Big Sweet Tooth

Off-Grid Living is a Funny, Funny Thing...

Really, what I want to say is that remote, off-grid, alternative living is complicated and confusing as hell.  The easy part is picking out where to travel to.  Anywhere that is reachable by vehicle is fair game...warmer climates especially (re: the whole of Central America).  The hard part is setting your little rig up right.  There are so many elements to contend with:  solar panels (how many watts do you need), how many amp hours do you need (huh?), battery banks (which type are best), inverters (don't even get me going), propane (how the hell do you refill the tank), leveling the mama out on hilly terrain, what color to paint the walls, storage/storage/storage, should I do bamboo  shades or cute little curtains, DC and 110 power (one more time, which is which?), and on and on.  The reason to undertake the rigging of a supremely vintage travel trailer or a classic good old boat (which I'm about to figure out next week in the BVI's) has to be for the MAD, MAD challenge of it all.  When I can walk away from either of those little beasts, knowing that I can RUN power off the sun and can literally set up shop anywhere I feel safe with a lovely vista, well then consider it a job well done.  If I can make it work on the boat, I know I can make it work on Yachtita.  It's just gonna take a little time.  But first, tomorrow I paint the inside.  Then, much like the boat, there are cushions to cover, shelves to install, water tanks to clean (though I got a head start on that today), etc....I'll be like mountain man before you know it--catching fish and skinning wild animals for the warmth of their fur.  Good Christ~~

For the Love of Lula {From The Raving Dish}

Since I moved to East Rogers Park last year, rarely do I stray farther than a mile or so from LSD. Life on the lake is a little more relaxed, a smidge more low-key and definitely a whole lot more fun. But, sometimes I get a hankering for a new exploration, one that isn't all about Latin American food, windy days and lime-tinged cuba libres. In essence, I'm looking for the urban part of Chicago, not the one that is so stunningly beautiful it almost pierces my eyes each time I walk out the front door and see the crazy blue of Lake Michigan. It's during those moments when I crave the creative, old-school side of Chicago that I head over to Logan Square. To me, its environs feel like the working man's version of Wicker Park, an area that became a little too trendy for its own good.

Which brings me to Lula Cafe; I've only eaten there twice, and the first time I went, I slugged one too many beakers of rum and couldn't really remember much about the packed house, except that my waiter had a too-cool-for-school attitude. Always willing to give a place another go, though, I recently headed back with my bud Brad on a brilliant sunshine-splashed afternoon for a tipple of liquor and some feel-good food.

The Road Home

 

Ahhhh, just a few hundred miles 'til I am home in TN with my little Yachtita.  Yah, I've been MAD sick, but so what....being on such a long trip has just given me time to think about all the things I want to do to the trailer (various upgrades, solar panels, stocking her for C. America, etc...).  And, seriously  how funny is it that I now seem to roll with the truckers?  They give me right of way always, I park where they park, I crawl in back of my rig to go to sleep...it just makes me laugh when I think about how quick life flips on a dime.  One day I'm sailing on choppy Lake Michigan, the next I'm trippin' down a backroads highway in Arkansas making small talk with truckers about solar power. Life just seems to get quirkier every day, no? 

Clearly, The Time Is NOW Not 30 Years From Now!

Here is what I've noticed most about life on the make--be it via sailing vessel, trailer, backpacking, whatever--most of the folks that are out here actually "livin' the good life" are older and/or retired.  That does not make sense to me at all.  Why would I waste the prime of my youth/life working some baloney job just so I can be happy and finally feel alive when I retire at 65?  Are you kiddin' me?  Heck at the rate I'm going, by then--my body will most likely be shot to hell, my mind on the fringe of being erased, and my heart black as coal (almost there now, almost...).  I think the time to do all this stuff (sail off into the sunset, travel through remote backcountry, volunteer 'til I can give no more, learn a new language, cruise around Central America in a vintage travel trailer, produce Pilates/Volunteer retreats in awe-inspiring foreign countries, etc...) is RIGHT NOW> While I still have my mad energy, my wacky (though often brilliant) ideas, my pure intentions, and my happy-go-lucky roaming nature.  I can always to back to work whenever I want (and truth be told, I never stop working anyway).  I just don't do traditional work...instead I create all these little opportunities based on my current set of interests and make that exact scenario my so called "job."  Crazy as it seems, it all works out perfectly in my mind and slings me one step closer to complete and utter off-the-grid freedom.  Isn't that what life should be all about?  A collection of tiny, sometimes vague elements that make your mind/heart/soul soar?  You tell me.

