Warning: If you don't like images that include phallic-shaped cookies and other things created in that shape exclusively for bachelorette parties, then I suggest that you skip this post!
My bachelorette bash was better than I could have imagined. First, it was different from my typical Saturday night. Second, my girls deserve an award for all of their hard work. The decorations were unbelievable, down to the posters with potentially humiliating material from my crazy years in college, the Disney balloons, the streamers, and the 9-hour playlist of almost pure musical theater. I was in Heaven.  Putting on my tiara Andi went through all of my recent pictures from the blog and Facebook and printed off the majority of them. Do you see the picture that says, "Am I the only one who talks to their pets and pretend they answer back?" We started the night at Andi's apartment in Lincoln Park. We thought about going out to dinner or renting a hotel suite originally, but I wanted them to do everything they could do to keep the costs down. As you probably know, everybody is putting out the big bucks to fly to San Francisco for the wedding. I don't want to keep tacking on money to their "Jenny" bill. My friends are a very fun group of people, so we all knew that we'd be able to plan something cost-effective and have a blast-tastic time. For dinner, the girls ordered food from Lou Malnati's. If you're not a Chicago native or have never been here, then put it on your list of things to do when you visit (because you must!). Even if you don't like Chicago-style deep dish pizza, it's one of the best pizza places in the city. You can pizza with thinner crust, too. They ordered one gigantic salad that apparently wasn't supposed to come with cheese and bacon, but it did. We had plenty of pizza. I made sure to have a few pieces to "line my belly" for the amount of drinking that was about to take place. There were meatballs and baked ziti. My amazing baker bridesmaid Jessie made phallic cookies. They tasted so good! Kate also made vegan rice krispie treats that were shaped like Jessie's cookies. Everything was great.  Andi, me, Nicole, Julie I made sure that my mom was there for some of the night. She had no intention of coming to the bar later in the night, but she was there until we all went out. My maid of honor Jess's mom Karen was also there (and spent the whole night out with us since she is a trooper!).  Mom, me, Karen, Jess  Katie, me, Chantal  Me, Emily Once we were all settled in and fed, Jess cranked up the volume for our sing-along. I originally wanted to go to a karaoke bar, but I eventually realized that we could have just as much fun (or more fun) singing at Andi's. I took a break to open some presents, and I got right back into the singing.  me and Molly The rest of the photos are from Karen's iPhone. Thank you, Karen!  Alex, me, Nicole, Jess  The Haranders/singers: Laura, Nicole, me, Jess, Stacey Around 10:30, we piled into cabs and went to Public House where our table and bottle service awaited us. I took my pink fluffy goblet, my pink bell, and my inflatable genitalia friend who I started calling "Drogobob".  Jessie, Kate, me, Jess, Alex (Thanks for the picture, Jess!)  Me, Alex, Betty, Stacey, Danya We all had a wonderful time! My bridesmaids also made a funny checklist for me that included "getting proposed to by a stranger". The stranger gave me a very good proposal, didn't he?
Irene's dad drove me back on Sunday morning, and I slept about four hours until I had to get up to receive my family for Mother's Day. My uncle was in town from New Jersey, and my brothers and Aunt Harriet came over too. I was surprisingly able to be normal and enjoy the company while eating food. I was very tired, though!
I also don't have any pictures up there with my bridesmaids Irene and Goda, but they were certainly there and just as awesome as everybody else.
It was Kate's boyfriend Dan's turn to make dinner last Thursday night, and he decided to make tacos. Since Kate is a vegan and enjoys proving to her friends that vegans can still eat scrumptious meals, she invited me and my friend Irene over for something I have never had before: vegan tacos. Dan started by chopping and baking a plethora of peppers (including jalapenos) and corn. He also made seasoned potatoes on the stove top. Extra fillings for the tacos included homemade guacamole, salsa, and limes. The fillings were held together on a whole wheat soft wrap. Dan melted cheese onto his wrap and I considered doing the same, but that would mean that I wasn't eating a vegan taco! My dinner may not have included animal products, but it was y-u-m-m-y! The peppers gave it so much flavor that I didn't even miss the cheese. I've actually considered being a vegan before since I have an intolerance to dairy (but still eat large concentrations of cheese anyway), but I worry about having a difficult time eating out at restaurants. Plus, I really, really love cheese. I think I might be okay if I ate these tacos every day, though!
