Taste of Chicago

OMGoodness! Never in my wildest dreams could I ever imagine blogging about Italian Beef!!!

However, with the Taste of Chicago in full bloom right now, I began to miss the thought of not being able to frequent this annual event...the sweaty crowd, the blistering heat, the rowdy lines, highway robbery prices, but most importantly...the unforgettable aroma that fills the atmosphere.

So many restaurants, so many decisions, so little time. One could only spend so much time walking around this madness before deciding to go back and rejoice in air conditioning and the peace and quietness of their humble abode.

I for one, ALWAYS manage to get my usual...corn on the cob from Dominick's, elephant ears (fried dough) from Harry Caray's, and of course the Italian Beef from Tuscany. For those of you that have a sweet tooth, I would recommend Eli's Cheesecake, chocolate covered strawberries or chocolate dipped frozen bananas from Aunt Diana's Candy Makers,...OR Kobfa's favorite, the Rainbow Ice Cream from Original Rainbow Cone.

Because of all the sugar I have been consuming, I have been craving something succulent, something meaty, something spicy, something savory, something that makes me say "aaaaaah...now THIS is life". :o)

I have been craving an Italian Beef!!!!

Today, I asked my classmates where I could find good Italian Beef. To my surprise, they all gave me a look of confusion. They had no idea what I had been talking about. WHAT?!?!?! How could you not know what an Italian Beef is? At that moment, sadness fell upon me because I knew my chances of getting my hands on one of those soggy richness was slim to none.

However, Reggie, bless his heart, decided to jump on the internet during our lunch break and look it up.

To our surprise, there was a Giordano's out here in Orlando. I had never had an Italian Beef from Giordano's before, but since it's one of Chicago's favorite food venues, I figured that might be the closest to an original Italian Beef I'll get out here.

There are varying degrees of juiciness, depending on your taste. Nomenclature varies from stand to stand, but wet or dipped means the bread is quickly dunked in "the juice" (au jus); juicy even wetter; soaked is dripping wet.

ME!!!! I ordered EXTRA DIPPED! :o)

How did Giordano's do? The Italian Beef did not come with giardiniera (a common Chicago condiment on Italian Beef)...so I settled for jalapeno peppers instead...but it SURE hit the spot! *licks lips* Feels good to have a taste of home again. :o)

So to my fellow peeps in Chi-town...DO NOT take this mouth-watering goodness for granted!!! When I get back to Chicago...we are hitting the town at Al's Beef (or Portillo's...whichever is still open) *chuckles*

Mother's Day (er...Weekend!)

My mom just left to return to the Windy City and Lil Oakie :o)

I didn't think I'd be sad, but it's hard to get used to people visiting and then leaving.

Fortunately for me, my bugaboo (aka my boyfriend, the only "bug" I like) will be here on Wednesday. I have tons o'fun things planned! *jumps for joy*

Though, my mom and I had a very nice relaxing weekend...after 2 long weeks of school.

She got to enjoy the bread that we've been making in school. It was so cute to see her enjoy my challah and coffee every morning (and sometimes at night). :o)

Around town, I got to show her: Notter, Celebration, Downtown Disney, Downtown, and of course, my little area of Kissimmee.

I was excited to show her my school, my chocolate showpiece, where I sit in class, Chef Ewald, and Colette Peters. *tee hee* It felt like parent teacher conference all over again.

Anyways, it was really nice to see Colette here in Orlando...a friendly familiar face away from home. She told me that she showed people my crooked pot and mouse cake to many people and they were impressed. She even said that my cake has given her an inspiration for her next cake idea...WHAT?!?!? Lil 'ol me has given Colette inspiration??? Now that's TOP PROPS! *blushes* She's definitely the coolest!

Colette and Chef Ewald then recommended my mom and I go eat at Hu Hot. It's a Mongolian Grill styled restaurant. The food did not disappoint! Still, my favorite create your own stir fry place is Stir Crazy. I am sTiR cRaZy KRAZY!!! :o)

We also had a nice brunch at Hue.

The crispy oysters were yummers but the rest was okay.

It was interesting to see what downtown was like....ummm...i guess if that's what they call downtown : no skyscrapers, no "L", no roads congested with cabbies, no crowded sidewalks, no Magnificent Mile, no beautiful skyline! *look of disappointment* Nonetheless, I definitely want to go back and explore some more. missing the beautiful Chicago skyline

Because we've been having temperatures averaging 95 degrees fahrenheit, my mom was perfectly content with staying in my place with the AC.

Speaking of HOT weather...I have found it to be quite discouraging to go run outside (that AND all the buggies). I've waited until the sun goes to bed but the temperature is still in the high 80s. So, I think my next plan is to look into a local gym and sign up for a month by month membership *frown*.

Curse the weather!!!...in Chicago it's too cold, in Orlando it's too gosh darn hot! Gee...I guess the treadmill companies will never go out of business!

I did however go to a Gold's Gym last week and I was in awe by the cardio cinema...run in the dark while watching a movie on a cinema sized screen??...what's next?...treadmills with your own slushie machine? *giggles*

Anyways, although I haven't been diligent about running, today I went ahead and signed up for The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 13K....*shrieks* What's scarier?...the ride or me running without sufficient training!!!!...Eeek!!