My Nashville Adventure

I went to Nashville for a Marathon recently and here is a photo reel of everything I ate...

The best donuts I've ever had from 5 Daughters Bakery. My favorite was the Maple one, but all of them were crazy delicious and the perfect treat to have the day after a marathon! 

A celebratory Bloody Mary from The Frothy Monkey.  This was our day-after-the-race brunch spot.  Breakfast was delicious and it is located on a super cute street to walk around.  

Jackalope Brewery had the cutest taproom...go there! 

A trip to Nashville wouldn't be complete without some Hattie B's Hot Chicken! I went for medium, it was delicious,  and it was the first thing I really ate after the run so it was life-saving as well.  We also got all the sides because Bri is a vegetarian and he loved them! 

Not that special, but we carb-loaded at Bucca de Beppo and I just couldn't believe the size of this dish and the tastiness of those meatballs! 

Country Music Hall of Fame! Do it! 

The Rock n' Roll Marathon Expo was super cute! 

This was a crazy good PB&J that I got at this amazing sandwich shop!  Clawson's Pub and Deli has great sandwiches and a ton of local beers.  This was the day before the race so I did not take part in the drinking, but I would love to go back and try some! 

On the way to Nashville we stopped at the Louisville Slugger Museum.  Bri had a blast and you get to see them making baseball bats! Plus, you get to take a miniature bat home with you! 

We also just walked around the city which is super adorable and we made a pit stop at Acme to check out some Honky Tonk and get a drink.  Overall, the weekend was fantastic and I can't wait to go back another time to check out more that this fabulous city has to offer!

My Dallas Adventure

This past weekend I was in Dallas hanging with some of Bri's Wash U besties.  Bri was roommates with Stephen and Amy and they are now engaged! We had a fabulous time exploring their neighborhood and eating tons of food.  It was a great weekend and here are some highlights:

We took a tour of the Dallas Cowboys Stadium.  This was super cool because you even get to go onto the field! I even did a cartwheel on the football field because...why not?

We had a couple amazing breakfasts as you can see below:  

We got breakfast tacos at Tacodeli.  This place was super great and even had a salsa bar where you could sample all of their salsas! They also do lunch and dinner. 

I did my usual Saturday morning run and then we went to Cafe Brazil.  I ordered the Vegetarian Migas and it was one of the greatest post-run breakfasts I have ever enjoyed.  They also have this amazing selection of coffee at their coffee bar and you are allowed to get as many cups as you want!  

Our final morning was spent at The Meddlesome Moth eating one of the best brunches I have ever had.  We had coffee from individual french presses, mimosas, and I ordered the omelet.  

We also went to some great places for Lunch/Dinner/Beer: 

This Bahn Mi Sandwich came from this amazing food truck that was parked alongside a bunch of food trucks in a park in downtown Dallas.  This was awesome and the park was adorable! 

This amazing BBQ came from the Lockhart Smokehouse.  When in Dallas, one must eat some BBQ! Get the brisket...do it.

Like Chipotle for Pizza lovers, Pizza Snob was a must try as Bri is a HUGE pizza fan! I got the Buffalo Chicken Pizza and it was so good I took a bite before remembering to take a photo! 

Go to Emporium Pies.  Eat all the pies....

The Highland Park Soda Fountain is a cute little dive that has amazing milkshakes and just plain good grilled cheese.  I got chocolate, but Bri got cherry and Stephen ended up with Strawberry.  We were all very happy. 

We went to a great bar called Luck and sampled a ton of good Texas beer.  Then, we walked over to the brewery next door, Four Corners, and tried some of their stuff as well! 

I swear we did more than eat!  We shopped, walked around cute areas, and spent a good amount of time at the Fort Worth Stockyards: 

Engaged Cowgirls :) 

It was a truly amazing trip!

