Sweet Relief...

I hate to indulge in stereotypes, but there are times in a girl's life when dessert isn't an indulgence, it's a downright necessity. Personally, I think the world might be a happier place if chocolate were available in the same way as emergency fire hoses: tucked into a convenient nook in the hallway with a little sign reading, "In case of emergency, break glass." For me, this weekend was definitely a chocolate emergency. I am the type of person who is intensely affected by the problems of those around me. The same empathy that makes me a good listener, and a reliable source of solace advice in a dark time also leaves me emotionally drained when my loved ones are in trouble. Their stories are not mine to tell here, but suffice it to say that the past week was not a good one for several of the people in my inner circle.

For me to cope, it was time to turn to chocolate. In the interest of killing two birds with one stone, I opted to bake a batch of chocolate thumbprint cookies from a recipe I'd spotted on Martha Stewart's website last year when I was assembling my Cookie Bonanza lineup. I didn't have the time to make them last year, what with the seven varieties of cookies I was already baking, but in my post-Bonanza analysis, I couldn't help but wish I'd been able to include a thumbprint type cookie. The chocolate recipe stuck in my mind, and I decided to give it a test-run for this year's giveaway. Ultimately, these cookies turned out to be too labor intensive for the Bonanza, and the the soft chocolate ganache centers that make them so special turned out to make them poor candidates for packaging.

However, the chocolate thumbprints turned out to be profoundly tasty and were enthusiastically recieved by all who sampled them, so I've decided to make them for this year's cookie exchange instead, when I'm baking fewer other things and will have a much shorter distance to transport them. The ingredients for these cookies are a bit on the pricey/difficult to source end of the spectrum (I'm looking at you, vanilla beans!), but if you're looking for a special treat that will not fail to impress, this recipe comes highly recommended by me.

Chocolate Thumbprints
adapted from Martha Stewart

2 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. plus 1 tablespoon Dutch-process cocoa powder
scant teaspoon salt
1 c. unsalted butter, softened
1 1/3 c. sugar, plus more for rolling
2 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Chocolate Vanilla Bean Ganache, recipe follows

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift flour, cocoa powder, and salt into a small bowl. Cream butter and sugar with a mixer until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to medium, and add yolks, cream, and vanilla. Scrape sides of bowl. Beat in flour mixture until just combined.
2. Roll balls using 2 teaspoons dough for each, and roll each in sugar. Place 1 inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. With the handle of a wooden spoon, press gently in the center of each to create an indentation. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until cookies are just set, about 10 minutes. (If indentations lose definition, press centers again.) Let cool slightly on baking sheets. Transfer cookies to wire racks, and let cool.
3. Spoon warm ganache into center of each cookie. Let stand until firm, about 15 minutes. Cookies will keep, covered, for up to 3 days.

Chocolate Vanilla Bean Ganache
adapted from Martha Stewart

1/3 c. honey
1/3 c. heavy cream
1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped, pod reserved
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed

1. Combine honey, cream, and vanilla seeds and pod in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, and cook, stirring until honey dissolves. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand for 20 minutes.
2. Place chocolate in a heat-proof bowl. Return cream mixture to a simmer, then strain through a fine sieve into the bowl with the chocolate, and let stand for 1 minute. Discard solids. Stir until smooth. Add butter, and continue to stir until butter is incorporated. Let cool slightly, and then use immediately.

A Religious Experience - Part Six

Second Presbyterian Church

1936 South Michigan Avenue

Chicago, Illinois

If there is one lesson that I have learned through this exploration of Chicago's religious sites, it is not to underestimate the treasures that might be hiding just a few blocks away. For this week's visit, I found inspiration in a newly acquired library book, Chicago Churches and Synagogues: An Architectural Pilgrimage, by George Lane. I had actually been planning to see a different church, but when I spotted Second Presbyterian Church, and realized it was practically in my own backyard, I quickly changed my mind. I could vaguely recollect having seen pamphlets for the church when I toured the Glessner and Clarke Houses with Derek, but out of sheer exhaustion after three hours of guided tours, we opted to skip the church. Checking out Second Presbyterian would be a fitting continuation of my exploration of the Prairie District, and it would expand my understanding of my neighborhood. I was sold.

In its day, the Second Presbyterian Church was the house of worship for Chicago's elite families. The Swifts and Armours of meatpacking fortune, the Fields, and the Pullman families all financed the construction of the church, along with some of the city's other preeminent families whose names have not withstood the test of time. It was completed in 1874, after the original church, located at the corner of Wabash and Washington, burned to the ground in the Great Chicago Fire. Although the parishioners opted to move the building closer to their Prairie Avenue homes by relocating to South Michigan Avenue, they conscripted the same architect, James Renwick (famed in the United States for such church designs as New York's St. Patrick's Cathedral) to design the new building, and selected stone from the same Illinois quarry with which to construct it, even though the rock contained black bituminous deposits that give the building a spotted appearance.

