Ian's Pizza

You can order a slice of pizza and a small side salad at Ian's for just over $5.00. The pizza is exciting and the salad is so green it makes you feel healthy just looking at it. Nothing beats a slice of macaroni and cheese pizza and mixed greens salad with tomatoes, pecans, craisins and balsamic. Happy New Year!

Holiday Pie

Have some holiday pie at Nick's. Have any kind of pie at Nick's. It is absolutely worth it. On a recent afternoon, a delicious variety of pie was available, including coconut cream, pumpkin, pecan, apple and blueberry. Ala mode or with ice cream - it's all pie!

Real Chili

I love Real Chili. It is a bit of a walk down State, but worth it. You can choose meat or veggie chili, add on beans, onions, cheese, spaghetti...very hearty and delicious. And very comforting on a cold, snowy day. I ordered the medium hot and I think I would go up to hot next time. I will report on chili dogs, etc. some other time.

Power of Whole Grain

The yogurt parfait at Espresso Royale is quite divine. I estimate the serving size to be 3 servings of delicious granola (if one serving is 1/2 c.), one serving of yogurt and one serving of strawberries. It is quite fulfilling and available with only a block walk in the frigid weather. At this time of the year, State Street Beat is relegated to basically the 100-300 blocks. I will see you in the spring, Mediterranean Cafe! I will be dreaming of the hummus 'til then!

LAZY DAYS

It is cold again. The forecast for the next week looks bleak, with highs in the mid 20s. Definitely a 4 cup day for coffee. And tea. And anything comforting and warm. I wish that I could just laze about the house, reading and napping. Alas, I need to go to work.

Alphabet Tree

The alphabet tree is in full swing and amazingly sparkly. Literacy for the masses!

Quiche

For the love of quiche - I have been obsessing about quiche since reading about the new coffee shop on Sherman that has quiche and marzipan croissant. I am going to make a crab-artichoke quiche tomorrow. With a pre-baked crust, half and half, swiss cheese, canned crab and artichoke. I hope it is delicious. With omega 3 eggs, at least it will be heart healthy. I haven't had decent quiche on State. Maybe at Michelangelos? I am always blinded by the three-cheese and pesto panini there.

Boo Hoo Kate Spade

Just discovered some appalling news - Kate Spade is available at Sam's Club. What on earth? I have been saving these photos of her sublime library china available at Marshall Fields and other fine department stores. Why did she do it? Will I ever want Kate Spade again? It is a very sad day, indeed.

CANDY TIME

Chocolate 101 on campus was an incredible class - we learned to make adorable chocolate turtles, swirl crunch bark, dark chocolate covered cherries, truffles and painted chocolate snowflakes. I am not sure I will go as far as painting chocolate, but the turtles were amazing.
My special tip to all beginning candymakers out there: finish your chocolate in the freezer. It gives a most professional looking shine to the chocolate. The taste goes without saying.

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

It's getting to be quite freezing outside. I do love bundling up, but worry about the heating costs for this ramshackle mansion.

The countdown is on for family and Thanksgiving. State Street is lit and so are several houses down the block. I do not encourage this behavior until after Thanksgiving, but there is nothing wrong with being ready. After all, I ran out to get my fabulously fake white tree today. Just to be ready. To be prepared! Up next - candy making for the holidays! I am thinking white peppermint bark, dark chocolate thin mints, raspberry, lemon and peanut butter filled candy, turtles and some dipped fortune cookies, because they are festive and lovely! Then on to cookies.

Sparkle

HELLO WORLD!

I have been trying to add sparkle text.

It is not that easy to bring sparkle to the world. But ultimately, it is worth it.

While we are waiting for me to get my html together, here is a pretty sweater to reflect on.

Birthday Cards and More

When in need of a quick card fix, where to turn?

Marmalade Skies was the perfect place to buy valentines, birthday cards, stickers, the odd candy, etc. Sadly, Marmalade Skies is no more. So one must search elsewhere for the perfect card.

Here is a list of what I recommend:

Birthday Cards - Little Luxuries. The helpful staff will also point you toward flat items that you can fill the card with, like magnets, fancy confetti and more.

