I'll Have Me Some Magnolia's ANYDAY

Since the move back to Chicago, I've been spending a lot of time with my dear mother. Whether it's a coffee date or doing random or fun errands in between classes, it is always a treat to be in her company. Today must have been my day for treats, then! After completing a couple errands and feeling relatively productive, we began to roam aimlessly around the city (we had some time to kill before my next class). We ended up on State. St at Block 37. Not only is this the location of the CBS newsroom and the gigantic Picasso baboon-like sculpture, but apparently the location of a brand new  MAGNOLIA'S BAKERY! Not going to lie, this enthusiasm was only manifested AFTER I tasted a couple of their cupcakes. I had no idea that this place even existed before this afternoon. Or that it was particularly famous. Whoops? But of course, my mother did. She squeezed my arm so tight, smiled, and giggled when she saw the cute vintage sign in the distance.

Magnolia's On State St.

She exclaimed in a high-pitch voice:

"OOOHH RACHIE! THERE'S A MAGNOLIA'S HERE! IN CHICAGO. OH MY GOD!...I have their cookbook....RACHIE, I HAVE THEIR COOKBOOK!!...SEE!!??"

At this point we were inside the cozy little bakery eyeing the merchandise wall, with yes, their assortment of cookbooks. As soon as I turned around and saw the displays of cookies, muffins, cheesecakes, pies, cakes, cupcakes, and whoopie pies....I knew why my mother had shown such enthusiasm toward the bakery. Everything looked absolutely spectacular...and particularly mouth-watering. Still not taking my eyes off the display cases I asked my mom, "How did you even know of this place??"

I will never forget her response. If the rest of my immediate family could have heard her, I'm pretty sure we would all chime in, "That's SO Tree-SA! (My mom's name is Teresa...)." Anyways, she turned to me, making me look in her excited green eyes and said: "Well Rach, I know a little about everything." For all those who know my mother, this is so incredibly true. My mother  is the guru of fashion, cooking, hot new restaurants in and around Chicago, news updates, general advice, and well, the Kardashian sisters.

She then explained to me that the original Magnolia's Bakery is located in the heart of Greenwich Village, New York City. Its old-fashioned environment known for its vintage accessories, decor, and desserts really started to attract "sugar deprived" consumers of all sorts. The bakery really took off after being mentioned in "Lazy Sunday," (a SNL digital short video), and television shows such as Sex in the City, 30 Rock, E!, The Martha Stewart Show, Regis & Kelly, Weeds, CNN, and Fox Business News. Needless to say, I'm sure the lines at Magnolia's in Greenwich Village were wrapped around the corner shortly thereafter.  The expansion to multiple cities nationwide was inevitable.

Take a look for yourself. Here's the SNL Digital Short "Lazy Sunday."

The Assortment of Cheesecakes 

The Red Velvet Cheesecake captured my particular interest...

Cupcakes at Magnolia's

 Magnolia's has over 120 menu items. All fresh, made daily. If you don't believe me, check out the menu for yourself!! CLICK HERE

....Unbelievable, right?

My mom and I ended up ordering two cupcakes from the menu: the traditional Red Velvet Cupcake and one of the  "special of the day" cupcakes called the Hummingbird Cupcake. It was a banana, pineapple, and pecan cake with sweet cream cheese icing topped with toasted pecans. Both were beyond delicious. Not too sweet,  light, extremely flavorful,  and the ratio between icing and cake was perfect. Those treats, along with my cappuccino and company, was a perfect afternoon treat.

Block 37, I'll be seeing you again shortly! I'm thinking Apple Crumb Pie or Snickerdoodle Cupcake next time?

Check out to see if there is a Magnolia's by you! MAGNOLIA BAKERY LOCATION TRACKER :)

Magnolia's Bakers Hard At Work!

Me & the Red Velvet & Hummingbird Cupcakes...YUM!

Farewell Massachusetts, Hello Thailand!