I can't wait to show you the pictures from my bachelorette party!
My furry friends haven't said hello in a while. They love getting attention, both in person and on the bloggity blog.
Below: Princess Libby on my (unmade) bed
Below: Libby on my parents' bed (where she is not allowed). See how her ears are back and how she is vigorously wagging her tail? She knows that she is BUSTED! Below: Mickey sitting on the windowsill in the library Below: Mickey is always adorable, but he looks so precious when he lies down with his front legs crossed. Below: the Princess donning a gothic bandanna after getting groomed Below (this is the last time that I will say "below"): Libby giving her daddy a very warm greeting after I brought her back to my brother's apartment. Sometimes, I forget that I am only her second favorite person in the world. We can't forget about Cody, the incredibly kind and docile dog with a very soft and velvety head. And now, I will introduce the newest member of our family: SAM!
Isn't he a beauty? We picked him up two weeks ago from Orphans of the Storm. He is a kick-ass four-year-old mixture of (we think) German shepherd, lab, and hound. He's perfectly housebroken, brilliant, and is obsessed with his new human owners and doggy brothers. Guys, I can't stress enough how important it is to rescue your dogs and cats. There are so many of them in shelters who need homes and will either be euthanized or spend the rest of their life in a small cold cell if they are not adopted. By getting an animal from a shelter, you are saving a life. I know that there are plenty of wonderful breeders out there (I can't say the same thing about puppy mills- I have NOTHING good to say about them), but everybody wants to adopt puppies or kittens. Puppies almost always find homes. It's also so much cheaper to get an animal from a shelter or a rescue group vs. a breeder. We paid about $150 for Sam, and that included a visit to the vet, a microchip, neutering, and medication. Plus, since he's older and has already been in a home, he is housebroken and won't destroy our house. Please consider rescuing the next time that you get a pet. You will not regret it, and you will always feel good knowing that you are giving your pet a better life.
That's all I have to say about that. I hope all of you have a wonderful Thursday!
In addition to my wine and cheese party, there are other happenings that require catching up. One of them is a brunch I attended a few weeks ago at Orange in the River West neighborhood. It has a few locations throughout the city, but this one was the closest to where I was staying. I've heard about Orange a gazillion times, and I quickly learned why everybody was raving about it: it is fantastic. Although Andi, Shelly (Andi's sister) and I had a to wait about 30 minutes for our table, we were still able to order juice from the bar and chatted the whole time with the very friendly staff. I expected the orange juice to be orange-tastic and amazing at a place called "Orange" (it was fresh-squeezed- the only way I will ever drink it), but I wanted to try something more creative. I ordered an orange-ginger-carrot juice. The ginger was very strong (never try this if you don't like ginger), but I felt better knowing that I was pumping my cells full of anti-oxidants. I still found Andi's juice to be a lot more appetizing: just orange and grapefruit.
One of my favorite things about the restaurant is that all of the water has a slice of cucumber in it. It's so simple and very refreshing. I prefer cucumbers in my water over lemons or limes.  Orange, carrot, and ginger juice |  "Cucumbered" water | Orange has a stellar breakfast menu, but my body was craving something hearty and savory. I ordered a chicken caesar wrap and requested the dressing on the side. It came with fries, and they were perfect for dipping into the dressing. The fries were very flavorful, and you could also tell that they were not bathed in grease. Andi and Shelly loved them, too. Andi ordered the Caprese benedict. The English muffins were topped with poached eggs, buffalo mozzarella, tomato, and their homemade pesto-hollandaise sauce (that does NOT contain pine nuts!). It came with some sort of a potato cake that was very tasty. Shelly ordered the Chai Tea French toast. She apparently gets it every time that she goes there. I tried everybody's food, and it was all great. The place was bright and cheerful, the service was friendly and efficient, and I didn't feel like a fat lard ass when I left there. Thanks to all of those factors and the fact that they put cucumber in their water, I can confidently say that this is one of my favorite brunch places. Thank you, Orange!
Here are some other fun photos from the past few weeks:
Below: Nicole, me, Julie, and Andi at Moe's Catina in River North. ( I am wearing a jacket that I bought from Abercrombie and Fitch when I was in high school, and I still wear it all the frickin' time. I am not ashamed of it.)
