Jack O'Lantern

Jack o’ Lantern

Big ones, Small ones, round and pear,

Picking the canvas for ghoulish despair.

Fall leaves crinkle under the tractor’s wheel,

Excitement is now what the children feel.

A hay ride with donuts and apple cider made here

The patch is filled with spooky holiday cheer.

Scalp the top, take out the guts

Save the seeds for Mom we must.

First the eyes and then the nose

The mouth needs character, small teeth in rows.

Some laughing aloud, other meant to scare

Candles light up the artwork prepared with care.

Haunted houses, little ones fear

A ghost howls in the wind, the time is near.

                                               

Witches and Frankensteins fill the streets,

On the hunt for delicious treats.

Buy the candy, the door bells will soon ring.

Fall has come and Halloween it brings.

Addiction

Addiction

Losing sleep it consumes your life,

Work becomes a second choice.

Old loved ones, and people unknown;

Easily discussing their insignificant lives.

No time spent with people living;

Updates, Statuses, Pictures, Vacations.

Album after Album it sucks you in;

July 4^th Lucy saw Ben,

Tommy and Janice broke up again.

Step away from the mouse, Turn off the screen,

Detox from this Social Media scene.

Facebook will consume your time,

A black hole in your life.

We Fight Change

A poem inspired by Gwendolyn Brooks.

We fight change. We

Cause pain. We

Humiliate. We

Mandate. We

Elicit shame. We

Are blame. We

Are straight. We

Are Great. We

Fight progression. We

Despise rebellion. We

Are Hate. We

Are prop 8.

Sam Adams Summer Ale

In the summer heat there is nothing better than getting home from a long days work, a long days play, or a long day of relaxing on the beach and popping open a nice cool brew to relax and enjoy the fading sun. With so many beer choices, everyone has their favorite go to beer. Many brewers have taken on the task of creating specially designed beers to compliment the changing seasons and the ingredients that blossom during the few brief months. With September 1^st on the horizon I’ve decided to take a look back over the summer and my go to summer beer.

Wheat Ale has been synonymous with summer for centuries. The wheat used in a summer brew is planted in the early spring and harvested through August. Compared to the dark wheat of the winter months, the summer wheat yields a light, milder flavor. This mild flavor allows brewers to add in their own refreshing taste of summer, from honey to citrus. Each taste is unique and enjoyable while relaxing outside to watch the hot summer sun set.

My beer of choice this summer has been Sam Adams Summer Ale. Everything about this seasonal brew reminds me of sun filled memories, lazy Sundays, and weekend barbeques. The rich taste of wheat, finishing with the reminiscent flavor of citrus is the perfect summer ale to quench any beer drinkers’ thirst. Boasting special ingredients, lemon and grains of paradise, mixed with the eye catching cloudy, golden color is a reminder of the season. Sam Adams Summer Ale is available from early April into late August, so grab your 6-pack while supplies last. It will be well worth your trip to the local convenience store. 

Sunset Pub and Grill

To finish out a relaxing Sunday Nick and I decided to go out for a quick dinner before our favorite night of T.V. A few weeks ago we had a fantastic night out with our friends at Sunset Pub and Grill. The place had a great, fun feel, with out door bar, and enormous mixed drinks. Sunset sits right on the Lincoln Park Private Airport so as you relax with friends you can see the flights take off and land. It really is a great place for a night out with friends.

However, the restaurant’s website boasts exceptional food and friendly service, Nick and I would beg to differ. As we opened the doors to enter the restaurant at 8:00 p.m. we were smacked in the face with a scent of chlorine bleach and other cleaning supplies, a total appetite kill. After waiting at the hostess stand for over 5 minutes I finally disturbed the bartender, who seemed more interested in her cell phone than her customers to ask if they were still serving dinner. When the hostess finally arrived to seat us, a waitress approached the host stand. “You want this table,” the hostess asked the waitress as she looked us up and down and shook her head no. Are you kidding me? I was completely turned off. We were then seated in a, at first, quiet dining area surrounded by flies. We each had the French onion soup, which was decent, a huge portion, followed by a cheeseburger and fries for nick and the same for me, with onion rings. Before we began eating our dinner some of the wait staff began to clean the upstairs area of the restaurant and were dragging chairs along the floor creating a disturbingly loud screeching sound in the entire downstairs dining area. I could tell immediately Nick did not like his food. Which is horrible for us because we are bar food connoisseures. The burgers were cooked perfectly but too greasy, nick’s hand cut French fries were also greasy and COLD. My burger was equally as appalling. The onion rings had thick breading with thin strips of disintegrated I guess what used to be onions. We barely had two bites of our dinner, pausing to swat away flies, before we were asking for the check.