The other night I was craving thai food from my favorite thai restaurant in Northampton, Massachusetts. If this were to happen any other night last semester, I could just call them and request a pick-up of one order of chicken pad thai (extra hot sauce) and an order of their amazing chicken coconut soup. In fact, if I were to treat myself and eat out every weekend, there would be no other place I'd choose than Thai Garden. The environment is clean and friendly, and well, their food is absolutely amazing. Northampton, nestled in the Berkshires in Western Massachusetts, is known especially for their unique and diverse selection of cuisine. Main St. is mostly composed of restaurants ranging from japanese, thai, italian, vegetarian, argentinean, mediterranean, tibetan, mexican, american, and indian cuisine. Although I find these restaurants tasty, (yes, I've been to all...) there is nothing more satisfying than ordering my favorite noodle dish and coconut soup. Since I have recently moved from Northampton to the Windy City (I transferred from Smith College to Loyola University Chicago), this particular want for my regular thai dish has intensified tremendously. I decided I would attempt to make the chicken coconut soup in my own kitchen. I ended up adding a couple more ingredients, but in the end, it would turn out to taste exactly the same. Delicious!

I used the ingredients I had recently bought from the grocery store: the can of coconut milk, lemon, water chestnuts, mushrooms, potatoes, cilantro, and a chicken breast filet. After chopping the mushrooms, potatoes, and cilantro, the instruction for creating the soup becomes even simpler. So, if you're a novice, this simple yet scrumptious thai soup would be a great beginning! Heat the coconut milk in a medium size saucepan. Then, add the lemon juice (so, squeeze the lemon...) for some zesty flavor. Next, add the sliced chicken. By this time the coconut milk should be relatively hot, so when you add the raw chicken you'll notice it starting to cook right away. Add the mushrooms, water chestnuts, and potatoes. If you think the consistency of the coconut broth is too thick, feel free to add a tiny bit of water. Now, you have created your very own thai dish! Finish by dressing your soup with cilantro and, if you have it, coconut flakes.

Although I miss Thai Garden very much, I know now I can make my very own chicken coconut soup. Perhaps I can find a similar thai restaurant in Chicago that can satisfy my weekly craving for chicken pad thai! If not, I'm sure I'll have to eventually test that out in the kitchen as well!

So if you are in or around the Northampton area, please check out Thai Garden and have a bowl of the chicken coconut soup for me! To view their menu click here.

On another note: I am now on Twitter. If  you feel like getting to know me better, feel free to follow!
Click Here to Follow RockNessMnstr on Twitter!

The Grocery List

Being that I am a full time student with my own fully equipped kitchen, I thought it was necessary to really take advantage of that opportunity to actually cook. And by cook, I don't mean boiling water, chopping up lettuce, or making fried eggs and Easy Mac. I'll actually be spending time reading and picking out suitable recipes for the typical college student. I may get a little excited and go 'lights out' one day and whip out my Julia Child cookbook and try something I couldn't even fathom trying a week before- but isn't that the fun of cooking? I'm sure the roommates wouldn't mind either. :)

My first time in the grocery store since I attained my own kitchen was overwhelming. Like, holy shit. When I was younger I could just chuck random items into my Moms grocery cart, not thinking twice about the price or whether or not it could be used multiple times throughout the week. Hell, let's be honest, I wasn't throwing fruits or vegetables in the cart...It was more along the lines of processed foods and candy. One time I even hid a box of Gushers on the rack below the cart underneath a gigantic package of toilet paper thinking I was so sly. Needless to say, by the time my Mom and I reached the checkout lane, she noticed my creativity and awarded me. With a box of Gushers. Score!

Anyways, I knew I had to be a responsible college student and completely skip over the chip, candy, and Gusher aisle. I headed right over to the fruit and produce section and got extremely excited. There were so many combinations and meals I could make using all this fresh produce! The hard part was deciding what to get. And how much.

