lemonade vodka spritzer with basil

give me meatloaf

Happy weekend everybody! I wanted to throw this super easy cocktail up on the blog before the weekend kicks into high gear. Summer is about to get crazy busy for us – in all the fun, beer-y, sunshine-y, summer-lovin’ kind of ways. It’s Pride Parade weekend in Chicago, so we’ve got a lot of parties to attend and celebrating to do. Then next weekend we’ll be hitting Ribfest (my holy day), followed by 4th of July BBQ’s, a family summer wedding shindig, some camping and so on.

I’m usually kind of a homebody, so I’m trying to sign up to get out more, accept invites and take advantage of my beautiful Chicago in the summer. I’ll keep you posted if I succeed, or if I just end up rearranging my sock drawer while watching my British mysteries. 😀

On another note, I promise – the drink is coming right up…

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travel blog: edinburgh, scotland

give me meatloaf

Alright party people – I’m back! I took a little hiatus from blogging and during that time we went on a European adventure that was fan-freaking-tastic. We visited Edinburgh, Islay + Glasgow in Scotland with our friends Dana + Shane and then Dave and I ended the trip with a long and lovely weekend in London to celebrate Sir Dave’s birthday.

The scenery, the food, the whiskey, and all the incredibly kind folks we talked to made this trip one to remember. I’m pretty sure I got more hugs from strangers on this trip than anywhere else I have ever visited – and not, like, in a creepy way either. 😀 Everyone was so welcoming.

So let’s get on with it, shall we? We’re hitting Edinburgh with this first blog post and my other city visits will be coming up next – but I’ve also got a ton of recipes…

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Coney Island Mermaid Parade

SNYC Tours

I’m just starting to go through and upload my photos from the Coney Island Mermaid Parade. This is my 10th year of shooting and it was one of the best. It is so much fun. Street photography is always about humanity and the Mermaid Parade is the coolest parade in NYC and a whole lotta fun. This is number 1, the first and only processed yet! – 17 June 2017.

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Chilled Delicately Spiced Watermelon Soup

It’s a sweltering 31 degrees today here in London, hotter than LA, Dallas and Bahamas and New York. I’m not complaining, although if I’m honest I wish we had a sea breeze keeping us cool, wouldn’t that be just perfect.  Thankfully I picked up a giant watermelon over the weekend (my pal took half as it was SO gigantic) so have been eating it in all manner of guises ever since.

As well as being so visually stunning watermelon is perfect for hot weather, due to its largely watery, cooling consistency. I wanted to make a savoury chilled soup that was delicately spiced and balanced sweet and savoury, not just sweet. I think I have managed it so would love you to try my recipe. Eat it as you would a chilled gazpacho, although the flavour of this is very different from anything you have probably tried before. It has…

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‘Black Panther’ Unveils Its First Poster And There’s A Trailer Coming Tonight — Real Stories – UPROXX

Marvel Ever since Black Panther’s awesome debut in Captain America: Civil War, fans have been waiting to see what the Ryan Coogler-directed solo adventure starring T’Challa would look like. Now, Marvel’s finally dropping a few hints, the first in the form of the movie’s first poster. Marvel debuted the poster with a new tweet, as…

via ‘Black Panther’ Unveils Its First Poster And There’s A Trailer Coming Tonight — Real Stories – UPROXX

Summer Purslane & Asparagus Quiche

Looks yummy and is simple to do

La Cuisine d'Eli

This might just be the creamiest, tastiest quiche I’ve ever made or eaten. More about that soon, but first a little ramble about plants.

For my  birthday, last month, Pim gave me a whole family of succulents, in different colours, shapes and sizes. Having plants around purportedly makes people happier, healthier and less stressed. I haven’t taken the time to monitor my blood pressure or cholesterol levels before and after getting them, so I can’t officially confirm any physical health claims, but I definitely do feel a little jolt of happiness every time I glance over at my window sill. I sometimes dream of having a slightly bigger apartment, which I could then fill entirely with plants. Would that make me a crazy plant lady? Considering I have named all my current plants, it probably would. At the same time, I also dream of having several cats, so it could…

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Tory “Dementia Tax” chaos: May hits self-destruct

Ramblings of an Ordinary Man

The mask has finally fallen from Theresa May’s face. In truth it had been dangling precariously for weeks now. However the complete chaos surrounding the release of the Tory manifesto and the botched attempt to roll back from her flagship policy, the “dementia tax,” reveals once and for all an utterly shambolic leader, devoid of principle and lurching from one crisis to another.

The eventual release of the Tory manifesto turned out to be an unmitigated disaster. In it was a promise to make the elderly pay for their care by forfeiting their children’s inheritance. Radio phone-in shows have been bombarded by angry voters, calling in to complain. Even the Tory Bow Group described it as the biggest stealth tax in British history. To add insult to injury, The Spectator declared that people earning under £85,000 per year would be better off under Labour.

Lynton Crosby’s decision to turn…

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