Beer Brussel Sprouts with Parmesan

Merry Christmas Eve!  I really love brussel sprouts and I figured that they are a pretty common Christmas table staple.  So I am going to share one of the more recent brussel sprout recipes I tried that I just loved.  

Bri is not a huge fan of brussel sprouts.  However, he tried these and said that he actually liked them.  That is how great this recipe is.  

In other news, last night I threw a little party for Bri and his brother's "50th Birthday."  They are twins who just turned 25 so I thought that it was cute to combine those ages and call it a 50th!  It was such a fun night.  A ton of our friends stopped by our place and we just hung out, had some good food, good drinks and it was a blast.  It was one of those nights where I am just so incredibly grateful for how many amazing people we have in our lives.  

Tonight we are headed to my family's Christmas Eve get together and I am excited for yet another evening full of fantastic people.  I hope that everyone out there also has a really lovely holiday season full of friends, family, and of course, good food!

Beer Brussel Sprouts with Parmesan

(adapted from The Homemade Haus)

Ingredients:

6 tbsp unsalted butter

2 lbs brussel sprouts, halved

5 cloves garlic, minced

8 oz beer (we used Revolution's Fist City #Chicago)

4 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Place oven rack in the middle of the oven and turn the broiler on high.

2. In an oven-proof skillet, melt the butter over medium heat.  Once melted, add in the brussel sprouts and let cook for about 3 minutes.  Stir them and continue to cook for another 3-5 minutes stirring occasionally.

3. Add in the minced garlic and continue to cook for another few minutes.  Then add in the beer and let cook for another few minutes so that the brussel sprouts become tender.  

4. Sprinkle the parmesan over the top and place the pan under the broiler until the cheese starts to melt and the brussel sprouts brown a bit.  This took a few minutes and I always watch to make sure that nothing burns.  

Enjoy :) 

Red Velvet Cookie Dough and Brownie Parfait

It's my birthday! I decided to share this treat today because it is one of my favorite treats that I have made! But first, let me tell you all about the fun birthday events I have been up to!

First, on Saturday, my family and Bri went to dinner at Due Lire.  I had the Tortelli and it was quite delicious.  Then, on Sunday, I ran the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon and afterwards, went to lunch at D4.  Yesterday, Bri and I went for a little picnic for dinner in the park and now today is the big day!  Today, my family is coming downtown and we have reservations at RPM Italian.  I have never been, but I have heard phenomenal things.  I am pretty excited.  I also baked some of my famous Inception Cookies to bring to my staff at camp today.  I sorta feel like I'm in elementary school again; I'm bringing treats for my class :)

So this dessert basically combines all of my favorite things.  It has brownies, red velvet cookie dough dip, and homemade whipped cream.  I LOVE whipping cream.  I think it is just so cool,  Plus the brownies were the beer brownies that Bri and I made with spent grain from brewing.  This dessert was just outrageously delicious.  

Red Velvet Cookie Dough and Brownie Parfait

Ingredients:

(this fills one large mason jar)

2-3 brownies (I used my Beer Brownies)

Red Velvet Cookie Dough Dip:

8 oz low-fat cream cheese

1 cup non-fat, greek yogurt

2/3 cup brown sugar

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tbsp cocoa powder

2-3 tsp red food coloring

Whipped Cream:

4 oz low-fat cream cheese

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1/4 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Bake the brownies or use your favorite store bought brand.

2. Make the red velvet cookie dough dip: In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese with the greek yogurt.  Beat in both sugars until well combined and then add in the cocoa powder and red food color.  Mix until well combined.

3. Make the whipped cream: In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese with the powdered sugar.  Add in the cream and beat on high until peaks begin to form.  Continue to beat until you have stiff peaks.  

4. Use a mason jar or other container to layer your dessert.  Start with some crumbled brownies, then red velvet dip, and then whipped cream and repeat. 

