A city girl review: Chicago Food Planet Food Tours

I took a little sabbatical to enjoy my Thanksgiving break with family and friends, and I admit I enjoyed unplugging from the computer for a bit. I’m back now, feeling recharged, and ate at so many places and celebrated so much I have quite a bit to catch you up on!

When Chicago Food Tours suggested I give one of their tours a try, I was actually ecstatic. How could the idea of eating my way through a Chicago neighborhood not sound appealing? I chose to try the Wicker Park / Bucktown tour, namely because I just didn’t know much about these two hip and trendy neighborhoods.

So last Friday, after a full Thursday of Thanksgiving festivities and eating debauchery, I tied up my walking shoes and hit the streets to meet up with my tour group. The plan? To start off at a traditional Chicago eatery and eat our way through WP / Bucktown for 3 hours, learning tidbits of Chicago history along the way. Though the stops are laid out beforehand, I didn’t quite know what to expect in terms of serving sizes. Let me tell you, it is not a good idea to have dinner plans the evening you do this tour (sorry Michelle, I ate as much as I could!). You leave stuffed. Full. Or as we say in Latvian, “puizins pilns”

Our first stop was George’s Hot Dogs, a traditional Chicago hot dog stand established in 1948. Of the roughly 2,000 (!) hotdog stands in Chicago, this was the best I’ve ever tasted. The Tribune agrees with me, rating George’s hotdog #1. It’s served with fresh onions, tomatoes, relish, mustard, a hot pepper, pickle and celery salt. The husband fell in love with the pepper, and requested we find them at our grocer to keep for homemade sandwiches. Leaving stop #1, I was already full from this full and hearty dog...

Which was ok, because the next stop involved a drink to savor not devour. What you ask? Why only renowned Mindy Segal’s famous Medium Hot Chocolate from the hip and delicious restaurant and pastry shop Hot Chocolate. I’d tasted Mindy’s creations at MK before, and was thrilled to see her name associated with this restaurant now. She is one serious pastry chef – having worked at places such as Charlie Trotters, Ambria, MK and others. She knows how to throwdown a mean hot chocolate, served with homemade jumbo marshmallow to boot. I’ll be going back to try the Mexican Hot Cocoa - - who doesn't love a spicy kick in this rich treat?

the homemade yummy gooey treat

Next up was just a short couple blocks to Goddess & Grocer, which reminded me of Southport Grocery which I rave about here (though G & G don't have seating, they serve to-go). I thought it neat that the owner runs a catering company called Eat Your Heart Out, which namely services concert touring. Cooking for rock stars? Um, yes please! Talk about an awesome job!

We hit the streets again and crossed the border to Wicker Park, the neighborhood which was once the more gentrified neighborhood of the two. Our forth stop was Piece, the trendy pizzeria and brew pub. Piece is often raved about by friends, and I was excited to test it out. After absorbing the laid-back atmosphere, great food, and bona fide beer (2006 World Beer Cup Brew Pub Champions!), I knew why the place has infectious charm. A slice of their classic New Haven pizza and a small glass of their Golden Arm light German beer, had everyone, including the hearty men, *happily* complaining of bulging stomachs. Our tour guide Kent told us not to worry because we had a good 40 minutes of Chicago history coming up, that should give us time to digest… (yeah, riiiight)

This was quite possibly my favorite part of the tour. I know what you’re thinking, a girl that loves to eat is going to talk up history on a _food_ tour? But when you’re hearing quirky stories about the neighborhood and houses that look like this, how can you not be wonderfully entertained?

a real & official cannon, owned by the U.S. Navy sits in this particular yard

After we had _supposedly_ worked up an appetite doing this walking portion of the tour, it was time for our next stop, the delicious Sultan’s Market to sample their falafel sandwich. Aren’t familiar with falafel? It is lightly fried mixture of chickpeas and/or fava beans, and works excellently as a pita sandwich with cucumber salad + hummus, or with yogurt sauce it is simply delicious. Sultan’s Market sets the bar extremely high and despite the quick service (it is sometimes called the Middle East’s version of fast food!), the line is always long and streaming at Sultan’s. I was happy to be given a doggie bag by tour guide Kent to bag up the remains of my sandwich, so he didn’t have to take care of a stomach rupture while finishing out the tour.

