2013 Chili Fest

During the month of January, I tend to want something warm to eat to keep me from freezing to death. One of my favorite dishes to make is chili.

If you like chili, the Ravenswood Fellowship United Methodist Church will be hosting their annual chili fest. There will be several different versions featured including: mild and hot chili with beef, mild and hot chili with chicken— and even a vegetarian chili (for those who can't or won't eat meat). But what makes this festival worth attending is "all the fixin's". What do you like on your chili??? We have corn chips, popcorn, rice, macaroni… and even mashed potatoes, and much much more.

I am including the information on how to get there if you want to attend:

Saturday, January 26, 2013
3:00 pm - 6:00 pm
ALL YOU CAN EAT FOR $7.00
Children 10 and under $5.00

Ravenswood Fellowship United Methodist Church
4511 N. Hermitage Ave.
Chicago, IL

I look forward to seeing you there.

Cap'n Cup-hand here

"Aarrr"	"Ayeee"

Today is International Talk Like A Pirate Day. I never knew about this event until recently, so I may not be as great at it as others, but it does remind me of how "Captain Cup-Hand" came into being.

Ever since college I have typically had a large plastic cup that I always filled between classes. Sometime in the early 90's I got in the habit of cramming the cup on my hand as I went to the drinking fountain to fill up. Someone noticed and asked me if I was part pirate, to which I quickly replied "Ayeee, Capt'n Cup-Hand here" and proceeded to talk like a pirate whenever I went to refill my cup.

I have always known a smattering of sign-language, and in order to be fair to the deaf community I take the international signs for the letters R and I and use them. In order for them to "sound" appropriate for pirate-speak, I typically hold the letter firmly and shake my hand in the process ("RRRRRRR…", "IIIIIII…").

Feel free to join in the fray (ayeee) and talk like a pirate today.

Master T

The elementary school in our neighborhood has an art fair. One of the highlights of the fair is the T-shirt auction where you bid on T-shirts that the students paint based upon the masters. The proceeds go towards funding for the Art department.

Last year I won the bid on a T-shirt based on a Lichtenstein painting:

This year I paid $75 for another Lichtenstein painting:

This by no means was the highest paid for a T-shirt. There was one during this year's fair that fetched $120. My Step daughter holds the record for the highest bid at $260. It was a Surrat painting in pointillist style which probably explains why it fetched such a high price.

Unfortunately, the art teacher who started the fair over 20 years ago is retiring this year. We may not ever see another art fair, but we did enjoy supporting the arts by buying T-shirts. We like to wear them all the time, and even wear them the Art Institute which gets a lot of people asking if we bought it in the gift shop.

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2012 Chili Fest

During the month of January, I tend to want something warm to eat to keep me from freezing to death. One of my favorite dishes to make is chili.

If you like chili, the Ravenswood Fellowship United Methodist Church will be hosting their annual chili fest. There will be several different versions featured including: mild and hot chili with meat— and even a vegetarian chili (for those who can't or won't eat meat). A while back I posted my recipe on how to make Kick-Butt Chili. I am planning on making this version of chili as one of the hot versions offered. But what makes this festival worth attending is "all the fixin's". What do you like on your chili??? We have corn chips, popcorn, rice, macaroni, different hot sauces (if the Kick-Butt Chili doesn't kick your butt enough), and much much more.

I am including the information on how to get there if you want to attend:

Sunday, January 28, 2012
3:00 pm - 6:00 pm
ALL YOU CAN EAT FOR $7.00
Children 10 and under $5.00

Ravenswood Fellowship United Methodist Church
4511 N. Hermitage Ave.
Chicago, IL

I look forward to seeing you there.

Tale of the Griddle

When I first helped out at our church's pancake breakfast I got lucky and was able to get in on the ground floor. I was placed next to Jack who was the person who actually built the griddle I was cooking on.

As I flipped pancakes, Jack relayed the story of how he made the griddle. How he took a half inch piece of solid steel for the griddle surface. How, that steel was way too heavy and he had to grind down an eighth of an inch off of the top so that it could be picked up easier.

If you like pancakes, or if you want to see the griddle that Jack built, the Ravenswood Fellowship United Methodist Church will be hosting their annual pancake breakfast. I will be flipping pancakes on our custom made griddle. I am including the information on how to get there so you can see the griddle, or see me flip pancakes:

Saturday, November 5, 2011

9:00 am - 2:00 pm

All you can eat.

Adults $7.00

Children $3.00

Ravenswood Fellowship United Methodist Church

I look forward to seeing you there.