Enjoy :)

Brewery Tours in Chicago

Oy vey! I fell behind!  I assigned a project for my Geometry kiddos to work on last week and this week I had to grade all their work!  Therefore, I fell a little behind.  Also, I have finals for my online graduate level classes so I have been working on those as well.  The good news is that I finished most of my work for the finals and I finished grading all the projects so now I am in a very happy place.  On top of all that productivity, Scandal and Grey's Anatomy are on tonight! Yay!  

In honor of this happy Thursday, I have to tell you all about some great breweries Bri and I looked at recently.  We did a mini Chicago Brewery Tour and tasted beers at Vice District Brewery and Haymarket.  Both places were great.  

Vice District Brewery

Vice District does not do food, so we went there first, and then we had dinner and drinks at Haymarket.  The food there is so yummy so you have to eat while you are there.  Basically, I think we had a great plan and I highly recommend doing something similar.  It was so great to pretend to be tourist in the city where we live! If you search for breweries in Chicago, the top three are Half Acre (been there), Revolution (been there a few times), and Haymarket.   We just had to go :) 

Haymarket

Any suggestions to widen our brewery search?  We are big fans of trying new things and finding good food along the way! 

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

Yesterday was the St. Patrick's Day celebration in Chicago.  It was also buddy, Lauren's, birthday and some of my best friends from college are in town as well! In fact, one of my friends is named Patrick so I was pretty pumped to celebrate St. Patty's day with my very own Patrick.  Last year, we went and saw the dyed green river and all of that so this year we decided to just hang out.

I started the day off with a nice 8 mile run outside!  I am so excited that spring weather is here and it no longer hurts to be outdoors.  It was fantastic.  After a much needed shower, my friends all got together and kicked off the day with green mimosas and cinnamon rolls!  We ended up hanging out on the porch enjoying the beautiful weather and it was just awesome.  After some pizza for lunch, we walked to a nearby Irish bar and saw some Irish step dancers.  This is something that I've always wanted to be able to do and I just can't figure out.  I mean, I am a decent dancer, but I just can't get my feet to do anything that resembles Irish step dancing and so I give those girls a lot of credit and I think it's crazy cool.  For dinner, we went to Cheesie's by the Belmont Red Line stop.  That place is so bad, but so good.  If you are ever in the area and respect a great grilled cheese sandwich, you have to go.  And then, we ended our night at Cesar's having some "killer" margaritas along with some delicious nachos.  Overall, it was a really fun day.  It's days like these where I am so grateful for the fantastic friends I have and the great city I live in.

Because it was the St. Patricks Day celebration and because it was a birthday celebration.  I decided to make Irish Car Bomb cupcakes.  I have tried a similar cupcake before and it was really yummy.  So, I wanted to make my own.  I was inspired by the Brown Eyed Baker and I made some adjustments to the recipe.  Here is what I came up with!

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

Ingredients:
Cupcake:
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup Guinness beer
3/4 cup cocoa powder
2 eggs
2/3 cup non-fat, plain greek yogurt (I used Chobani)
Filling:
8 oz bittersweet chocolate
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 tsp Irish whiskey
2 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
Frosting:
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 cups powdered sugar
6 tbsp Bailey's Irish Cream

Directions:
1. Make the cupcakes: preheat oven to 350 and line 24 cupcake wells with liners.  Or, if you want, I made 6 giant cupcakes in my silicon cupcake holders and 24 mini cupcakes in a mini cupcake pan.  Then, in a medium bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda, and baking powder.  In a small saucepan, place butter, canola oil, Guinness, and cocoa powder.  Heat until butter melts and stir to combine.  Let cool while you beat the eggs and greek yogurt in a large bowl.  Beat in the chocolate mixture until well combined.  Beat in the flour mixture until just combined and fill your cupcake wells so that they are about 3/4 full.  For mini cupcakes, bake for about 12 minutes, for regular, bake for about 17 minutes, and for giant, bake for about 19 minutes.  Let cool completely.
2. Make the filling: chop the chocolate and place in a microwave safe bowl.  In a separate, microwave safe bowl, pour the cream and heat for about 30-45 seconds.  You want it to be warm, but not boiling.  Pour the cream over the chocolate and stir until the chocolate completely melts.  Stir in the whiskey and the butter and then let sit so that the ganache starts to set.
3. Make the frosting: beat the butter in a large bowl until it is light and fluffy.  Beat in the powdered sugar, about 1/2 cup at a time, until it is well combined.  Beat in the Bailey's and continue to beat until your frosting because light and fluffy.  Add in more powdered sugar as needed.
4. To assemble: using a knife or a cupcake corer, cut out the centers of your cupcakes.  Spoon in the ganache to fill the centers.  Then, using a piping bag or an offset spatula, frost your cupcakes.  Serve immediately, or store in the fridge in a container.  Before serving, let the cupcakes sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes.