Baby Cards or Birthday Cards for Children - Capitol Kids. They carry one of my favorite lines of greeting cards, Peaceable Kingdom.

Odd Variety Cards - Pop Deluxe. These cards are outrageous, charming, trendy and readily available in the 300 block of State. Need I say more?

Your Garden Variety Card - Badger Office Supply. They also have stamps, which I stop in for more than anything.

Arty Cards - Overture Art Shop. Don't know when this is opening, but I used to like the old Civic Center gift shop for cards and whatnot and have been missing it sorely. But not as bad as I miss the Rad Rye, whose space the new art shop may have obliterated. For shame. And for the love of the veggie rueben, I mourn thee.

Pepi and Tea

I wore my new J.Crew scottie dog fair isle sweater. It could not be cuter.

Well, maybe a pepi dog in a tea cup could be cuter.

Coffee

I love coffee. Love the smell of it, love the taste of it, love savoring it. I can make a cup of coffee last a coupla hours. When I order coffee to go, I love carrying it around with me, comforting like a warm hug.

Lattes are for me. Skim milk, little foam. In my frivolous youth, I was a vanilla latte drinker. So you can see, that is still pretty stable. No gingerbread flavoring or caramel mocha choca chai double shot extra foam for me. When I grind my own coffee every night before bed (thank god for the Krup's timer pot!) I choose a straightforward coffee like Alterra's Voltaire's Passion or an Eight O'Clock Columbian. Nothing wrong with Steep and Brew or Victor Allen beans, either. A solid choice. And for a quickie ground coffee - nothing beats Chock Full O'Nuts.

But if I am going to go for the latte - I am not going to take just anything placed in front of me! I have a systematic route for what I am looking for.

If expense is no issue, I am going for Ancora. They create an arty, delicious latte. Michelangelo's, Fair Trade, Espresso, Starbucks follow suite. I generally choose Michelangelo's and Fair Trade while at work because I want to support local business and it is fair trade! Espresso makes a latte with little or no foam, which is the way I prefer it. I certainly enjoy Starbucks and do not really believe they are evil corporate America. Any business that offers part-time employees health insurance is fine with me. Take that Wal-Mart. But they are uniformly heavy on the foam (I thought maybe just on the square but this seems to be true at the top of State and at the University drive-thru - god bless them because I would drive half-way across town to use a drive-thru) and annoying on the non-fat milk front. We call it skim here in Wisconsin. Still, a delicious latte.

Time for Soup!

It's slushy, it's slippery, it's snowing. It's time for soup! Here is a list of my favorite State St. soups for now and forever:

Tomato Bisque from the Orpheum (chunkier than I normally think of for a bisque, but deliciously so). Thick, red, magnificent.

Dal from Himal Chuli. Hearty. Homey. Comforting.

Wonton Soup from Chin's. Takes a little longer to prepare, but the wontons are delicious, the broth is divine. All in all, a sturdy choice.

Curry Soup from Noodles. This stuff will cure you of any impending cold symptons. A bit on the pricey side for soup, but well worth it. I like the shrimp add-on. A generous portion, too.

Wonton Soup from Asian Kitchen. You need a cart to carry this home takeout. A stunner in its sheer weight and bonus points for the crispy wrapper/crackers. Well done!

RIP - veggie chili from the Rad Rye. I still weep for you.

200 State

Let's not forget the organic milk available at Noodles! Who knew? Chocolate and Vanilla. So nice with a rustica chicken entree - kalamata olives, tomatoes, mushrooms, spinach and parmesan. And I dare say fresh basil?

Pumpkin Truffles

The pumpkin truffles at Twee and Luliloo = delicious. A bit pricey at $2 a pop, but a substantial piece of elegantly crafted candy. Shiny orange shell with dark chocolate interior - what could be better? Other than a hazelnut praline with crisps. Or chocolate covered gummis. Or rainbow taffy.

My new favorites on the 100 end of State include Twee's sister store, "Ideal for You" - especially the denim quartz and furry Benji scarves. Hanging in the window with arty autumn leaves, you want to walk by just to revel in the fuzziness.

And don't forget the salmon teddy wedgers on Fridays. I am already looking foward to it. And not just because I am wishing my life away waiting for the end of the week.