#29 Eat Ethiopian food with my hands–CHECK!

The "with my hands, no utensils" part of this item is essential in understanding why this is on my 30 for 30 list. Trying Ethiopian food isn't the challenge here – it's the "let's get your hands greasy!" aspect that is my foe. 

For as long as I can remember, I have always had a problem with eating certain types of sloppy food – particularly piled-high Publix sandwiches and Taco Bell in flimsy shells. Don't get me started about chicken wings. Fortunately for me, these were considered special treats growing up (Chinese family), so they weren't part of our regular cuisine routine! 

I never failed to throw a quasi-fit whenever my mom brought home these messy offenders, because a) it meant that I'd have to use my hands to eat, b) that shredded lettuce and/or ground beef would fall out, and c) the worst imagineable possible – that sauce would leak out! Don't get me wrong, I'm only mildly OCD – I don't care if the mashed potatoes touch the peas on my plate – but I do like my food neat, low-maintenance, and requisite of a 1-napkin maximum. I was a weird kid, okay?

In hopes of overcoming my admittedly bizarre quirk before age 30, I put this on my list, and conveniently, there was a Groupon-like deal for Ethiopian Diamond Restaurant that landed in my inbox recently! Enter #29 Eat Ethiopian food and a surprisingly enjoyable experience, sans utensils:

{ injera }

I partook in the traditional Ethiopian ritual of breaking Injera, or bread. This is a delightfully spongey, thin flat bread (similar to a crepe, but stretchy and resilient!) made from a self-rising wheat flour and native teff grain flour. You tear it up and use to scoop up the different types of meats and veggies that are served all together on a single platter. Great for mopping up extra offending sauces!

At our server's recommendation, we ordered a combination of two "Tastes of Ethiopia": Yesiga Alicha, Doro Watt, Yebeg Watt, Yemisir Watt, Quosta, Combination of Zilzil Tibs, Doro Tibs, Yebeg Tibs, Gomen, and Tikel Gomen. Don't expect any translations from me, except for maybe "Yummy in my Tummy!"

Not only did I resist the temptation to ask for utensils, I allowed myself to get down and dirty without obsessing over it too much. I even cut loose and indulged in gurssha – the placing of food in the mouth of another diner (The Fella, obvi) from one's own hand. 

Overall a fun time, even if it did gross me out a little watching The Fella use this as an excuse to be overly messy and to lick his fingers incessantly. Some things will never change.

Consensus? I would go back! 

P.S. The rest of the resto was pretty cool, too.

Anthroholic's Reader Outfits

Cool! My outfit from our Urban/Vintage Anniversary photo shoot was mentioned in this week's Anthroholic's Reader Outfits. And look, there's Miss Maya, too! Thanks for the shoutout, Anthroholic!

What I Wore: Why are you dressed like a bear?

FurFur: Mommy, why are you dressed like a bear?
Me: Don't worry, Bear-Bear! It's not real. Plus, we match today!
FurFur: Uh-huh.

I've told you before that I like to imagine what animals and babies are thinking. I also have (real) conversations – aloud – with my dog sometimes a lot. Around the house, or around the neighborhood while walking her, I can often be overheard telling FurFur about my day. Don't judge, it's what happens when you have cabin fever in the throes of a really long Chicago winter! When I'm not busy talking to my dog, I meet up with (real) friends for dimsum in Chinatown wearing ridiculously furry outfits such as this one.

Outfit of the Day:
Faux fur vest, Jack by BB Dakota
Turtleneck, XOXO via Macy's Herald Square circa 2005
Belt, H&M
Moto jeans, Anthropologie
Boots, Aldo Sale Shop circa 2008

OOTD: You look like you're going OUT tonight!

Is what my 21-year old intern said about my outfit today. A compliment, I think? (He's 23 now and a part-time marketing coordinator, but I still like to refer to him as this wide-eyed, 21-year old intern for dramatic effect.) I guess that's better than him calling me old and boring again. I've been wanting to try the "Belted Blazer" look for awhile now, and this old tweed jacket is perfect for this because it's cropped and fitted. Layered over a gray cardie, skinny moto jeans, Gagaesque platform boots and freshly cut bangs/hair, I do feel like quite a hard-ass. Or at least like I'm going "ouuut" tonight, anyway!

