weekly fix: apple of my eye edition

Thanks to the dastardly combination of being sans car and money, I’m sad to report that I missed apple picking this year. Bummer.

Nevertheless, I can still enjoy peak apple season by eating them like a champ. A cold, crisp apple is one of my favorite snacks — cut into thick slices with peanut butter (or nutella!) is the way to go. As such, this collection of tidbits takes its inspiration from the perfect autumn fruit.

• A few neat suggestions for ways to put your apple peels to good use. Similarly, you can also easily make your own pectin from apple leavings–I started collecting scraps (I have a designated container in my freezer) and am looking forward to giving this a shot.

• I hope to make these apple gouda oatmeal cookies soon. Don’t they look tasty? Best of all, you only need to use one bowl. Hell yeah.

• Lastly, wouldn’t seeing this street art each day make taking the red line much more appealing, fellow Chicagoans? (Heh, see what I did there?) Really though, the artist does some pretty cool stuff–fruits & veggies all over the city.

 

busy busy busy!

Hard to believe that it’s been over a month since my last post, but, in my defense, the past few weeks have been busy with exciting milestones and delightful visits from friends and family. October brought with it my fifth marathon, a weekend with my parents, another weekend with one of my oldest and dearest friends, and a boatload of quality time spent in the company of my main squeeze. And, since my folks were so generous as to drive out my last remaining essential possessions (my beautiful bookshelf and a ton of kitchen stuff–pots and pans and my 24 PIECE PYREX SET!), I’ve been happily putting my newly re-acquired baking tools to use.

Although there are, I’m sure, a few odds and ends still left at my parents’ house, this last carload marks something pretty exciting–I’m good and settled. And entertaining out of town visitors is a pretty sweet way to reinforce this realization. I’m so glad to be able to share a small part of my life out here (and the important places and people in it) with my loved ones from back home.

I was chatting with a friend the other day, and, after catching up on the aforementioned recent events, he asked me what else I’ve been doing that has nourished me lately. His choice of words really stuck with me–as did the reflection that even small and simple actions carry weight. Pretty timely conversation because, guess what? This little project of mine is now a year old! While this blog is certainly nothing fancy (and at times quiet), it has been something meaningful for me. I’m in a bit of a challenging stretch these days, and having an outlet has really meant the world to me. I created apron-clad because one day last fall, after a summer abroad, I baked a loaf of bread for the first time in MONTHS. And holy hell did it feel good–the warm dough in my hands, the comforting smell sneaking out of our oven, the satisfaction of creating something. This blog has always been a reminder of that moment, and I’m grateful to those of you who have read my entries, posted comments, or even shared a link to my blog with others (thanks, Mom!).

The following recipe comes courtesy of the boyfriend (or, more accurately I suppose, his mom)–I’ve had it for some time now, and was really stoked to be able to try it out (and break in one of my pyrex pans). I had to make a few changes, mostly due to what I had (or didn’t have) handy in my kitchen. Chief of these substitutions was the flour; the recipe calls for spelt, but all I had was good old all-purpose. Pecans were also used in lieu of walnuts.

This is a great recipe because (1) you only need to use one bowl and (2a) it is basically thin bars of banana bread covered with chocolate chips, which means that (2b) I feel somewhat less guilty eating it for/with breakfast. Hell yeah. Also, like the recipe says, it’s totally better the longer it sits after baking–days two and three were awesome.

Banana-Chocolate Chip Squares
From: King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking: Delicious Recipes Using Nutritious Whole Grains, Countryman Press, Woodstock, Vermont, 2006

¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter
1 ¼ cups packed light or dark brown sugar
3 very ripe medium bananas (about 8 ounces, peeled; about 1 cup, mashed)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 large egg
1 ¾ cup whole spelt flour
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup (4 ounces) chopped walnuts

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Lightly grease a 9 X 13 inch pan.

Cream the butter and sugar in a medium bowl till smooth.  Beat in the bananas, lemon juice, vanilla, baking powder, salt and spices, scraping the bowl.  Add the egg, beating until smooth and scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl again.  Sir in the flour, mixing thoroughly.  Spoon the batter into the prepared pan.  Allow the batter to rest for 15 minutes; it’ll thicken a bit as it stands.  Sprinkle the chips and nuts on top.

Bake the squares until the center is moist but not liquid, 35-40 minutes.  Remove them from the oven and let cool on a rack.  For best texture, allow them to rest overnight, covered, before cutting and serving.

 

Normally, I’d post a picture of the baked good in question, but the only photo I managed to take before gobbling up the last square is kinda sub-par. Instead, I leave you with this:

 

They look goofy, but we had fun. Happy (almost) Halloween!