Enjoy :)

Beer Brownies with Spent Grain Flour

Oh jeez, it's been over a month since I posted here! Sorry! I have been so busy with school, grad school, and wedding planning!  Life just gets in the way, you know?

However, I have still been cooking/baking up a storm over here. In fact, I have made some pretty great recipes recently.  For example, for the Super Bowl, I decided to make a bunch of stuff that I was craving and just sit around and eat while I watched the commercials (err...I mean the game?).  I made Vegetarian Buffalo Dip, Homemade Soft Pretzel Bites, and Beer Brownies.

Yep...Beer Brownies!  Also, they just happened to be the best brownies I'd ever consumed.  I adapted the recipe from Joy the Baker and used my own Spent Grain Flour and new favorite, dark beer.  They are just AHHHMAZING!  Finch's Stout for the beer, Spent Grain Flour from the time I homebrewed, and lots and lots of gooey chocolate. How can you go wrong?  I even made this again for Valentine's Day!

Let's talk beer.  I am usually not a Stout kinda girl, but this beer from Finch's is pretty fantastic.  It has this amazing coffee flavor that I just adore.  Plus, Finch's is local (right in the heart of Chicago) and so the Mariano's grocery store down the street carries their beer!  If you are not a beer fan, you can also use coffee and the brownies will still be fantastic, you just can't call them Beer Brownies then!

Beer Brownies with Spent Grain Flour

Ingredients:
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup spent grain flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
4 oz bittersweet chocolate chopped
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup dark beer (I used Finch's Stout)
4 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions: 
1. Preheat oven to 350 and line a 9 by 13 inch baking pan with foil.  Spray the foil with cooking spray.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, spent grain flour, cocoa powder and salt.
3. Place a heat-proof bowl over a pot of boiling water with the butter and bittersweet chocolate.  Stir until melted.  Remove from heat and stir in the beer.
4.  In a large bowl, beat the eggs with both sugars until pale yellow and well combined.  Pour in the warm chocolate mixture while continuing to stir.  Beat until combined and then mix in the dry ingredients until just combined.  Stir in the chocolate chips.
5. Pour the batter into your prepared baking pan and bake for 40 minutes.  Let cool for 20 and then cut into pieces.

Enjoy :)

Chocolate Chip Oreo Cheesecake Cookie Bars

I just ran 13 miles! I can't believe that I am at this point again.  The last time I did this, I was training for a half marathon and 13 was the goal.  Now, I am only at the half-way point!  I finished my 13 feeling really great, but then thought, "Only 13 more to go!"  I am really enjoying my marathon training.  It has allowed me to become really focused on my health.  I am sleeping better, feeling great, and I've been eating well!  I even lost a few pounds!  It has helped shape my summer into something pretty special.

Now, I know I just said that I've been eating well, but with all this running, sometimes you need to splurge a little!  For example, today I am going to the Highwood Craft Beer Festival and I am really excited to try some good beers and hang out with some good friends.

Also, I have this recipe to share today which just sounds ridiculous.  I mean I could have just made cookie bars or I could have just made oreo cookie bars.  But no, I went and made Chocolate Chip Oreo Cheesecake Cookies Bars.  Cause, why not?