The exterior of the church is done in a style reminiscent of the early Gothic era in Britain. The tower to the left was originally topped with a spire that was lost to fire in 1957 and not replaced.

The congregants of Second Presbyterian were accustomed to the best, so when the original neo-Gothic interior of the church was destroyed by fire in 1900, they selected Howard Van Doren Shaw, a member of the church and a budding architect to redesign the interior in the latest style -- the Arts and Crafts Movement. In large part, the Arts and Crafts Movement was a reaction against the design excesses of Art Nouveau and the declining quality of consumer goods caused by mass production. Its adherents sought cleaner lines, emphasized superb craftsmanship, and were heavily influenced by medieval art forms such as stained glass and wood carving.

In his design for Second Presbyterian, Shaw selected a warm color palette draw from nature. Carvings on the pews, the coffered ceiling, and the organ screen behind the pulpit carry botanical themes that also symbolize the Christian faith. Grapes represent the Eucharist, while pomegranates signify the Passion and Resurrection. The other prominent motif in the sanctuary is angels: the angels Michael, Gabriel, Uriel, and Raphael watch over the pulpit, the light fixtures are sculpted in the form of angels, and in total, there are over 175 representations of angels inside the church. However, lovely as the church is, the real draw is its stained glass windows.

Ascension Window, William Kline

Although representative art is not a traditional feature of Presbyterian churches, the well-heeled members of Second Presbyterian Church had traveled extensively in Europe and wanted to recreate the feeling of the great Gothic cathedrals at home. To achieve this, they turned to the greatest stained glass artists of their time, and as a result, the church features nine windows by Louis Comfort Tiffany, and a handful by other prominent artists such as Louis Millet and the workshop of William Morris, the father of the Arts and Crafts Movement himself.

Left: St. Paul Preaching to the Athenians, Louis Comfort Tiffany
Right: Peace Window, Louis Comfort Tiffany

To create these windows, artists such as Tiffany shied away from the industrialized techniques that were being used to create cheap ecclesiastic stained-glass at the time. Mass produced windows were created by applying thin layers of pigment to regular glass, which faded quickly. The preeminent artists at the turn of the century returned to medieval techniques, coloring the glass itself so that the windows they created would withstand the test of time. The vibrancy of the windows at Second Presbyterian speak to the efficacy of that strategy.

Left: Pastoral Window, Louis Comfort Tiffany
Right: Jeweled Window, Louis Comfort Tiffany

However, as is quickly becoming a theme in this project, the Second Presbyterian Church is badly in need of restoration. When it was built, the building served a congregation of over a thousand worshipers, whereas now it serves slightly over fifty people on a regular basis. There is simply not enough money within the congregation to maintain the building. If you look closely, you can see chipping paint and plaster around many of the windows. What you cannot see from these photos are all the gaps between the windows that bring in the air from outside. Furthermore, looking at the windows from the side reveals that they are badly bowing and warping. A non-profit organization, Friends of Historic Second Church, was founded to raise money to maintain and restore the edifice, but it seemed like their efforts had not been particularly successful so far.

Left: Behold The Lamb Of God, Louis Comfort Tiffany
Right: Cast Thy Garment About Thee, Louis Millet

To be able to see the church, I was obliged to participate in a guided tour offered by a volunteer church member after the Saturday service. Amusingly, the elderly woman, who had been attending services at the church for over forty years, seemed to know little about the building's art and architecture. She seemed more interested in garnering sympathy for her sciatic nerve pain. As a result, I administered much of the tour to the other two attendees myself. They had trouble believing that visiting churches is just a hobby for me, and that I'm not a graduate student, nor am I writing a book. I suppose it is a bit of an unusual project to undertake for no reason other than an interest in church architecture, but there was something gratifying about getting to share my knowledge with others. Perhaps I should look into becoming a tour guide...

Cheesy and Corny...

I'm not sure what the weather is doing this week, but I can only hope that summer is having its last hurrah, and will soon become a pleasant memory. Because, seriously, 90 degree days are too hot for the month of September! After last weekend's shopping trip with Mom, I have new fall clothes that are beckoning to me from the closet, begging to be worn. However, this interlude of Indian summer has not been enough to dissuade me from eating as if there is already a chill in the air.

I found this recipe for corn chowder a couple years back when I was hosting a Halloween-themed soup buffet dinner party for a few friends. I had also prepared lentil soup and Cincinnati-style chili, but I wanted to have a third option for my guests. I've always liked corn chowder, and did a search on the Food Network website for a recipe. I found one from Ina Garten that I thought looked appetizing, and had had good results with her recipes in the past, so I decided to give it a go. I also have a bit of a soft-spot for Ina because she could be my mom's doppelganger. If you don't believe me, just do a Google image search.

