A Hamilton Family Easter

This past week I'd been feeling a bit homesick. Sad that I wasn't able to hop in a car and drive home to spend the holiday with my family in Texas, I was experiencing the pangs of separation from my parents and sisters, my bed and house, everything I associate with being home on the holidays. Feeling a bit sorry for myself, I was determined to have a good weekend despite the distance. I had planned to have a nice little Easter dinner, to attend a Unitarian church service in Cambridge and to spend some quality time with my temporary dog, Princess....

However, it just wasn't to be so. My friend, my ma'am, Ms. Rachel Hamilton of Wellesley, Massachusetts, who now resides in New York City, invited me to spend the holiday with her family. I had to release my former plans for the weekend, but graciously accepted. Saturday evening, I traveled with her to Welleslely, MA, right outside of Boston and got to enjoy some quality with her family and home, a welcome replacement for my own!

Sunday morning, Rachel and I took in a walk around Wellesley College, breathing in some fresh non-city air and then celebrated Easter with a fabulous lunch at the Hamilton's friend's and neighbor's house. Then, following dinner, the hunting began. All of us donned our own basket and rushed through the yard in search of both plastic and hard-boiled eggs. We all came away with some tasty and fun treats. It was overall a fabulous day! Thank you, to both Rachel and the entire Hamilton family, for your hospitality. And also for the eggs...(:

Photos of the hunt:

Homemade...everything!

St. Patty's weekend, for many, is a time to drink with leprechauns, clad in green and an air of alcoholic festivity. However, for others, perhaps the craftier of us, it is a time to make! To celebrate the holiday, John David and I decided to get creative.

First, we decorated some eggs to bring in Easter a bit early...

Secondly, we made homemade pasta...along with homemade beer bread and homemade butter. For those of you who have never made butter (usually this is an activity reserved for 4th graders and a rainy day at school), it is easy and ridiculously entertaining...all you have to have is cream, a small jar and a vigorous shake of the fist. Since John David had never had the opportunity to do this in his gradeschool career, it was added to the day's culinary feats. The bread was also a part of the menu because a) it had beer in it and seemed appropriate for the occasion and b) it is extremely good and also easy. I guess the pasta was something that both of us had never had a stab at, so it seemed warranted and spurred on the days devotion to cooking.

The following photos demonstrate the pasta making process:

1. Make a hole in the flour and add eggs.


2. Mix with hands.



3. Knead dough until elastic.


4. Roll dough to a thin sheet.


5. Slice into long pasta noodles and enjoy!


To top the night's ultimate dinner, we dyed the wine green! Happy St. Patty's day!

Windy City

This past weekend, I took a trip to Chicago, the windy city of the midwest, to see John David. We both took a break from our grueling jobs (or just his, rather...mine is quite pleasant on the time commitment) and had a great weekend, full of fabulous foods and adventuring. Saturday we kicked the day off with brunch at Orange with a couple of John David's friends before walking about the city and tending to a few things on the day's agenda. A good walk through the city is really all you need in Chicago, as you can catch great views of the city from almost any point within it. Architecturally, it is the greatest city in the United States. Hands down. Plus you have Lake Michigan to the East that provides a wonderful contrast to the complexity of the nearby streets.






Saturday night was a biggie. A bit earlier in time, John David and I won a gift certificate to this fancy restaurant company in Chicago, and it just so happened to encompass one particularly famous institution, Tru. We made reservations about a month ago, and while we could only get a spot at 10 at night, we were pretty excited about the promised dining experience. So, we held out on eats, watched a movie, Ratatouille to pump up our culinary experience, got gussied up and then headed downtown to Tru. What followed was madness, ridiculous culinary madness: 12-14 courses of bite-sized delicacies, all prepared and served beautifully, to be savored with every taste.






And we tried to do so! It was easy from the beginning. We were hungry and bright-eyed. Each dish brought surprise, articulate assessment. But by course 8 or 9, our stomachs got a bit tight; and by midnight, when we were still eating, our eyes got a bit tired. Nevertheless, we made it to the last course with a bit of caffeine, and were even sent home with more food for the morning after! The whole experience was incredibly fun and unearthly. Needless to say, it was a truly special occasion. (:







And the next morning, we immediately went for a long run. All that food got me craving a good work out! The rest of the day was spent exploring the outskirts of the city, making sushi, and more walks. We also visited John David's brother-in-law's culinary colleague, at her own bakery, called Sweetcakes. It was a great little coffee/pastry shop and reminded me a lot of Austin kitschyness. Plus the walls were a great seafoam green. See photos above and below...

























Oh! And here are the beautiful snapdragons that greeted me when I first arrived in Chi-town!