Spent the weekend with my friend Laura - a cold beach walk, rainy plantation visit and lots of food and drink with friends new and old.
And I had to grab a little video on Vine of the bubbles along the shore. I was a little bit on the fence about Vine, but it's actually kind of fun.
FINALLY! I frequently dine at Mindy's Hot Chocolate in Bucktown, and for some crazy reason I have never had the hot chocolate! What the heck is wrong with me? Anyway ... today I finally had some of their hot chocolate with homemade marshmallows and have to say it completely lives up to the hype. I got the dark - 72% rich dark french chocolate - and also got a taste of the candy cane, both were perfect! Simply perfect! I even picked up some of their mix and marshmallows for home!
Spent the afternoon with Barbara, Steve, Terena, Fernanda and more in the Fulon Market area brunching at The Publican and scouting for Barbara and Steve's upcoming wedding dinner at the Publican Quality Meats. It's a fabulous little butcher shop and eatery. The perfect place for the foodie couple!
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| spotted this on the way home and had Barbara snap a quick pic - too funny |
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| Lucy loves to sit under the tree ... and I need to start wrapping the presents under the tree :) |
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| My all time favorite - A Charlie Brown Christmas! |
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| wedding photo research and tree light bokeh |
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| morning tea - always |
Now that Thanksgiving is done, time to start embracing the Christmas season. I pulled out the decorations and decided to change things up this year. I put the tree in a new place and decided to swag the garland from the mantle. And I have to say... I kind of like it!
If only I could figure out how to hide the electrical cords...
Happy Thanksgiving - a little late. :) I hope you had a beautiful holiday filled with food, friends and family! I spent the holiday with my friend Amanda's family in Naperville. We did a little departure of the traditional meal with cornish game hens. They were delicious!
I did try my hand, once again, at making my grandma's parker house rolls. Oh me and yeast breads just struggle so... I read somewhere that dough rises best in 80-85 degree temps. Well who has a kitchen that warm? Seriously? So at the advice of my mother, I used a heating pad under the bowl and pans to help keep the warmth and it worked beautifully! I might be on to something here!
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| This is Amanda's mom. Isn't she cute? |
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| prep for the new season - my favorite scent!! |
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| super foggy |
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| technology day! ipad mini and up band arrived same day! |
Hit the chocolate bar at the Pen again with some girlfriends. Love, love, love it! Was sad that they did not have the crepe station this time, but what we did have was lovely. My friend spotted a bottle of Creme Yvette at the bar and asked if I'd ever had it. I had not so gave it a try. The bartender said it is mostly a mixer - very fragrant - but I would totally sip it by itself. Mmmm. And then we talked the sommelier into giving us a flight of port and tawny - delightful!
![Hot chocolate at Hot Chocolate by YF [ yffoto ]](http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8355/8378106231_e85a9ab0a5.jpg)