 

year three

Three years ago last Tuesday, I moved to Chicago. I had come here from Maryland to begin an MA program at the University of Chicago Divinity School, and was eager to be in a new place and to begin the next chapter of my life as a young twenty-something. Although I of course had no idea where the next two years (the length of my program) would take me, I knew that it was the start of something that would change me, and that my life would be marked by this move — there was pre-Chicago, and there would be what came next.

As is often the case, where I am now is quite different from where I predicted I might be. And while I still feel like I’m in a bit of transition (although, aren’t we always?), one thing is for certain. Three apartments, two neighborhoods, and countless trips on public transit later–I happily consider myself a Chicago resident (albeit transplanted), and have consciously chosen to remain so.

Earlier this past year, when certain life plans did not come to pass (but soon transformed into new ones), I was presented with the realization that I had the terrifying (and thrilling) freedom to choose my next move. At the time, there was nothing keeping me officially tied to any particular place (at least once my lease ended). No classes, no jobs. Seeing as I was on the cusp of a new beginning, one might imagine there was good reason to pack my bags and head somewhere else.

And yet, I made the decision to remain in Chicago. Once I realized that this was what I had really wanted all along (and meant more to me than the plans I originally had made), making this decision was liberating and exciting. In many ways, I felt as if I was moving here all over again, and that my life was, yet again, soon to be marked by this fresh start. I was here because I wanted to be. Plain and simple. I had, quite mindfully, begun making a life here.*

In the time that has transpired since making that decision, my life in Chicago has certainly reflected a new relationship to this city. No longer attending classes, I now live in a different part of town and have new favorite restaurants and cafes. I frequent different bus routes (in fact, I have seen more of Chicago in the last six months than ever before). I now start my runs on the northern half of the lakefront  trail, and enjoy winding around the parks near my apartment (although south-side runners are decidedly friendlier). I volunteer for a few local organizations whose work I dig. I’ve made new friends and acquired new roommates (which is not to say that I don’t miss my original ones! 5513 4-ever!).

Of course, I gleefully watched the O’s beat the Sox when Baltimore came to town earlier this summer. But I am happy here, and I am grateful for what moving away from Maryland has brought into my life. Most of all, I am glad to now have more than a few very good reasons to maintain my Chicago residency — and keep exploring this fine city I’ve made my home.

——–

*This would not be possible without the support of my family, to whom I remain so so indebted.

years that ask questions and years that answer

It has been quite some time.

The truth is, like my last post suggests, I seemed to have slipped into a bit of a rut this winter. Winter in Chicago is a long, dreary, dreadful crucible, and for the first time in three years, I fear it got the best of me.

There are several reasons for this, the majority of which don’t really merit enumeration. But, like the title of this post suggests (which is taken from Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God), much of 2009 and a bit of 2010 was spent wondering when things would begin to fall into place…however it was that they were meant to fall.

This is not to say that there were not people or events that helped make those months bearable. Indeed, there were truly fabulous things that happened–birthday celebrations (I think Joliet is still recovering), exciting new plans for roommates and friends, running my fourth marathon, visits from family, a dear friendship that blossomed into a delightfully sweet partnership. Hell, I even got a library card! I am grateful for the things and people in my life who make even gloomy days seem a little brighter.

Through this past winter and spring (in Chicago, those two seasons blend together in a really frustrating way), there was, of course, baking. I used up the last frozen reserves of the apple pie filling I made back in the fall. I made cookies. Brownies. Celebratory cupcakes. A carrot cake-like version of my stud muffin zucchini loaf. Banana bread (with a chocolate ganache ribbon through the center!). But I just wasn’t feeling very inspired–at least not inspired enough to write about my experiences.

But seasons change, life muddles on, and, like Ms. Hurston writes, answers really do start trickling in. And here I am, sweating in my hot little apartment, enjoying the hell out of summertime in Chicago, and happier than I’ve been in oh so long.

Best of all, I feel creative and inspired again! I’ve really been meaning to get back to baking bread regularly–I’d like to challenge myself to maintaining a consistent project…something like weekly baguettes, just to really get my technique down. I’ve also wanted to create my own starter, and see how much more nuanced a flavor I can get in my loaves. Likewise, a nice sourdough seems like a good project.

And, of course, summer means fresh fruit and vegetables! Pies and tarts and crumbles and all sorts of delicious treats. Summer also calls for impromptu cookouts, seasonal celebrations and lazy afternoons full of food and friends. It’s about time I get started, no?