New game! Hit all Best of Cleveland as chosen by SCENE

I'm new to the town after living away from here for the last 8 years and never really experiencing Cleveland as an adult and what better way to tackle the city than with a list! (I love lists) Using Cleveland SCENE as my guide I will tackle the best of food, nightlife, shopping, entertainment, people and sports. Game on!

I'm most looking forward to tackling their Food and Drink category. This means trips to Fire, L'Albatros, the Greenhouse tavern (which was a runner up but what's one more great night of food?), a cookie and a cupcake for well, a cupcake no doubt, Crostata's  for some pizza and wow, the list really goes on here. I'll start with these and report back often.

Clever, wish I had thought of this

A scarf with pockets. Now, why on earth would you require a scarf with pockets you ask? Well m'dears, lots of reasons. Maybe you are heading out on the town and can't be bothered to bring a bag with you- boom! room for keys, phone, wallet and proper lip color right there in your own scarf. Face it, you aren't taking your scarf off anyway, even if it does reach 80 degrees inside, so why fight it. OR perhaps you are a dude and wearing oh so tight pants and can't fit all of your mancessories in them, well... scarf with pockets ought to do the trick. Either way, I think it's kinda fun and smart and I might need one. Available here, cheap too wintercheck factory

Fantastic Soap! Haven't even used it yet, just based on aroma and packaging alone

Saipua! Am in love. The 'whale soap' as I call it. It is made with sea salt, kelp, rosemary and patchouli and somehow smells like a deep sea dream. Spoiler alert! Everyone I know will be getting this in their stocking this year. You can order your own dreamsoap here: SAIPUA

Under the weather and b o r e d

so I am doing a paint by numbers. What of it?

Yeah, I made this too. Best. Meatballs. Ever.

From the January 2009 Gourmet, it's the cover meal and it's delicious. I followed it almost exactly but left out the veal, homie don't play that.  I did of course include lemon zest, oregano from the garden, cream soaked pieces of stale bread and a whole cup of parmesan cheese. Mmmm mmm good.

Hot Toddy! Cure all and delicious

I have been fighting off this cold for a couple of days now but still wanted a late afternoon cocktail so I looked no further than the hot toddy! I never really knew of a real recipe, just that is was hot water, honey, lemon and of course BOURBON! This recipe worked quite well and I will add it to my repertoire:

2.5 cups boiling water
1 Tbsp honey
juice of one lemon
2 shots of bourbon or whiskey (I used Jim Beam)

pour some boiling water into a large mug to heat it up then pour out and add the honey and lemon then some water to dissolve the honey. add in the bourbon and then top off with more water. I served mine in a glass mug because it was big and the drink is a nice color which is nice.

Kinda like this...

This whole place is a little too bizarro for me NY Times but I do like this newspaper wallpaper idea for a bathroom... or perhaps a converted attic space. Not sure about the Soviet posters but maybe some music posters would be fun.

Taco Truck Tacos- Success!

It totally worked! I would make a few little changes of course but the overall taste was all there.

Step one: get the pork butt ready for its long day in the slow cooker. Garlic, chili powder, onion, mexican oregano, salt, lemon juice and water.

Step two: make the cilantro/onion topping and salsa- tomatoes, garlic, onion, cilantro, vinegar, lime juice,  serano chili, red chili flakes and salt.

Step three: assemble the taco and enjoy. mmmm. I like to top with avocado and serve some radish slices on the side. Next time I will change a few things but mainly I just need to double the recipe. There wasn't enough pork to go around!

Cooking every day!

Tuesday it was provencal veggie pot pie! Wednesday was falafel with homemade tzatziki and naan! Tonight I am going to try to recreate one of my favorite foods from Seattle, taco truck tacos. I found a recipe and need to head to the store to get some pork and start the slow cooking process. I certainly don't expect them to taste as good as the ones that come from real Mexicans out of a converted schoolbus on Rainier. But! I am hoping they will reminiscent of them. Off to the store... photos later!

dress day dreaming

all hypothetical, as I am not currently employed but still fun to look at in between job hunting and job inventing.

All from barneys.com

Seriously Silverfish, what is the point?

I mean why even bother existing at all? You just beg people to kill you. Christ! you scared me out of my room last night and forced me to sleep elsewhere. Now I find out you are nocturnal and nearly impossible to catch by day! http://www.killsilverfish.net/ Now I have to stay up tonight and hunt you again, this time with better tools. I will find you and I will kill you, of that be sure. Keep it gross Silverfish, real gross.

noooooo!!!

How could Conde Nast do this to me? To all food and/or photography lovers!? Say it aint so, it just isn't right. I understand that magazines are struggling and they have to cut something but couldn't it be Golf? or Golf Digest? How can you justify killing off a well loved food magazine while keeping two golf mags. Lame Conde Nast. Lame.

so sad now, I think I will go curl up with a pile of old Gourmet's and mourn. Then I will make some fabulous food in her honor.

Bad Football.... Good Shopping!

Remember Lily Pulitzer? Those ubiquitous dresses of Palm Beach prepsters? Well, I thought I was over it but clearly, I am not. Look at these!

Alright, back to football, but these cheered me up!

Love this guy!

Here we go brownies, here we go!

Now. let's see if we can do this please? I would be happy with a simple touchdown, I don't ask for much, just a glimmer of hope that this cold long drunk football season will be slightly less than totally depressing.

Cleveland! And... GO!

Well, after over 40 hours spent in my car, lots of stops at McDonalds, several spats with my brother, some snow about a never ending rain storm I arrived back to my beloved Ohio. I slept for about 11 hours last night and almost feel caught up on sleep now.

this view sure does help. I think I just have to live near water, salt water, fresh water, do not care. Just give me a nice view and the possibility of a nice day spent outside, or on a boat and I am one happy Ohioan!