anniversary.

jim and i celebrated our anniversary at buona terra, a little italian place in logan square.

i had a great time because the food was yummy, the prosecco was bubbly, and my dinner date was super cute.

later that night, we shared a slice of our wedding cake -- it wasn't even frost bitten!

on to our second year of marriage. and hopefully at least 70 more.

i put ketchup on my ketchup.

my dear friend jacqueline got me this t-shirt for my birthday, and it's basically my most favorite t-shirt ever.*

it's just so me. 

give me any food/condiment that combines vinegar, salt, and sugar and i'll throw it down my gullet. when i sit down with a plate of fries, it's only because fried potatoes act as a perfect vehicle for my ketchup. {this is true for most foods.}

p.s. do you like my pink reindeer pajama pants? i like them almost as much as i like ketchup. almost.

*the only t-shirt in my collection that's also in the running for "best t-shirt ever" is the one i got from my husband that has a picture of hugh laurie as dr. house and says, "it's not lupus." also awesome. 

The Doughnut Vault

if you live in Chicago, i command you to line up for a donut from The Doughnut Vault. 

but get there early! the line wraps around corner and these bad boys sell out quickly. 

to monitor doughnut status, follow @doughnutvault on twitter. 

The Doughnut Vault

401 1/2 N. Franklin Street

Chicago, IL 60654

happy eating!

tart

did you know that chicago is home to the largest whole foods in north america? 

it is. and it's amazing. 

jillian and i often go to "the whole" {as i like to call it} for lunch because this place has an amazing food court. 

they have a wine and cheese bar, a coffee bar, a bar serving draft beers, a 50's diner serving {humanely raised} burgers and hot dogs, a taquoria, a sushi/noodle kiosk...not to mention a gigantic salad and hot food bar, a trail mix station,  a bakery, a gelato station, a deli sammy spot, etc. 

it's basically insane. 

it's the only grocery store i've ever been to where 1) people shop for food while sipping pints of beer or glasses or wine and 2) i would voluntarily go to eat an entire meal of food and then stay for hours using the free WiFi. 

so anyway! jillian and i hit up The Whole recently for some tacos and wine. jillian had a gluten free cupcake for dessert, and i found this amazingly delicious vegan chocolate mousse tart. 

heaven!

pot pan

do you ever think about what your death row dinner would be? or is that sort of disturbing, and i just outed myself as a morbid and possibly eating-disordered individual? 

well, if i had the chance to choose whatever i wanted for my very last meal on this earth, it would be red thai curry from Pot Pan with brown rice. 

we eat this dish a lot at my house, and we often eat it right here on the living room couch. 

i recommend pairing this one with a glass of pino grigo...served from a Target brand wine cube!

cozy corner

jim and i walked over to logan square on saturday morning to have brunch at delicious little diner called Cozy Corner. 

if you live in chicago and haven't been to Cozy Corner yet, then all i can say is this: run, don't walk! the food is to die for, and the people who work there are beyond nice. this place will change your life. 

the deliciousness of this place is no secret, so if you come here during peak hours, be prepared to wait for a table. but this place is worth the wait, i promise. 

but i'm not hard to please. i'll rave all day about any place that offers you a choice of toast or pancakes with your eggs. 

p.s. if you're ever given a choice between toast or pancakes, the answer is always PANCAKES. 

p.p.s. duh. 

saturday night :: part two

because no saturday night is complete without insane amounts of frozen dessert, my girlfriends and i made a beeline to forever yogurt when we were done with dinner on saturday night.  

here is the concoction i came up with:

peanut butter yogurt

cake batter yogurt

red velvet yogurt

chocolate/vanilla twist yogurt

nilla wafers

coco pebbles

peanuts

hot fudge

somehow i forgot the mini m&ms! tragic!

if you haven't been to forever yogurt in bucktown yet...

RUN, DON'T WALK!

pictures:

1. my yogurt next to caroline's. i wouldn't let her eat until i snapped a pic...i'm a terrible person to go out with. 

2. jillian put a chocolate covered strawberry on her yogurt. i guess i didn't make it that far down the toppings bar b/c i didn't even know they had those. 

saturday night

i met up with a couple girlfriends for dinner and drinks at blue line on saturday night. 

{i had four bellini martinis which means it was a GOOD night.} 

Question: is it embarrassing that whenever i'm asked what my "hobbies" are, the only thing i can think to say is, I REALLY LIKE TO EAT FOOD?

pictures:

1. the lovely jillian. 

2. blurry martinis. 

pumpkin mania :: part two

move over martha. here is my recipe for pumpkin bread.

DIRECTIONS

get a zip car, go to trader joes

buy one box of pumpkin bread / muffin mix

add eggs, water and oil as directed on box

bake at 350 for an hour

forget about pumpkin bread in oven while decorating your christmas tree

notice that familiar burning smell

serve burnt pumpkin bread to loving husband who tells you it's awesome anyway

pumpkin mania

does anyone else go absolutely gaga for pumpkin flavored stuff? i'm basically obsessed.

trader joe's has these pumpkin-y spicy whoopee pies which are probably the best thing i have ever tasted. one time i ate five of them in a row and called it dinner. it was the best night of my life.

anyway! my friend caroline made some truly kick ass pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese frosting for our annual Urban Family Thanksgiving last weekend.

