Full Bellies and Happy Hearts

When I last left you, I was heading off to our 6th annual Girl's Weekend.  "What happens at Girl's Weekend, stays at Girl's Weekend," isn't generally a motto we follow (although it may at times apply!), so there are plenty of stories to share! We began with our traditional dinner at Biaggis, with no shortage of fancy cocktails and decadent desserts.  I tried the cucumber spa martini (with gin of course) to remedy my seemingly endless week at work. I wouldn't recommend ordering it with dinner (especially a pasta) entree, but it did quench my thirst while we waited for our meals to arrive. Dinner was perfect, as usual, and dessert was splendid.  My favorite part of the meal was the bombonoli, basically an Italian donut, complemented by a cappuccino for dessert.

After dinner, it was back to my Aunt's house for sweatpants and movies. Together, we laughed and we cried while watching The Fault in our Stars, it is a fantastic film, you should all watch it. Saturday was spent as I had expected, sore calves and empty wallets were the feelings as we left the Mall of America with arms held down by heavy shopping bags.  It's very evident we've grown up since the start of our annual Girl's Weekend, well Kelsey and I at least (our mothers obviously stopped aging years ago!), as our tastes have definitely matured.  The Michael Kors bag I've been drooling over for at least a year now is finally resting happily on my arm.  Our Saturday night tradition remained the same, delivery pizza and another movie.  Sunday was a new adventure though, our first trip to the new outlet mall in Eagan. Kelsey and I decided we were perfectly content with our designer handbags that were purchased directly from the retail store versus the outlet, I think my Uncle would credit that attitude of ours to "TCtude" as he likes to call it.  That's Twin Cities attitude, for those unaware.  I guess that means I really have become a city girl!

Last year, my Mom and I had also begun our own new tradition, too.  That is, extending Girl's Weekend one more night to have some mother/daughter time.  Last year was Annie's for burgers and shakes, but this year I wanted to try something new and also be able to cross another "must-try" restaurant off my list!  Since we are definitely a "beef, it's what's for dinner" kind of family, I thought it would be fitting for us to try the Red Cow in Linden Hills.  A couple of my co-workers have recommended and even praised their unique menu.  We decided to order two different burgers and share.  Mom tried the French Onion, with white cheddar, French onions, chive sour cream and homemade potato chips, while I went with the Manhattan 2.0 piled high with bacon confit, gruyere cheese, arugula, and a dried cherry-red wine reduction on a pretzel bun.  As if the burgers aren't enough, the French fries and house-made ketchup are also a must-try!

I know it's only a few days after Thanksgiving and everyone is probably still full on turkey, and I've already shared two delicious meals with you, but looking back on the past few weeks, the only photos in my album are food!  It's been getting pretty chilly in Minneapolis, so I guess I am just working on developing an extra layer of warmth for winter perhaps?!  Well, my jeans still fit normally, so I guess its more likely due to the 15+ hours of overtime that appeared on my last paycheck!  So, this blog will just be dedicated to the foodie in me, I don't think any of you will complain.

So, let me continue with another fantastic dining experience Mitch and I had at Spill the Wine in Uptown.  I'd been to Spill the Wine once before when they were still in their Downtown location and recalled a delicious experience with simple items paired perfectly with one another and a well-chosen wine flight. Mitch has known I wanted to return since we both moved out of Uptown, and he found a Groupon for the chef's tasting experience for two.  So, we bundled up and ventured out on one of the first snowy nights in November and made our way back to the place we still called home just three months ago.  Let me tell you, I surely do not miss the lack of decent street parking as the snow gets packed down in those narrow streets!  With the Groupon, we had limited choices for a reservation so we arrived at 5:00pm and were the first guests of the evening. We had a spectacular waitress who accurately described the three different wine flight options and was attentive to checking in on us and explaining the various elements of our tasting menu. 

We started with a meat and cheese plate accompanied by crusty bread, and I was instantly taken back to a similar starter dish I had while soaking up the sun on the piazza in Siena.  After my little spurt of wanderlust memories, we dived in to the various cheeses, nuts, pickled zucchini, cured meats and jams. We almost cleared the plate, but the spicy mustard didn't really speak strongly to either of our palettes. Our second course was a local squash soup with creme fraiche and chives, followed by a crisp autumn salad. The farmers chopped salad was one of the highlights of the meal for me, with bacon, chicken confit, squash, apples, pickled cranberries, pecans, bleu cheese and a smoked maple vinaigrette. Our main course was braised Berkshire pork served in its juices with aioli and toast.  This dish speaks to my earlier comment on simplicity, it was the most moist and delicious, break-apart pork I have ever had.  I think we soaked up every last ounce of the juices with our toast, too!  Our meal was wrapped up with made-to-order personal apple crisp pots with homemade salted caramel ice cream.  It a was a splendid dining experience indeed, and I sincerely thank Mitch for remembering just how much I wanted to go back to Spill the Wine. 

