nattysbestlife

The Happiest Place on Earth: Where Dreams Come True

July 16, 2018August 7, 2020by nattysbestlifeLeave a Comment

After coming back from Mexico, I was itching to plan another trip to a warm destination to escape the Chicago winter. What better place then the sunshine state: Florida! We got into Orlando pretty late the first night, so unfortunately we didn’t do much except pick up our Chrysler Sebring convertible and check into our hotel: Meliá Orlando Suite Hotel at Celebration. Our first day in Orlando, we decided to go to Epcot, and do an around the world food and drink tour. We had an amazing day, to say the least. The weather was great, we got to try food from all around the world, and we had our fair share of drinks! That weekend also happened to be the International Flower & Garden Festival so we were able to see beautiful floral sculptures all throughout the park.

After our food/drink crawl around the world, we decided to jump on the monorail and go to Magic Kingdom. Unbeknownst to us, our tickets didn’t allow us access to that park, but we found out it is only $5 per person to upgrade our tickets. At the end, we didn’t even end up paying, because their card reader wasn’t working. We got to spend the evening at Magic Kingdom for the sunset. Unfortunately, we left right before the parade because there was a storm coming in that evening.

After walking over 7 miles, our day finally came to an end. We spent the evening at our hotel and had dinner at 360 Bistro Bar. Their menu is inspired by American family meals, and they have an amazing brick oven pizza!!

The next morning we were off to Universal Studios. One piece of advice: BUY THE UNIVERSAL EXPRESS PASS! We bought the pass from the beginning, and it was well worth it. Without the pass we would have probably done 30% of what we did. The highlight of the morning was going to Springfield USA (aka Simpsons World), drinking Duff Beer at Moe’s and eating a Krusty Burger.

Our next stop was: THE WIZARDING WORLD OF HARRY POTTER! We had to take the train to get to another part of the park. Waiting in line to get on the train was well worth it…unfortunately, the express pass doesn’t work here. After we went on a few rides, we went to Jurassic Park, which was a water ride, and got soaked! Our last ride of the night was the HULK roller coaster, while we were in line for the ride, the ride broke down, and exactly when we decided to leave, it opened back up again. We essentially stood in line twice for the ride but it was worth it: especially to take the ride in the dark!

After another day of walking over 7 miles, we were ready for bed! The next day we spent visiting some family friends and grabbing lunch at Chuy’s. The rest of the afternoon was joy riding in the convertible, and exploring downtown Orlando. We even had time to relax and squeeze in a movie: I Feel Pretty. When we got back to our hotel, we relaxed at our hotel pool.

Our flight was not until later that evening, so we woke up that morning and had brunch at Holler & Dash, a Southern biscuit house.

After brunch, we went to the Orlando Outlet Mall for a few hours to kill some time. Our last and final stop after shopping was J-Petal, for a late afternoon snack and bubble tea. We ordered a savory Japanese Crepe, and the marinated beef on it was absolutely amazing! The bubble tea also came in a light bulb bottle that you can keep.

By this point, we were exhausted. We decided to return the car early and spend the evening at an airport lounge before our flight home. We got back to Chicago late and ended the night with some late night food at Devil Dawgs!

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Chicago Food Crawl

A Night Out In Chinatown

July 13, 2018August 7, 2020by nattysbestlife2 Comments

One night we decided that we wanted to get some Korean BBQ, and we narrowed it down to Daebak Korean BBQ in Chinatown. They don’t take reservations, and there was an hour wait, so we decided to kill some time and walk around in the area. Our first stop was Aji Ichiban, a candy shop filled with SO MUCH CANDY! We bought a number of different green tea flavored candies and POCKY, in flavors we had never seen before! Our second stop was Chatime & TTNoodle. We were in the mood for some bubble tea while we waited for dinner. We got milk tea and chai milk bubble tea with tapioca. Both were good choices!