This is what I ended up getting under $60:

1 lemon
a bag of potatoes
cilantro
bread crumbs
package of chicken breast
parmesan cheese
goat cheese
a bag of clementines
rice
1 tomato
1 avocado
3 apples
cranberry juice
orange juice
turkey sliced lunch meat
milk
water chestnuts
sunflower seeds
eggs
1/2 loaf of whole wheat bread
sliced almonds
a can of coconut milk
asparagus

** I did cheat a little bit: I headed over to my parent's house and stole some carrots, broccoli, and some penne pasta. My roommates also have the basic baking and cooking necessities and the cutest spice rack. I'd say I got a pretty good head start!

At this point, I had no idea what I was going to cook. It just seemed to me that these particular ingredients could be used interchangeably and could provide tasty, quick meals during a busy school week. And how right I was!

I'm excited to show you what I've concocted with these basic and healthy ingredients...But I'll have to expand in another posting. Gotta' run to class!

A Little Insight on Life & Cooking

It's official. The fully stocked fridge and the urgency to transcribe my forthcoming as a beloved foodie has persuaded me to start my own blog. That, topped and sprinkled with the skills of coercion from a friend, is how this blog was born. So, WELCOME! My aim is not only to provide an ongoing timeline of (hopefully) a progression when it comes to my cooking skills, but to also share stories of my life that parallel the unique and ordinary dishes I create.

Oh, and you'll see some pretty pictures of food! If that's not an incentive to follow along, I don't know what is! It'll most likely make your tummy rumble, but hey, I guess that's another incentive to get off your bum, stop reading insignificant blog posts (...psh, who wants to read about politics anyways), get your self to the grocery store, and start whipping up some creative masterpieces of your own! There's nothing better than staring at your finished product with pride and endearment before ravenously clawing your way into it. I'd advise sharing, too. The satisfied grins of your beloved followers will be forever engraved in your mind. That little boost of confidence will definitely keep ya cooking, too.

Another important piece of advice (...AKA, this is a personal note/reminder to myself before I get knee-deep in this project) for all ya'll food lovers out there: IT'S OKAY TO MAKE MISTAKES. I really should make a couple sticky notes and place 'em all over the place to get this message embedded in my head: the kitchen, my day planner, the cluttered purse, my nightstand, etc....

Finally, before I really start to delve into sharing my cooking/life experiences, I feel like this is an important lesson I've learned through cooking. So, listen up! Finding those right ingredients when creating that perfect concoction, in my opinion, is equivalent to finding the keys of success to life. Let me explain. In order for anyone to find that complementary ingredient, they must do hundreds upon hundreds of taste tests before finally choosing the savory addition. Before long, through experience, it becomes easier to immediately isolate that ideal ingredient to supplement your dish. A little bit of this, a little bit of that, plus a whole lot of messes and clean-ups...Voila! Everyone wonders why old Italian ladies without recipe books are the most wise and knowledgeable of them all... ;) Throughout this process of mastering the art of cooking, there will be epic fails. If you don't believe me, ask the old Italian ladies. It may take a whole lot of patience, new aprons, and mastering the skill of deep breathing exercises, but you and I will eventually get the gist of it. Life can be described the same way. Through trial and error we become more knowledgeable and can assess what life throws at us with more aptness and versatility. A little bit of this, a little bit of that, plus a WHOLE lot of messes and clean ups. I'd say, cooking truly is good for the soul. It gives you a little more perspective. Don't give up, even if the recipe does use the metric system.

Well, I'm excited to get crackin'! Through my experiences cooking as well as my experiences outside the kitchen, you'll start to see how truly insightful my analogy is of finding those perfect ingredients in life. I'll definitely have some mess ups, successes, and major clean ups. Like I said earlier, cooking for me parallels my life experiences. So, next time you see a bumper sticker that says, "Cooking = Life", DON'T JUDGE!


Life is like a box of chocolate.....

(The stirring and pouring of the melted morsels at the right room temperature while simultaneously trying to pour the sticky undercooked caramel into the tiny molds and fanning the now melted chocolate goodness to ensure its richness while contemplating chopping almonds or pecans to substitute the nugget and re-stirring the now melting white chocolate morsels for the fifth batch of chocolates...)
                                                                 ....you never know what you're gonna get.