Tobouli Or Notbouli, That Is The Question

Yet another thing I've been meaning to post. A few months ago, some friends of ours, the Ross's, had me over for dinner and made Tabouli. Or rather, I should say, Erin made Tabouli. (I've edited out the joke I wanted to make here in an attempt to preserve this friendship; that and Fernanda would hurt me if I made fun of our friends. She may be small but she wields a mean metal spatula, and I mean mean...mean mean mean).

Anyways, her Tabouli was awesome and as I had been looking for a recipe for a few years (read Coming Out Of The Pantry if you haven't already and that last part might make a little more sense) and she was kind enough to pass it along to me. So, without further attempts at lame jokes, here it is:

1/2 box couscous cooked in chicken stock, salt, pepper, thyme, lemon zest. Cool to room temp. (I don't really measure my herbs and spices so you'll have to experiment to get it where you like it. I also just zest the lemon with a veggie peeler so they're like thick ribbons. I remove it and discard it before I fluff the couscous.)

Add 1/2 lemon juiced

1 medium tomato

1 small green pepper or half of a large one

1/2 cucumber

1/2 can of chick peas rinsed and drained

1/3 cup diced red onion (you could probably use scallions and it would be just as good.)

1/4 cup diced fresh parsley

1/3 cup feta cheese

I mix it all well then drizzle extra virgin olive oil over the top to taste.

Mix again then add more salt and pepper as needed.

A few notes on how I have used this recipe: the lemon zest I use is pretty fine so I just leave it in. Also, I've made this without the chick peas and both ways taste great. Lastly, I'll add a little more lemon juice or mix it or switch it with lime juice and it comes out fine.

Thanks again Erin and to everyone who tries this "bil haná wal shifá".

Kuma? What's a Kuma?

I have been meaning to blog about this place forever. Kuma's Corner is a Bar/Restaruant located in Northern Chicago. We first went there about 9 months ago with some friends of Fernanda and when we arrived I wasn't very impressed. First, we waited 2.5 to 3 hours for our table. That is in no way an exaggeration. The reasons for this were pretty simple: it was dinner time so there were a lot of people and there isn't a very large dining area so seating was limited. Second, it is a heavy metal bar. The "music" was ear-splittingly loud and some of the decorations were, umm, interesting. However, these were easily offset by three things: the service was awesome, the prices are cheap, and the food is absolutely incredible. They serve gourmet burgers (each named after a heavy metal band) and they were well worth the wait.

We went back about a month ago during lunch time and the wait was significantly shorter (in fact I don't think we had to wait at all) and the music was at a much more tolerable level (ie I could hear the person sitting next to me). One of their other main menu draws is their Make Your Own Mac & Cheese. I ordered this and it was huge and delicious. Plus, again, the servers were very pleasant.

So, while I don't recommend this place for the faint of heart (or pretty much dinner time unless you get there early), check out their website and pass-by if you're in the area (and when I say area I mean within two states of Illinois). You'll find the food well worth the trip.

Enjoy!
http://www.kumas-corner.com/index.php

I'll Show You Whats In A Name!

Although its been over a month since we came back, I still haven't finished writing about our trip over spring break. Call me lazy, call me unimaginative, call me inept. Just don't call me Bob cause...that's not my name.

The best part of our trip was our visit to Key West, Florida; also known as the Conch Republic after their secession and war with the US (with all the randomness I post here, this fact is actually true. Go figure.). The sun was shining, the weather was hot, and my chocolate-covered key lime-sicle was dripping on my shirt. What more could you ask for?

The island was nice and quaint and the people were pretty friendly. Although, a few were a bit "aggressive" in their approach. But once we straightened a few things out, Captain Hemming here was pretty cool.

