Last Weekend in WI & A Sneak Peek at My CO Life.

Aside from the fabulous company I had for dinner at Trocadero followed by my kind of a low-key night out with the favorites at Hi-Hat Lounge, here are some pictures from my last weekend in WI:

I went over to my friend Maggie’s to help her prep for her new supper club, “Nights of Juniper.”

My little nephew Julian came along for the fun. Chewing on a piece of baguette he kept asking Mags, “Hey, why is your bread hard?” pointing out the signature crustiness of the bread. (:

I made apple tart to bring over to my boyfriend’s parents’ for a going-away dinner they threw for me. 

The recipe was adapted from Pioneer Woman’s where I added cinnamon and nutmeg with less brown sugar. I had a ton of apples left over too! Good for snacking.

My first time using store-bought puff pastry! It was so much fun!

Then Rosa (my boyfriend’s mom) made an awesome dinner which included marinated grilled beef tenderloin with sautéed mushrooms and onion, her signature Italian salad, roasted peppers,

this AMAZING tortellini pasta salad,

and my favorite of the meal: warm olive bread dipped in this Israeli olive oil dipping concoction!

As far as my Colorado life, my puppy and I are still getting slowly adjusted. First day of work today, and moving into a cozy little studio on the 1st! More posts to come, but here’s a sneak peek for what is to come! The morning view out the window from my friend’s where I am staying!

How 3 Girls Ate Their Way Through the "Best" of Milwaukee/Chicago

It's Sunday morning. Drove down from WI at 1AM from a very fun wedding of a dear high school friend. Picked up Matthew at 4AM. Fell asleep at 5AM. Still in my pajamas. The early fall breeze from the balcony is mingling with the waft of turkey bacon broiling in the oven. I'm catching up on Anthony Bourdain on my DVR. So...do I really want to be typing away on my laptop? I promise, the word count on this post will be kept at bare minimum.

 

Here are some photos of the chow-down that went on last weekend when my college friends Samantha & Crystal visited the Midwest for their very first time.

 

I've yelped XOCO before, and I will be yelping about the other joints as well...so more details on the visit then!

 

Night 1: Crazy Water - Milwaukee, WI

chorizo stuffed medjool dates with apple wood
smoked bacon and chipotle pepper
tomato sauce

Yuzu marinated pork belly w/ summer salad

Pistachio crusted veal tenderloin with potatoes au gratin and summer squash(?)

grilled flat iron steak with blue cheese fritters, port wine balsamic sauce,
sweet potato gratin and wilted spinach 

Cranberry panna cotta

Day 2: Pequod's to Go - Morton Grove, IL

Deep-dish sausage pizza w/ extra caramelized crust

Day 2: Hot Doug's - Chicago, IL

Chicago style dog & venison dog w/ fig goat's butter and Raclette cheese

Duck fat fries

Night 2: XOCO - Chicago, IL

Ahogada - pork carnitas torta

Special of the Day: lime marinated pork w/ tomatoes from their rooftop garden w/ avocado & crema

Churros rolled in sugar and their homemade chocolate

Day 3: Apple Holler Orchards - Sturtevant, WI

Country hast w/ over easy egg & chicken apple sausage

Buttermilk pancakes w/ chicken apple sausage and scramble eggs

 

Day 3: Brewer's Tailgate - Milwaukee, WI

- No super pictures for this... but we grilled Wisconsin's very own Klement's Bratwursts. My favorite way to enjoy them are super charred/almost burnt, on a toasty bun, w/ some diced raw onions, sauerkraut and mustart. YUMM. Oh, we also had New Glarus, WI Spotted Cow. :)

 

Night 3: Stack'd Burger Bar - Milwaukee, WI

Grass-fed beef burger w/ fries and dill pickle "coins"

Bison burger w/ jalapeños and fresh fruit

I have yet to recover from the amount of food consumed from that weekend since I've been munching on the girls' leftovers (not to mention yummy buns from Chinatown). My new "challenge?" 10 Meatless Days starting Tuesday. Why Tuesday? C'mon. It's Labor Day tomorrow, it's a legitimate excuse to procrastinate.

PS. I don't know why my paragraphs are uber double-spaced. Too lazy to fix, it's a lazy day y'all.