Summer Recipes

It’s officially summer. Hurray!
And a perfect time to share some of my favorite summer recipes.

Black Bean and Couscous Salad
A fellow Eire-ite turned me on to this salad years ago and I can’t get enough of it once summer hits.  It’s healthy, refreshing, and a real crowd pleaser.

Chipotle Turkey Burgers
One day I happened to overhear Oprah (on television, not in real life!) bragging about these turkey burgers. They really are the very best. The chipotle heats them up and the chutney rounds them out with sweetness. My husband would eat these 3 days a week if I let him!

Strawberry Lemonade Bars
Anyone who knows me knows I don’t believe in cooked fruit. This recipe uses strawberry jam and I can live with that! I’m thinking about whipping up a batch for my daughter’s next lemonade stand. Show her how to enhance the customer experience and build loyalty!

Champagne Sangria
There are so many great summer coolers out there, it’s hard to pick just one. But champagne sangria is simple and bubbly and festive. Cheers!

The Newest Eire Team Member

He’s quick on his feet, very friendly and loves to sink his teeth into a good rawhide – he also happens to be a 3 month old puppy named Loki! He makes regular visits to the office for puppy breaks and to say hello to everyone with a wagging tail.

He provides many entertaining stories for the office from his dislike of going out in the rain, his shark-like puppy teeth and the trouble they get him in, to his love of napping on the couch.
    
Loki, like the rest of us, can’t wait for some warmer weather to enjoy Chicago in the the summer! Check back for more #adventureswithLoki!

While we welcome a new team member, we also want to say good bye and good luck to an Eire team member – Tina Rich. She and her family are moving to the land of coffee and rain known as Seattle and while we will miss her, we wish her all the best in her new adventure!

St. Patrick's Day.

After 27 years celebrating with our clients and vendors, this year Eire decided to bring the party in-house and just enjoy some time with one another, corned beef sandwiches, and Kyle's latest favorite cocktail (something with salted caramel vodka). Of course, one thing led to another, and a troop of us headed across the street to top ourselves off with some green beer (or pints of Harp), Irish music, and continued good times. We managed to document the event with a group shot of the final six revelers. Sláinte!

Eire's in the Holiday Spirit!

This past weekend I was looking at emails and ran across a video of a man walking up to people on the street and asking them for a hug. I have included the short video below, but you will see every person he encountered on the street walked out of their way way to get around him. The video then cut to a shot of the same man asking to hug a homeless person. Each homeless person he encountered gladly hugged him back. At first I didn’t think much of the video but later that afternoon I was laying around the house not doing anything in particular.

I am part of a parish teen group and each year at Christmas we participate in an annual Christmas Carol and Gift Exchange with a group of developmentally challenged women from St. Mary of Providence, www.smopchicago.org.

I just didn’t feel like getting off the couch, but I ended up driving down to the facility located on the Northwest side of the city. Each year I supply the Santa outfit for one of the teen boys to wear and hand out the gifts. This year I forgot the beard, belt and boots and as I arrived the teens said that I had to wear the outfit because I was the only one with a grey beard – I fit the part.

Well, as I walked out into the gym I had over 90 woman wanting to see me. Some talked very softly about what they wanted, a couple dropped off letters, but every person came up to me and hugged me. I was grinning from ear to ear. What a gift! And just hours before I was acting like those people in the video not wanting to engage. A simple smile or a simple hug is such any easy thing to do and that small act gives so much joy to those giving – and those receiving – the HUG. 

As you can tell from the photos I had a great afternoon. What a great way to get into the Christmas season!

The Orphaned Sea Otter Pup 681

Who knew a baby otter can be so fluffy and adorable!  The story of Pup 681 has gone viral so if you haven’t heard about this heartwarming story of rescuing an abandoned baby otter, this is one you’ll want check out.