By the time we were done with our bubble tea we got a text that our table was ready at Daebak. The food was amazing, and cooked right in front of us! We got a few different meats a la carte, and our favorite by far was the marinated short ribs. There were SO MANY sides with our meal. Two of my favorites were cooked around the burner, the corn topped with cheese and the egg yolk.

There was only one way to top this wonderful dinner, DESSERT! We decided to get rolled ice cream at Legend Tasty House. Watching the dessert be made was probably the best part!

Our food crawl through Chinatown was truly a success. We can’t wait to go back and try all the things we missed!

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Chicago Food Crawl

3 Arts Club Cafe

July 10, 2018August 7, 2020by nattysbestlifeLeave a Comment

I have wanted to go to 3 Arts Club Cafe located inside of Restoration Hardware for a while now. The few times I have tried, the wait time was over a two hours. A friend suggested that we go on a weekday around lunch. Fortunately, NO WAIT TIME!

The food is inspired by Northern California and Mediterranean cuisine and the courtyard seating is beautifully filled with natural sunlight and olive trees. We started the morning off with some flavored ice coffee on draft along with a late brunch. There were so many amazing options on the menu but of course I picked the one that had truffle and cheese: truffle grilled cheese sandwich on sourdough bread served with fries and garlic aïoli. My friend, on the other hand, chose the breakfast route and ordered the RH scramble: farm eggs, crème frâiche, avocado, chives, Texas toast.

After our wonderful brunch we decided to continue enjoying our day and ordered a bottle of wine. We got a bottle of Riesling: Leitz, Rheingau, Germany, 2016. 3 Arts Club Cafe isn’t only a wonderful brunch spot, but it is also a great spot for drinks.

We had already been at 3 Arts Club Cafe for a few hours are this point, and decided to spend the rest of the afternoon on the rooftop since the weather was beautiful. On our way to the rooftop we stopped and got another draft iced coffee and doughnut. They have doughnuts from Doughnut Vault, which were DELICIOUS! Definitely have to go and try all their flavors soon! On our way out, we walked through all the floors and praised the gorgeous furniture we hope to one day have in our home!

Overall, our day was well spent at RH. We can’t wait to go back!

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Cooking with Natty

Healthy PIZZA?

July 7, 2018August 7, 2020by nattysbestlife2 Comments

Everyone is always looking for ways to incorporate healthier foods into their lives. What if I told you that you were eating a slice of pizza that was ACTUALLY HEALTHY because the crust wasn’t made of processed white flour, but instead it was made with quinoa! Skeptical at first, I was happy with the results of this recipe.

Quinoa Crust Precipice

Ingredients:

3/4 cup of dry organic quinoa (I use a the Kirkland Signature organic quinoa– definitely more cost effective then getting it from Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbs olive oil
italian seasoning to taste
dry rosemary to taste
unsalted garlic powder to taste

The dry quinoa has to be soaked in water for about 6-8 hours. Soak it overnight if you are going to be making the crust in the morning or all day if you are going to be making it for dinner. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Wash the soaked quinoa thoroughly and blend with the baking powder, salt, olive oil and seasoning. The consistency is going to be similar to pancake batter (not pizza dough). Take a 9″ cake pan and line it with parchment paper and coat it with olive oil. Pour the mixture in; the thinner you pour it the more crispy the crust will turn out. Bake it for 12 minutes, then flip the crust and cook for another 15 minutes. You can now either add the toppings or save the crust for later in the day.

Making my pizza crusts in the morning, I was able to use them later that evening for pizza night. I chopped up mushrooms, green peppers and onions and prepared a garlic oil to brush onto the crust before adding the toppings.

garlic oil: freshly minced garlic, olive oil, Italian seasoning and rosemary

I also made a homemade pizza sauce: 1/2 cup chopped onion, 2 tbs minced garlic, 2 tbs oil, 1 cup chopped fresh tomato, 8 ounces tomato sauce, 6 ounces tomato paste, 1 tsp salt, 2 tsp oregano, 2 tsp basil, and 1 tsp pepper. Saute the onions and garlic in olive oil, once brown add all the remaining ingredients and let the sauce simmer over low heat.