Last stop capped it all off – a new ice cream parlor concept bringing the whold idea of ice cream to a new level. How would you like to see milk brought to ice cream in under 2 minutes using liquid nitrogen? How about over 259,000 options to personalize your ice cream, down to what milk, flavors, and mix-ins to use? Seem overwhelming? iCream does a fantastic job of simplifying a seemingly imperious process and has tested and approved flavor combinations to try if you don’t want to go out on a limb with your own. We sampled the white chocolate & cream soda, with a mix-in of Nutella, and let me tell you, I didn’t think I would enjoy it on a chilly fall day – but this last stop warmed my soul.

Chicago Food Tours are closing doors just for the winter, and will open again on April 1 (as I doubt anyone would want to trudge around in the Chicago winter for a 3 hour tour!)  I’m a new fan to the food tour idea and the husband I agree we'll seek out these sort of tours in other cities we visit, as they’re a great way to get to know the “local gems”. For those in the Chicago area, consider bringing your family and friends on a Chicago Food Tour when they visit, or grab a local friend and go yourself just to learn some more about the city you call home. You just might run into me going on their Old Town tour come spring. :-)

Thanksgiving Cityscapes: A veiw from my window, I'm thankful for all

This year I am thankful for...

when the sun shines upon us

when the clouds linger over

when the sun shines through the dark sky

when the rainbow displays it's beauty

This year, I am thankful for it all.

Thanks for everything

I have no complaints

Whatsoever.

A city girl's restaurant review: Mon Ami Gabi

This past Friday was date night, and the husband and I decided to try out the classic French bistro Mon Ami Gabi in the somewhat unassuming (but gorgeous and IMO perfect Chicago location) local on Lincoln Park West Blvd, just down the road from us and raved about for their phenomenal French culinary finesse. We set out to enjoy ourselves, and enjoy ourselves we did.

We came to our 8:30 reservation a little early to check out the Belden-Stratford, the hotel & apartment building which Mon Ami Gabi resides. I’ve always romanced this historic building in my mind, and I wanted to see if I was giving it proper fuss. It’s a very charming building indeed, and has kept the historical elements of the architecture and décor intact, which I greatly appreciate. When it was time to step inside the restaurant to our table, I was properly satisfied with my once over.

We started our dinner with, but of course, the escargot and a glass of wine. The perfect aphrodisiac. The snail was succulent – and the garlic herbed butter was divine. I used some of the crusty bread on the table to sop up the remaining butter sauce even after the snails were long gone, disregarding and taking my chances that this might not seem proper.

Our waitress was knowledgeable, and when asked what wine she would recommend, didn’t try up-selling us on a bottle that wouldn’t work with one of our meals, but rather selected glasses that would pair well with the food. Voila! The perfect pairing transpired. I tested out their new offering, the Beaujolais Nouveau, and the light crisp berry flavors paired excellently with my scallop entrée, while the husband went with a more robust Cotes du Rhone, which I of course tasted and agreed it was better paired with his smokey steak.

Next up was the Frisée & Bacon Salad, served with poached egg and croutons. We asked if the salad was something we could split, and without hesitating our waitress said she could easily serve it split on two plates. What we were happily joyously surprised to see, was we were each served our own poached egg on top of ½ the salad. Heaven. I don’t think I said much during this course, my mind was on other matters such as “how on earth could I duplicate this beautiful recipe at home?!” (side note, and wouldn’t you know it – Mon Ami Gabi has a cooking class on Jan 30th where they will teach just that! Genious.)

By the time our entrees came, I was happy I wasn’t wearing my “skinny jeans”, as I definitely appreciated having a little extra room in the waistband to play with. It meant I got to enjoy every ounce of my delectable scallops and sample the husband’s steak and frites. I have to say, personally I think the protein of the Seared Sea Scallops took the cake when compared to the Steak Bordelaise. They were cooked to perfection, with the perfect caramel color on top, served in a subtle whipped cauliflower and brown butter sauce. However the accoutrements of the plates were the opposite. I wanted to bottle up the steak’s red wine and caramelized onions to have it at home, and yet found the scallop's side of spinach just somewhat tired compared to the rest of the dish. All in all though, I’m not here to complain. All this delectable food, with a meal + drink total of $91, and we were very very happy newlyweds.

We will be back in the spring to enjoy their lovely outdoor patio, which I hear is just divine and hard to secure a spot in. We will certainly try! Mon Ami Gabi is a great place to take a date, small group of friends, or even your parents if they are up for a bustling restaurant with close quartered seating. I highly recommend it for those looking to enjoy a foodie French meal without breaking the bank.

