married life rocks!

I've taken some time off to get married and move to IL but I'm back to say that I survived....the wedding, the aftermath, the move, the unpacking.  AND I lived to tell about it!  The wedding was wonderful and like everyone says...it went so fast.  I feel so grateful to have had so many people help us with the whole day...our friends rock my socks what can I say.  

There are some teaser pictures posted at our photographer's blog.  Nina at Love & Lemonade is a freaking rockstar.  We just loved working with Nina, Howard, and Teresa.  I thought we were going to feel uncomfortable in front of the camera because Mark and I didn't do engagement photos but we felt like we were hanging with friends so everything went so smoothly. 

Life in Chicago is.....different.  What can I say, I'm a Southern California girl.  Anything other than So Cal is weird.  1st impressions of moving to IL: the sounds.  The gusts of wind are so strong that I thought it was raining...no it was just the wind through the trees.  THEN it started raining out of no where.  THEN it stopped.  Second sound, the suck pump.  It's a pump that sucks water so that our basement (yes, we have a basement) doesn't flood.  It's constantly pumping out water and it sounds like the garage door opening.  Third sound, the snoring.  My husband (eeee, I'm married!!) snores and sleeping with someone is weird in itself but sharing a room with someone who snores is....interesting.  Gotta love my ear plugs.  HAHA  I love you hubby! :P

book review: the encyclopedia of sandwiches

Full disclosure I received a free copy of Susan Russo's new book published by Quirk Books, "The Encyclopedia of Sandwiches" in order to do this review.  You can purchase it here.

My first impression of the book was, "Ooohhh, coool."  I really like the look and feel of the book.  It's a smallish book but it was really creatively done (the inside covers look like toasted bread!).  The book is not only a cookbook but it also contains a lot of background and history on each type of sandwich. 

I personally LOVE sandwiches and it's one of my favorite foods.  A perfectly made sandwich is a thing of beauty ... perfect proportions of veggies, protein, and carbs; coupled with the perfect type of bread and the right order of ingredients.  Sometimes the most simple things are the hardest to do well.  These great sandwiches will draw you in with the really great photos inside the book.  The wonderful photos inside were taking by Matt Armendariz.  You'll want to keep the book far away from your cooking area because you'll want to keep each picture pristine and beautiful. 

 

Today I decided to try out something quick, easy, and one of my favorite sandwiches: Egg Salad.  You can actually get the recipe off Susan's blog, here.  

Really easy to make and really satisfying on a Saturday afternoon.  This is definitely one of the books I'll be taking with me when I move from CA to IL.