super crunchy salad & fries

hi friends, lovers, & people probably related to me —

124 — truthfully i was in a bit of a work blackhole and the thought of looking at a computer when i didn’t necessarily need to seemed unbearable. somewhat connected to this because working a lot/ late makes you tired — marathon training is going in fits & starts, a good run here, a bad run there, a good cross training day, a really good rest day (that involved a looooong walk). if you can, please donate to support the chicago parks foundation here, which would be much appreciated & you might get a small homemade treat out of it once the race is done! p.s. didn’t mean to take a month off again so this is a bit of a long one

the perfect dinner

when it’s hot out but also always is a salad & fries. grateful for central air & good grocery store deals — a couple of weeks ago i roasted a chicken (riffing off my own recipe (see a v. good roast chicken), subbing chipotle chilis in adobo when i realized i was out of tomato paste, do recommend). we had the leftovers with a v. crunchy salad & some fries — incredibly satisfying & something i’ll be doing on repeat. you should too.

ingredients for the crunchy sal

kale, snap peas, scallions, radishes, red onion, queso fresco & avocado

garlic, olive oil, lime juice, cilantro, jalapeño, salt & pepper

leftover roast chicken, fresh roast chicken, rotisserie chicken, etc.

ingredients for the fries

russet potatoes, vinegar, canola oil, salt & pepper

dijonaise (mayo + dijon + garlic + a lil lemon, salt & pepper)

heinz ketchup

steps

1st if you want chicken in this maybe figure out that situation first, if you want to roast your first chicken but you’re a lil nervous it’ll be okay i promise. if you don’t eat/ want chicken cool skip this part and move onto making the salad dressing. easiest to do in a food processor or a blender combine 1-2 cloves of garlic (pending size), 1 jalapeño, 2 bunches of cilantro, the juice of two limes, splash of water & a generous amount of olive oil — salt & pepper to taste, if for some reason your jalapeño was super spicy add a little honey or agave to sweeten. one adjusted to your taste set aside to chill, it should be delightfully herby & v. green

2nd this is where you put on the playlist for your apartment (north & richmond) chop/ thinly slice all the crunchy things. do to your preferred texture — like i always mandolin the radishes but nothing else lol & thin ribbons of kale just taste better. toss them all in a big bowl, salt & pepper them then set aside in the fridge. you’ll do the avocado & the queso fresco after

3rd potato time! peel your potatoes & cut them with a serrated knife into similar size sticks. give them a quick rinse & then boil them in water with a tablespoonful or so of vinegar for 10 minutes. let them air dry for 15 minutes or so while your oil heats. working in batches fry your potatoes for the first time they will still be pale & a lil wimpy looking but trust me. once the first fry is done & they are draining on some paper towels leave them alone for at least 20 minutes. while that is going on maybe combine your salad together so the flavors meld or make a quick dijonaise to dip the fries in. okay we’re back — again working batches fry the potatoes for a second time till they are golden in color, salt generously & taste a couple for quality control.

4th plate everything together, crack open a topo chico, pour yourself a v. cold glass of wine or mix up a cocktail & enjoy.

particularly good things i consumed recently

parsons — bc sometimes you just need a couple of slushy cocktails, nuggets & fries. reliably easy & good.

salad pizza — half big italian, half cae sal of course. it’s the perfect summer pizza — refreshing & veg heavy, but filling.

a v. good mani-pedi — salon chic over by logan theatre, aside from a small chip & a bit of grow out we’re going on 3 weeks now.

the hit man — a v. enjoyable yet kind of odd movie. would watch glenn powell do bits all day

janel’s bridal shower — janel looked stunning & there were ice cream sundaes for dessert, a total dream

rabbit hole — a twisty little modern thriller, 8.75/10 — recommend you take it on vacation

cleveland — some fireball shots, a lovely wedding, a fantastic dinner @ cordelia & some mally’s pretzel chocolate bars

father’s day — we all made it, some us brought boyfriends & bob got a puppy. we also had a bit of a red sauce america + a good apps spread & a viewing of top gun ofc

all together now — bc you deserve a charcuterie & wine lunch bc you’ve been good. you should also get the cheese curds, the salad, the soup special & maybe some treats to go

primal fear — a 90s chicago set legal thriller w/ richard gere, edward norton, & laura linney, an ideal movie

the new season of normal gossip — been cackling in my cube, 10/10 recommend

bikeriders — lots of austin butler mournfully smoking, chicago, journalism, jodie comer being incredible

allison’s baby shower — did i arrive in a full sweat, yes. did i have a v. nice time, yes. can’t wait to meet baby girl mctighe

websters — fantastic to catch up w/ kiera over some burrata toast, sea bass & the burger + fries & a sparkling bottle of course. 10/10 no notes experience & the little nut cluster candy + dessert wine is a pro hospitality move

janel’s bachelorette, savannah — 1 ghost tour, a trolley, biscuits @ every meal, so much humidity & a phenomenal dinner @ common thread later — such a good time, such a good city

portland, maine — literally incredible, we walked everywhere, we ate all the food (lobster rolls, crab buns, scallops, clams, probably too many oysters, some v. good bbq, lots french fries) formal rec list coming soon. but you should go, take the ferry to peaks island, go on a wine sail — slow everything down

the fugitive — another incredible Chicago centric 90s movie. perfect quiet saturday night viewing

currently consuming

a productive sunday — a run, farmers mkt, grocery store, laundry, etc.

as always,
mk

p.s. i would like a couple of giant tent dress to knock around in this summer but they are expensive. could someone please buy them for me, specifically this one, or this one, thank you. think they would look great with a bunch of gold jewelry & my huaraches