Curious how they came up with the name for the Pup 681, her story begins with being abandoned at just a week old on September 30. She weighed less than 2 ½ pounds, apparently small for a baby otter, and had been separated from her mom for more than 16 hours. The Monterey Bay Aquarium found her alone on a California beach where they quickly started rehabilitation.  It was critical she started consuming calories as quickly as possible in order for her survival. 

Pup 681 made it to her new home at Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium on October 28, where staff makes sure she has round-the-clock care to learn necessary otter life skills of grooming, foraging and feeding. Normally, sea otter pups stay with their mother as long as eight months so this little pup has a lot to learn.

The tiny pup – now 5 weeks old and weighs a healthy six pounds — is also learning how to regulate her body temperature by moving to a dry towel when she’s done swimming. She’s reaching new milestones every day like taking formula from a bottle and eating shrimp and clams.

Sea otters were listed as threatened under the U. S. Endangered Species Act in 1977, and have made a slow recovery in California. In 2014, the population was 2,944, a growth of five (that's right FIVE) from 2013, according to the United States Geological Survey. 

For now, Pup 681 is still behind the scenes at the aquarium as she continues to grow. You can see her in action in the video above. Her squeaking sounds will simply melt your heart.

Film: Finding Vivian Maier

 

Last week I had the opportunity to go see the documentary film, Finding Vivian Maier, about a street photographer who spent the majority of her life in and around Chicago.

Vivian's story and artwork are unique because she was virtually unknown until a box of her negatives was purchased, after her death, by Chicago resident John Maloof for a book-writing project. Not quite suited for his needs, they were set aside until he eventually began scanning the negatives and created a blog posting the images. Maier's work is stunning.

The more he investigated this artist, the more he learned about her whereabouts, career as a nanny on Chicago's North Shore, and most importantly, her pursuit of photography. Literally thousands of negatives were uncovered in a storage unit, along with other memorabilia that filled the space floor to ceiling, wall to wall. There were also boxes filled with undeveloped rolls of film.

The film follows the pursuit of Maloof to uncover what he could about Vivian Maier. What unfolds is a series of interesting interviews, interspersed with image after image of Chicago and New York streets and residents, self portraits and even short "home movies" of herself and the children she helped raise. But regardless of all the clues left behind, you're still stuck asking questions and wishing there were more details. Vivian Maier was fascinating.

Without wanting to give too much away, I'll just say it's been over a week since I saw this documentary, and I find myself thinking about it daily. Wondering about this strange, complicated woman and going back again and again to look at her beautiful, tortured, stark and emotional images. If you have any interest in Chicago, photography, and eccentric artists, this is a must-see film.

*All images from website.

Billboard Advertising

 
Some people may believe that billboard advertising has become outdated. I happen to agree. In my opinion, they are not as effective as they once were and are usually rather plain and boring. The last time I took a good look and recognized a billboard was when I was on a road trip playing the Eye Spy game. Especially living in the city, I find bus stop ads, truck wraps, and ‘El’ stops ads more effective.

However, after coming across some articles on creativebloq and hubspot I may have to rethink a few of my comments, as there is nothing plain or boring about the billboards in the links below. It seems that if billboards are clever, creative and used in the right way they can be effective and memorable. My verdict is still out. What do you think?

http://www.creativebloq.com/design/billboard-advertising-1131681
http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/creative-billboards-around-world

Refreshing

We’ve made a new lunch discovery here at Eire. (Always a reason to celebrate!) Our go-to corner deli for sandwiches, soups and salads has been serving Watermelon Gazpacho for the soup of the day, and it is delicious! A refreshing twist on the more common tomato gazpacho, it’s cool and sweet with a perfect little kick. I don’t have Brett’s recipe, but here’s one that is similar. (Brett’s has lots of jicama and some sort of a hot pepper diced in, too!) Get chopping and enjoy!

Ingredients

8 cups finely diced seedless watermelon, (about 6 pounds with the rind) (see Tip)

1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and finely diced

1/2 red bell pepper, finely diced

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

3 tablespoons red-wine vinegar

2 tablespoons minced shallot

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3/4 teaspoon salt

Preparation

Mix watermelon, cucumber, bell pepper, basil, parsley, vinegar, shallot, oil and salt in a large bowl. Puree 3 cups of the mixture in a blender or food processor to the desired smoothness; transfer to another large bowl.  Stir in the remaining diced mixture. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day.