When it was time to assemble the pizza, I brushed the crust with the garlic oil, then added the pizza sauce, vegetables, pepperoni, mozzarella cheese and lastly the Italian blend. Then I baked the pizza for another 10-15 minutes until the cheese was melted.

It tasted as good as it looked. Can’t wait to make it again!

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Chicago Food Crawl

Let’s Taco ’bout It

July 4, 2018August 7, 2020by nattysbestlifeLeave a Comment

You know a restaurant has good deserts when you go there ONLY to get desert. Especially when their food is also pretty amazing. If you are in Chicago looking for a yummy desert, go to Parlor Pizza and get their desert tacos. Not only are they photogenic, they taste equally wonderful. Order a TACOlato and you won’t be disappointed. The biggest debate of the evening was, “should we get Go Nuts or Unicorn Dreams?” After long thought and consideration we went with Go Nuts, because come on, how can you mess up Nutella+ hazelnut?

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Cooking with Natty

Honey Garlic Chicken

July 1, 2018August 7, 2020by nattysbestlifeLeave a Comment

I have always loved to cook! Cooking is relaxing and calming for me, and I enjoy every moment of it. I am always on the go, and it is nice to prep meals before work and utilize my crock pot. Crock pot honey garlic chicken is not only easy to make, but it’s delicious!

Ingredients:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 2 lbs)
½ cup soy sauce
½ cup honey
¼ cup hoisin sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbs rice wine vinegar
4 minced garlic cloves
1 tsp ginger
2 scallions (1 for cooking and 1 for garnish)
1 tbs corn starch
Sesame seeds

First whisk together the following ingredients: soy sauce, honey, ginger, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, minced garlic cloves, & half the scallions. I normally use all fresh ingredients but I recently tried Spice World Squeeze Ginger. I found it in the refrigerator isle in the grocery store, and it honestly tastes fresh, without the hassle of fresh ginger. Pour the mixture over the whole chicken breasts and cook on low in a crock pot for 2-3 hours. After the chicken comes out of the crock pot, let it rest for a few minutes before shredding it. I use The Original Bear Paws Shredder Claws to shred my meat. They are an Amazon’s Choice product that I absolutely love! Now time to thicken the leftover liquid in the crock pot. Take about 3 tablespoons of the liquid and mix corn starch into it until the mixture is smooth. Slowly add the mixture back into the crock pot (I used a whisk to mix it back in). Lastly, add the shredded chicken back into the crock pot and let the mixture simmer.

I served the chicken over a piece of sea weed with a scoop of rice. Finally, the chicken was garnished with sesame seeds and scallions. Bon Appetite!

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Chicago Food Crawl

A Burger Better then Au Cheval?

June 28, 2018August 7, 2020by nattysbestlife1 Comment

When articles came out stating there was a burger in Chicago better then Au Cheval, we had to try it! Many people were claiming that The Loyalist burger was better then the infamous Au Cheval burger. It was time for me to figure out the validity of that myself. The Loyalist is located under Smyth…there is an arrow that directs you exactly to the right spot. We went St. Patty’s Day weekend on Saturday night and ironically there was no wait. We got seated immediately, which was \thrilling because we heard there is usually a line there depending on what time you go. For starters, the ambiance was nice. It was in the basement and there were tall tables, booths and bar seats. The drinks were good too…I ordered a green drink in the St. Patrick’s Day spirit. We were so excited for the burger we couldn’t even wait. We ordered the Loyalist cheeseburger and we weren’t disappointed. It was cooked just right, it was nice and juicy and there were caramelized AND raw onions on it. The fries were served with a side of garlic aïoli and vinegar which paired great with the burger. Even though it wasn’t “better then Au Cheval” in my opinion, it was pretty satisfying! I think the two burgers are very different and both amazing in their own ways.

