Last weekend I had the pleasure of attending the first installment of Best of the Fest Children's Film Series, produced by Chicago's Facets Multi-Media and presented at Gorton Community Center in Lake Forest. Milos Stehlik (pictured above), founder of Facets, travels the world to find films for children that engage, entertain, and empower. Last … Continue reading This Weekend: Best of the Fest Children’s Film Series and The Antiques & Garden Fair
Gardening
Tomato Season
"There's only two things that money can't buy - true, true love and homegrown tomatoes." - from Kevin West's Saving the Season, a cook's guide to home canning, pickling, and preserving We picked the first giant, juicy yellow tomato from our garden last night and sliced it into a caprese salad while it was still … Continue reading Tomato Season
First Harvest
The cold temperatures of spring and early summer gave our garden a very slow start. Despite a 24' x 8' bed filled to the brim with plants and seedlings, we've only had lettuce and herbs to enjoy. Until now! Seemingly overnight, bright pink tops emerged at the base of radish greens, several teeny tiny green … Continue reading First Harvest
Two New Obsessions + The Perfect Summer Marinade
Last month I wandered into Williams-Sonoma in need of a new paring knife. The Shun's unusual blade and gorgeous wood handle caught my eye, but I almost passed it by as the price was almost double that of the other paring knives. I asked the sales associate if Shun was really twice as good and … Continue reading Two New Obsessions + The Perfect Summer Marinade
the aesthete and the dilettante 