Outfit of the Day:

Jacket, some boutique in SoHo, NYC circa 2005

Cardigan, Cyrus via Filene's Basement

Belt, Barneys New York

Moto jeans, Anthropologie

Boots, Nine West, gifted

OOTD: Bedhead

Outfit of the Day:

Cardigan, Limited (traded at Crossroads)

Blouse, Express circa 2003

Leggings, Modcloth.com

Scarf, gifted

Belt, H&M

Boots, Zara Spain

Not too too bad for just literally rollin' out of bed, pulling something together, and out the door in 15 minutes flat, eh? Late to work, again.

OOTD: How to make white wearable for winter

Like how I just did that with the alliteration? Peter picked a pair of pickled... I'm so clever bored sometimes, I tell ya. Anyhoot, I pulled out this DKNY denim jacket (my mom had bought it for me years ago on sale for $20!) from the depths of my closet last night, thinking, I love this, why again haven't I worn it in three years? My immediate thought was to wear blue denim with crisp white – so American Heritage in my opinion! The challenge with this is that we're in the throes of a Chicago winter, so this isn't really seasonally appropriate – or warm. Unless you style it with a belted black turtleneck, black opaque tights, graphic scarf, and Gagaesque platform boots...  

Outfit of the Day:

Jacket, DKNY, gifted

Turtleneck, XOXO via Macy's Herald Square circa 2005

Belt, Barneys New York circa 1999

Skirt, Armani Exchange circa 2006

Tights, Target

Boots, Nine West, gifted

The (awe-inspiring) Road to Hana

The Road to Hana is a scenic drive to a tiiiny town way on the other side of the island of Maui (named Hana, obvs). It's beyond stunning, spectacular, splendid, all the positive "S" words one can think of! 

The Road to Hana follows the old King's trail that was the island's main path for years before this "highway" was built. Even though it's known to be well-traveled by tourists and natives alike, we often felt like we were the only car within miles and experienced the sense of being lost in time. It's a 52-mile trek on one island road – windy and narrow mostly – if you go all the way to the town of Hana. Off we go!

{ perfect skies }

But, if you're like us, you could do a "reverse trip" – rather than stop and pull over at mile after mile marker to gawk at stunning views on the way to Hana like most people would – we strategically zipped straight to our final destination, Honokalani Black Sand Beach to get ahead of all the other drivers!

There's no need to actually go all 52 miles to reach Hana. We turned around after hitting the black sand beach at mile marker 32. The real beauty is in the drive itself, where you will be witness to gorg waterfalls, quirky handmade signs, wild roosters in the road, and dramatic changes in landscape from one mile to the next. Our reverse drive took about 8 hours – stop and indulge!

{ colorful sign }

{ kudzu }

{ dappled sunlight }

{ waterfalls so close, you could almost touch them }

{ diversity at its best: mountains, sloping hills, pines, palms }

{ paradise, otherwise known as Honokalani Black Sand Beach }

{ roadside bamboo }

{ waterfalls + note the intact flip flops I am wearing at this point – more on this later! }

{ more waterfalls }

{ just stunning. }

The weekend, succinctly

{ pineapple water }

{ mushroom gnocchi with parmesan and black pepper, seared scallops, and lemony asparagus }

{ FurFur, watching Sex & The City and upset by the
Carrie-Big screaming scene when he doesn't get out of the car! }

The weekend, succinctly, was short and simple. I slept late and woke up late. I only left the house to take the dog out (sometimes), return overdue library books, and buy some fancy Dutch cheese and baguette from the store. I don't know what possessed me to voluntarily actively watch the Bears-Packers championship game – The Fella was out of town again – but I made up for this lack in judgment by watching Sex & The City on tv afterwards with my best girl pal who I dressed in a velour hoodie with crystals and a tramp stamp. I made a simple dinner one night consisting of only five ingredients. All the while, I tried to forget about the miserable Arctic Blast outside and recreate my recent Hawaiian resort lifestyle by making "Pineapple Water" (chunks of fresh pineapple in ice cold water!). Mmmm. I can almost feel the Aloha spirit! 

OOTD: Winter florals + camel

Winter florals! 

I'm loving florals this year, especially on an icy day like today. There's a little, hopeful thought in the back of my mind that maybe, just maybe, Spring will happen upon us here in Chicago soon. Pretty please, with a big, puffy, Technicolor pink flower on top?

