Happy Weekend!

We are supposed to get more snow in Chicago this weekend, but I am determined not to let the snow get me down and to still have a productive couple of days.  I might hibernate this evening but I plan on braving the cold tomorrow!  My plans include:

Curling up on the couch tonight with some take-out and Paul Rudd.

Meeting with my French instructor for a lesson over coffee and petite madeleines.

Leisurely lunch and drinks with some fabulous girlfriends

Image found here.

Revamping and reorganizing our messy medicine cabinet
with this inspiration from Martha.

A perfect mix of fun and productivity for my last January weekend!

Cheese and Betty

What to do when your boyfriend who cooks dinner for you every night is out of town?  My solution is simple...wine, cheese, bread, some fruit and a Netflix marathon of Ugly Betty.

Does anyone miss Ugly Betty as much as me? I loved the playful yet chic sets and Amanda's uber stylish wardrobe that had me drooling every episode. It's one show I could watch over and over again - it always puts a smile on my face!

Photos of the Ugly Betty set via feature in Interior Design magazine.

Photos of Amanda's fab ensembles via Posh24

Champagne Cake

YES please! I am such a champagne junky and combining it with cake just sounds like the ultimate treat to me.

I came across this amazing discovery from Apollinas who made herself a stunning Miu Miu inspired birthday cake (covered in edible glitter = awesome!!).  The cake flavor? Pink Champagne! She incorporated some yummy peach preserves and vanilla buttercream. Mmmm sounds delish!

Image via Apollinas

I found out she used this recipe from Simply Decorated (which originally came from Cuisine at Home) as her basis for the cake, and gave it her own twist. What a perfect treat!

Pot Pies

In this month's issue of O Magazine I came across these delicious-looking pot pies from Flourish Baking Company in New York.  You can order them online and have them shipped directly to you, ready to bake. They come if four amazing flavors - Lentil Simmer, Ratatouille, Slow-Cooked Greens and Sweet Potato Mash (I think this might be my first choice!)

Image via Flourish Baking Company

I've never explored the world of ordering pre-made food online and having it mailed to me, but I think I might test it out starting with these yummy pies.  They would be the perfect thing to keep in the freezer for those chilly nights when you just want to stay in and curl up on the couch with some tasty and warm comfort food.  I'll let you know how it goes!

Image via Flourish Baking Company

Cheese and Wine Time

I have the apartment to myself tonight and I'm thinking about picking up a baguette and a few fancy cheeses and relaxing with some Modern Family and a glass of wine.  Maybe I'll add a face mask and some craft projects to the evening's agenda (I've been wanting to do this).  Sometimes a nice cheese platter is all you need for dinner.  My inspiration for the evening:

Via A Cup of Joe

Via Sprouted Kitchen

If only this truck made house calls...

Via Dear World, You're Pretty

Mozzarella Sticks

I had no idea that it was possible to make mozzarella sticks at home without the help of a deep fryer, until I found this recipe from Taste of Home. This new-found discovery could get me into a bit of trouble!  But you can't come across something like this and not try it...right?!  This is on my immediate to-do list.

Photo via Taste of Home

I didn't think there was a way to make mozzarella sticks any better than they already are, but this recipe calls for egg roll wrappers!!!  Are you kidding me?  The wrapping is my favorite part of egg rolls!  Pop some cheese (they use string cheese!) inside one of those?! What could be better!

A Relaxing End to a Monday

Not a bad way to end a long Monday.  A little iced coffee and some sweet petite madeleine cookies, a la Starbucks.  I was a bit early to my French lesson, so I decided to relax outside for a bit with a delicious treat and a good book. 

I had forgotten just how much I love madeleine cookies.  Now that I've had them again, it's going to be hard to resist them.  It got me thinking about whether or not they would be easy to make at home.  Of course I'd first need to by a madeleine pan, because they wouldn't be as much fun to eat if they didn't have their delicate shape.  I found this recipe online, and it doesn't sound too difficult.  I just might have to give it a try soon.

Breakfast Goodies

There is nothing I love more than a nice (big!) homemade meal.  One thing I rarely ever cook though, is breakfast.  There are so many amazingly delicious breakfast recipes out there - I feel like I'm totally missing out!  Since this weekend is technically the last weekend of Summer, and it's a 3 day weekend, I think it's time to treat myself to a fancy breakfast.

Perhaps these Martha Stewart Bacon, Egg and Toast Cups...

 Or this super sweet Strawberry Stuffed French Toast!

Recipe via Annie's Eats

Or if I'm feeling really inspired, maybe even a full English Breakfast! 

Found via Tomayto Tomaaahto

There WILL be some breakfast-ing going down this weekend!

A few of my Favorite Things

Champagne, Macarons and Paris.  Enough said.

I actually recently bought this print from IreneSuchoki's Etsy Shop.

All images found via Pinterest.

Road Trip!