As we waited for our check, the screeching from upstairs only got louder. A group of elderly couples next to us were obviously distraught. One of the men in the group asked the waitress where the noise was coming from. She explained the floors had to be cleaned before the end of the night. The man asked if they could maybe wait until after they finished dinner, as the couples could not hear each other conversing over the noise. Astonishing me and the other guests in the restaurant, the waitress replied, “I mean, I’ll ask but I know their not gonna want to do that. They’re trying to get out early.” The man’s jaw dropped. “We’ll how bout we get out early and don’t come back,” he replied with a snap. The waitress scurried off and the noise did not stop.

Nick and I paid our check and left the restaurant never to return. Sunset Pub and Grill is a great place for cheap drinks and fun night out with friends, but if you’re trying to go for dinner, the only thing you’ll get is a stomachache.

Chewy Chocolate Chip

Chocolate Chip Cookies. Who doesn’t love a good chocolate chip cookie? It’s an all American Classic. So versatile and always so delicious the chocolate chip cookie wears many masks. The thin crunchy chocolate chip, the too many chocolate chip, the not so many chocolate chip, the thick under cooked chocolate chip, with nuts, with out nuts it meets everyone’s individual pleasure. With a serious chocolate chip cookie craving yesterday I set out to make the perfect Chewy Chocolate Chip cookie and in the end found success. Alton Brown’s “Good Eats” did an episode on the infamous cookie not long ago delving into the different characteristics and flavor. So it was Alton Brown who I went to for advice.

The Low Down on The Chewy

The Chewy

Ingredients

2 sticks unsalted butter

2 1/4 cups bread flour

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/4 cups brown sugar

1 egg

1 egg yolk

2 tablespoons milk

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Hardware:

Ice cream scooper (#20 disher, to be exact)

Parchment paper

Baking sheets

Mixer

Directions

Heat oven to 375 degrees F.

Melt the butter in a heavy-bottom medium saucepan over low heat. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda and set aside.

Pour the melted butter in the mixer's work bowl. Add the sugar and brown sugar. Cream the butter and sugars on medium speed. Add the egg, yolk, 2 tablespoons milk and vanilla extract and mix until well combined. Slowly incorporate the flour mixture until thoroughly combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Chill the dough, then scoop onto parchment-lined baking sheets, 6 cookies per sheet. Bake for 14 minutes or until golden brown, checking the cookies after 5 minutes. Rotate the baking sheet for even browning. Cool completely and store in an airtight container. 

And the cookies are fantastic! Hands down the best cookies I’ve made. There wasn’t a single cookie left over. Of course they couldn’t have been as mouth-watering with out my own twist. I minced up 1 cup of walnuts super fine for flavor. When the walnuts are minced up fine its hard to notice their in the cookie, for the nut haters, and when they compliment the delicious flavor you can wow them with this delectable surprise. I found that the bread flour is crucial to the recipes success. The flour is what makes the cookie so dense and moist. Also, if you don’t have an ice cream scooper on hand, which I did not, you can shape the dough into balls about 1 ½ inch in circumference. Take the cookies out after 14 minutes even if they don’t look done, they are. Even one extra minute in the oven will dry your cookies out. Try this recipe with or without the walnuts, but definitely indulge!

Bon Appetit!!

