you can substitute halibut or albacore tuna)
• two lemon wedges
• salt and pepper
• extra virgin olive oil

For the tapenade:

• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 2/3 cup kalamata olives pitted, coarsely chopped
• 3 tbsp. diced red onion
• 3 tbsp. capers, drained
• 2 tbsp. basil, finely chopped (you can substitute marjoram or oregano)
• 2 tbsp. Italian parsley, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp. red wine vinegar
• juice of 1/2 lemon (this is optional, but I think it brightened it up a bit and complemented the saltiness of the capers)
• pinch of red pepper flakes and salt to taste (I used a quite a bit more than a pinch... probably 2 tsp. at least)

The original recipe calls for grilling the fish. But I don't have a grill, and I cook salmon damn well anyway, thanks to Ina Garten. So here's how I did it:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Heat a dry oven-proof saute pan for 4 minutes on high heat -- do not add any oil!
• While the pan is heating, coat salmon on both sides with olive oil and season liberally with salt and pepper.
• Once pan is very hot (I usually wait for a little smoke to come off), place salmon filets skin side up in the pan and sear for 2 minutes. Tempted as you may be to move them, don't! 
• Turn the filets skin side down, and place in the oven for 6-7 minutes, until medium-rare.
• Plate the salmon.
• Pour a little juice from the tapenade over each filet, and top with a few generous spoonfuls.
• Serve with lemon wedge on the side if you like a little extra on your fish.

*Everything in this recipe is for a 4-serving yield, except for the salmon. If you're cooking for four, double it to 2 lbs. But I love me some sauce, so I used tapenade ingredient quantities for 4 servings.

Oven Roasted Asparagus

adapted from Just Cook Already and Heather Bullard, inspired via Pinterest here and here

This recipe is so easy it's ridiculous. Are you ready?

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch asparagus
• extra virgin olive oil
• balsamic vinegar
• salt
• pepper

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Snap or cut off the ends of the asparagus stalks.
• Place on a sheet pan lined with aluminum foil. (Nothing like easy clean-up!)
• Drizzle with EVOO and balsamic, season with salt and pepper.
• Toss to coat and spread asparagus evenly.
• Put in the oven and roast for 9 minutes.
• Drizzle with a touch more balsamic to deglaze, toss again.
• Serve.

Literally the easiest thing to make, ever. 

You might've noticed that both recipes called for the addition of parmesan. I was planning to use it, but decided the asparagus didn't need it since there were enough flavors in the tapenade. And I wanted to save my big chunk of parmesan for a snack, so you could say that it worked out well.