Today's Joy: A Favorite Sunday Night Ritual.
Spent the day doing the right thing, Reader. Taking care of some things I had put off and getting ready for the week ahead. After working hard all afternoon, I walked in the door and flopped down in a comfy chair just in time to hear Aunt say the magic words: "We're going to Red Ox for dinner."

It's become a tradition over the years that on certain Sunday evenings--after a horse show or a hard day's work, we gather at our favorite local restaurant to enjoy a meal we didn't have to cook and some quality time with friends. It just so happens, we're very blessed to have the perfect family-owned eatery just up the road.

The Red Ox offers a cozy, small town feel while still boasting an excellent menu. Nearly every dish is worth recommending. Great entrees, piping-hot bread, delish garlic mashed potatoes and even a fresh, mild & creamy bleu cheese dressing, that turns a run-of-the-mill salad into something much better. Sunday night means prime rib on special. The toughest choice of the night? Queen's Cut or the 2 1/2-inch thick King Cut. "As rare as you can serve it," Aunt always says. We're definitely a red meat crowd.

Then, as we sip iced tea and the soup & salads arrive, we settle back and recount the day--our successes and adventures, as well as the less-than-successful and the unintentionally hilarious. We laugh and enjoy just being together. At some point, somebody always orders a dirty martini, extra dirty. And somebody else always asks what makes it dirty.

Many of my favorite memories are from Sunday nights at the Red Ox. They are part of the social fabric of my life here. I can't think of a better way to round out a busy weekend or get ready for the week ahead. And as we amble out to the parking lot afterwards, to-go boxes tucked under our arms, there is more laughter and a chorus of Good Nights! These are the moments that come to mind when I think about how nice it is to be home.

Grace, Me, Aunt & Mom

A birthday is just the first day of another 365-day journey around the sun. Enjoy the trip.
~ Author Unknown

Today's Joy: Birthday Celebration.
We've had an incomparable day, Reader. Today is my 34th birthday and it has been the loveliest one I've had in a while. I decided to be proactive this year and plan something that all the girls would enjoy. Viola! Enter this summer's grand-opening of Charming Charlie at Yorktown Center in Lombard, IL.

We set off to have a splendid adventure. First we met to peruse all the accessory fabulousness at Charming Charlie. Hours later, we emerged laden with handbags, scarves, boots and, of course, myriad pieces of gorgeous (and inexpensive!) jewelry: rings, bracelets, earrings and necklaces galore!

The Mothership Has Called Us Home

Then, as we were ravenous from all that mega-shopping, it was off to find a place for lunch. Aunt Chef spotted something promising down the square and so we discovered the culinary joy that is the Flat Top Grill. It's a rather swanky place when you walk in the door, but don't let that fool you--the food is as affordable as it is delicious.

Once seated, you write your name on a little paddle and head to the buffet, where you design your own gourmet stir-fry from a large spread of veggies, tender, marinated meats and over a dozen sauces. Once you've made your selection, you stick your paddle in the top of your bowl like a flag on Mt. Everest, hand it over to the grill chef and return to your table. In 10-15 minutes, your personal culinary creation arrives, piping hot, to your table where all conversation stops as everyone dives into taste nirvana.


The Fabulous Miss Elle

After lunch, we dispersed with full tummies. On the way home, Mom, Aunt & I stopped at Planter's Palette, a beautiful & creatively-inspired garden center on Rt. 38 in Winfield, IL. Walking among rows and rows of sale plants and lush tropicals was the perfect finish to a wonderful day. Thank you to everyone who came along to share the joy!


Aunt (An English Teacher in Her Natural Habitat)

The Girls' 1st Trip to Charming Charlie

Aunt Chef Having a Ball

Because time itself is like a spiral, something special happens on your birthday each year: The same energy that God invested in you at birth is present once again.

~Menachem Mendel Schneerson

Quotes courtesy of The Quote Garden.