A recipe review: delicious butternut squash soup!

I know, I know, I’m sharing two (actually 3!) recipes with you this week, not my normal way of changing the topic up every day (which is a whole other topic, I’m wondering what you think of my range of topics? Would you rather hear more on just one? I feel we're all multi-faceted people and have more than just one interest... but I digress). But this recipe is so seasonally appropriate, I just had to share it right away.

My mom wants to try out making butternut squash soup for Thanksgiving dinner course #1. The only problem was, neither of us had ever made it (I know, can you believe it!?)… until last night. I told my mother dearest that I would test out the recipe for her, so we would be satisfied with the soup come the big day (the first Thanksgiving celebrated with in-laws, it is a big deal!) I scoured my recipe books, food magazines and websites until I came upon this delicious recipe from Whole Foods. I was immediately drawn to it because while they give the classic recipe, they also show variations, one of which in particular caught my eye – a thai version with chili peppers and coconut milk (one of my favorite flavor combinations) - - I was sold!

So I made it and I can tell you that is just as delectable as it sounds. It has quite a kick to it (spice-yy), so if I was making it for anyone other than my husband I would probably tone down the chili paste just to be on the safe side. Also, a word to the wise that since the base is chicken broth, even low sodium, I still didn’t need to add a lot of salt. It’s so important to add salt little by little and taste as you go, building the flavors gradually and allowing yourself to season to perfection. I won’t re-write the recipe for this one, (but I will write it into my recipe book and tweak, this one is a keeper!), because I followed it just as it is on the Whole Foods website.

I promise next post will be onto a different topic – but for now au revoir ~ and bon appetit!

the sophisticated peacock: a holiday party look

no, not that kind of peacock!

I had so much fun putting together this spread, it was my first time doing anything like this and I just kinda let my imagination run wild. I call it "the sophisticated peacock".  I just love jewel tones for the winter, and wish I had the courage to wear this much color all at once 

*sigh*

   I imagine a posh girl strolling in from the cold to a holiday party, disrobing her coat to unveil a delectable outfit which pays homage to the beautiful peacock. She spends the rest of the night perched coyly on the lux sofa, sipping 'tinis and looking regal. :)

Tasty Tuesday, Tasty Treats!

Let’s face it and embrace it – time to indulge on holiday treats. Everywhere around us right now people are talking up beautiful holiday food. This Tasty Tuesday I share with you two scrumptiously delicious staggering simple recipes, that are perfect for the holiday sweet table!

First for some cinnamon sugar roasted pecans, which are so simple to make and such a big hit, be careful who you serve them to – I still get requests to make these for people I gifted 3 years ago! I’ve taken the many recipes you can find online for these delicious nuts and tweaked and fused them to my taste and preference perfection. So here we go, from my recipe book to yours:

Enjoy!

Next up are some beautiful cake bars that are sure to impress. Looking for a way to use up the cranberries and nuts leftover from your lowfat cranberry bread? (ps - did you know cranberries keep in the fridge for up to a month? So you really can use your the leftover cranberries for this one!) 

This was pulled out of my oven around 7am this morning!

How about a sweeter treat, following the simplest of baking rules – eggs, sugar, flour and you have the base for baking just about any delicious dessert. Add nuts and cranberries and you have yourself festive cranberry holiday cake bars! I found this recipe on Eat at Home and just had to test it out myself. Now I’ve added it to my holiday repertoire. They really are so easy, I made them this morning before work!

Here is my version of the recipe:

• 4 eggs
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups flour
• 2/3 cup butter, melted
• 1 bag fresh cranberries (I use whole cranberries, though you can chop them if you prefer)
• 1 cup chopped walnuts (or, you can use any left over pecans that you have after making the cinnamon roasted pecans, though I doubt you'll have leftovers!)

Beat the eggs in a mixer bowl until slightly firm. Gradually blend in the sugar. Stir in the melted butter and flour, blending well. Add the cranberries and nuts, gently stirring until it’s all combined. Pour into a greased 9×13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Best enjoyed with friends and family ~

How to beat a case of the Mondays

Around this time on Sunday, many people start to look into the new work week, and the downward spiral of depression ensues. Why is it that the thought of Monday puts us all in a tizzy? I like to turn frowns upside down, so here’s my take on how to beat a case of the Mondays...

1. 
   Think of Monday as your chance for a fresh start. It’s like a mini New Years celebration every week! (ok, perhaps that is a bit dramatic, but it makes the point right?) Think about what you’d like to accomplish with this week, and start out on the right foot by getting into the groove on Monday. Eating healthy? A workout routine? Carving out time for the family? It’s Monday, carpe diem!  Seize the day, and you'll seize the week!
2. 
   Start the morning off with a proper jolt of caffeine (see my demonstration above ;) There is nothing worse than getting proper sleep on the weekend and then hearing the alarm earlier than you'd like Monday. I like to treat myself to a grande (non-fat) latte on Monday so I get that extra burst of caffeine needed to get through the Monday morning meetings (yes, I have Monday morning meetings – every week!)
3. 
   Plan something you’ll look forward to for Monday. For me, Monday is my day off of the gym since it is always insanely busy with everyone following point #1. That means I get to see a girlfriend Monday night, make a special dinner or test out a new recipe, or, just veg!
4. 
   Be thankful you have Monday to dread. With many people out of a job, those of us who groan should remember that we’re actually blessed :)

Have a happy week!

Foodie Friday - A review of La Madia

I’ve been to La Madia many a time but last night was the first since I’ve been blogging, and I was excited going into dinner knowing I now had a venue to officially give props to a long-standing favorite.

La Madia’s entrance is unassuming and nestled into the other buildings around, and it’s proximity to downtown make it a great spot to go after work if you’re in the loop. Don’t get me wrong, it can also be a destination restaurant, but they have such great weekday deals ($5 glasses of wine Mon – Fri!) I wanted to remind people how easy it is to get to.

Last night it was a great meeting location for my foodie friend who was coming from downtown and for myself who was coming from home. We showed up a little early for our reservation (oh yes p.s. – highly recommend reservations), and asked if there was a chance we sit down earlier than our planned arrival. The hostess with the mostess replied that we could sit at the back bar if we like, and our foodie eyes immediately lit up. Sit and watch the tasty food being prepared? Umm, sure!

So we sat and began in on conversation, only to be interrupted by our waitress who explained that for sitting at the back bar we could have a glass of prosecco on the house. A consolation prize for something that is already awesome? Now you’re talking.

And talk we did, the prosecco was flowing and so was our conversation. We decided to go with the Bresaola, Shaved Fennel, Sweet Peppers, Parmesan for an appetizer. I’m not sure that I had ever had bresaola before, but it was delicious. It was served thinly sliced like prosciutto, with a mound of greens, fennel, peppers and parmesan that you roll up into the yummy meat and eat like a taco. Delicious!

Next up was dinner, and we decided to split the Shaved Artichoke, Reggiano Parmesan & Garlic pizza. La Madia’s specialty is their thin crust pizza. Every one I’ve tried has delicate flavors that build upon each other. The artichoke pizza was no exception. We both agreed that the shaved artichokes took on a similar flavor to mushrooms, and the parmesan and garlic meshed together so well it was heavenly. Yum.

La Madia also offers the neat concept of suggesting wine pairings next to each pizza on the menu. I don’t know about you, but I love me some delicious pizza and wine. The combination is so comforting I could probably have it 3-4 times a week without tiring.

So next time you’re craving some delish pizza, head on over to La Madia, request to sit at the back bar, and remember to check the wine pairing next to your pizza choice for a delicious duo!

a little set of haikus

Haikus are great fun for me because they require you to channel your thought and emotion as concisely as possible. The standard format includes a 5-syllable line, then a 7-syllable line, then a 5-syllable line. Although brief, a good haiku is not always easy. I was feeling particularly inspired this morning so I attempted a set of haikus. Normally they’re not titled but I did here so that they are separated and the literal meaning is explained.

this image spurred my inspiration - photo credit given to GreenCommons PhotoBlog

Autumn

crisp air nips her nose

leaves falling, whirling, swirling

sunshine through the boughs

Winter

limbs like arms reach up

to the gray sky, kiss goodbye

Snow covers, silence

Spring

one bird lit softly

barren boughs, sway under perch

green buds opened then

Summer

lush limbs morning dew

pretty song birds twitter tweet

hop skip, jump-fly-kiss!

Tasty Tuesday – Vegas Style! craftsteak doesn’t disappoint

I’m home from Vegas, and while I’m still recouping from what was a fantastic weekend with friends, I’m happy to be home and get back to the daily grind. Why you ask? Because I get to share my amazing experience at craftsteak with you!

I was so excited to try out craftsteak for Sunday night dinner in Vegas. Not only am I a huge fan of Tom Colicchio (the head judge of Top Chef and restaurant owner of the Craft restaurants), I’m also a huge believer in his whole philosophy on food - use simple recipes, with quality ingredients, and come out with phenomenal food. I own his book, Think Like a Chef and highly recommend it to enhance your way of thinking about cooking and food.

So when we walked into craftsteak, to say I had high expectations is probably an understatement. I knew too much about the restaurant to just think it was going to be “great”. I wanted to be blown away. I wanted it to be the highlight of the trip. And you know what? It totally was.

We started the dinner each ordering the appetizer that sounded best to us, and it turned out the table was split between the avocado and mozzarella appetizers. The avocado was drizzled with extra virgin olive oil, topped with spirals of pickled onions. It was delicious – simple, and all about pulling the richest flavors out of the dish. The mozzarella was sprinkled with pretty red peppers and hazelnuts, and had everyone raving before we even had our main course.

how pretty is this avocado?

When it was time for the main course, we each ordered an entrée and followed the recommendation of our waiter for the sides. Craftsteak serves their side dishes family-style, and with sweet potato puree, mushroom risotto and cipollini onions, we had plenty of food to pass amongst the six of us. Most of us had a cut of steak, which were all cooked to perfection. The filet was described as “the best filet ever”, the beef shortribs served off the bone melted in my mouth, and the hanger steak was smoky and flavorful yet not heavy. The sweet potato was seasoned to bring out the beautiful rich autumnal flavors and spices, the mushroom risotto was cooked to perfection.

the beautiful mushroom risotto served in a rustic copper pot

my full plate - yum!

(p.s. – do you notice that these are the same placemats as my dining table? I noticed this when I watched Top Chef and was so happy to see that I have the same taste as whoever planned the décor of this restaurant!)

Best of all, despite being such a high caliber restaurant, the atmosphere was unpretentious and made us all feel at home. The service was warm and welcoming and provided the perfect environment for a terrific dinner, great conversation, with fantastic friends. What more could a girl ask for?

Friday Food for Thought: Do you stop and hear the music?

As my profile says, I’d like to think that I appreciate the little things in life. But a story that was brought to light to me yesterday really made me stop and think.

Some of you may be familiar with the story of Joshua Bell and the subway station. The Washington Post created this experiment and the author of the thought-provoking article won a Pulitzer Prize for his efforts. In a nutshell, the story is this:

A violinist played in a busy Washington D.C. subway station for 45 minutes. No one knew, but the musician was Joshua Bell, a world-renowned violinist. Just two days prior he had filled a concert hall with tickets upwards of $100 each. He played six beautiful classical pieces, using his $3.5 million dollar Stradivari violin that he always plays with.

The passerby’s had a quick decision to make – do you stop and listen? Or do you hurry past, putting importance on where you have to be rather than how you get there?

Of the roughly one thousand people that passed him by, only a handful stopped to listen for a while. His grand total in tips was a puny $32 and some change, not counting the $20 given to him by the one woman who recognized him and stopped to thank him. Children seemed mesmerized, but were quickly pushed along by their hurried parents.



We know the saying “Life is a journey, not a destination” but can we say that we truly live our lives this way?

I hope that some of you appreciate this food for thought as much as I did. Let’s go forth doing our best to truly live life and prosper. :)

Thank you to A Life Less Anxious blog for bringing this to the forefront of my mind

Perhaps a new outlook?

Yesterday I was feeling really sad. It was pitch black ok dark when I left work, and the cold nipped at my nose. I get very reclusive in the winter. And yesterday I felt winter descending.

The question was posed to me, what month or season are your colors? This made me stop and think.  Thank you Pretty Gingham

Surely I am a color palette of deep amethyst swirling with purples, of winter whites and ivory with hints of sparkle, soft, cozy, fuzzy. And in there too are pretty hues of gray, all shades that twinkle like little gemstones.

But, how can this be? I shy away from winter. I take summer on full force, I do everything there is to do. But winter, winter I step inside, close my door, and wish I was a hibernating bear.

