I'm Not Sure Green Compliments Its Curves

St. Patrick's Day falling on a Thursday doesn't deter Chicago from celebrating... we just turn the weekend prior into a party!  Something about all the green (or maybe it's all the drinking?) brings more people out than we've seen since October.

The festivities officially start with the river dying on Saturday morning, then continue with a parade in Grant Park.  A wanted to have Orion get some more crowd experience, so we brought her along to go see the river.  She didn't really appreciate it as much as we did.

On the way there, we saw some parade participants.  They dyed their dogs green!  (Good thing you're black, Orion!)

The Wrigley Building:

It was a cold and windy day - I'm surprised how many people were out there!

Orion took a peek:

Orion was completely worn out from the stress of being among so many people.  She loves to snuggle!

From the Saute Pan: Latkes

I flip my latkes in the air sometimes... Well, we actually didn't flip them, because there would have been a huge mess with hot oil everywhere, but that song is stuck in my head!


On the 4th night of Hanukkah, we attempted our first homemade latkes.  


Dish: Latkes (AKA potato pancakes)
Eaten With: Sour cream, applesauce, salad
Main Ingredients: Potato, sweet potato, onion, flour, egg, nutmeg, cinnamon, baking powder, vegetable oil


How to Make:
We were nervous at first, since the only way we've done it before is to hand-grate the onion and potatoes, which took a long time and was rough on our fingers.  However, we have a secret weapon:

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Put On Your Yarmulke

It's time for Hanukkah!

Wednesday was the first of the eight nights of Hanukkah.  Or Chanukah.  Or Chanuka.  (Pick your preferred spelling!)  A and I lit the candles and exchanged some gifts, as is tradition.

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The "Other" Thanksgiving Day Parade

Have you heard of the "other" Thanksgiving Day parade?  Not in NYC, not sponsored by Macy's?  I hadn't either, until I discovered something miraculous amusing... are you ready?

There's another Thanksgiving Day parade in...


Chicago!

I know what you're thinking - seriously?  Who knew?  (Not us, clearly.)  I had plans to take Orion and go watch it, since the step-off was only five blocks from our apartment.  However, the weather decided to change my mind.  Cold (30-something feeling like 20-something), and so foggy you couldn't see the buildings a couple blocks away.  We were resigned to watching it on television, when A looked out the window and saw the float staging area was only about three blocks down.  We decided to go check them out.

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The Time The River Got Green at the Gills

Every year for St. Patrick's Day the Chicago River gets dressed up for the occasion.  Even though the weather wasn't the greatest, we headed downtown to watch the festivities.  From our view close by the river edge, we noticed that it appears the green color is created from a yellow dye along with a red powder... we're very curious as to how those two colors make the bright lime green hue.

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