Melon Tip: Melon selection & storage – Look for symmetrical unblemished melons, without flat sides, that have a creamy yellow spot on the bottom indicating ripeness. At 92% water, this fruit should feel heavy when you heft it. Precut melon flesh should be dense, firm and appear moist. Store in the refrigerator for up to a week or keep in a cool, dark spot. Cover the cut surface of melon with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Nutrition – Per serving: 116 calories; 5 g fat ( 1 g sat , 4 g mono ); 0 mg cholesterol; 18 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 2 g protein; 2 g fiber; 296 mg sodium; 345 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin C (110% daily value), Vitamin A (45% dv).

Summer

I'm a Chicago girl through and through, and with that comes a real appreciation for summer.  Even this year, with our relatively mild winter, we've earned our summer, as always.  The Chicago lakefront. Light until almost 9pm. Dining al fresco, backyard BBQs, beaches, pools, and being barefoot. Reading outdoors. Riding a bike. Thinking about summer also got me thinking about summer music.  Here's Billboards list of summer's top 30 songs.  Whether it surprises or disappoints, it will get you thinking about your favorite summer music.

Bike to Work Week – June 9-15!

Eire will be celebrating Chicago’s annual Bike to Work Week by participating in Active Transportation Alliance’s Bike Commuter Challenge. This will be the 5th year we have participated. Oh wait we didn’t participate last year because I was on maternity leave and no one covered for me. I’m back! So let’s get excited and bike to work!

We challenge you to compete too.
The Bike Commuter Challenge is the best way to celebrate Chicago Bike to Work Week, June 9–15, 2012.

Just sign up your company and be a Team Leader or join an existing team and start logging your trips during Chicago Bike to Work Week. Any bike trip to work counts – even partway. You can bike to the train, bus, or carpool location and lock up there.

It’s easy, free, and most of all, fun! There is even help you get ready for the Challenge with tips and tricks on how to ride to work.

The Bike Commuter Challenge is brought to you by the Active Transportation Alliance. Active Trans is a non-profit advocacy organization that works throughout Chicagoland to improve conditions for bicycling, walking and transit while engaging people in healthy and active ways to get around.

Poetry Foundation in River North.

There have been many changes in our River North neighborhood over the past six years, condo developments, new restaurants (one which hosted a dinner for none other than President Obama), and we finally got a Walgreens just around the corner. Yet the most remarkable addition has been the Poetry Foundation down the street at 61 W. Superior. 

The history of how the building came to life is classic story book stuff. In 2002 Ruth Lilly, granddaughter of pharmaceutical czar Eli Lilly, left an endowment of stock worth $100 million to the Poetry Foundation, the publisher of Poetry Magazine. In her youth Ms. Lilly, an aspiring poet, sent numerous poems to the magazine, all were rejected.  She was touched by the spirit of the rejection letters which urged her to continue her writing, and with that, decided to bequeath the gift (kind of puts failure in whole different light).

At the time, Poetry Mag had a staff of four, no permanent home, and a meager subscriber base. In August 2011, the foundation moved into its’ new building designed by John Ronan Architects. You must walk past, a view from a cab or website visit does not invoke the serenity felt from the garden that is described in PF’s brochure as “conceived of as an urban sanctuary, a space that could mediate between the street and the building, blurring the distinction between public and private”. It invites you to enter and take a look, it invites you to think about poetry. So I finally checked it out. The first floor is open to the public, offering exhibit space, theatre for open readings, a 30,000 volume library and a library listening room.

Poetry Magazine celebrates its’ 100th anniversary in 2012.  I will be there.

Oh, do not ask, “What is it?” / Let us go and make our visit. – T.S. Eliot

Photos also courtesy of Marcia!