2010 Spaghetti Dinner

If you like spaghetti, the Ravenswood Fellowship United Methodist Church will be hosting their annual spaghetti dinner. All proceeds go to our Honduras project which helps provide education opportunities to Honduran children who typically do not get any education beyond 7th grade. I'm including the information about the event below in case you want to come:

ALL YOU CAN EAT FOR $7.00
Children under 10 $3.00
Meat or vegetarian sauce will be served

Saturday, March 6, 2009
4:30 to 8:00 pm
Ravenswood Fellowship United Methodist Church
4511 N. Hermitage
Chicago, IL

I look forward to seeing you there.

2010 Chili Fest

During the month of January, I tend to want something warm to eat to keep me from freezing to death. One of my favorite dishes to make is chili.

If you like chili, the Ravenswood Fellowship United Methodist Church will be hosting their annual chili fest. There will be several different recipes featured including: mild and hot versions of turkey chili— mild and hot versions of beef chili— and even a vegetarian chili (for those who can't or won't eat meat). Last year I posted my recipe on how to make Kick-Butt Chili. Hopefully this year I can get the vegetarian chili recipe to post as well. I am including the information on how to get there if you want to attend:

Sunday, January 31, 2010
2:00 pm - 5:00 pm
ALL YOU CAN EAT FOR $7.00
Children 10 and under $5.00

Ravenswood Fellowship United Methodist Church
4511 N. Hermitage Ave.
Chicago, IL

I look forward to seeing you there.

2010 Polar Bear Plunge

At noon on Friday, January 1, 2010 I will be at Loyola Beach near Pratt Park participating in the annual polar bear plunge. If you are curious and want to know why I do this— read my post here.

Depending on how many people come to cheer me on will determine if I go to an after-party for "hot" drinks— hot-chocolate, hot-apple cider, hot-toddies, etc.

Hope to see you there.

2009 Rummage Sale

The Ravenswood Fellowship United Methodist Church will be hosting their Rummage sale. There is a variety of items to get that range from clothes to furniture. I am including the information on how to get there if you like shopping:

Saturday, October 3, 2009
9:30 am -3:00 pm
Ravenswood Fellowship United Methodist Church
4511 N. Hermitage
Chicago, IL

I look forward to seeing you there.

2009 Race to Mackinac

If you like sailing, or enjoy looking at sailboats, the 101st Race to Mackinac will be starting from the Chicago Yacht Club. I will probably get there early so that I can see all the boats before they go to the starting line. I am including information about the event in case you want to say bon voyage to the racers:

Saturday, July 18th
Chicago Yacht Club
400 E. Monroe Street, Chicago
7:00am – 10:00am Cash Stand Continental Breakfast (Patio)
10:00am – 2:00pm Parade of Boats (Navy Pier)
11:30am – 3:00pm Start of the 101st Race to Mackinac

View Larger Map

Hope to see you there.

F2: Food Matters Series

Welcome again to Friday's Feast. This week we have a guest post by Heather who is promoting our cooking series through our community garden project. If you don't know what Friday's Feast is all about, please read the Friday's Feast page for a more detailed explanation. If you want to join in on the feast— be sure to leave a comment and include the URL to your post so I and others can know of your contribution.

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Cooking with the freshest, highest quality ingredients not only makes the tastiest possible meals, but also meals that are best for your health and the environment. Our community garden at Ravenswood Fellowship United Methodist Church is committed to growing delicious vegetables all summer long for just those reasons. As a part of our garden project, we are interested in learning new ways to use great ingredients that are plentiful in our gardens but not as common in our standard cooking repertoires. How many uses do you have for bushels of green beans, eggplant and kale?

With all this in mind, we are starting a cooking class and discussion group based on culinary superstar Mark Bittman's new book, FOOD MATTERS: A Guide to Conscious Eating. Faced with personal health crises and the mounting evidence that our current big-business model for farming isn't sustainable for the planet's health, Bittman decided to rethink the way he eats and his old recipes, which had sold millions of books. His new style of eating changed his life and the way he looks at supermarket shelves.

With Bittman's delicious new recipes as a guide, over the course of the summer we will enjoy three meals together, learn the techniques used to prepare them, and talk about the global impact of eating fresh, delicious, local produce. Here are the dates and times with the planned menus:

Tuesday, June 30 7 p.m. for dinner
Savory Vegetable and Grain Torta
Summer Salad
Fruit Tarts

Saturday, July 25 Noon for lunch
Curried Lentil Soup with Potatoes
Almost No-Work Whole Grain Bread
Blueberry Peach Crisp

Sunday, August 23 9 a.m. for breakfast
More-Vegetable-Than-Egg Frittata
Breakfast Porridge
Fruit Smoothies

All classes will be in Ravenswood Fellowship United Methodist Church's kitchen at 4511 N. Hermitage, Chicago, IL. To join us for dinner, simply RSVP to our church office at 773.561.2610 or by emailing kgovas@aol.com and we will set a place for you at the table!

