Pizza & Wine

Tonight a girlfriend came over for some pizza and wine. Love these nights with this girl where we chat and cook and look at wedding inspiration for her. We made a pesto pizza with all sorts of glorious toppings including mushrooms, prosciutto, onion, sun dried tomato, pine nuts, and fresh mozzarella. Travi was clearly very interested in our food and wanted some wine and pizza.

While picking out some drink for tonight I was recommended three different wines at Trader Joe's. The one bottle we tried was quite yummy and I can't wait to try the rest.

And what better way to top off the night than with some hot chocolate and marshmallows? Clearly I went overboard with the marshmallows.

Des Moines Weekend

This past weekend I went to Des Moines to visit my guy. My flight arrived much earlier than originally planned and Jeff already had lunch plans so I sat down to a lunch by myself at one of my favorite spots.  City Bakery is a local place with yummy salad, soups and sandwiches. The soup of the day was a creamy carrot. I was skeptical but it was so good that I want to attempt to make this at home.

After lunch I walked around the adorable East Village neighborhood. This area is filled with boutiques. These were a couple of my favorites. Velvet Coat is a woman's clothing shop that was having a fabulous sale. I scored a pair of maroon James Jeans for 14 bucks. That's right, 14 bucks.

There was also a phenomenal paper shop called Ephemera. The owner was very nice and has amazing taste (or maybe just my taste) and I could have purchased every card in her store. The card I chose I thought was too cute and I barely want to even give it away. 

The last shop I visited was Raygun. A local told me that I had to go to this place and check out their plethora of custom shirts. The shirts below are some of the best. The cat one especially gets to my sense of humor.

Friday night we went to the Animal Rescue League's event at an Iowa Energy basketball game. This was particularly fun because you got to bring your dog. Travi was overwhelmed with excitement and was by far the cutest pup there. She sat on my lap the whole time like a little baby.

Saturday we spent most of the day running errands and capped off the night with a dinner at HoQ with dear friends. HoQ is a new restaurant that is farm to table and serves local food that is grown or raised within 150 miles of Des Moines. Everything we ordered was delicious from the appetizers to the dessert. 

Sunday before I left to head back to Chicago we went to another favorite of mine, Gateway Market. This place is an upscale (very expensive) grocery store with a restaurant. Think of a local Whole Foods. I was craving something sweet for brunch and their challah french toast with walnuts and strawberries hit the spot. Jeff grabbed some pastries from the Goodies To-Go section that I couldn't resist trying. They also have a fireplace, which makes brunch and drinking a latte all the more delightful. And check out those gorgeous heirloom tomatoes. 

Gilt Bar

Last week I had some big news to celebrate so I went to one of my most beloved restaurants in the city. Gilt Bar is an ultimate favorite of mine and I always recommend this place to someone looking for a place to go in Chicago. They have the triple threat: food, price and ambiance. The menu has the most delicious toasts and house wine is priced at four bucks a pop. The ambiance is dark and cozy. Enough said.

Home Inspiration, Part 2 (with blue)

My friend asked for a couple of revisions to her mood board. We went shopping this past weekend and she decided she wanted to incorporate some blue. She and her husband have already purchased the couch that you see, and when at Crate and Barrel we found the coffee table and console. I am not one to normally use color, so what do you think? Feedback welcome!

Option 1:

Option 2:

Option 3:

Mercadito

Last night a girlfriend and I went to Mercadito. We were looking for something on the cheap but that was downtown with a chic atmosphere and good food. We settled on Mercadito because they have a Taco Tuesday special that can't be beat. The atmosphere felt very sexy and the colorful lights and music almost gave it a sophisticated club feeling.

We ordered three varieties of tacos. The Pastor: chile ancho rubber pork, grilled pineapple, chile de arbol salsa, The Carnitas de Puerco: michoacan-style braised pork, chile de arbol coleslaw, toasted peanuts, and The Pescado: sauteed tilapia, poblano-tomatillo mojo, avocado. My absolutely favorite was the Carnitas de Puerco because of the toasted peanuts.

And check out those light fixtures. Come home with me!

Home Inspiration

If you know me, you know I love all things home decorating. And just home in general. A dear friend of mine recently asked for some decorating help so I put together a living room and dining room mood board. What do you think? Anything I should change?

Lazy Sunday

My guy and I had a completely relaxing Sunday. We made a pizza from scratch, including using yeast for the dough. My favorite toppings are pine nuts, sun dried tomatoes, and pepperoni. Jeff also made some chicken wings. Sundays are for stuffing yourself and being lazy, right?

Saturday Eats: Hash House & Topo Gigio

Yesterday we started the day out at Hash House A Go Go. This place originated in Las Vegas and opened a Chicago location this past July. The portions are out of this world huge and the food is decadent. They are all about excess here. The plates could feed three people so I recommend splitting with someone. And make sure to order something that comes with the biscuits and mashed potatoes because they are so yummy. Even after I was completely full with my food, I couldn't stop myself from picking at Jeff's biscuits and mashed potatoes. We also got to sit next to the fireplace, which usually makes me love a place.

After recovering from our entire afternoon of food coma, we went to dinner at Topo Gigio right out my back door in Old Town. This is an oldie but a goodie. I went to this restaurant growing up and always recommend this place to people if they ask where to eat in Chicago and are willing to go beyond the downtown area. This is one of the best Italian restaurants in the city (on par with Piccolo Sogno), and for the quality of food and experience the prices are reasonable. There are so many good items on this menu, but I can't stray from my all time favorite: Tortellini alla Panna, which is tortellini in cream sauce with mushrooms, pancetta, sweet peas, and parmigiano reggiano cheese. Yum!