Below: Andi and Nicole at Durkin's in Chicago. I won a happy hour there and cashed it in. To understand the final picture, you have to know that my fingers are very double-jointed and can do things that nobody should be able to do. For one thing, I can bend the distal phalanges on my fingers (the part furthest away from my hand) without bending the rest of my finger. On that same night, I met a girl at the bar who could do the exact same thing with her fingers. Observe: Aren't we cool? We learn new things about people every day, don't we?
In case you have been genuinely concerned about me and my well-being, I assure you that I am alive and well! My days have been packed full to the brim with friends and food and Libby (on weekends), and studying and wedding planning for the other days of the week. I have been neglecting my little blog, however, and that makes me sad.
Let me make it up to you by telling you about my friend Goda and her wine and cheese party. She just returned from almost a year abroad in China and moved into a new apartment. She had a bunch of her friends over to eat one of my favorite creations in the entire world: cheese. There was more cheese than the eye could see. She provided other nibbles such as chips and salsa and Lithuanian bread sticks (below, top right). They tasted like long, garlicky, buttery croutons that just melted in the mouth. I was going to town on them by the end of the party, and let me just say that I had top-notch garlic breath. Still, the star in my mind was the cheese. My favorite was the brie spread on the crostini.
We also had plenty of wine, since each person who came to the party brought at least one bottle. I brought a bottle of Chateau St Jean chardonnay, and that was empty in no time. We all had a great time sampling each others' wines.
I think that the most creative thing that Goda did was personalize all of the wine glasses so that they didn't get mixed around with other glasses. She had a bunch of different plastic flowers to tie around the stems. I thought that it was such a smart idea. After a few hours, my friends grew antsy and wanted to hit the bars. After chewing a few sticks of gum and downing strawberries with cheesecake stuffing (they were amazing) in hopes of alleviating my garlic breath, we piled into cabs and went to The Tin Lizzie in Lincoln Park. My friend Andi knows how much I suck at taking pictures when I'm out and about, so she walked around for most of the night with my camera. In most of the pictures that she took, I either looked very angry or I was happy and on my phone. There was no middle ground. It was a shame, because I had a fantastic night!  Angry: with Nicole  Andi, Sam, Goda. I betcha I'm off somewhere smiling and not on my phone.  Angry: turning my back to shots  Happy: On my phone  Angry: with Chantal and Jon My friends are such a blast. Now, back in the present, I am enjoying myself in the comfort of my own home while I study for my finals that are on Tuesday. My bachelorette party is next weekend. When I think about it, I feel both excited and frightened. I am excited for all of the obvious reasons, but I am frightened for two reasons. First, my friends try to force feed me shots on normal weekends, so imagine what they will be like next weekend. Second, the Bud Lite Monster (the name I occasionally use for Andi's boyfriend) will be in town then. He moved to Nashville, but he's still close enough to come back all the time. If he meets up with us at the end of the night, I have no hope whatsoever of feeling like a normal human being for the days that follow the party. No hope. Not even a chance. I really like feeling like a normal person.... Now, back to studying Anatomy and Organic Chemistry! Has anybody ever taken organic chemistry and enjoyed it? Just wondering. I am certainly not one of those people.
Passover came and went this year, and I enjoyed it like I always do. We ate the food that you only eat once a year, recited stories and songs of the biblical days, and drank our fill of wine (except Saturday night, because I drove).
The Passover Haggadah, the many glasses, and a Boils finger puppet to represent one of the Ten Plagues.
