Miles, Menus & Mary: July 2014

A Chicago Rainbow

"God put rainbows in the clouds so that each of us- in the dreariest and most dreaded moments- can see a possibility of hope."

~ Maya Angelou

This quote is easily applicable to the Original Rainbow Cone shop in Beverly, Chicago.

This past Thursday, my friend Conor and I biked from 51st & University (crawling with Secret Service) to 92nd & S Western Ave. The bike ride was through some of the roughest neighborhoods in South Chicago. We were riding during the day and I never felt extremely threatened but it was a definite change in scenery from my usual commute downtown. The chances of becoming a victim in a violent crime for the city of Chicago is 1:99, a bit alarming. Just as I became weary of boarded-up windows, spray-painted graffiti and "No Peddling" signs, we arrived at the oasis of Beverly. After our 9 mi adventure through some of the poorest and crime-ridden neighborhoods in Chicago, there was a golf course, a Michaels craft store and suburban houses. Beverly is home to one of Chicago's oldest ice cream shops, featuring the special Rainbow Cone. The shop, indeed, is an icon of hope amid the poverty-stricken population of South-side Chicago.

The Rainbow Cone features 5 different flavors, layered on top of one another in a cone or dish. The different flavors include: orange sherbet, pistachio, Palmer House, strawberry and chocolate. Although not normally a fan of orange-flavored sherbet, I was pleasantly surprised that the orange sherbet was one of my favorite flavors of the cone. I originally was worried that the different layers would melt together and create an unappetizing, multi-colored ice cream mess. This was not the case, however, so I did not have to taste pistachios in my orange sherbet, etc.

Conor was equally impressed and expressed this sentiment in an eloquent, well-written paragraph that reads:

"Depending on your ice cream eating technique, the initially separate scoops of ice cream blend together to form a unique taste. The Orange Sherbert tends to steal the show, but it's intense citrus flavor contrasts nicely with less intimidating household names like Chocolate and Vanilla. Moreover, my initial skepticism concerning the Pistachio scoop was largely dismissed as competing flavors were able to find their way into every bite. The occasional nut can be found lurking inconspicuously within the ice cream, but I found them to be small enough to swallow whole without chewing, and I recommend this strategy to anyone else who finds pistachios as repulsive as I do. The fact that the pistachios did not ruin my experience at Rainbow Cone is truly a testament to the surrounding flavor."

The Original Rainbow Cone shop is very quaint and colorful and is by far my favorite ice cream shop in Chicago. I love the historical significance of the shop itself and the delicious, unique flavor combination of the Rainbow Cone. I am looking forward to taking another trip there, probably by car this time..

Until next meal,

Mary

The Original Rainbow Cone

Flintstones Vitamins

"Let your food be your medicine and your medicine be your food." - Hippocrates

When I was a child, my mother made me take daily vitamins. Despite being shaped like Flintstones characters, they were unappetizing and had a chalky aftertaste. This is probably not news to my mother but around the age of 10 I realized that I could fake taking the vitamin, hide the tablet in my napkin and later destroy the evidence. As an adult now, I actually enjoy taking vitamins. And no, it's not because my mother (in an attempt to stop me from growing up) recently upgraded my regular women's daily vitamin from the pill form to the gummy form. Vitamins give us a sense of security that no matter how poorly we eat, our bodies will still be nourished.

Why not simply eat healthier foods?

Salmon is filled with Omega 3 fatty acids, numerous vitamins and essential amino acids. It's one of the healthiest foods on Earth and arguably the world would be a happier place if everyone ate a little more salmon.

Potatoes are great sources of vitamin B6 and potassium. They are exceptionally low calorie when kept free from butter, grease and the frying pan. Red potatoes are high in fiber and studies support that they are highly effective in preventing cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Kale is high in iron, low in calories and contains vitamin C. It detoxes the body, strengthens the immune system and results in healthier skin and hair. These reasons alone prove why kale has been the key "super food" for Scandinavians since the beginning of time.

For tonight's dinner, I pan-seared the salmon fillet in a little olive oil and then seasoned with ground black pepper and a hint of freshly-squeezed lemon juice. The kale mash was an easy and amazing recipe from my favorite modern Norwegian cookbook. I simply chopped red potatoes into chunks, boiled in water (with a hint of salt) for 15 minutes and added fresh chopped kale for the last 5 minutes. Once cooked, I mashed the potatoes and kale, added a hint of canola oil and seasoned with ground black pepper. The result was absolutely phenomenal.

With a glass of my favorite black tea brewed by the natural heat of the sun, dinner was complete. So next time you reach for a vitamin, think instead about getting those same nutrients from a more rewarding source. Cooking a healthy meal is a lot more rewarding (and tasty) than Flintstones vitamins

Trust me.

Until next meal,

Mary

The Final Product

Kale Mash: Red Potatoes, Kale, Canola Oil & Ground Pepper

Black Sun Tea with Lemon

The Cooking Station

Learning to Cook

"No one is born a great cook, one learns from doing."

- Julia Child

Cooking is an art and takes skill, luck and a lot of patience. My family has taught me everything I know about food preparation and most of my earliest memories are helping my parents and grandparents in the kitchen. Luckily, the best chef in Indianapolis lives less than 15 minutes away from my home. And yes, that is my grandfather.

At first, I didn't understand the appeal of cooking. People claim it's relaxing, but for a competitive and perfectionist like me, it sounds like a nightmare. I stress clean instead or go on long runs.

But you hit a certain point in your life where you want to survive on something more than take-out or Easy Mac. Create something of your own.

My new apartment was the perfect place to learn how to cook. With weird work hours and the stress of moving in, I was reluctant to take on more than I could chew (pun intended). I started small, gradually made my way up the culinary ladder. Each meal gave me a sense of accomplishment and I began to take pride in my work. Started Instagramming the aesthetically pleasing masterpieces. For the first time, I loved to cook.

Here is my first week of creations: