Weekend Happenings

Happy Monday everyone! This week is going to be a particularly good one for me because it's a short one. We are taking off for a long weekend of relaxation at my parent's place in northern Michigan on Thursday... can't wait!

I had a fun weekend making the most of the [finally] gorgeous Chicago weather. A great way to go into a new week, for sure. This weekend I...

... Started the festivities on Thursday! This doesn't often happen for an old lady like myself. :)

Kit and Lauren arranged a little meetup of some Chicago food, fashion, and lifestyle bloggers at one of my favorite places for guacamole and margaritas: Taco Joint in River North.

It was so great to meet them and to get to know some of the ladies behind the blogs I've been faithfully following. Looking forward to spending some more time with them!

Photo c/o Stephanie at The Naked Canvas.

... Pulled a favorite old Cooking Light pasta recipe out of the archives for a low key date night at home. I love dining al fresco on the deck in the summertime with my husband. And a glass of Pinot Grigio, obviously.

... Got up early and indulged my husband in a little Saturday morning donut finding expedition.

Firecakes is new to us and I will give you all the details on the different donuts we tried later. In the meantime, here's a photo to make your mouth water.

... Spent even more time on my deck curating a bunch of new recipe and restaurant posts coming your way soon!

... Dragged my husband on my own expedition to the Ukranian Village neighborhood.

I had to bribe him with a slice of Pie-Eyed Pizza (which he ate on foot during the long walk there), but I think he actually enjoyed himself on our little adventure.

NIN March of the Pigs Lollapalooza inspired pizza slice

I will be sharing more details from our travels through Ukranian Village in an upcoming City Walk post. Stay tuned!

... Sampled what is arguably the best gelato in the city of Chicago. One of the real reasons I wanted to walk the 7.5 miles to and from Ukranian Village (yes, we did that) was so that I could finally visit Black Dog Gelato. It's tucked away on a quiet stretch of Damen Ave. and is a no frills gelateria that specializes in really unique flavors. A few of the featured flavors I considered when making my order decision: spicy Mexican Hot Chocolate, Sweet Corn, Basil Coffee, and Toasted Coconut. Cool, right? I ended up deciding on Strawberry Balsamic and what seems to be the overwhelming favorite of most of their visitors, Goat Cheese Caramel Cashew. Their gelato is rich and the flavors are unique and fresh. And take note: this place is cash only!

... Met up at Red Door in Bucktown for girl talk, brunch, and bottomless mimosas with Alexis.

 ... And finally, got my weekly farmers market fix. We checked out the Wicker Park farmers market after brunch and while it isn't nearly as big as the Green City Market (really, what market is?), this one was great for prepared and specialty foods: cheeses, pastas, pastries, crepes, jellies, and pickles... a great selection of those foods! I picked up some red wine pasta here and my gears are already turning coming up with a sauce recipe for that one. Can't wait to try it out!

I've got lots of good stuff coming your way this week... it's going to be a good one!


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