On Saturday night, I got the sitting/reclining finger puppet to use during the Four Questions. Traditionally, the youngest child (who is also old enough to read) sings the Four Questions in Hebrew. They ask: Why is it that on other nights we eat either bread or matzoh, but on this night we eat only matzoh?; Why is it that on all other nights we eat all kinds of herbs, but on this night we eat only bitter herbs?; Why is it that on other nights we do not dip our herbs even once, but on this night we dip twice?; and Why on all other nights we eat either sitting or reclining, but on this night we eat in the reclining position? (source) Then, we answer them in English and hold up the corresponding finger puppets if we have them. You can read all about the typical Passover food in my post from last year. We always have the same stuff, but the matzoh ball soup is always my favorite! We also get almond macaroons every year from Deerfields Bakery that are spectacular. We bought a packet of six for the house, and they didn't make it through the weekend. The almond biscuit melts in the mouth, and the raspberry filling and kosher chocolate are a nice bonus. I don't typically "keep" Passover. This means that I don't avoid yeast or baking soda or anything that makes bread rise. I don't eat much bread to begin with anyway, but I also don't love matzoh enough to eat it every day for eight days. I usually just stick to my normal diet. Passover started on Friday night, and I'm sure that I already ate something that wasn't acceptable for it (ahhhh yes, I remember. I ate two Aussie bites this morning). As much as I'm not an eternal matzoh lover, I've never gone one year (minus maybe the Passovers when I've been abroad) without eating fried matzoh. **Please note we don't actually FRY anything and that's just the name for the dish. I'm sure that some people do or did fry it back in the day, but doing that is really not necessary or recommended for a multitude of reasons.** All you need is a box of matzoh, eggs, and whatever toppings you want to use. It's the same concept as making French toast, so you can use whatever toppings you would use for those. If you live in a heavily-populated Jewish area like we do, you will have no issue whatsoever finding matzoh. My mom, grandma, and I went to Sunset Foods in Long Grove and my mom was literally standing there for TEN MINUTES trying to figure out which types of matzoh to buy. You can choose by brand, taste, and dietary requirements (yes, there are gluten free options). The whole wheat bran was just one of the many boxes that are now in our pantry. I'd say two pieces is a good serving for one person. All you do is pull out two to three pieces (three if you're really hungry) and break them up in a bowl. You don't want your pieces to be too small. Unless you have egg matzoh and it's already very soft and crumbly, you will want to wet them. Put enough water in the bowl to cover all of the pieces and let them sit for a minute or so just so they are slightly soggy. Next, crack in one egg for each piece of matzoh (so, two for me). Mix well and put on the pan. Once the egg is cooked, you are all ready to eat. Now, you can sprinkle on whatever toppings you like. I always use syrup, although I also added cinnamon this time. I really liked it. Many people like them with powdered sugar, too. Whatever floats your boat! I hope that everybody had a wonderful Passover and/or a blessed Easter! If you don't celebrate either holiday, then I hope you had a great weekend.
Saturday, like the day before, was go, Go, GO! I started my day at 7 am doing pilates in my hotel room. I downloaded an application on my phone and just did it. You gotta stay fit, even when you're away from home! I actually brought workout clothes for the treadmill since our hotel has a small gym. It was pouring rain, however, and I had to walk outside to get there. Pilates in my own room seemed like a much better way to spend my time. Soon after that, I had my hair and makeup trial at It's a Date at The Powder Room. I was very happy with the way that everything turned out, and I'll get the same (or very similar) thing on my wedding day. We had to do a whole bunch of other things after the trial and I left my hair the way that it was, so I can't show you any pictures of me! The Venue Our next task was driving in the persistent rain to Chateau St Jean. My dad wanted to taste a few wines so that he'd have a better idea of what to serve for appetizers, dinner, etc. Since the wedding is at their winery, we have to use all of their wines with the exception of sparkling wines (since they don't make them). Even with the rain pounding against the windshield and limiting our usually unobstructed views, the drive up the driveway was absolutely stunning. I am so excited to get married here! This will all look very different in a few months. The wine tasting was a success. We still had about two hours before our TWO cake tastings, so we got lunch at a local cafe/grocery store called Fresh by Lisa Hemingway. We just stumbled upon it on our way back from the winery, and we absolutely loved it. I got a breakfast burrito, but I made sure not to eat too much of it since we had a lot more eating ahead of us. It was like a marathon!