Chocolate Chip Oreo Cheesecake Cookie Bars
(adapted from BruCrew)

Ingredients:
Cookie Dough:
1 cup butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 3/4 cups flour
1 1/2 cups oreo chunks
1 cup dark chocolate chips
Cheesecake:
8 oz low-fat cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 and line a 9 by 13 inch pan with foil.  Grease the foil.
2. Cookie Dough: In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.  In a separate, large bowl, beat the sugar, brown sugar, and butter until light and fluffy.  Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and then the vanilla until well combined.  Slowly beat in the flour mixture until just combined.  Stir in the oreo chunks and chocolate chips.
3. Cheesecake: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese with the sugar until combined. Beat in the egg and vanilla until combined.
4. Take half the cookie dough and press it into the bottom of your pan until you have an even layer.  Pour the cream cheese mixture over the cookie dough layer until it is covered.  Crumble the rest of the cookie dough over the cream cheese mixture.  Bake for 30 minutes or until cream cheese layer is no longer wobbly.  Let cool.

Enjoy :)

Eggplant Fontina Pasta

I just ran 10.5 miles.  All I could think was: Ok! Now just another 16 to go!  I can't believe I'm doing the marathon in October and I am already super nervous and excited for it.  I have been getting tons of emails about race information and training schedules and it is all starting to become very real.  I feel great after my 10.5 run and this makes me confident that I will get up to that 20 mile point before the big race.

Today I have lots to share.  Last night was supposed to be Bri's law school prom, but it was cancelled and in a strange twist of events, we ended up taking in a random cat for the night.  The night started with drinks and dinner at Revolution Brewpub.  The food and the beer were really good and you should try this place when you are in town! Next, we were supposed to head over to the Rail to meet up with some friends and watch the Blackhawks game, but on the way we ran into a super friendly and clean-looking cat.  He did not have a collar and people walking on the street said they had seen that cat wandering around for a few days.  He was following us around and so we figured that the poor guy was lost.  We decided to take him into a 24 hour emergency clinic to see if he was microchipped.  He was! However, the chip information had expired and we couldn't get ahold of his owners.  So, we took him back to our apartment, got him all set up in our second bedroom, and posted online about the missing cat.  Through all of this, we completely freaked our little guy, Benny, out.  Poor guy is terrified of the second bedroom now!  Anyways, it was a happy ending and the owners saw our post and came to pick up their cat.  Glad that all worked out!

Now, I am getting rehydrated, and then Bri and I are off to grocery shop, attend a birthday party, and then back to the city for a second birthday party.  All before Mother's Day tomorrow! Sheesh, we have quite the weekend ahead of us!  I am making one of our favorite pasta dishes to have on hand for the week ahead.  It is really quick and easy which is perfect considering we have like no extra time this weekend to chill out!

Eggplant Fontina Pasta

Ingredients:
1 lb. whole wheat pasta
1 medium eggplant, peeled and cubed
1 1/4 tsp salt
3 cloves garlic minced
1/2 tsp pepper
6 tbsp olive oil
1/2 lb. fontina cheese, shredded

Directions:
1. Heat 4 tbsp of olive oil in a large skillet.  Add in the eggplant, 3/4 tsp salt, pepper and garlic and toss until coated with the olive oil.  Cook over medium-high heat until eggplant softens.
2. Cook pasta according to directions until al dente, drain and set aside.
3. Combine the eggplant with the pasta and the remaining salt and olive oil.  Toss with the cheese and place into a shallow baking dish.  Broil in the oven for a few minutes or until the cheese is melted.

Enjoy :)

The Move

I moved!

This past weekend Bri and I moved into our very first apartment and we couldn't be more excited.

