Savoring Life

Work has been madness recently, and on top of all the traveling I've done these past few weeks (Vegas and the Bay Area), I'm physically and mentally spent.
So today I left work a tad early and went grocery shopping. Its shocking that my weekly ritual of going to the market has now turned into a monthly one. That is definitely something that needs to change, because walking around a grocery store has an odd way of being both exciting, and insanely relaxing for me.

After I picked up a nice big bag of veggies and fruit (more on that in a bit), I walked to the train to go home. The first sight I was greeted with as I walked down the stairs to the platform was a massive amount of people waiting for the northbound train. (le sigh)

And then, I heard it. The sound of violins.

Scott, the mystery violinist. Here's another video with some of his music.
(Video courtesy of YouTube)

You see, Chicago has a lot of street musicians. On the sidewalk or down in the subway, there are singers and drummers and erhu/accordian players and rappers and all different kinds of artists. Most are average. Some are above average. And then there's Scott.

He's amazing. And the days that I get a chance to hear him as I wait for the train (about once a week or so) are the best nights. His violin has a way of instantly melting away all the stress I have from work or life or whatever. So today, instead of trying to jam myself onto an overly packed train, I let 4 trains pass as I... just... listened.

Savoring life. On the CTA red line subway.

With my arms full of delicious food and my ears full of exquisite music, I walked home in the less-than bitter cold and quickly threw together my dinner for the night.

Six (high-quality) simple ingredients and 10 minutes later, I was ready to eat.

My inspiration

Walking through the grocery store I spotted one of my favorite things: heirloom tomatoes. And in that moment I knew exactly what my dinner was going to be. In the past I've made a delicious herb and goat cheese heirloom tomato tart. But today I decided to keep things quick and simple.

Contrasting flavors and textures that meld together perfectly

All you need are tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil, sea salt, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil. And since there's only six ingredients total- make sure you're using some good quality stuff. Get the big bunch of fresh basil. Splurge on some buffalo mozzarella like I did. Slice your tomatoes nice and thick. Alternate layers of the creamy cheese, the fragrant herb, and the hearty fruit. And then give the whole thing a healthy drizzle of your very best olive oil.

Pair with some crusty bread, and maybe a nice glass of wine, for the perfect meal

Savoring life: with fresh ingredients.

And since we're really enjoying every moment- don't forget about dessert. I finished off my night with a simple bowl of berries. No cream, no sugar... just berries.


Savoring life: one sweet bite at a time.

Buen Provecho,
Jacqueline


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