Cake Tastings
Our first tasting was at Fleur de Lisa in Santa Rosa. Lisa was on Fabulous Cakes on TLC, so we were sure that her cakes would be great (they were)! My favorites were lemon (it tasted like a lemon square!), apple caramel (very unique flavor), and chocolate espresso. Our second tasting was at Michelle Marie's Patisserie, which was also in Santa Rosa. We requested the flavors ahead of time, so they made us little cakes for all of us to split. It was adorable. We tried hazelnut praline (the flavor of champions), carrot cake, and chocolate raspberry. We liked them all, and we were all very impressed with the buttercream frosting. We were thinking that we should get fondant on the cake from either bakery that we choose since it puts a nice coating on it and also stops the frosting from melting (we're having an outdoor wedding in August!), but I think we might go without it. It adds a lot of moola onto the total price of the cake, and we can coordinate the delivery time of the cake so that it won't be sitting out in the worst heat of the day. Tuxes, Jean Rip, Dinner After two cake tastings in a row, I thought there was a possibility that I might die from superfluous sugar intake. Luckily, that wretched feeling didn't last very long. We said goodbye to our outstanding wedding planner Amy, and then we went to our last planning stop of the day: tuxes. We stopped by a great shop in town that we will probably end up using. The issue is that the boys live in Chicago and in various parts of Australia, so we can't just ask them to go to Santa Rosa to get fitted. It seems that this shop will work through these issues with us and get the boys great tuxes regardless. I'm sure that they're used to it since people do destination weddings in Sonoma all the time. We went back to our hotel to rest for about an hour before dinner. I was so tired from travel, wine, cake, and appointments that I just slumped into bed with all of my clothes on. I must have done something to stretch my jeans while doing this, because the only pair of jeans (and pants!) that I brought with me on the vacation ripped fully up the crotch! Luckily, I had my parents with me. My dad got a sewing kit while my mom pulled out all of her pants that she brought with her for the weekend and had me try them on. My mom's clothes didn't work, but all of my dad's years of being a doctor and stitching up patients really paid off for fixing my jeans. I'm going to throw them out since I wore them to death and they need to be replaced, but my dad's stellar sewing job (they didn't even rip along the seam!) allowed me to wear my jeans for all of the next day. I was very impressed. I managed to fit in a 20-minute nap. I didn't need much time to get ready for dinner, because my hair and makeup still looked pretty decent from that morning. We met my cousin Timon and his girlfriend Yana for a five-star dinner at John Ash at Vintner's Inn. We had a lot to chat about, so it took us a while to get to the menu. While they were waiting for us to order, the staff brought us bread and corn muffins for munching. We were also given an amuse bouche to cleanse our palate that had foamed goat cheese and balsamic vinegar. We all ordered starters. Since we were in wine country and I hadn't gotten my fair share of cheese yet, I ordered a cheese plate with three cheeses. I got a goat cheese, a blue cheese, and another one. The server said that he would pick the three best cheeses for me, but I can't remember what they all were! The plate included fresh jam, quince paste, dried figs, flat bread, and fancy crackers. I was very, very happy with this. I could have been satisfied with my cheese plate, but we also ordered main courses. Three out of five of us ordered the seabass special. I can't remember everything that was in it (that's what happens when you wait over a week for recapping), but I know it had risotto cakes, asparagus, and a very fun rice cake thing on top. It was served on top of a lobster broth. I took a picture of my mom's salmon, because it was so pretty. It included potato roulades and golden turnips. We all cleared our plates! We all had a wonderful time together. Sunday Sunday was a little sad, because I was not looking forward to leaving Wine Country. Regardless, we had to go. We met with our rabbi (who is marrying us) at her synagogue early in the morning with Amy, and then we drove south. We were leaving from Oakland Airport, so we stopped by Jack London Square in Oakland for lunch. We found a restaurant called Kincaid's along the bay. We were blown away by how nice everybody working there was, and the food was fantastic! Plus, look at those views! I ordered the crispy fish tacos (my dad got the same thing), and I did not leave hungry or disappointed. I usually don't go for the fried food, but these tacos were worth it! We had a nice flight back to Chicago, minus a toddler that was screaming from the time that we were waiting at our gate until the time that we landed. It was the baby from hell. I was fortunate enough to pass out for an hour and then I put on my headphones while watching my lectures for my online biochem class, so that tuned her out. It was still baffling to me that the parents did absolutely nothing to make their child be quiet. The father was actually walking around with her with a look on his face that said something like, "Isn't my daughter the cutest?". People like that really upset me. They should not be allowed on planes EVER.
Fortunately, our airport driver Pavel (he always brings us to the airport when we don't drive) picked us up and brought us a whole pizza from Giordano's (= AMAZING Chicago pizza). Man, we were happy to see the box when we got into his cab! If you want the BEST taxi service in Chicago, you need to call Ride in Bliss! We discovered Pavel a few years ago, and his cabs are always clean, the drivers are on time, and they will always do whatever you need to make your ride more comfortable. There is also always bottled water for you in the cab (and sometimes chocolate!). Really, call them the next time that you need a ride to either of Chicago's airports! Pavel didn't ask me to write this; I'm writing this because I truly believe it's an outstanding taxi company. That wraps up my Sonoma recaps! Luckily, I'll have a lot more in August.