Yachtita Makes Her Debut~

I finally made it to Colorado to get my little '67 trailer.  Words can't even describe how cute this little monkey is and I can't even imagine how much fun I'm gonna have taking her through Central America.  I'm currently hauling this 1500 lb. mini beast through the mountains of NewMexico on my way home and am stone exhausted with a full blown cold/flu. Go figure...I believe it came down the day I took the boat out of the water earlier in the week and now I'm paying the piper.  No worries, though...nothing can detract from the straight up beautiful scenery, especially in New Mexico. I'm truly loving every minute of it and will spell out more details in the coming days~

Free N Easy Comes Out of the Water...Summer is OVER~

The early morning definitely started off calm, cool and collected.  But, by 2:00 pm when Lis and I arrived down at Crawley's Yacht Yard on the deep south side, it was dead hectic out on the water.  Ahhh, but we made it!  After tying down the dinghy on the bow, we delivered my little C & C sailboat to her winter home in record time (at least for me)--and we were hauling ass the entire way (seriously, we were never under 5.5 knots...more like 6.8).  There was (per usual) a small craft warning on Lake Michigan--only two other sailboats were out with us--and by the end of the journey the swells were feeling like the high seas.  We had a ball, though and I am now straight depressed that the sailing season is over.  Thank god for my upcoming travels...especially the one to the BVI to check out another boat.  It's in my blood, eh?

When I Crave Rice and an Escape to the Middle East...to The Afghan Restaurant I Head~

I am probably the last person in the universe to have read The Kite Runner, but I finally finished it.  Bawled a hundred times, too.  There was something so tragically painful about the way Afghanistan was presented in today's modern day vs. how it was before the war.  But, what shot out at me from the pages were the short passages about Afghan food--which did nothing but remind me about a favorite hole-in-the-wall here in Chicago, The Afghan Restaurant (2818 W. Devon). I've raved about this family owned restaurant a million times before, and today might just be the day to head back over there for some tasty treats.  Everything on the menu is cheap, slow-cooked, traditional & authentic, tender-to-the-bone, and straight up mouthwatering.  If you've never had Afghan food, it's a bit like Indian, but much more flavorful and exotic....think beautiful Persian bounty.

British Virgin Islands Are a Sailor's Paradise, eh?

I think that Montrose Harbor is the most beautiful harbor in Chicago and I just got so lucky this year to have my boat there (star dock).  Usually you end up with a bouy down at Monroe, but somehow the God's were shining on me and I ended up at Montrose, just a few minutes from my place.  Monday is the day the boat comes out of the water (yikes) and goes on the hard for SEVEN months.  What a full catastrophe!  But, I'm  blazing on and on for the hunt for a new vessel--one already located in warm, tropical weather.  After my trip to the BVI's in a few weeks to look at a 36' Cabo Rico, well..you just never know what will happen.  Those are the sort of last minute, just-feels-right trips that spurn full life changes, you know?  Here is a lovely photo of the BVI's, the playground for the new boat I'm checking out.  I mean, I love Montrose, but man....this is some primo stomping grounds (see pix below).  Could you imagine taking some time (lots of it) off and just cruising in these waters?

Happy Days Abound~

Just some perfect little things that are making me happy right now:

1.  A few gifts I just got today from a lovely woman who has met me just once--a rad toilet paper holder for my little vintage travel trailer I'm going to pick up next week in Colorado and a very handy, very sporty headlamp.  I mean, only a true explorer would know that those two gifts are straight GOLD to someone like me.

2.  Newleaf Grocery (in East Rogers Park)--I am hooked on their $15 farm share.  Seems like too little dough to pay for all kinds of local fruits and veggies every week.  I made a rockin' wild dandelion green with goat cheese bruschetta this past weekend that was a major hit.

3.  These crazy summer days--even though a tornado warning is on tap for tonight, this is some seriously great weather.  Makes me want sunshine hitting my face all the time.

4.  It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (Thursday's on FX)--literally the most hysterical show to hit the airwaves since Arrested Development and the original of The Office.

