Recent Happenings

What a crazy couple of weeks it has been! I was just looking back on the last few weeks and realized that for a full month we were either celebrating Thanksgiving or entertaining guests or Alex or I was traveling for work leaving the other one behind as a single puppy parent... I am wiped and ready for a much needed holiday break. And with all of that going on, you can imagine that I haven't had a lot of time (or energy) for going to a lot of events-- which is a shame because 'tis the season for parties! A few cool things have come up lately though and I wanted to take a few minutes and tell you and these fun foodie happenings.

Gingerbrunch at Freestyle

My friend Kit recently invited a few blogger friends to Gingerbrunch at Freestyle in the Dana Hotel. It was great to catch up with the girls and enjoy a great brunch. I have never been to Freestyle and I ordered the Spanish Scramble, which was amazing! Similar to Huevos Rancheros, it was a bed of tortilla chips tossed in savory ranchero sauce topped with scrambled eggs with peppers, pico de gallo, sour cream, and avocado. Basically, all of my favorite things.

After a quick mimosa toast, the ginger portion of Gingerbrunch began. Every Sunday from 11 AM to 3 PM in December, Freestyle invites brunch patrons to build their own gingerbread houses. They supply the pieces, the frosting, and the candy, and the rest is up to you!

I haven't built a gingerbread house in forever, so this was so much fun. Jennie and I hung a gumdrop wreath on the front of our house and went for some geometric patterns on the roof. Lauren and Erin showed of their handiwork below and Kit showed us all up with her ornate Necco wafer-shingled roof that she did all on her own.

This was such a fun and festive way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Interested? Get yourself to Freestyle this Sunday to build your own! It's $30 and mimosas are included!

Pierogi Fest

My friend Meredith recently invited Alexis and me to join her for a Saturday at her parents' home in Indiana to learn the art of pierogi making from the best: her Baci!

I love pierogies and was super excited to learn how to make them from an expert. Baci was a tough leader and not shy about telling me there was too much filling in my pierogies or throwing the dough back at Mere when it wasn't rolled out to the appropriate thickness. But she knows her stuff and can make the dough from memory and from feel, which I find totally fascinating. And she oversaw all of us as we punched out over 40 dozen potato-filled pierogies that afternoon.

A big thanks to Mere and her family for including me in this holiday tradition! It was so much fun and baking with Baci reminded me of baking with my Oma, so it brought back some fun memories. And I can't wait to share these pierogies with my family this Christmas!

And one more fun thing-- I got a shout out on TV! Several months ago I shared this recipe for Cheesy Pizza Pull Apart Bread, inspired by a recipe that I saw on The Kitchen on Food Network. I tweeted a photo of it back then and got a reply from chef Marcella-- and this past weekend they mentioned it on the show! They did, however, refer to me as a 'he'.... but I will take what I can get. Thanks for hte mention, The Kitchen!

 

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