My parents and I had the best time in Sonoma Valley over the weekend. I wish I could pack another suitcase and go back there for a week or more, but I'll have to wait for the wedding in August to see it again.
We left Chicago on Friday morning and returned 48 hours later. Although it wasn't a lot of time, we fit in three tastings (one with the caterer and two cake tastings), a tour of our hotel where our guests will be staying, picking out all of the flowers with our florist, a hair and makeup trial, tasting wines for the wedding at our venue, looking for tuxes, a meeting with the rabbi, two delicious dinners, and a terrific lunch on the bay in Oakland. We didn't waste any time!
I'm not sharing pictures from all of my visits for obvious reasons: I have to keep some secrets about the wedding! I will show you a lot of pictures of food, though! Is that different from any other post?
Park Avenue Catering
On Friday, we met with our wedding planner at Park Avenue Catering. They will be doing all of the food for our wedding, with the exception of the wedding cake. My dad really wanted to take the reins on the food throughout the planning process, so he chose this caterer and picked the menu. We tried some very creative dishes that I can't wait to display on my wedding day. I know that our guests will love them! The one dish that we're definitely going to change is the mahi mahi. We wanted a more flavorful fish, so we're going with something else. Doesn't it look gorgeous, though? They gave us chocolates at the end of our tasting. Although we got full portions of everything, I made sure not to stuff my face. I still had room for them. I can't remember exactly what they were, but I tasted superb chocolate and raspberry and ate two of them. I would have had more, but there was nothing left on the plate. How sad. We heard great reviews about Park Avenue Catering, and our visit with them confirmed those reviews even more. The staff was incredibly friendly, and our tasting was spectacular. I'm thrilled that we're going to have good food at our wedding!
Hilton Sonoma Valley
After our meeting with the florist, we drove to our hotel, checked in, and met with one of the events coordinators for a tour of the hotel. We liked the pictures that we saw of the property online, but we were even happier when we saw the Nectar Lounge where the after-party will be on the night of the wedding. We'll have our own space in a stunning outdoor area (with heating lamps) that's elevated above the city of Santa Rosa. It's gorgeous at night with all of the lights. We can also go inside in case it rains. That wouldn't be a problem, because the lounge and restaurant is also very nice.
My parents and I stayed in adjoining rooms; theirs had one king bed and mine had two queens. Both of the rooms were very spacious. For my friends who want to fit four in a room, you will have no problems!
I loved the way that they folded our towels.
I also used toilet paper instead of kleenex, because I didn't want to dissemble this flower: While we were meeting in the main lobby and talking about brunch options for the day after the wedding, I saw that they were setting up a complimentary wine and cheese tasting. It was a bliss reminder that we were staying in Wine Country. Of course, I hit the cheese-and-crackers table a few times before dinner. I also had a glass of red wine. For those who are coming in August, don't forget to book your room! The link is on the wedding page. Johnny Garlic's If you watch a lot of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives or love Guy Fieri as much as my parents and I do, then you might know about Guy's first restaurant: Johnny Garlic's. The original location is about five minutes away from our hotel, so we really wanted to try it. I loved it the second that I walked in the door, because it was anything but a "snooty" restaurant. The bar was in my face, T-shirts hung all over the walls, and a friendly hostess smiled and asked how she could help us. It reminded me of a family-friendly restaurant, but it also wasn't tacky. I could see Guy's personality in everything.
Our sever took a while to greet us, but everything went smoothly once we put in our drink orders. Wine in wine country? Yes please! The servers brought out our wine in that little jug below (one jug per glass), and then they poured it into our glass. How cute. We got some of Guy's focaccia bread to share, which was outstanding. It was light and fluffy in the middle and had grilled onions on the outside. We dipped it in olive oil and balsamic vinegar. My dad and I both got the veggie burgers for our main meal. As you see, Guy does not want us to go hungry. We chose garlic fries for our side. They tasted wonderful, but I have to warn you that I had garlic breath for 12 hours. I brushed my teeth twice, scrubbed my tongue with the toothbrush, chewed gum and ate mints. It wasn't until I had two cups of coffee the next morning that it went away. Johnny Garlic's does not take their garlic lightly! There's a chance that people who come to the wedding will get to experience Johnny Garlic's if they are there the night before it. We don't know for sure, but it's looking better than worse. We loved the restaurant and the staff, so we'll see. If there's one thing that I do promise, it's that we not will serve the garlic fries!