5.  Money.com--it's my login page and keeps track of all the headline news for my stocks. So savvy and clever. 

6.  The very fact that I've still got tomatoes, green peppers and cukes still sprouting on my plants on the deck.  Just the miracle beyond miracles.

This Is Really Chicago~

Pretty crazy to think that this image was taken just a few steps from my front door.  My building cradles a tiny private beach and with the weather being in top form these past few weeks, I'm still amazed to walk out, look right and boom...see a sailboat just floating by.  I'm on my way to the Carib in a few weeks to check out a slightly bigger boat than the one I have (not that I don't love my C & C but I'm having a real hard time accepting the fact that I can only sail 5 months out of the year here in Chi)-- and I just have a feeling that once I get there, I'm not going to want to return to the cold.  Thankfully, Indo is on the horizon and I'll be in mad heat for a month. In the meantime, I've got my boat in the water 'til Monday and I've always got my view.

The Middle Eastern Champ of All Champs--Cedar Grill {From The Raving Dish}

What is it with Middle Eastern restaurants and their pizzazz with chicken? It seems that no matter which of these eateries I happen upon, the chicken is always on fire, tasting like the most succulent piece of meat ever. But that being said, I may have found the granddaddy of all fast food-style Middle Eastern joints. In fact, I'm quite positive that Cedar Grill (5657 N. Lincoln Ave.) is my new favorite, the one I'll be daydreaming about when all I have in the fridge is an apple and peanut butter.

A little secret I stumbled across as I was cruising down North Clark, this jewel caught my eye when I spied a giant hookah in a dusty window; that was all it took to pique my interest. I wasn't sure if the place was abandoned (it just seemed so barren from the outside), but I immediately flipped my truck around and grabbed a primo spot directly out front, so I could get a little closer view. After noticing a handful of people inside at the long counter cradling the open kitchen, I wandered in, grabbed a menu and set to ordering.

Sand = A Proper Souvenir

I'm not a souvenir person at all.  Rarely do I return with anything from my travels except a full journal, a million pictures and maybe a small painting or kitchen tool.  What I do return with however is a small plastic bag of the local beaches sand. When I get home, I place the sand in a small glass jar, label it and add it to my collection.  I find it absolutely fascinating that sand can have so many hues pending on what part of the world I'm in.  The whitest sand EVER I picked up on a tiny atoll called Sandbanks Island in Zanzibar. I's sailed out to the tiny speck to go snorkeling and have a lobster BBQ on the beach; and the blackest sand I've come across has come from the coast of Seminyak, Bali.  Some days when the sky is grey and the wind is rattling my windows, I just stand and gaze at the row of sand on my fireplace mantle and conjure up all my travel tales, especially the food.  I guess it all goes back to food in the end.
*Interestingly enough, I'm headed to the BVI (St. John and Tortola) in a few weeks to look at a sailboat there--I've never been to that part of the Carib, so I'm excited to see what kind of sand I can haul home~and what kind of local treats I can stumble upon.

Tickie's Belizean Restaurant {From this weeks Time Out Chicago}

Save this restaurant
Tickie’s Belizean Restaurant

The world must seem like a cuckoo place for a homeless man named Malcolm. He lives on the streets, but he’s got a popular dish named after him at Tickie’s Belizean Restaurant. How did that happen? “We never want anyone to go hungry,” says Clardia Young, who runs the joint with her husband, Hubert (nicknamed Tickie). “So we’d give Malcolm a little bowl of meat, rice and sauce. And when the local kids, who only have a few dollars, saw him eating it, he’d tell them to go to Tickie’s and ask for the Malcolm Bowl.”

The restaurant’s been open for ten years, but business has slowed due to the never-ending construction on Howard Street, which discourages diners from even getting to Tickie’s homespun food. “There’s no shortcut in Belizean cooking,” Clardia says. “Every dish starts from scratch.” The budget-friendly menu is peppered with habanero-tinged dishes, including fiery chicken, spoon-soft beef and rich braised oxtail.

Just as it would be in the Youngs’ home, each dish arrives with a pile of rice, soupy beans, chunky potato salad and sugary curls of fried plantains. It’s a substantial spread, but not enough to deter us from also ordering every appetizer on offer. With apps less than $3 apiece, you could make a meal of the conch fritters, chicken tamales and deep-fried cornmeal patties stuffed with ground fish, called panades. In fact, the Youngs hope you do.