The island wasn't very big but we decided to shell out for a trolley tour which saved us from wandering about and tiring ourselves out. Here we stopped for a picture at the southernmost point in the US. Although, technically that spot would be behind the giant cone-thing but that would have blocked us from the shot.
The restaurant pictured here was cool. Hemingway apparently used to torture his liver here and we had some good food. The atmosphere was pretty lively and we enjoyed it. Notwithstanding this, I've agreed to serve as a regional representative for the Committee For The Advancement And Promotion Of World Wide Joes (or CFTAAPOWWJ for short) in a suit against the proprietors of this restaurant. We're suing for slander. I and the majority of Joes represented by our organization happen to be very neat and tidy, thank you very much.

Key West was great. I remember thinking it had a wonderful after-taste (although that could have been the aforementioned -sicle, I can't remember). All-in-all our whole trip was fun, as we visited some interesting places,

and met some cool people. But, mostly, because we got to spend some great time together.

And if you don't believe me, just ask Bob.

Guacamole: Such A Pretty Name

So its only taken me a month but I'm finally going to post one of our recipes. As for the delay, I came out of the pantry only to realize I forgot something, so I had to go back in. Got a little lost.

Guacamole de Fernada Sanchez della Virgen de Guadalupe de Oscar Ramirez

Santiago de Arroyo

(In case you fail to see the comedy, Hispanics are notorious for their long names, hence the long name here. Always the sign of a great joke when you have to explain it.)

• 2 Avocados
• 1/2 tomato (finely chopped)
• 1/3 Cup white onion (finely chopped)
• 1/4 Cup parsley (finely chopped)
• 1/2 lime or lemon
• salt
• hot pepper

Cut the avocado in half and use a spoon to transfer the good stuff (ie the green "meat") to a bowl. With a fork, mash the green "meat" until smooth. Add the tomato, onion, parsely, juice from the lime or lemon, salt (to taste), and whatever kind of hot pepper you like (if you like). Mix.

Not the most complex recipe but its really good. The measurements are kind of arbitrary since I mostly just eyeball it, but they should be a good guide for starters. I use a mini-electric food dicer on the onion and parsley to get really small pieces; big chunks of either of these can overpower the taste. As for the lime or lemon, you may want to add more than just 1/2 depending on how big the fruit is; we used lemon for the first time yesterday and it turned out quite well. The hot pepper is kind of vague I know; we use a dried chili powder mix we got from mexico for a little spice but I think it would be fine without it. The closest equivalent to what we use would be finely chopped dried chilis but you can add your own favorite hot spice with no problem.

Enjoy embracing your inner chef! (Unless he doesn't like that sort of thing. Then just go for a firm handshake.)

I Can See Clearly Now The Rain Is...Nevermind, Its Back

We had a great time on our cruise but the weather left something to be desired. Yeah, I know what you're thinking, "Poor babies! The weather wasn't perfect for your trip to the bahamas! Room service forgot to chill your sprite! A rabid spider ate one of your toes! Give me a break!" I'll agree, we really have nothing to complain about; expect the whole losing-a-toe thing. I think we get a free pass on that one. Anywho, here's a breakdown on what the weather was like on our trip:

While we were technically in Miami for 2 days we were only able to get out for about 4 hours. We had brunch outside in downtown southbeach and managed to avoid getting rained on while we ate. After we finished it poured. It was kind of funny cause we could actually see a wall of water coming towards us and then leave as it passed.

Notice anything odd about this picture in the bahamas? Whoever heard of wearing sweaters and a jacket to "tropical paradise"? And yes, I see the people in the background in shorts and tank-tops! It was cold, I swear.

Our second stop on the cruise was to Cococay; apparently its some island owned by Royal Caribbean. In this picture you can see one of the locals enjoying the weather. See, told you it was cold.

When in Rome... Fernanda is blending in with the natives.On top of it being cold, it was windy. I thought we were back in Chicago. All-in-all a fun trip but the weather was lame in the bahamas. I was expecting it to be blistering hot and was looking forward to it after a cold, frigid, evil, jerk of a winter. On the bright-side, the cold kept the blood-loss down after the spider attack; so, I guess it wasn't all bad.