I do love trying new restaurants and having unique dining experiences but I also love to cook and host.  So, this year, Mitch and I decided to host Thanksgiving for our two immediate families. Although not everyone was necessarily seated at the table, we were thankfully able to Skype with my sister and brother-in-law, who live in England.  I did have a cup of my favorite PG Tips tea (from England) for breakfast, in honor of my relatives across the pond, too! It was a surprisingly relaxing day, and everything went very smoothly.  The food was delicious, Mitch did a fantastic job on the turkey - it was perfectly moist and juicy! We stuck with traditional sides like mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing,  homemade cranberry sauce, roasted squash and brussel sprouts, sweet potatoes, scalloped corn and of course green bean casserole! For dessert, we had pecan pie, pumpkin pie, apple pie and pumpkin bars. Mitch's sister also brought the "pink fluff," a delicious raspberry jello salad to top it all off - because, is it really a holiday without jello?! As Mitch gave me a big hug and we toasted our glasses to a job well done, I felt a very strong sense of accomplishment and I'm thankful we were able to share such a great day with family! Oh, and how could I forget - one of my favorite parts of it all was arranging the centerpiece! 

As soon as the leftovers were packed up and the dishes were put away, it was on to Christmas decorations! We won't be at our place for Christmas Day, so I didn't feel much pressure to decorate to the standards of my Mom.  No, she doesn't actually have standards, but if you've ever seen my parent's house at Christmas, you would know it's a lot to live up to! I only had one minor breakdown in the whole decorating process - poor Mitch, so excited that he already had a tree for us and I nearly burst into tears when I found out it was pre-lit with colored lights. Well, I guess I am my mother's daughter after all! I've always adored our tree at home with clear lights and silver/blue accents, it's so classy and elegant. As a child, I recall begging to get colored lights on the tree and it never happened, but oh how the tables have turned!  But, I do realize compromise is part of every good relationship, so here I sit in the family room admiring our colored Christmas tree! It's growing on me, and I am especially fond of our "first Christmas in our new home" ornament from my Mom!  

I can't complain too much, because we do have a smaller tree in the living room with clear lights and similar silver/blue ornaments as my parent's tree!  Besides the trees, we've got a few other small touches and arrangements that I made. My favorite arrangement is the outdoor container which is sitting on our front step.  I must thank my Dad for trudging through the woods to get me a variety of greenery, red osier, and birch logs to satisfy my passion for floral design and horticulture. 

    

Christmas is by far my favorite holiday and I'm really looking forward to a nice relaxing break and getting home to the woods to spend time with family.  A lot has happened since last Christmas and I have a lot to be grateful for this holiday.  It is going to be tough this year though, as we battle for our family Christmas game trophy, one chair will be empty.  Grandma asked that we still leave a chair for her, so we will all be reminded that we have a special angel looking down on us this Christmas. 

As the holidays are quickly approaching, I am not even going to pretend that I can get another blog post done before then. So, I'm going to wish you and your families a happy holiday season and I look forward to catching up with you in 2015! 

Crisp Air & Rosy Cheeks

As the saying goes, home is where the heart is. For me, home is where the trees grow in abundance, the stars shine bright and the night is silent and still.  It's been over three months since I was last at the place I will always call home, far too long for my liking.  This past weekend, I was finally able to head north for a few relaxing, rejuvenating days in the woods. 

On Saturday morning, as I laid on the massage table and a woman kneaded my tense, knotted shoulders like a lump of bread dough, I realized it had yet again been a few weeks since I'd last sat down to scribble my thoughts. So, as I tried to relax and actually enjoy my Lake Superior hot stone massage, my mind raced to make mental notes of the recent happenings in my life.  And by the way, I highly recommend The Pebble Spa Company (locations in Ely & Virginia) - it was a top-notch experience and I left feeling pampered! 

After my massage, I met my mom for lunch at Jue's, a Chinese restaurant in Virginia.  I've been thinking about and craving their small lunch buffet for the past few months.  I live in the metro, yet I've never, ever found a Chinese restaurant than compares to my hometown favorite. Shocking, I know! No, it probably wasn't the best idea to consume copious amounts of fried rice, oyster wings, cream cheese wontons and other salty dishes right after a stress-relieving massage, but I promise it was completely worth it! 

I always know I'll be eating good when I go home, and this weekend was no exception. That usually includes one meal out at one of my hometown favorites, and always a good home cooked meal. This weekend did not disappoint, as my dad prepared a delicious farm to table meal for us.  I always enjoy getting to spend time in the kitchen with my family, it's a great bonding experience.  It's great to listen to my dad talk about their garden and see his face light up with excitement as he tells me a little fact about how each vegetable I'm preparing was planted, maintained or harvested.  And, how can I forget, how each was protected from the various pests around the farm. He's got quite the fence rigged up to keep out the creatures!  Our meal consisted of grilled venison steak strips, baked potatoes, grilled squash, pickled beets and a kale salad.