Perhaps this idea that I am in fact winter colors, whether I like it or not, will make me cope better with the cold months upon us. It is somehow a comforting thought.

Perhaps it is a new outlook.  It is like having a great new little window to peer from, but onto what I'm not quite sure yet.

Tasty Tuesday: From my recipe book to yours

I’m thinking of starting a theme for Tuesday postings. Tasty Tuesday. It just feels the appropriate title for a Tuesday, and by now anyone who’s read more than a paragraph on here knows I like to eat. Tasty Tuesday might be a recipe, a restaurant review, or anything else I can share with you to help put good food on your plate!

This week it only felt appropriate to share my recipe for lowfat cranberry bread. Not only are cranberries now in season (check out how pretty they look in my picture from farmer’s market!), but this bread is something that travels excellently to mom and dad’s for the holidays, or even better, to boyfriend / husband’s mom and dad’s. It’s festive and did I mention, delicious?

So here we go, straight from my recipe book:

Let me know what you think!  I love hearing from you :)

CGC's Gallivanting Weekend

Husband claims I was out “gallivanting” all weekend, but I just call it having good old fashioned fun. A rundown of CGC’s weekend…

The weekend started by trying out Club Lago for dinner, the old Italian joint in River North with some interesting recent history. After 57 years, Club Lago had a boiler room explosion in March which destroyed much of the restaurant and kitchen. So albeit not a restaurant choice on the poll, I was interested to check out the restoration. The restaurant lacked anything to really write home about, and for some reason decided to keep the plastic table cloths and metal conference room chairs even after the renovation. The fried calamari was standard, but food seemed to improve with each course. My eggplant parmesan exploded with flavor, and they certainly make a mean cannoli. So overall, a nice dinner with great company.

Next up was The Gage for drinks, a great gastropub in an unassuming location across the street from Millennium Park. Where all you really expect is a tourist trap lies The Gage, a surprising restaurant focused on food and wine pairings. While we were just doing cocktails, I have been to dinner at The Gage and can say they truly know the meaning of “gastropub” – food is exquisite and wine list is up to snuff. Tonight’s experience however, left my poor college student cousin and his friend (who we met up with), quite a bit poorer after spending $16 a glass for Chardonnay. Granted it was great wine, they said, still a hefty price to swallow when the waitress suggests your wine choice without a menu in front of you.

After staying out a little bit later than most nights, I was still giddy as a school girl to wake up Saturday morning and get to the last outdoor farmer’s market at Green City Market. Pictures do more than words, so here you go:

Saturday morning view from our window

the fresh goodies! we also came away with apple cidar, honey, cheese, and pork, but those aren't as pretty to photograph

we indulged right away in a honey crisp apple and some herbed cheese curds

Mmmm… Recipes to come!

Then it was time for some relaxation Saturday night, while others were getting ready for their Halloween fêtes. I tried to follow twitter updates from Redmoon Theater who performed at The White House this year, but when cell service got cut off when they went inside the house I had to give up and read the blog later. Redmoon used to put on amazing show’s in Chicago’s Logan Square, and the President must have noticed these too! This year Redmoon performed for President Obama and his guests. Local school children were invited to trick-or-treat on the W.H. lawn, and then the party moved inside for the priveledged few.

Sunday was great and started out with brunch at Southport Grocery with my girlfriend Kristen. Scrumptious. Delicious. And actually nutritious! Southport Grocery uses organic ingredients to create one of a kind piles of food on your plate.

my "pile" of food from southport grocery - eggs/ tomatoes/ cheese - oh goodness!

Then it was out to downtown for a bit of shopping and perusing the new store sensation Zara, which opened on Michigan Ave Oct 30. The store is the international chain’s largest in the US, and consists of fashions which are “cheap and chic”. The draw? With new shipments every Tuesday and Friday, you don’t have to fret you'll be caught in the same military jacket as the girl next to you on the El. Kristen found a great dress for our trip next weekend to Vegas, black with a gathering of studs at the waist – for the terrific price of $43. And while Forever 21 would like you to think you really can stay young forever, Zara pulls in more sophisticated styles for ladies who know they can’t wear tutu skirts forever. A good store to check out every… oh, two weeks as they rotate their merchandise.

Finally the weekend was capped off by a lovely farmer’s market dinner, consisting of pork shoulder with herb rub and mango chutney, roasted sweet potatoes and steamed carrots. Best of all, husband was my sous chef as I was beat after all the fun!