7605 N Paulina St at Howard St (773-973-3919). El: Red to Howard. Bus: 22 Clark (24hrs), 215 Howard. Breakfast, lunch, dinner. Average main course: $7.

— Misty Tosh

Shrimp Ceviche at Sabor Michoacan in E. Rogers Park

The best ceviche I've ever tasted was in the tiny fishing village of Yelapa, Mexico.  I've been there three times and I'd have the ceviche pretty much every day (along with copious amounts of margaritas).  Since then, I've not found any that compares in the least to the sort that Hotel Lagunita dished out...until I stumbled upon Sabor Michoacan.  It's a relatively new, family-owned Mexican restaurant in the heart of East Rogers Park and they have this incredible shrimp ceviche tostada for $2.75 that literally evoked memories of Mexico and the pura vida I fell in love with while there.  It's a perfect combo of shrimp, lime, cilantro, onions, peppers all piled high on a crisp tostada slathered in some sort of mayo concoction.  There is no finer (or cheaper) in Chi~

Where Have You Been? Turns Out NOWHERE!!

It's really bizarre, sometimes I'll hook in with a fellow traveler and find myself caught up in spinning tales about places I've been, things I've done, explorations that have unfolded and I think man, compared to anyone I know, I have traveled a boatload.  I'll be chatting it up about charred octopus in Greece, an apartment switch in Spain, a backpacking journey through Switzerland, a TV show in Nicaragua, a volcano trek in Bali, snorkeling in Zanzibar and on and on, you know...just thinking I've been somewhere. Then, I found this little interactive map online--and after I plugged in the countries I've been to, well...its looking like I've not been a damn place (of course, this does not include the handful of countries I've only done plane switches in).  I'm gonna have to fix that straight away, but it's tough because I keep scouting out all these magical places and just want to return to them:  Bali, S. Africa, Baja...it's a hard, hard game this travel bug.  The world is just a mighty big, mighty lovely place.

Back on the Boat~

All day, I did nothing but lay in the sun on the boat.  How is that sort of time to be beat?
Once again, it freaks me out to take the boat out because it's been such an escape for me.  I really spent some time these past few days exploring the intricacies of my Garmin GPS (the incredible 545s).  I was plotting trips left and right from here to Panama and it was breathtaking (and empowering) to be able to zoom all the way in on the Bahama's and get that satellite view.  Makes me want to blow out of here all the more.  Well, I'm still planning the Indo trip (coming up in early Nov.) and the Central America trip (coming up in early Jan.) but man....it always swings back to the boat somehow.  Stay tuned for updates on that late Summer 2008 adventure.  I mean, wow....who has time for work?  Seriously.

Think or Swim (.com): Online Trading Made Easy

So, recently I've been dabbling in some stocks.  Very conservative stuff for the most part.  But, I've actually made over 1/5 of my money back which is pretty amazing and it only took a few months.  Now, I know investing is a very intimidating world, but I did loads of research and determined that thinkorswim.com was the best online trading setup for me.  Low fees, easy to use interface, real customer service based in Chicago...it all adds up to a great tool.   For the novice, what I did was this:  I tracked about 12 stocks that I'd researched for a few months, noting highs and lows, then I bought the ones that performed best (two of them).  Simple as that.  Now, I can feel myself getting a little crazy with it (one took a massive nosedive last week and I almost sold it all in a dead panic, but ah, the power of a Friday afternoon rebound...).  I just bought a few more stocks (diversifying a little) and I'm real interested to see what the market does with them this week.  It's such a fascinating sport--and addictive to say the least.  If you want to invest in some stocks and make some pretty decent dinero, do like I did, go green.  That's my tip for the week!
*In sadder news, you won't see me diving off the boat again til next summer, since the boat comes out in a few weeks.  Pure tragedy.  Think or swim.  Think or swim.  Think or swim.