Crusin' For A Brusin'

Spring Break is a magical time of the year when students celebrate the end of winter and finals by traveling to exotic locations in order to kill brain cells with excessive booze while trying to break the record for the number of STDs contracted in a single week. Fernanda and I decided to break somewhat with this societal tradition and opted instead to just travel to exotic locations. We selected a 5 day/4 night cruise to the Bahamas on Royal Caribbean (we figured the Pritzkers have given so much, it was time to give back to them).

Our point of departure was Miami, FL, where we spent a pleasant but damp weekend (I'll whine more about the weather on our trip in another post). The highlight was visiting my Uncle Bob and his family for Easter Dinner. My Aunt Karen makes a mean corn bread.

The ship, Majesty of the Seas, was pretty nice. As you can see, I was happy with it.

We splurged for a room with a hole, I mean window, and it was nice to have natural sunlight. But I think for a cruise this short it wasn't really worth the extra money.

There were lots of activities on the boat to keep us occupied and help us spend more money. They even had a casino where they taught us to play craps and roulette!

Fernanda took this picture cause she thought it was cute; that still didn't stop her from taking away my wallet afterwards. She wouldn't give it back until the cruise was over. Killjoy. (Note: this has been written purely for comedic effect. I in no way endorse casinos except for their cool bells and flashing lights. Plus, dig that carpet!)

As most people know, cruises are well known for their all-you-can-stuff-down-your-gullet buffets. We were pleased with the general selection and quality of food. Unfortunately, this was all a little marred due to some new FDA regulations arising from the obesity problem in America. In order to ensure passengers are getting enough exercise and aren't eating themselves silly, cruises must now ensure that access to all dining areas is "health-inducing".

Personally I thought this was a bit much, but it could have been worse. I hear Carnival has a full-blown American Gladiator course at the entrance to their dining rooms.

Despite the size of the ship, I was surprised by how much we could feel it move. One great side effect of this was it felt like we were being rocked to sleep every night in bed. Some of the other side-effects weren't as pleasant.

For those of you wondering why there aren't any pictures with Fernanda, here you go. She just wasn't willing to make any of the goofy faces for this blog post.

Killjoy.

Family, Isn't It About...No Bill! Not On The Boat!!!

About a year ago my Grandfather McCammon passed away and when the family got together for his funeral, everyone started sharing these great stories I had never heard before. So, in the interest of preserving my family history, while hopefully strengthening some family ties, I’ve taken it upon myself to try and record some of my family’s stories. For the time being I’ll be posting them here until I can find a more suitable medium. I've decided to focus more on my Granddad since I probably know the least about him and his stories are the freshest in my mind. Here is the first one I've prepared and if you're in my family, be prepared for me to start bugging you for more...

In 1948, my Grandparents, dad (Bill Jr.) and uncle (Bob) were living in Berkeley, CA. Granddad and Grandma were worried about their two sons growing up on the mean streets of Berkeley (in 1948?! Geez, tough town) and decided the family needed an activity to help the family stay together. Camping was out of the question because the High Sierras were just two far away getting there meant traveling mainly on two lane roads which would have made the trip a tad unpleasant.

Having been on a sailboat a grand total of one time in his life, Granddad decided that was the activity for his family and commenced asking around at his office for any help in finding a sailboat. He wound up in Sausalito at a place called Nunes Brothers who built him a 23-foot Bear Boat. It was launched on a clear and calm day to the playing of bagpipes (um, ok?). Unfortunately, Granddad didn’t know how to sail the boat so someone else had to take the helm as they all rode the boat to Richmond where it would be kept.

As the Grandparents stepped onto the boat and marveled at the calm waters, pondering their future boat trips as they worked towards and solidified their family unity, Bill Jr. (my dad) put one foot on the boat and immediately became seasick. So the family gathering was Bill Jr. seasick and everyone else having a good time.

Ultimately, the message we can take home is the importance of family and having activities that can be done together as a family. The Grandparents were all about family and wanted to make sure their family was strong. That is what we can take from them.

This story was told by my Uncle Bob and recorded by my brother Will. My many, many thanks to them for this story and Bob, I hope I didn’t mess up your rendition of this story.