A weekend at home is always good for the soul, but that's not to say we haven't had plenty of other fun weekends that kept me away from my computer! Most recently, we hosted our housewarming party while also both celebrating turning another year older.  We both rang in the next chapters of our lives with juicy (or jucy, depending on which side of the jucy Lucy debate you're on) Lucy's.  Mitch originally chose Matt's Bar, but the long line and the fact they don't accept credit cards sent us back to the vehicle and down the road to the 5-8 Club.  For me, it was the Blue Door Pub in St. Paul. Both were exceptionally delicious, and highly recommended, however, I can't form my opinion on who has the best burger (really only a debate between 5-8 and Matt's) until I've had the chance to try one from Matt's - so stay tuned!  For my birthday, we also had dinner at Trattoria Tosca, next to Turtle Bread in Linden Hills. Mmmm, it was elegant, simple and delicious. Mitch had some sort of rustic italian sausage pasta while I enjoyed scallops with fingerling potatoes, roasted brussel sprouts and cauliflower purée paired nicely with a crisp Sauvignon Blanc. 

  I don't think I could ever become a discerning food critic, because I find myself always praising the delicious eats of new places with little to no criticism!  Anyway, enough of my foodie adventures (for now at least!), and on to the beauty of Mother Nature. She has blessed us with an incredible fall filled with bursting colors and perfect tailgating weather. No, I'm not the biggest football fan, and I'm quite excited the puck has already dropped for Gopher and Wild hockey, but I do enjoy tailgating.  In fact, Mitch is probably the first one who can attest to that when he reminds me I missed most of the Gopher football game because I was still in the Ski-U-Mah lot catching up with college friends over hot dogs and cheap beer.  Nonetheless, I still saw the end and loved watching the Gophers as they secured their first Homecoming victory in as long as I can remember. Mother Nature must have a had a clue, because earlier that morning, our front yard was picture perfect for one of those iconic "Even Mother Nature Loves Maroon & Gold" posters. 

The other fall weekends, with equally as beautiful weather, were spent celebrating love and toasting to two new happy couples.  First, we spent a weekend in Plainview, MN celebrating with a dear friend and roommate of mine from college.  In the midst of harvest time, her wedding was festively adorned with pumpkins, gourds, corn stalks, burlap and lace, and all other things fall.  I was her personal attendant and loved getting to help decorate and transform their reception space into something magical.  Happy tears were had as I realized we are all growing up so fast!  We spent the next weekend on the shores of Lake Minnetonka to celebrate two more friends of ours.  This time, Mitch was a groomsman and we were delighted to a stunning sunset cruise around the lake for the groom's dinner.  It was a blessing to be a part of both beautiful days!

More recently, I've found myself stacking up the overtime and practicing stress reduction in my life.  I've taken on even more responsibility at work and obviously have not taken as much time for the other pleasures in life, like writing.  But, with the longer hours and the growing number of take out dinners, when you hear your relatively older boss use the phrase "you're killing it!" in reference to your performance, it all suddenly seems worth it.  They don't lie when they say hardwork and persistence pay off.  I find myself thanking my mom and dad quite often for the values they taught us and what an impact it's had on my life and career.   

Along with my regular workload, I also have the role of campaign chair for our office's United Way campaign.  It can be taxing at times, but I just keep reminding myself of the positive effects it will have. I was really excited to plan our kickoff event this year, an ice cream sundae bar!  Of course, my first task was a visit to Pinterest for some fun ideas!

I think it was a success! I also used this idea (wrapping the table in butcher paper and writing the names of toppings on it) for our housewarming party.  It's creative and fun but best of all, easy cleanup. Just roll up the paper and toss it in the trash! I love doing fun parties and events like this and hopefully, someday, I'll find myself doing it a lot more often...and maybe even getting paid for my creative talents! 

Well, I think that sums up my fall, which all happened so fast. The days have already been getting shorter and soon the first snow will gently fall from the sky. Hopefully it can hold off at least one more weekend though.  It's finally girl's weekend, which is practically a holiday in our family. Already in its sixth year, it's a tradition we started when I was a freshman in college, where the girls have a weekend of shopping and relaxation in the cities, and the guys are up North freezing their buns off waiting for "the big one!"  Now, I've spent some time in a deer stand with my dad, and I don't think he'll ever see the big one while his eyes are closed and he's snoring! But, since I know he's probably reading this, I'll admit the only reason he doesn't see deer when I'm with him is because I can't contain my excitement and keep my mouth shut long enough for one to even get close! So best of luck to the guys during hunting and to my own will power against my credit card as we visit the new Twin Cities Premium Outlets in Eagan!