Yea, That's Right...Sometimes I Cook At HOME~~

I know it may seem like I eat out every single meal every day of the week, but it's just not so.  There are times when I cook up something in my own kitchen (many times, I'm churning out stuff that's better than I can get at a restaurant anyway--well, not my fave ethnic places, but you know...).  I sometimes make buttery soft biscuits, over-medium fried eggs and homemade sausage gravy; other times its a big fat pot of Ecuadorian potato stew with slices of soft avocado on top; sometimes I'm craving pasta and whip up some noodles (usually gluten free) and toss in a bit of cheese, a splash of heavy cream, a hunk of real butter and BAM!  I've got mac and cheese (more often than not a rip of thyme
and some fresh tomatoes go into my final bowl); hearty veggie chili sometimes shows face; lots of thick Greek yogurt and honey is consumed and I mean LOTS...well, you get the drift.  So you can see, some of my meals are made at home, all with great excitement and it's good to know I'm not just some eating machine that takes down every restaurant I come across in a wild stuff-my-face frenzy.  Well, I don't know, maybe I am.  I guess I'm just hungry all the time. Ahhh, a pattern has emerged--clearly I favor comfort food.  What to do with this knowledge, what to do.....

Sailing Season is Almost Over in Chicago...YIKES!

The horrifying countdown is on...come the end of the month, my sailboat comes out of the water.  And, it doesn't go back in until next May.  I'm not really digging the very idea of it--I mean, 7 months, Chicago?? Of course, it has prompted MAD research involving warmer climes.  I find a place and it's all--Move there?  Just get a boat there?  LA?  Mexico?  RTW trip instead?  Sell it all?  Keep it and just leave for the winter?  The  trying to figure it out part is extremely exciting, though.  God, the choices are so vast and its enough to drive a gal straight to bed.  First lemme get through Indo, then PURE Pilates Retreat, then the Central America Oddysey...then I can assess. Oh, and as for the countdown...I'm at 23 days and counting...Hasta pronto!

Salam: Falafel Pita and Upside Down

Chicago is nothing if not a treasure trove of amazing ethnic goodies.  I rarely eat in the restaurants that everyone else flocks to...instead I'm scoping the tiniest back alley/strip mall/hole-in-the-wall I can find.  And you know what, almost every single time, they're total gems.  Take in case Salam (4636 N. Kedzie Ave.), a Middle Eastern restaurant in the Albany Park area (see Ramadan article below).  Due to its off kilter location you'd never think to stop in but I'm telling you, I had the BEST falafel pita there and while I was waiting on my dessert to come out (it was busy being made in the back kitchen and not just readily available), the friendly fella running the FOH brought me over some delicious salty cheese on a warm pita and some hot tea.  What a gracious guy!  Then, as I'm finishing up my dessert, the cook and the waiter were just tucking into their lunch and from across the room, they saw me gazing at it...and out of nowhere, they demanded that I come and take the first bite of their dish, the special of the day---it was called upside down and was a delightful mash of fried cauliflower and potatoes..which I gladly moseyed on over and tasted pronto!  Again, delicious.  I mean, would that happen at Otom (no offense)?  I must have Feed Me stamped on my forehead and not know it~

PURE Pilates Retreat--Isla Mujeres, Mexico 2008

Good news!  Just when you are ready to slaughter yourself and everyone around you (in the dead of Chicago winter), you now have an opportunity to go on a fantastic pilates retreat in Mexico.  It's from Feb. 12-17, 2008 on my favorite little island, Isla Mujeres and there are only a few rooms left.  Think:  2 Pilate's sessions per day, a cooking workshop, snorkeling excursions and best of all, we'll be volunteering at two different needy organizations on the island.  Plus, there is a learn-to-ride-a-moped session (you know you wanna try).  All details can be found here.

Il Fiasco's Pizza & Baby Carafes of Vino {From The Raving Dish}

There comes a time in a woman's life when pizza is the only thing that'll do. Not Mexican. Not Asian. And God forbid any Indian show face. No, it's only pizza that my soul is lamenting over, and it's certainly not that gooey, Chicago-style pizza that everyone loves to rave about (and that which also graces the cover of the October issue of Saveur). My belly cries only for the delicate Italian job of a super-thin crust, splashed with a few light ingredients and then quickly blistered in a wood-burning oven (preferably one I can see from the dining room). Seems the city has become populated with restaurants that serve up pizza just like this, but I find Il Fiasco's version to be unfailing (re: not soggy one day, crisp the next).