Today's Joy: New Friends.
Was invited to a lovely dinner by a new co-worker. Great food, good conversation. Had a wonderful time! Reader, these days there are few things I love more than an evening spent cooking and gabbing.

Today's Joy: A Call from a Good Friend. Just got off the phone with the Divine Miss "K". From the moment we met when I moved to Dallas last spring, I was a bit in awe of this glamorous, open woman who can sweep into a room in 4-inch heels & red lipstick and make everyone she meets feel special.

She exemplifies all the things I've come to admire about strong Texas women. And no one has a bigger heart. She gets as excited about her friends' successes as if they were her own. Of all my friends, she lives life the fullest. Look, Mom, no hands! And her faith makes almost any leap possible. She inspires me to be more. And to wear eyeliner. Can't think of a better way to be a friend.

Today's Joy: the Gourmet Cook-a-thon. Reader, one of the biggest perks of being back home in Chicago is being able to attend the monthly(ish) cooking sessions held by a group of family & friends. I've been waiting for that phone call with the magic words: dinner at Todd's. Tonight, it happened.

Todd Evanson, co-owner of Beef Villa (a delish chain of eateries in the northwest suburbs) and a good family friend, has a fabulously-appointed kitchen and usually hosts these over-the-top foodie nights. The gist is, we make dinner. But it's oh so much more than that. This group includes a restaurateur, a chef, a baker and several of us to eat the food and ooh & ahh. My job is to photograph the results.

What I enjoy most about it, is the fearless way these people I love try new dishes. They collaborate and read recipes to each other and put together a game plan. Then they dive in, sharing ideas & techniques, teaching as they go. It's like watching a culinary think-tank at work. When a dish works, they pull it off brilliantly and a delicious array of culinary creations parades across the table. On the rare occasion a dish isn't up to snuff, they sit down and taste it, inspect it and conduct a relaxed post-mortem round-table on how to improve the recipe. There is always laughter, stories to share and a signature cocktail.

I relish every moment of these decadent evenings and feel very blessed to be a part of this unique fellowship. May the love shared always be as good as the food!

Photos: Lemon & Herb Sauce Hand-Written Recipe; Part of the Table Spread.

Today's Joy: Dinner with an Old Friend. Aren't long-time friends a wonderful thing, Reader? I am very blessed to know several dear souls who have shared this life journey with me for 10 years or more. Can't think how life would have turned out (or how I would have turned out!) without their loving support these many years.

Tonight I had dinner with Keith, perhaps the kindest, steadiest man I know. There is something tranquil and calming about being around him. Convenient--seeing as he's a massage therapist. He is a good listener and a benevolent presence in any crisis.

A sweet soul with a great laugh (and the occasional snort), he has an intuitive understanding of people. We had a great evening just chatting over steak & a burger at Outback Steakhouse. I left there, as I always do, with the warm sense that all will be right with the world, even if it may not seem like it right now.

Today's Joy: The People Who Show Up at 3 am. Do you find, Reader, that major life changes seem to happen at the strangest and most inopportune moments? I definitely do. Today, life tossed me a doozie. Suffice it to say that my life plan has altered course. At a 90-degree angle. Looks like I may be returning to the Midwest in short order (with crabby cat in tow). Why spend a cool and rainy February in Dallas when you can freeze your unmentionables off braving the Chicago wind chills?

Never fear, I will still continue to chronicle joy and good recipes in the northern climes. In fact, I'm suddenly feeling the urge to eat a lot more hot soup. But I digress.

Today's Joy is about those friends you can call when your life course changes direction at 3 am. Whether they come rushing over in their jammies to commiserate or allow you and a yowling, spitting fur ball to invade their swanky, downtown loft, they are a God-send. Where would we be without those generous souls who rise, heavy-lidded, and put on a pot of coffee? Doesn't your perspective on things change when there's a sympathetic ear bent in your direction?

Thank You, my 3 am friends. While I blaze the new trail God has laid before me, you make the going so much smoother!