heartland cafe

I absolutely love eating outside. Food just tastes better. Maybe this stems from my family eating outside fairly often in the summer when I was younger. Maybe the long midwestern winters make me want to spend as much time as possible in the great outdoors once the weather shifts. I'm not going to Freud myself too deeply on this, it is what it is. Restaurant patios, picnics by the lake, eating Taco Bell on a park bench (yes I have done this sober, in the daylight), I love it all. I don't even mind if a few bugs pass through, unless they are spiders. Spiders are the devil and ruin everything! But I didn't spot a single spider while at the Heartland Cafe, and fear usually heightens my senses whenever they're near.

This cafe has more to offer than just being spider-free. I had passed by this winter and noticed the sensational patio, but made a note to return once I could actually take advantage of said patio. Dane reminded me of this recently and suggested that we go there for brunch. The reviews on Yelp are fairly split, but since I had such wonderful memories of driving past that patio and since Yelp reviews are sometimes...weird...so I was still excited to go.

Heartland Cafe is in the Roger's Park neighborhood, which is a very cute area with a cool small-town vibe that I don't visit very often due to the fact it is so far north in the city. But it has some great murals, artwork, shops, and cafes.

The entrance of the cafe is a little general store, with some cute items. Of course, Dane was drawn to the record bin--Linda Ronstadt looks great in those socks & roller skates! On the culinary side, the breakfast potatoes were to die for, and my spinach & cream cheese omlette was pr-e-tty darn tasty, too.

Wisconsin Union posters!

Sometimes it's nice to take a little trip to a new neighborhood--sometimes I forget how many different areas there are in Chicago! Maybe I should make a goal to visit some new ones before I move...if you have any suggestions, I'd love to hear them!

beach baby, beach baby

tote: Border's; cap: touristy souvenir from Freo Market, AUS; shirt: Dane's castaway; swimsuit: Victoria's Secret

I hope you are all having a wonderful holiday weekend! Mine has been nothing short of wonderful--a weekend full of pizza dates, brunch adventures, grilling on our little porch, and transplanting my growing tomato sprouts. But what is a 3 day Memorial Day weekend without a little trip to the beach? Here's a glimpse of a few things I'll be toting over to Lake Michigan today--the coverup is actually one of Dane's old shirts that I spotted in a bag he was donating to the thrift shop! I sneaked it out for myself since it's light & airy & perfectly slouchy. This year I'm adamant about avoiding sun damage (notice the hat, glasses, coverup, sunblock)--a sure sign of my developing wisdom :)

 You may notice the lack of iPod...I don't think I've listened to my iPod in about a year! I used to listen to it on my runs, but during my long training last summer I developed an appreciation for getting through a tough workout without music. I used to be a competitive swimmer, & so always trained without music blaring or pumping me up. So even when I go to the beach, I prefer to listen to the sounds of the water and the people than shutting myself off with an iPod. Maybe I'm the only one who feels this way...so may I suggest the perfect song to add to your beach playlist?

I have been singing this to myself all weekend--it's sure to be one of my favorites for the summer!
Enjoy the rest of your weekend, friends!

seared salmon & warm kale salad with honey dijon dressing

With Dane gone this past weekend, I was making meals for one--which usually consists of pasta, soup, sandwiches, or leftovers. However, we did have one lonely piece of salmon and a little kale in the fridge...so in a moment of (somewhat) healthy clarity I whipped up this little number.

Seared Salmon & Warm Kale Salad
salmon filet (mine was 4oz)
1 1/2 cup chopped kale
1/8 cup shredded cheese
sprinkle of bacon bits
1 tsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp olive oil
salt & black pepper

Honey Dijon Dressing
1 Tbsp dijon mustard
1 Tbsp honey
a little less than 1/4 cup olive oil
pinch of salt, black pepper, & garlic powder

for the salad:
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the kale and cook until soft (8-10mins). Transfer kale onto plate and sprinkle with lemon juice, salt, & pepper (to taste). Using the same pan over medium heat, cook salmon 3-5 minutes on each side. Top kale with cheese, bacon bits, & salmon (or any other toppings you'd like).

for the dressing:
Mix mustard & honey in a liquid measuring cup. Add olive oil to the mixture until it reaches 1/4 cup. Add pinches of salt, pepper, & garlic powder and beat with a fork until well combined. Drizzle over salmon & salad.

This is a great light meal (but filling, thanks to the salmon & hearty kale) to have for a dinner if you've eaten a big lunch. And I definitely did NOT use my finger to lick up the rest of the dressing from the plate, so why would you even ask?

Inspired by: Moonrise Kingdom

It's no secret that I'm a huge Wes Anderson fan (college friends may remember my Margot Tenenbaum Halloween costume) and am beyond excited for Moonrise Kingdom to open. It seems to be right in Anderson's sweet spot--colorful & playful costumes, whimsical & lovely sets, witty & sentimental plotlines, and of course, a dream cast including Bill Murray, Bob Balaban, Jason Schwartzman, and Tilda Swinton (!!!). By the way--have you seen Bill Murray's tour of Moonrise Kingdom? Because you need to see it.

Wes Anderson's composition is right up my alley. I know he isn't everybody's cup of tea, but I tend to choose this more stylized & theatrical kind of filmmaking over a purer realism. Movies are supposed to be magical, right? Good for him that he enjoys being silly--so many artists take themselves & their work much too seriously, if you ask me. And by virtue of visiting this blog, you have.

Also I might spend the next few months dressing like I'm at summer camp in the 60's. Or dressing like a bird, I haven't decided yet.

Sigh... I'd love to take our record player on a picnic but a) it has to be plugged in, and b) I'd be worried about getting dirt/sand/grime in it. These problems never arise in the movies.

What's your favorite Wes Anderson movie? Mine might be The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou... I mean, Willem Defoe, so...yeah. And those cute sea animals :)

DIY: hand-stamped placemats

When I saw Emma's table runner DIY tutorial at A Beautiful Mess, I knew I had to try their stamping technique on some items of my own. I have a set of placemats handed down to me from my Grandma that I rarely use, because a) they had an apple/country motif that doesn't really fit with my decor, and b) my table is rarely set, let alone decked out with some fancy placemats. By sprucing them up a bit, I hope to use them more often now that they fit my funky "dining" room (which is used for crafts & record-listening 90% of the time). I based my design on the cool ceramic workings at dalhaus--alas, their pieces cost slightly more than this DIY.


You will need: old placemats, cardboard cut in the shape of your stamp, glue, a wine cork, fabric paint, a paintbrush, a pencil, & a straightedge

Lay out your placemat. Since my design was symmetrical, I used my straightedge to draw a line down the center. Glue the cork to the back of the cardboard to create a handle for your stamp. Dip your stamp in some paint until it is lightly covered, and stamp out your design, "refilling" it when necessary. I wanted a light & faded look, but you can use the paintbrush to fill in your design. Let dry according to the paint bottle instructions, then, if your placemats are washable, wash on the delicate cycle or by hand.
If I did this project again, I would create multiple stamps for myself--by the last two placemats, the shape wasn't as sharp as it was in the beginning, due to the paint softening the edges of the stamp.

I really love my new placemats! Now I just need more dining room chairs to go with the two that my old roommate and I saved from a curbside dumpster. Frugality is the lesson here.