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Next weeks topic is Drinks. You get awfully thirsty during the summer and like to quench that thirst with something special. So, if you have anything that relates to this topic, be sure to leave a comment and include the URL so I can include you in next weeks feast.

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Wait Wait… Free Show!

If any of you are familiar with NPR radio, the show Wait Wait… Don't Tell Me! will be taping their show at Millenium Park in Chicago on Thursday, June 11th starting at 6:30PM. I am including information on where the Pritzker Pavilion is so you can attend:

Jay Pritzker Pavilion
201 E Randolph St
Chicago, IL 60601
(312) 742-1168

View My Saved Places in a larger map

Hope to see you there.

2009 Spaghetti Dinner

If you like spaghetti, the Ravenswood Fellowship United Methodist Church will be hosting their annual spaghetti dinner. All proceeds go to our Honduras project which helps provide education opportunities to Honduran children who typically do not get any education beyond 7th grade. I'm including the information about the event below in case you want to come:

ALL YOU CAN EAT FOR $7.00
Children under 10 $3.00
Meat or vegetarian sauce will be served

Saturday, March 6, 2009
4:30 to 8:00 pm
Ravenswood Fellowship United Methodist Church
4511 N. Hermitage
Chicago, IL

I look forward to seeing you there.

2009 Chili Fest

If you like chili, the Ravenswood Fellowship United Methodist Church will be hosting their annual chili fest. I am including the information on how to get there if you like chili:

ALL YOU CAN EAT FOR $7.00
Children 10 and under $5.00
Hot, mild or vegetarian

Saturday, January 31, 2009
4-7 pm
Ravenswood Fellowship United Methodist Church
4511 N. Hermitage
Chicago, IL

I look forward to seeing you there.

2009 Polar Bear Plunge

At noon on Thursday, January 1, 2009 I will be at Loyola Beach participating in the annual polar bear plunge. If you are curious and want to know why I do this— read my post here.

Depending on how many people come to cheer me on will determine if I have people over at my place for "hot" drinks— hot-chocolate, hot-apple cider, hot-toddies, etc.

Hope to see you there.

2008 Pancake Breakfast

If you like pancakes, the Ravenswood Fellowship United Methodist Church will be hosting their annual pancake breakfast. I will be flipping pancakes on our custom made griddle. I am including the information on how to get there if you like pancakes, or want to see me flip pancakes:

Saturday, November 1, 2008
9:30 am - 2:00 pm
$3.00 All you can eat!!!
Ravenswood Fellowship United Methodist Church
4511 N. Hermitage
Chicago, IL

I look forward to seeing you there.

2008 Rummage Sale

The Ravenswood Fellowship United Methodist Church will be hosting their Rummage sale. There is a variety of items to get that range from clothes to furniture. I am including the information on how to get there if you like shopping:

Saturday, October 4, 2008
9 am -3 pm
Ravenswood Fellowship United Methodist Church
4511 N. Hermitage
Chicago, IL

I look forward to seeing you there.

2008 Talk like a pirate day

"Aarrr"	"Ayeee"

Today is International Talk Like A Pirate Day. I never knew about this event until recently, so I may not be as great at it as others, but it does remind me of how "Captain Cup-Hand" came into being.

Ever since college I have typically had a large plastic cup that I always filled between classes. Sometime in the early 90's I got in the habit of cramming the cup on my hand as I went to the drinking fountain to fill up. Someone noticed and asked me if I was part pirate, to which I quickly replied "Ayeee, Capt'n Cup-Hand here" and proceeded to talk like a pirate whenever I went to refill my cup.

I have always known a smattering of sign-language, and in order to be fair to the deaf community I take the international signs for the letters R and I and use them. In order for them to "sound" appropriate for pirate-speak, I typically hold the letter firmly and shake my hand in the process ("RRRRRRR…", "IIIIIII…").

Feel free to join in the fray (ayeee) and talk like a pirate today.

Loyola Beach Conservation Day

On Saturday, August 19th I will be at the Loyola Beach Dunes from 9:00 AM to Noon. I hope to learn about the beach dunes and their importance to the local environment while helping beautify the beach.

See the Chicago Park District's Volunteer Page for more information. Hope to see you there.

2008 Grill Fest

The Ravenswood Fellowship United Methodist Men will be sponsoring their third annual Grill Fest this Saturday. All proceeds go towards replacing the old tables at the church which are extremely heavy and difficult to move around. I'm including the information about the event below in case you want to come:

Saturday, July 26, 2008
Noon-3 pm
Ravenswood Fellowship United Methodist Church
4511 N. Hermitage

I look forward to seeing you there.