I dumped ten roughly chopped jalapenos and one #10 can of crushed tomatoes into a hotel pan of brown rice for 200 when an ominous electrical shock shot through my backside in the form of an email. It was from my neighbor and president of my condo association. “Hi Brooks, Please give me a call…
44. Korean BBQ Bonding
Another desiccated Friday night. Walking down Damen, passed Big Star and the Double Door, was a cruel stroll — people packed bars and clubs looking ahead to a night of possibilities. It was a reminder that I’d turned my back on a bubbling social life. I slowly swept away those possibilities over the last few…
43. Fundraiser Fatigue
I set my alarm for an ungodly hour for a Saturday. I had to make a last minute trip to the grocery store and tie up any other loose ends for Brenda’s fundraiser. My experience from the previous year’s fundraiser proved that anything that I needed to take care of that day would take me…
42. Humbling Hummus
Humbling Hummus The mental energy it took to plan for the following two weeks was almost as exhausting as physical energy it would take to carry out my upcoming tasks. Preparing for the fundraiser consumed almost all of my free time and what was leftover was reserved for marathon training. I had to come up…
41. Magnanimous Meyer Lemon Cake
Marty picked me up at noon. I wore a black and white polka dotted dress and black heels that were cute but didn’t feel good to wear. “You look nice,” he said, surprised, as I climbed into the passenger side of his car. “Thank you,” I smiled. I wasn’t sure if I’d ever worn a…
40. Substantiating Salmon
The sun was rising earlier and setting later, making it easier to develop a running routine, but nudging Marty to hit the pavement as hard as I needed him to was still my biggest challenge. Marty would retreat at any signs of aggressive spring chills and sudden wet explosions unleashed from the celestial sphere, but…
39. Distressing Dip
Marathon training was ramping up and Marty made a request to start eating better. With that in mind, on our next scheduled run, I arrived at his house armed with spinach and kale dip that was inspired by something that I got from Trader Joe’s. We could eat it as a post-run snack rather than…
38. Doubtful Dash
I forgot about the marathon as soon as it was mentioned, but the seed was planted in my head and it sprouted when I heard something on the news about a computer glitch that would delay Chicago Marathon registration, irritating runners near and far. Delayed registration meant that I still had a chance at getting…
37. Hangover Breakfast, Minus the Hangover
Finding ways to be social without booze felt…. impossible. I tried meeting friends for coffee before they went out drinking, but that left me with the hours of 8 to 11pm to hang out on my couch indiscriminately watching television. It was embarrassing how caught up I was on all my TV-watching. It was sad….
36. New Beginning Brioche
Still aglow from my Valentine’s Day, I jetted off that weekend to visit my cousin and her new baby in San Francisco. Though we’re all rooted on the East Coast, three of my closest cousins somehow landed in California. It seemed I was the only one in the midwest.. How they all got there was…
Awkward Sauce 