If you’ve been reading Suburban Scrawl for a while, you may recall that I have a special place in my heart for the McDonald’s brand. My first job was at McDonald’s and for two years I worked at the brand new location just steps away from my high school, with many of my friends. We had a BLAST. One of the benefits of working there was the food, obviously. Break time was easy because the food was RIGHT THERE. I have always loved the traditional menu but back then we would create our own custom creations, too, to mix things up. We would make sloppy joes with chopped up burger…
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How To Have The Perfect Thanksgiving*
Going along with my family’s method of sticking to “new old traditions“, we did Thanksgiving our way. Perhaps you might want to change it up sometime, too? Here’s how. 1. The very first thing you do is make reservations at your favorite Brazilian steakhouse, which is also known as a churrascaria. 2. Start talking excitedly about “Meatsgiving” and make comments about the stretchy pants you’ll need to wear after it’s all over. Also, debate whether it’s best to starve yourself during the hours leading up to dinner or if it’s best to continue normal eating practices, thus keeping your stomach in practice. 3. Spend Thanksgiving Day completely relaxed and smiling.…
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Happy Thanksgiving 2014!
I had every intention of writing an actual post this evening, but after Meatsgiving we came back home and played “Outburst” for two hours and now, at 10:50 p.m. I’m dealing with my normal level of exhaustion plus the added bonus of an oncoming meat coma, so I’m just going to say that it was a really nice day and I’m thankful to have spent it with my family. I’m also thankful for you. Yes, you. More tomorrow. Meet me here? Ooh, I said “meet”. Sounds a lot like “meat”. Zzzzzzz…..
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Return To The Chicago Food Swap
Yesterday, as my title indicates, I returned to the Chicago Food Swap. I used to attend monthly, but it’s been literally a year since I could get my schedule to mesh with the monthly weekend. Yes, it’s a weekend commitment for me. The Chicago Food Swap may only last two hours or so on a Sunday afternoon, by my usual M.O. is to spend the entire day before in my kitchen because I can’t keep from overdoing it. Even though I was SO! SICK! of my kitchen by Saturday night… …I survived my marathon baking session and made it to Sunday. Shew! My sister and I headed to the Broadway…
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Apple Bread, Apple Cake, Tomay-to, Tomah-to
It’s officially autumn, which means that it’s time for me to make hundreds and hundreds (or at least a dozen) loaves of apple bread. I got the recipe from Judy, an awesome woman with whom I worked at a craft store more than twenty-five years ago. Back then I was a young newlywed who was going to college and working at the craft store as head cashier and eventually custom framer—all of this seems like it didn’t even happen in this life, by the way, because it was so long ago. Judy worked in the floral department and basically spent all day restocking the silk flowers and creating beautiful flower…
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The Purple Pig In Pictures
Last night, Jim and I drove into the city to meet up with someone I became friends with in eighth grade (C), and his wife (K). We’ve kept in touch all these years and faithfully send holiday cards to each other every December, but we haven’t actually gotten together in twelve years. Or thirteen. We couldn’t figure it out. I was thrilled when C messaged me a few weeks ago to tell me that they would be in town for a wedding and would love to see us, and that’s how we ended up at The Purple Pig on Michigan Avenue last night. We had a great time. I hadn’t…
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Lunch Bus Helps Kids Have a Hunger-Free Summer
I am thrilled to work with The Motherhood, ConAgra Foods, and Kid President this summer to help combat child hunger. This is a sponsored post. Also, how great is it that I can say I’m working with Kid President?? One of the reasons I was excited to work on ConAgra Foods’ Hunger-Free Summer Initiative with Feeding America was because I was paired locally with the Greater Chicago Food Depository (GCFD). The GCFD was actually our charity partner for Chicago’s 2013 LISTEN TO YOUR MOTHER show and they received ten percent of our ticket proceeds. My co-producer, Tracey, had done some work with them the previous year and now it’s my…
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You Can’t Be Awesome When You’re Hangry
I am thrilled to work with The Motherhood, ConAgra Foods, and Kid President this summer to help combat child hunger. This is a sponsored post. Also, how great is it that I can say I’m working with Kid President?? One of the things I used to dread just a little bit about summer when the boys were younger—and especially when they were in their early teen years and doing the most growing—was the constant disappearance of food in this house. Their being home all day long meant that all day long they were in the refrigerator and the pantry, on a constant hunt for snacks. I was at the grocery…
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It Contains Peanuts, So It Must Be Trail Mix
I’m coming off of a weekend bender, and all of my Facebook friends watched it all unfold. I’m talking about my addiction to my mother-in-law’s trail mix. Or, I should say, “trail mix”. In quotes. I wrote about said “trail mix” before, about five years ago. That’s how much it impacts my life: it warrants two blog posts. This “trail mix” is always sitting on my in-laws’ fireplace in a huge jar that screams, “COME AND GET SOME!!” Okay, it doesn’t really scream because jars can’t make noise. But you get the idea. We cannot resist this stuff. I posted a picture a couple of days ago on my Facebook…
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Eat Clean, Eat Simple With Good Food Made Simple!
This is a sponsored post about the “Eat Clean, Eat Simple” campaign from Good Food Made Simple and in conjunction with The Motherhood. All opinions are my own. I have written a few times over the past couple of years about how, although I adore food and it’s much easier to just eat whatever I want without thinking about it, it’s becoming more and more important that I pay attention, not only for me, but for Jim and the boys. It’s not that I don’t have good intentions, but it’s difficult to take the time—and it does take time—to think about maintaining proper eating habits. One thing I have going…