{jillian and i were there while she was baking them and caroline was nice enough to give us each a spoon dripping in batter and then covered in frosting. that is what i call a true friend.}

the cupcakes turned out so yum-o that i decided to try making them for Thanksgiving day.

deciding to cook or bake anything at my house is always a big adventure because we have ummm...ZERO....ingredients in the house.

when i decided to make these pumpkin bad boys, i had to go to the store for flour, sugar, brown sugar, eggs, butter, salt, pumpkin, spices, etc. basically everything.

i feel like grown up people are supposed to have at least some of this stuff on hand?

whatevs, the ingredients were purchased. the cupcakes were made. mouths were happy.

the recipe is from martha stewart. a woman who probably always has flour on hand in her pantry.

STUFF I HAD TO RUN OUT AND BUY

•2 cups all-purpose flour

•1 teaspoon baking soda

•1 teaspoon baking powder

•1 teaspoon coarse salt

•1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

•1 teaspoon ground ginger

•1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

•1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

•1 cup packed light-brown sugar

•1 cup granulated sugar

•1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

•4 large eggs, lightly beaten

•1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree

DIRECTIONS
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper liners; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice; set aside.

2.In a large bowl, whisk together, brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter, and eggs. Add dry ingredients, and whisk until smooth. Whisk in pumpkin puree.

3.Divide batter evenly among liners, filling each about halfway. Bake until tops spring back when touched, and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating pans once if needed. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely.




Read more at Marthastewart.com: Pumpkin Cupcakes - Martha Stewart Recipes

milkshake in the mission

my brother and matt took us to St. Francis in san francisco's mission district for some brunch action while we were in town last weekend.

i was jonesin' for some buttermilk pancakes, and then i saw they had milkshakes on the menu and so i had to have one of those too.

i got an espresso milkshake (vanilla with a shot of espresso).

the ice cream was so good, i swear it changed my life.

and the paper striped straws?  i die.

i want to go out for brunch every day of my life.

rabbit rabbit

happy september!

it's still hot and humid during the days here in chicago, but i think i can feel fall creeping in... this morning i felt chilly getting out of the shower and the three people in front of me at Starbucks all ordered pumpkin spice lattes.

bt-dubs, this is my very first post ever written on a mac! i made the great switch for my new gig (started on monday), and so far i'm loving it. and i'm totally having flash backs to elementary school computer class..."open apple this, open apple that..."

hyperstudio anyone?

anyway! the hubs and i were in san francisco over the weekend which was lovely.

of course we had to partake in a little bit of this..

In-N-Out burger. delish.

cozy corner

silly me! who goes to cozy corner and orders an omelet? during an egg recall?

it was ok...but i need to remember that when you're debating between omelets and pancakes, the answer is always PANCAKES.

as i wait for brunch...

i contemplate the big things in life.

like...should i get an omelet or pancakes for breakfast?

fuego

the hubs and i hit up logan square's Fuego for a little mexican last week.

we sat by the front windows and watched all the hipsters on their way to the congress theater while we munched on tamales and chips and salsa and drank frozen his and hers margaritas.

i just love that his was pink.

have a wonderful weekend!

Forever Yogurt

one of my besties (hi, Jillian!) has been raving about Forever Yogurt, a new self-serve, soft-serve frozen yogurt place in Wicker Park/Bucktown. she twisted my arm and pulled my hair until my scalp was bloody and i had to go and check it out for myself.

i kid.

i need no convincing when it comes to eating frozen treats.

but jillian's rave reviews were spot on! basically heaven in a cup!

i got myself a nice little helping of the non-fat cookies and cream yogurt and then topped it with iced animal crackers, mini m&ms and peanut butter cups

yes, i know that getting non-fat yogurt and then topping it with lard is pointless. and yes, i am that person who orders the supersized mcnugget meal and then orders a diet coke. let's move on!

jim got the low-fat peanut butter cup yogurt and topped it with chocolate chips and peanuts. (i tried it. it's a bitchin' combo.)

since it's all self-serve, you pay by weight. (weight of your dessert that is -- not by your weight. i wouldn't be down with that. i am still traumatized by the time my family went to the KIDS PAY WHAT YOU WEIGH DAY! at the Ground Round. i was 7. someone should have seen an eating disorder on the horizon.)

so go! go get yogurt! top it with something delicious! you'll love it!

frosting fail

i broke out my retro-inspired kitchen aid mixer (first time!) to make cupcakes on saturday morning.

it was my first time using my adorable little cupcake carrier too. {a bridal shower gift from my friend caroline v -- thanks caroline!}

the cupcakes were delish. sadly, jim and i are the only ones who know that for sure.

i was carrying my adorable little cupcake carrier around in the sun on my way to a party, and before i knew it, the frosting had melted off every single cupcake and was lying in puddles on the tray.

i was bummed.

but i figure that in this uncertain life, sometimes the frosting falls off your cupcakes. and you just have to move on.

double fisting

basically the best happy hour ever.

although, the big fat american in me gets a little sad when handed a teeny scoop of ice cream.

(i'm used to the Ben & Jerry's Vermonster, yo!)

no worries though. i can always steal some extra licks off the hub's cone while he's snapping pics.

sunday

the most important meal of the day...

...is definitely brunch.

happy easter

some people are a fan of the easter peep. but not me.

i am a fan of the reese's peanut butter egg.

the ratio of chocolate to peanut butter is perfection.

and didn't you hear? calories don't count on the holidays. (good thing too. jim bought me two bags this weekend!)