Jillian <3

Cape May- Antique Get Away

Hello there,

My mother, Joanie, and I took a trip to Cape May, New Jersey a few days ago, a nice mother, daughter trip. They love that stuff. I’ve heard mixed reviews about Cape May most of them focusing around the beauty and antique feel of the town. Many of my friends feel is old, expensive, and boring. I can see why they would feel this way. At first glance Cape May looks to be antique shops, museums, and bed and breakfasts. At first glance, they’d be right. Pulling into the town I had a feeling of dread. Could this possibly be the longest 48 hours of my life?

The Humphrey Hughes House, a rather posche sounding bed and breakfast is where we take shelter. After the quick tour of the accommodations; a sun room with delicious chocolate chip cookies, coffee, assorted beverages and port wine available around the clock, a front porch, a piano, and well antiques, the hostess escorted us to the “The Doctor’s Suite” where we would spend the night. 

The room was beautiful and spacious. When entering the suite we were greeted by a foyer, followed by a small, comfortable living room with a copy of “A Few Good Men,” classic. The room, to the right of the living room was extremely spacious: king size bed, table, chairs, dresser, a walk in closet and all the foreseeable mini bar accoutrement. The bathroom was weakness, I can’t stand going away and having to use a sub-par shower. Overall, the room was comfortable and the breakfast, eggs benedict, was delicious. A bit pricy for the 20 something’s, but perfect for a married couple looking to escape.

After settling in, we took off on the town. This didn’t last long before the rain, which would eventually ruin our trip came on. Lunch and drinks at the Ugly Mug kept us dry.

The Ugly Mug was an awesome bar, a place I’d easily suggest to my friends. With two bars and three bartenders getting served is a cinch. The Ugly Mug, or leinenkugel summer shandy, is a delicious choice at $2 a pint on Tuesdays. Hanging from the ceiling are hundreds of hand painted mugs that can be bought for $35 or are given to only the most loyal of regulars. The Crab Cake sandwich was absolutely delicious, little filler and tons of flavor.

After a little shopping, there is a fantastic cigar shop in the Washington Street Shopping center called Up In Smoke, we went back to the room to do some research on dinner. Along with the fresh baked chocolate chip cookies, the sunroom at The Humphrey Hughes House offers a selection of just about every menu of every restaurant in Cape May. Some deliberation later Mom and I were on our way to the Merion Inn for Dinner, Wine, and some Smooth Jazz. I can’t say I know much about Jazz but sitting in the air conditioned outside area I was truly at peace with the beats. The Merion Inn offers a $15 express or Prix Fixe Menu, which I had and would definitely suggest. It offers a selection of appetizer, small entrée, and desert all served at once. I indulged in the Farmers Market Salad, cantaloupe, honeydew melon, and grapes served over lettuce and onions. For me the onions were far too over powering, there were more onions than anything else; ruining the what would have been delicious, fresh, and crisp salad for me. The Roast Chicken, Bread Pudding, and Mashed Potato entrée was perfection! The chicken was juicy and perfectly seasoned, the Bread pudding soaking in the rich gravy, and the creamy, buttery mashed potatoes were whipped into a light airy cloud of delicious. I enjoyed it down to the very last bite. The finale, a dark chocolate mousse, was the perfect combination of chocolate and heavy cream. I would have liked to have gotten the dessert after the entrée, it had the chance to melt next to my hot food through out the meal, but it was still delicious.

I wish my mother had the majority of positive things to say about her entrée, but she was completely disgusted by the overwhelming flavor of onion in her Farmers Market Salad. She felt as though the Wasabi of the Wasabi Mash was also over powering, and the Asian coleslaw was far too salty. Her compliments however go out to the chef for his perfectly cooked teriyaki Salmon and of course the delicious Chocolate Mousse, which she swears was pudding.

After dinner we walked around the town stopping in at bars for a drink here or there. Unfortunately, the rain cut our trip short and I didn’t get a chance to get on the beach, my favorite part of shore season, but overall Cape May was not the boring retired couples dream I had heard it would have been. It was fun and relaxing to get away with mom. Cape May is not a place I would suggest to a group of partygoers looking to get away with friends, but definitely a sweet mother-daughter retreat, or a relaxing couples escape. Minus the rain, the trip went off with out a hitch.

Jillian <3