Nothing makes me feel as romantic (and maybe a bit 6-year old girly?) as does this ballet pink cropped sweater, painted with a garden of hotter pink English roses and yellowy-taupe leaves. To make it Chicago-appropriate for the dead of January, I wore it under a camel-colored, wool kimono wrap, handmade by Bluet New York that I picked up at the One-of-a-Kind Designer Show at the Merchandise Mart two seasons ago. The wrap came with a matching wool sash, but I decided to wear this outfit today with a much-wider Obi leather belt from Zara. I like this 5x better because it helps hold in the overly blousy style of the wrap in a way that better suits my frame.

Here's hoping for April showers and May flowers very soon!

Outfit of the Day:
Sweater, ASOS
Wrap, Bluet New York
Belt, Zara
Pants, H&M circa 2006

Maui's black sand beaches

If you make it to mile marker 32 on the Road to Hana, then hike down a narrow trail in the Wainapanapa State Park – through lush foliage and tucked far beneath a craggly alcove of lava cliffs – you will stumble upon a secluded black sand beach, Maui's unspoiled baby. It is not littered with the usual sunbathers or gaudy flocks of tourists, only the occasional hiker or couple in love.

The black sand at Honokalani Beach is actually made up of small, smooth, lava pebbles. I collected a bunch to bring home – my favorite memento from this trip (besides the tan, of course) – which no doubt tipped our luggage over the weight limit. We went exploring in the sea caves and seaside lava tubes which offered up more lovely views, and for a leisurely while, delighted in the exotic beauty of black sand – to me, far more remarkable than even Miami's famed white sand beaches.

Sweet breakfast quinoa

This was my bfast lunch (!) over the weekend: Sweet Breakfast Quinoa (adapted from this recipe in the February issue of Food & Wine). I had intended to whip it up on Sunday because "this breakfast will make your day so productive," according to the recipe contributor. Well, well, well, so much for that. I didn't rouse until 12:30pm and 11:30am, respectively, trying to recover from a disjointed sleep routine following our return from Maui. I can do this because I have no kids and only a dog. No? That's still not okay? Poor FurFur. The upside is that I now know FurFur's secret: she can definitely hold it until the wee hours of the afternoon. SO NO MORE WAKING US UP AT 7:00 AM, OKAY?

This is what Sweet Breakfast Quinoa looks like, Jamie's version and the Food & Wine one. Not bad, eh?

Ingredients, adapted:
1 cup quinoa (original recipe called for red quinoa, but I only had wheat)
2 cups water
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup chopped almonds (recipe called for slivered almonds)
1/2 cup dried fruit like raisins and various dried fruit, cut into 1/2-inch or smaller pieces (recipe called for dried apricots)
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup fresh ricotta 

In a small saucepan, cover the quinoa with the water and bring to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat until the water has been absorbed and the quinoa is tender, about 15 minutes. Lightly fluff the quinoa with a fork and cover it again. 
 
In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the almonds and cook over moderate heat, stirring a few times, until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Add the dried fruit, maple syrup, orange zest and cinnamon and stir well until heated through. 
 
Add the quinoa to the skillet and stir gently to incorporate the almonds and apricots. Top each portion of quinoa with a tablespoon of ricotta and serve.

Awesome Food: Mama's Fish House, Maui

I love looking back at pictures of vacation food. It never fails to conjure up feel-good holiday spirit and culinary inspiration to recreate some of the exotic cuisine. While in Maui, The Fella and I – on excellent recommendation from our friends who had honeymooned on the island – made it a point to eat at Mama's Fish House. It's been around nearly 40 years, and let's just say, "Mama" sure knows how to make good seafood! This "Old Polynesian" restaurant by the sea is island-rustic and whimsical in the eclectic design details – canoes and rusty anchors perched on the shores of the resto outside, and wood and metal accents inside.

The menu features "Today's Fish", where almost all of the daily seafood entrees are creatively executed with the day's catch from local fisherman. I love how the individual fisherman is credited by name and that you know exactly where the catch was made. It elevates the farm-to-table concept to a whole new level and makes eating my dish all the more satisfying – a deep-water ahi, caught by Billy Wakefield offshore from South Point!

{ peppercorn grilled deep-water ahi with Hamakua mushroom sauce and sweet-potato mash }

{ trio of sashimi – I really can't remember what the flavors were,
except the first one which was lemongrass with coconut, my fave! }

{ mahi-mahi caught off the North Shore of Maui,
stuffed with lobster, crab, and Maui onion, and baked in a macadamia nut crust }

{ all done! }