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Chicago Food Crawl

Brunch @ Beatnik

June 25, 2018August 7, 2020by nattysbestlifeLeave a Comment

We picked Beatnik for an anniversary brunch and I was very excited because I had heard about how cool the inside of the restaurant was. The interior was inspired by Bohemian lifestyle and aesthetic sensibility of the 1950s in America and Europe. It truly felt like a Mediterranean farmhouse. We sat in the front half of the restaurant, and there was a lot of natural light. The foods were a fusion between Eastern Mediterranean, Asia and Latin America. We ordered some amazing cocktails and of course we got a burger! We also got a Muffaletta Sandwich which was served on a Arepa Style Bun– which was essentially a masa bun.

After brunch we decided to continue the celebration on the other side of the restaurant at the bar. This side had a completely different vibe. It was beautiful with a lot of greenery. We got another round of cocktails followed by the famous chai cinnamon roll– this was probably one of the best things we have ever tired! It was extremely sweet and rich but worth every bite!

Can’t wait to come back and try the dinner menu! I also want to see the decor at night, must be a completely different vibe.

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Chicago Food Crawl

Au Cheval Almighty

June 23, 2018August 7, 2020by nattysbestlifeLeave a Comment

I can’t believe that I tried my first Au Cheval burger less then a year ago, but now I know what all the hype was about. I truly was missing out, until I finally went last fall, I was told that it was “the best burger ever”. There are some tricks on how to get a table at Au Cheval.

Go with a small group ≤ 4 people
Go on off peak hours, like after 11:30 pm
Go prepared to wait, and be ready to have a drink while waiting– doesn’t make the wait as bad!

I have been fortunate to usually go to Au Cheval with seasoned veterans, and I don’t think I have ever waited over 20 minutes for a table.

I keep it pretty simple at Au Cheval, always ordering the same exact thing. A single burger + the juicy thick cut bacon and an Old Fashioned. This last time, I went outside of the normal order and got fries, which came with a side of mouth watering garlic aïoli sauce– best add on ever!

There was a little hiccup in the burger last winter…they changed their bun and it was very disappointing. Fortunately the OG bun is back and the burger is better then ever!

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Self Care

Long Luscious Lashes

June 20, 2018August 7, 2020by nattysbestlifeLeave a Comment

Everyone wants long lashes and thick brows. Mainstream media pretty much makes a girl feel like they are a necessity, and if you are less fortunate in that department then there are always lash extensions and fake daily lashes. I personally have spent hours watching YouTube videos on how horrifying eyelash extension fails can be if you go to the wrong place. There are also so many products that girls use to fill in their brows, but come on, lets be honest. Who doesn’t fill in their brows? I know I do! I’ve been looking for a more permanent answer to thick lashes and brows, and finally I found it: CASTOR OIL!

I just ordered mine on Amazon and it came in 2 days! Thank you Amazon Prime! It also came with some mascara wands for easy application. I went with the Kate Blanc Cosmetics brand. They have a vast number of products I want to try, and they also offer free shipping on all orders, I will definitely be ordering direct next time. The most important thing is making sure it is USDA Organic before purchasing the product. This information is available on the labeling and/or the product description. I use the mascara wand to apply the oil on my eyelashes and eyebrows at bedtime after I wash my face. I also went ahead and added a few drops into my mascara. PSA: if you put castor oil into your mascara, it will no longer be waterproof so maybe try it on a sample or travel size mascara.

Here are some of the many benefits of castor oil outside of hair growth:

Treats split ends
Skin moisturizer
Great lip balm that helps with dark lips…I often put it on my lips at bedtime but it has a very strong smell so it occasionally bothers me
Natural anti-aging product…doesn’t hurt to put a drop into your night time moisturizer
Treats dark underarms…I have actually seen this on multiple beauty pages on Instagram
Treats stretch marks
Natural cuticle oil
It can be used as a cooking oil

These are just some of the vast benefits of castor oil. I know you just want to take a castor oil bath and wake up with amazing hair and flawless skin don’t you? Yup, me to!

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