A Dog Halloween

I hope everyone had a fun and safe Halloween! I did!

I started off the day getting my outfit together so I could participate in the Halloween fun and hand out candy. I dressed up as a disco girl. I've actually worn this the last 5 years because I secretly wish I could rock the Blonde fro wig everyday of the week!

After I was all situated it was time to dress the dogs. Solera was Frankenstein and Cappy was a Bat dog.

The association organized trick-or-treating in our building. Those condos that wanted to participate put a note on their door so the kids would know which doors to knock on. We had about 20 kiddies show up at our door and they were all very cute!

However, I think our candy bowl scared more than a few of them. We thought it was innocent enough...

until we realized when you stick your hand in the bowl the skeletons head moved and it eyes glowed red. I hope we didn't cause any nightmares:(

Dinner

After all the Halloween night fun, I started on dinner.

I had an acorn squash sitting on my counter from my last CSA order and it was screaming to be prepared like Iowa Girl Eats stuffed acorn squash.

I prepared my squash exactly like Iowa Girl Eats but added cayenne pepper and chili powder:

However, I stuffed my squash a bit differently. I prepared some ground turkey using taco seasoning. I also prepared some Stove Top following the directions on the package minus the butter.

Next I put a scoop of cooked ground turkey in the cooked squash and topped it with some prepared stuffing. Then I placed the stuffed squash back in the oven to broil for a couple minutes...and voila...

Great meal! The husband even liked the squash!

This dish will be making a repeat performance in my kitchen:)

And it's a Wrap

After dinner all I felt like doing was slamming my head into a pillow and calling it a night. Looks like I wasn't the only one feeling exhausted...

It was a long day for the pups too!

Question:

Do you dress your pets up for Halloween?

Clean Bill of Health and Flo & Santos

I had a very busy Friday morning.

Over the last few months Patrick and I have been finding lumps on Cappy. Not just any lumps but golf ball size lumps that seem to appear overnight and disappear just as fast. On Thursday night I noticed one on his stomach so I took him to the vet first thing Friday morning. Thankfully the vet said they appear to be fatty cysts and nothing to worry about. My furry child has a clean bill of health, well, except for his teeth. He's scheduled for a teeth cleaning in December:)

Breakfast

Due to the Vet visit and work I didn't have time to eat anything. But I made up for it later in the day!

Lunch

Quick and easy whole wheat pasta with Ragu traditional sauce.

After eating my pasta I needed to satisfy my sweet tooth so I snacked on a handful of butterscotch chips.

Dinner

After work P and I walked to a rather new restaurant, Flo & Santos:

This pub and eatery is located in the South Loop neighborhood in Chicago. It's a very cozy and welcoming atmosphere where families are welcome as are those who just want to grab a drink at the bar. I loved the exposed brick and large red booths. Oh, and the 90-inch HD screen would be great to watch a little college football on.

The food is a mix of Polish and Italian classics. My two favorite cuisines, I couldn't wait to dig in!

I sipped on one of the specialty cocktails while P and I looked over the menu.

Bison Grass Vodka with Hard Cider served in a graham cracker rimmed glass:

The cocktail was okay but I most likely will not order it again. It didn't really have that much flavor but I did enjoy the rim on the glass:)

My first dish was the house made chicken & egg noodle soup. Oh my word, I loved this soup. I was so happy to discover it because chicken soup is one of those things that makes me feel comforted.

The broth wasn't too salty, the noodles were the perfect texture and the shredded chicken was perfection. The memory of this soup is making me want to jog over to Flo & Santos right now!

P and I shared the waffle fries for an appetizer. They were good but nothing all that different than other waffle fries I've had. I told Patrick next time I'm going to sneak some Lawry's seasoned salt in to sprinkle it all over the fries. That would be good and P agreed!

The angels sang to me when I read the description for Flo's pizza - polsak Kielbasa, sauerkraut and apple wood smoked bacon. I know many of you are thinking sauerkraut on pizza doesn't sound appetizing at all. But I'm here to set the record straight...It is amazing!!!

I only had a couple slices of Flo's pizza because I needed to save room for dessert.

Dessert

Just two words: S'more Pizza!

Topped with vanilla gelato:

Amazing!

So, so, so amazing!!!

Flo & Santos has the best thin crust pizza I've had in a long time. The interesting toppings they offer give this pizza joint an edge above all the other places in the neighborhood. The food is good and the service is good which means this blogger will be going to this place again!

Question:

What is the craziest topping you've put on your pizza?

French Bread Pizza Pocket

Wednesday was a tough day for my husband. I hate it when he is feeling down and there isn't anything I can do to help with the situation.


I decided I would treat him to something that rarely gets done during the week in our house. After work I stopped at the store to pick up some supplies to prepare my man a home made meal. Yep, I was a domestic goddess;) Well, as domestic as I get.