I wholeheartedly love St. Patrick's Day, although I haven't celebrated it since I was in college. What a shame!
I spent Friday night at my friend Andi's apartment in the city so that I could be up and ready at a reasonable time to begin the festivities.
Andi's Calendar
We knew that we needed a hearty breakfast, so we went grocery shopping the night before. We got fruit salad and pomegranate seeds. We also got the ingredients for eggs with spinach and cheese. Of course, we also had Irish oatmeal! One of my favorite parts of St. Patrick's Day is getting decked out in green. I planned on wearing my Ireland sweatshirt, but it was actually too hot for it! Sorry, but from what I recall, it's not supposed to be 80 degrees in the middle of March (26.7 degrees Celsius). I'm not complaining, but winter in Chicago is usually much colder than this! This weather along with the festivities was the recipe for a perfect day. Our friends Julie and Nicole came over, and then we went to our first destination: a party with a balcony and a keg!
There's Jessie and David! Nicole and Andi Me with Julie! Jessie and Jen We stayed there for a while and then went to Moe's Cantina in River North. If you read my blog, you know that I go there a lot. Below, there's Nicole and Andi catching a cab! We were prepared to wait in line for a good 15 minutes. I walked to the end of the line to hold a spot for the rest of the girls, and then Nicole grabbed me and told me to come to the front. They told me to give the bouncer my ID, and we all waltzed into the bar. I was really confused about what happened. It turned out that Andi asked the bouncer where the "girl's line" was, and they let all of us go to the front. Just like the weather, I won't complain about that either. If we get special treatment for being a group of girls, so be it. As usual, Moe's was a blast. After a few drinks, Nicole and I were singing and dancing to musical medleys from a singing/dancing troupe we were in when we were in middle school. Yes, we actually were dancing in this picture. I got this picture below from the balcony. I feel especially proud to share this photo, because it shows that Chicagoans know how to celebrate St Patty's Day! We headed out to some bars further north after that, then we got dinner. I went to bed soon after that and woke up feeling refreshed before 9 am. That's one of the bonuses of day drinking: you usually go to bed earlier since it's very hard to stay up until the wee small hours of the morning.
Here's another fun fact about Chicago (the first fun fact is that Chicago celebrates St Patrick's Day in style thanks to their MASSIVE Irish population): we dye our river green! I didn't see it yesterday, but I saw a lot of pictures! Look it up if you don't believe me.
Okay, time for bed! 'Till next time, friends!
Last week was an absolute whirlwind of dinners and birthdays. As I mentioned last time, the beginning of March is full of birthdays in my family. We had a lovely dinner on my dad's birthday last Sunday, and then I went to Cooper's Hawk with my parents for my mom's birthday on Tuesday night. Cooper's Hawk is one of my favorite restaurants in the the Chicagoland area. I've talked about it here, here, and here. As always, we started with their pretzel bread. (Sorry in advance for taking pictures with the iPhone. I should know better than that!)We drank our wine from a decanter. We ordered caprese-style flat bread to share. For my main meal, I ordered the buffalo chicken sliders. I know that fried chicken smothered in buffalo sauce and ranch dressing isn't the healthiest decision, but there is usually no stopping me once I decide that I want buffalo chicken. Plus, sliders are adorable. Each of my parents got a complimentary dessert with chocolate-covered strawberries, a truffle, whipped cream, assorted chocolate-less berries, a piece of chocolate that said "Happy Birthday", and some raspberry sauce. I helped them eat it. My mom also ran 20 miles on the treadmill at her health club on the morning of her 60th birthday. No big deal! Now, here is the great news. I just found out that I was accepted into University of Illinois at Chicago's Masters in Nutrition program. Remember when I first revealed my goals last year? As long as I pass the remainder of my prerequisite courses, I am all set to start in August! I've been celebrating by eating and drinking a whole bunch of crap. That will have to stop soon. I not only have to practice what I will preach someday, but I also have a wedding in a few months! How crazy!
|
RSS Feed