I'm taking off tonight for the weekend.  Heading to Des Moines to visit my sister.  On the to-do list: seeing my sister's new apartment, lunch with an old friend, drinks, my sister's cooking, and most importantly - the Iowa State Fair.  The to-do list for the fair is even longer (air brushed t-shirts, foot-long corn dogs, deep fried snickers bars, take my picture in a big tractor, see the Butter Cow, prize-winning farm animals, etc. etc.).  Very much looking forward to it!  But in order to get there, I will be taking a 6 hour bus ride tonight so I'm stocked with all the necessities:

1. Trader Joe's dried mangos for a little evening snack.
2. My fully charged iPod so I can snooze in peace.
3. My infinity scarf, because I can wrap it all around me and you know those big buses get cold!  Mine is a homemade gift from a friend, but this one comes from American Apparel
4. A new read from the library.  Hope it's good!
5. The latest issue of People Magazine so I can keep up to date on all my celeb gossip while I'm away

Chicago Hot Spot: Pret a Manger

I was SO excited when Pret a Manger opened in Chicago last year, but unfortunately it's not all that close to my office so I often forget about it.  I know I talk about it a lot, but I haven't actually gotten to eat it in a while.  But when I was out running errands on my lunch break today, I spotted those red and white stars from afar and ran towards them as fast as the crowded sidewalks would allow.  Their baguette sandwiches are to die for.  And although the smart side of my brain told me to get the mini baguette, I sprung for the big size complete with a side of potato chips.  Quite an indulgent lunch, but worth every calorie.

My ham and cheese baguette.  No, I don't share.

Mmmmm Egg Mayo

Is it wrong that I'm a sucker for egg salad?  I could eat hard-boiled eggs pretty much any time of day.  When I was in London, they actually sold what they quite cleverly called, "Egg Mayonnaise,"  in plastic tubs, ready to eat.  Some of my favorite nights were when I stopped at the store after work, picked up a tub of egg mayo and a baguette, sat on the couch and watched the same 4 episodes of Friends 3 times in a row (it was one of the only American shows and few channels we got) and ripped off the baguette piece by piece and scooped up the egg mayo goodness.

Mmmmmm Sainsbury's Egg Mayo Deli Filler.  Delish!

If I was feeling especially fancy, I'd stop by Pret a Manger during lunch and pick up a pre-made egg mayo sandwich.  Oh, and of course a Love Bar for dessert :)

My absolute favorite egg mayo sando came from this AMAZING deli/bakery near my office on Praed Street in London.  It was called Bonne Bouche.  After I started thinking about it, I spent about a half hour desperately googling it, looking for a website or a menu so that I could reminisce about all my favorite sandwiches and hazelnut cookie bars I used to get from there, but unfortunately they don't have a website.  Not all of the money I blew in London was on clothes, a lot of it went to this wonderful place.

Seriously, if you go to London, go here.

This extremely long blog post devoted to egg mayonnaise was inspired by this recipe I found on Real Simple's website.  I made some egg salad last night to eat with saltines for dinner and I decided it was time to spice it up.  When it comes to my egg salad, I'm very British about it - just egg and mayo.  But I decided to add some more flavor the next time.  I think this recipe - Curried Egg Salad might be just right. Although, I think I might skip out on the pumpernickel bread. I'm quite satisfied with my saltines.

Curried Egg Salad Sandwich from Real Simple.

Current Obsession

A friend of mine recently turned me on to Pop Chips and I'm totally obsessed! If you haven't tried them already, you must do so immediately! They are the perfect 3pm snack for me at work - totally satisfy the salt cravings.  They come in so many different flavors (Sea salt and vinegar are my fave!) and the best part is they are all natural and only 100 calories in a small bag.  Doesn't get much better than that. mmmmmm

Sack Lunch

I'm always looking for new and delicious ideas for sack lunches to take to work.  The criteria: they must be easy to make (before I was limited to a microwave as my only cooking tool, but recently my office has invested in a toaster oven which has totally changed the way I eat lunch!), it must be easy to transport, if I must assemble it at work then there must be a small number of ingredients to transport, I'd like it to be relatively healthy, and most importantly, it has to be absolutely YUMMY!  I generally pick one lunch and eat the same thing for a week at work.  Then when the next weekend rolls around, I come up with a new idea.  Well I think I just stumbled upon next week's sack lunch - a Ham, Brie and Apple Sandwich courtesy of Framed Cooks.  Thank you for the tasty idea!  It sounds so refreshing, perfect lunch for this Chicago summer.  YUM!  Have a great weekend!

Chicago Hot Spot: The Doughnut Vault

Chicago has a new little treasure this year that is absolutely worth trying if you haven't already.  The line may be around the block each morning, but it is definitely worth the wait.  The Doughnut Vault is literally a little hole in the wall and serves some of the best doughnuts I've had each morning until they run out.  The flavors are so different from the norm and oh-so delicious!   You must try it out!