This chowder was a huge success at the party, although Ina's original recipe made a truly preposterous amount of soup. I sent home leftovers with every single guest who would have them, and I still ended up throwing some of it away because I couldn't eat it all in time, and cream-based soups cannot be frozen. Nevertheless, this cheddar corn chowder went into my regular recipe rotation, albeit it in one-third of its original form. If you're looking for a hearty fall meal, I highly recommend this soup.

Cheddar Corn Chowder
adapted from Ina Garten

3-4 slices of thick-cut bacon
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1-2 tablespoons butter
1/4 c. flour
scant 1/4 teaspoon tumeric
4 c. chicken stock
2/3 lb. red potatoes, peeled and diced
1 lb. frozen white corn
2/3 c. heavy cream or half-and-half
4 oz. cheddar cheese, grated

1. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat and add bacon, cooking until crisp. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate, and crumble when cool. Set aside.
2. Reduce heat to medium, and add butter and onions to the pot, salting generously. Cook until onions are translucent, 7-10 minutes.
3. Stir in the flour, tumeric, and pepper to taste, cooking three minutes.
4. Add the stock to the pot, stirring well to incorporate the flour. Add potatoes and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.
5. Add the corn to the soup, then the cream and cheddar cheese. Cook for 5 additional minutes until cheese is melted. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper. Serve with a garnish of crumbled bacon.

Bag Lady...

As I've explored in the past, shopping at Macy's makes me feel vaguely dirty. I don't like patronizing the store that bought out my beloved Marshall Field's, but their selection and their sales are hard to beat. However, if there is one thing that drives me crazy above all else when shopping there it is their perpetual shortage of paper shopping bags. Their plastic bags are shoddy and cheap, and likely to break before you even get your purchases out the door of the gargantuan store. Yet they rarely have any paper bags on hand to offer their customers. Well, ladies and gentlemen, on yesterday's shopping trip to Macy's with my mom, we discovered just where all those elusive paper bags have gone:

While the giant paper bag dress was undeniably cool, it was little consolation in light of the rapidly stretching handles of the plastic bag I was holding. Perhaps Macy's needs to focus more on providing tangible customer-service and less on providing eye candy to distract from that lack of service...

A Religious Experience - Part Five

Queen of All Saints Basilica
6280 North Sauganash Avenue
Chicago, Illinois

I must give thanks to my friend Derek for indirectly leading to this week's installation of my ongoing church pilgrimage. You see, Derek shares my enthusiasm for ecclesiastic architecture, and had recommended a book on the subject to me nearly a year ago. The title, Heavenly City: The Architectural Tradition of Catholic Chicago, sat scrawled on a piece of paper on my desk for all that time, until I decided to undertake this project and I sought out the book at the Harold Washington Library. Without that book, I never would have discovered this week's church: Queen of All Saints Basilica. To say it is far flung is an understatement -- it's practically in the suburbs, and despite its immense size, it is not visible from any major roadway. Yet, it is one of only three churches in the Chicagoland area officially designated as a basilica-level house of worship by the Vatican.

Queen of All Saints was dedicated in 1960, making it a decidedly large and ambitious project for its time. It was built in the Gothic style, at a time when Gothic, and Gothic Revival architecture had long been eschewed in favor of the clean lines (and cheaper construction costs) afforded by modern architecture. This anachronistic choice was hoped to capture the fervor and devotion inherent to the medieval era in which Gothic architecture was developed, at a time in which parishioners were beginning to stray from the church.

Queen of All Saints was elevated to basilica status in 1962 by Pope John XXIII. Basilicas are usually large churches, often, though not necessarily cathedrals, and receive special privileges, such as a special symbols to display in red and gold, the colors of the Papal See, and the presence of a Papal throne at the altar.

The interior of Queen of All Saints was very dim, which certainly evoked the feeling I get when visiting Gothic cathedrals in Europe. I was the only person there, having arrived shortly after the end of confession on a Saturday, and I felt overwhelmed by the scale of the cavernous interior. The ceiling was elaborately painted, although it is hard to tell due to the ambient darkness.

Part of the darkness can be attributed to the lack of light coming in from outside, due to an overcast day, but it was clear that the church was cutting back on their energy costs by not having many of their lights on during non-peak hours. Only about half of the lights were on in the nave, and the lights were actually turned off above the altar by some unseen caretaker while I was in the church. It only added to the spooky, Gothic ambiance.