Well, to be honest.  It was crazy stressful and we were a tad bit strained.  However, now that we are sorta settled, we are pumped.  We love the place and we finally finished building all our furniture and making it look like home!  It has been so fun and exciting and I'm sorry that I have been so MIA.  We didn't have internet until yesterday afternoon and this is the first time I have been able to blog!

I have not really been cooking because it has been so crazy around here.  I have been trying out a bunch of different restaurants in the area!  My bestie Caryn and her boyfriend Max are staying with us right now and we had a great night last night.  We explored the area and had dinner at Fountainhead and dessert at Yogurt Square.  I had an amazing veggie burger and then indulged in some delish frozen yogurt.  Both places were delightful.  The night before, Caryn, Bri and I all went to a place called Mxtico and had amazing Mexican food.  I got the fish tacos and it was fantastic.

Overall, everything seems awesome around here.  I went for a run for the first time in Chicago and explored a little more.  I found a new lakeshore to run on!  I also experienced my first commute as I went out to Zion for the first time to see my new school and meet some of the people.  I will be doing that again 6 more times for new teacher training and geometry meetings.  I am excited to get acquainted with everything and I am also very nervous.

More news coming to you soon as I try out my new kitchen!

Weekend Getaway to St. Louis

I just had a super fun weekend in St. Louis.  I haven't been here in a while to visit Bri so I was excited to see him and experience more fun in the city!

I got in on Friday.  I missed school becuase I needed to be here by 4 to make sure I would be intime for Bri's concert.  That's right, he performed with the university orchestra.  This was apretty big deal and it was great to see him perform.  The shymphony was amazing and Bri did a great job! It was really beautiful music and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  I got to sit with Bri's dad and stepmom and it was really nice to see them! After the show, we all went out to dinner with a bunch of Bri's friends to Dewey's Pizza.  The pizza at this place is pretty fantastic.  It is thin crust, and we had a red sauce pizza with spinach, sliced tomatoes, roasted red peppers, and goat cheese. It was awesome!

The next day, I went for an amazing 8 mile run through Forest Park.  I love that this park is pretty much right next to Bri's apartment.  It has a great path for bikers and runners and, even though it had snowed, the path was clear.  I was planning on running 6 miles, but I was feeling so good and Bri was still sleeping, so I ended up going for 8.  At this rate, 13.1 will be easy peasy right?

After a much needed shower, I was pretty desperate for food.  Bri and I headed to Cafe Nadoz, which we heard was like cafes in Vienna.  We loved those cafes so we were excited to try this.  It wasn't really like the cafes in Vienna, but it was a pretty awesome place for lunch.  We both had really yummy sandwiches and split one of their European-style desserts, a Caramel Apple Bombe.  It was all delicious!

After Cafe Nadoz, we headed out to the Schlafly Brewery for a tour.  I found yet another beer I actually like and it was a great tour! On the way back, we stopped by my friend Michael's house and it was great to see him! After catching up, Bri and I headed back to the apartment to chill for a bit before dinner.  This meant watching 5 episodes of How I Met Your Mother...great show.

Dinner was on The Hill at Zia's.  The Hill is a great little neighborhood known for being like a Little Italy.  We arrived at Zia's to find that it would be about an hour wait.  We decided to get drinks and the famous appetizer of toasted ravioli at the bar while we waited.  This was a great plan until I took a bite into the ravioli and realized it was filled with...MEAT! I grabbed Bri's arm as we was about to take a bite and told him it was meat ravioli.  This was unfortunate as Bri is a vegetarian.  He was grateful that I stopped him before the bite and I ended up with a lot of leftover ravioli to take home with me.  Our dinner was great and Bri ended up being glad he didn't have an appetizer as his baked mostaccioli was a HUGE portion.  I had the portobello stuffed spinach ravioli with asparagus and red peppers.  Everything was super delicous and we ended the meal on a high note with some mini cannoli for dessert! Yum!

This weekend was super fun and I am sad that I have to leave today.  However, tonight is Oscar night and I can't wait to watch back in Madison with all my friends!