Good Reads

These bags made me laugh.

Interview with Maurice Sendak on The Colbert Report.

Directory of all active photobooths in Chicago.

Teensy Obamas for your terrarium.

Baby Otter at the Shedd Aquarium.

McDonald's in France adapts to French eating habits.

Coconut Rice with Winter Squash

Most nights I'm just too tired to cook anything other than something from Trader Joe's. But on Monday, I made this rice dish with butternut squash and edamame. I'm such a slow poke when it comes to cooking, so it took me about an hour to prepare but tasted delicious!

Weekend snapshots

I've been suffering all week from a nasty cold but still managed to have a pretty great weekend. After subjecting Christine to my grumpy mood on Friday night at our Julius Meinl gig, I think I redeemed myself Saturday night when we went to the Chicago Blues and Bluegrass festival. We had dinner at Yuzu Sushi, checked out the CBB festival, and had dessert at Bleeding Heart Bakery.

On Sunday, Bonnie and I met up at the Lululemon warehouse sale in Rosemont. There wasn't much left in our size and we couldn't quite figure out how everyone around us seemed to have their arms full of products but we were happy to score a great deal on a couple hoodies. After the sale, we had breakfast for dinner at Denny's for the low price of $4...huzzah!

Tweet

Talitha and I ventured to Uptown on Monday for breakfast at Tweet. Inside the vintage art deco building, we found cozy booths, art filled walls, and sweet tea sets. We ordered traditional Danish donuts, called Dansk Ableskiver and corn pancakes topped with eggs, avocado, and cilantro with a side of chorizo and black beans. It was the perfect way to start off the week!

Lazy Weekend

 The cold temps and wintry weather sent me into hibernation mode this weekend. I lounged around the apartment and watched Friday Night Lights on Netflix, baked banana bread, and created a new blog for my violin students. I did manange to venture out a couple times to go to the gym, grab lunch at Budacki's Drive In and meet Megan for brunch at Cafe Selmarie. It was just what I needed before a busy week and weekend ahead.

Hello, Winter + Good Reads, travel edition

Patterns From Above: Amazing aerial photography.

Dreamy weekend home in Portugal.

I'd love to stay in one of these apartments while vacationing in Paris.

11 Artsy Maps.

This blogger's photographs have me dreaming of Europe.

and...

Thank you, Etta.

Let's go to the movies

One of my 2012 goals is to go to the movies more often. Four films on my list: Hugo, The Artist, Melancholia, and Young Adult. Have you seen any good movies lately?

*Images via Rotten Tomatoes