By far, my favorite part of Queen of All Saints was their stunning stained glass windows, which were beautifully illuminated despite the poor weather. Those in the nave contained images of various saints, keeping in the theme of the basilica's name. The windows in the transept bore images from the life of Jesus. This depiction was undertaken in accordance with the instructions of Vatican II, which asked that newly constructed churches reveal "heavenly realities" through sign and symbol.

Although it did not photograph well, this panel in the baptistery told the story of the church's construction, starting with Columbus bringing Catholicism to the New World, followed by the arrival of the first Catholic missionaries in Chicago, the founding of the Queen of All Saints Parish in 1929, and the designation of the church as a basilica in 1962.

Above the choir loft is a particularly large window dedicated to the Virgin Mary and her different shrines throughout the world. This is only a detail.

In fact, the stained glass windows at Queen of All Saints made it worthwhile to wake up at 7:30 in the morning on a Saturday to drive there. (Yes, I had to drive, because this church is so remote it isn't even accessible by public transportation, despite technically being in Chicago's city limits.) Even if the rest of the basilica was dark, a little dreary, and full of 1960s decorative touches that looked like they could have come straight from the home of someone's grandparents, the windows fully realized the building's intent of capturing the glories of heaven in visual form. Just another hidden gem in the religious world of Chicago, accessible only to those who actively seek them out.

Girls Will Be Girls...

The back-to-school season is always a time when I reflect upon my friendship with Lisa, my high school best friend. We met on the first day of sixth grade, in the locker room after gym class, because our lockers were next to one another. In an uncharacteristic moment of extroversion, I randomly struck up a conversation with her, and even though she looked at me like I was from another planet at the time, the rest was history. In the fall of 2005, we passed the point by which we had been friends more of our lives than not. Now our friendship is going into it's fifteenth year.

So many things have changed since then, and we have seen each other through some difficult times. Lisa has gone from my naive, tom-boyish friend that I taught about makeup and etiquette, to a mature, accomplished, married woman with a successful career. I am truly proud of all the ways she has grown and continues to grow into the person is today, and now it is often me turning to her for advice.

But, in spite of all that has changed in our lives, there are some things that will always remain the same in our relationship. We still get together and gossip, shop, and talk about boys (well, more like men these days.) And today, we even sat and painted our nails together while we gabbed, just like we would have done back when we met in sixth grade.

Lisa and I. Note the light reflecting of my blindingly white hands...

So often I document only the "interesting" things that I do on my blog -- the things I do and see around the city, the special foods I prepare, and the major events that occur with family and friends. But who says that those are any more worthy of remembering than the quiet moments spent with close friends? Those are the times that will fade from memory over the years anyway, and likely, the sorts of things I'll want to remember when looking back. Such moments are the things that truly speak to who we are as friends, and how our friendship has stood the test of time. I can only imagine where we will be in another fifteen years, but hopefully we'll still be doing all the girly things together that we've always done...

Just Play It Cool Boy...

Chicago is a truly great city for public art, whether it be permanent additions to the cityscape such as Cloud Gate (better known as "The Bean") in Millennium Park or the Picasso sculpture in Daley Plaza, or temporary installations like "Cows on Parade" in 1999. The latest of these temporary exhibits can be found on the Mag Mile, and is entitled, "Fine Art Fridges," and is sponsored by Com-Ed. It consists of nine re-purposed refrigerators from the company's appliance recycling program, turned into works of art to promote environmental issues. After passing by these artworks dozens upon dozens of times, I finally took the time to capture the installation on film before it is dismantled later this week.

"Running Down, Out to Pasture," Mike Helbing

"The Power of Flowers," Beth Kamhi

"Peas And Quiet," Victoria Fuller

"The Last Tree Exhibit," Tyrue "Slang" Jones

"Calming, Calling, Cooling," Ginny Sykes

"Coldspot: A Gulf Story," Nicole Beck

"Green Lifestyles," Kate Trumbull Fimreite

"In the Land of Love, There is No Garbage," Lucy Slivinski

"Recycled VooDoo Retro Rod," VooDoo Larry

In all honesty, I felt that "Fine Art Fridges" was fairly mediocre. I thought the concept of taking several like objects and decorating them differently was clever in 1999 with "Cows on Parade," but it was already played out by 2001 when "Suite Home Chicago" filled the sidewalks with decorated furniture. I think it's time to develop a new concept for public art. Furthermore, I thought that the only truly clever piece in the exhibition was the refrigerator-cum-hotrod, which was the only work in which the appliance transcended its original purpose and became something else. As a mosaic afficianado, I did enjoy the two tiled pieces, "The Power of Flowers," and "Coldspot: A Gulf Story," but aside from being attractive, they weren't really inspiring. I'm glad that Com Ed got their message across, and increased awareness about green issues and their recycling program, but I'm not sure that the end of this installation poses any great loss to the Chicago art scene.