Dinner

I decided to make a meal from my childhood.

French Bread Pizza Pocket


In the mix:

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 6 slices cheddar cheese
• 3 individual french bread rolls (or hoagies)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Cook ground beef in pan.
3. Add taco seasoning and follow directions on packet. Set meat to the side.
4. Cut off top of roll and pull out the inside breading.
5. Spoon meat into the hollowed out roll.
6. Top with cheese slices.
7. Place stuffed rolls on baking sheet. Put in oven and bake until cheese is melted.

Easy and delicious!

Growing up, this was one of my favorite meals. I remember watching my mom prepare the rolls and getting so excited while watching the cheese melt over the meaty goodness.



This dish is so easy to make and you can add so many different ingredients to jazz it up. Patrick had fun spicing up his roll with fresh jalapenos. They were the hottest jalapenos we've had all year!



We did like the french and had our salad after our meal.

In the mix: arugula, romaine lettuce, cucumbers, fresh grated parmesan and half an apple pear.

Topped with home made dressing: fresh lemon juice, olive oil, white balsamic, dijon mustard, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, white pepper and a touch of agave nectar.



I really enjoyed being able to prepare a meal during the work week. I need to make this a goal of mine.


The Pups

Whenever P & I have a tough day it's always nice to come home to our 2 furry children! They do the funniest things and who doesn't like a good laugh at the end of a stressful day.

The Capster has turned into a bit of a grump. You can always find him sleeping in his favorite position, nose crammed into a corner. He will sit this way for hours! I have no idea how he manages to breath.



Solera is still a young dog with a ton of energy. When he does decide to relax for a minute he gets in the most unusual poses. This position doesn't even look remotely comfortable!



And let's not forget about his favorite position. Head under the couch. I'm pretty sure he is looking at a toy he managed to get stuck under said couch.



Clearly Cappy doesn't understand what is wrong with his brother;)



I don't know what I would do without my boys; Patrick, Cappy and Solera!


Mention

On a sad note: Comedian Greg Giraldo passed away yesterday. He was one of the few comedians that I really liked. He had a wickedly smart humor. He died to young and he will be missed by many.



Question:

When someone in your life is feeling down how do you go about trying to lift their spirits?

Brat's, Wine, Steak, Bloggers and Football!

Most people believe the weekend starts on Friday but last weekend mine started on Thursday.

After work Patrick met me at the Berghoff Oktoberfest to grab some tasty food and listen to the band, Sixteen Candles. As you can tell by the name they are an 80's cover band. It was great to hear the 80's tunes again:

The menu:

I opted for the Bratwurst with Kraut and old style mustard:

I'm not a big fan of bratwurst but this was good. Probably because it had a ton of kraut, love the kraut!

Oktoberfest is usually a big beer drinking event. I sorta took part. I had a rootbeer:

Friday night I went to the South Loop Wine Cellar:

They have wine tastings every Friday and the cost is only $5 (unless otherwise specified):

The decor inside the shop is so cool. Exposed brick walls, wine barrel details and lots of happy people sipping away at some delicious wine!

This tasting was all about Italian wines. I loved that the owner hung up pictures of Italy for the event:

I tasted 5 different wines which all cost under $20 a bottle:

Amy Garman, the owner, is very knowledgeable about all things wine. She was very helpful when it came time to buying a bottle (or three;))

Tasted some white wine:

and some red wine:

Yum!

After all the wine we needed to get some food in our stomachs so we stopped at The Chicago Firehouse:

I started with a bowl of Sweet Potato Soup. My first ever sweet potato to pass my lips.

P and I split the Garlic Whipped Potatoes:

and the Macaroni and Cheese:

My entree was the Filet Mignon with a blackened crust:

Verdict: The food was good. Nothing spectacular but my taste buds were happy. The service was fantastic! Our waiter was very personable and he made sure we had everything we needed.

Saturday at 11:00 am I met up with 6 other ladies for the Chicago Blogger Brunch at Yolk. Yolk is a very popular place to brunch it up in Chicago. They are known for their creative twists on traditional breakfast dishes.

Once the food was delivered to our table the blogger photo shoot began. I have many reason why I enjoy dining with food bloggers and one of them is the fact that I will never be the only one taking photos of my meal;)

Everything on the menu looked fantastic but I was able to narrow it down to the perfect dish. Bacon Waffle & Eggs - Crisp bacon mixed throughout the batter and topped with 2 eggs:

Great food with a great group of bloggers!

Back Row L-R: Me, Kelly (blog reader!), Megan and Amy

Front Row L-R: Katie, Katie and Heba

(thanks Amy for the photo)

After leaving Yolk I headed home to watch some Nebraska football. Unfortunately the game was not on TV in Chicago (boo!!!) so I got creative and watched the game on my laptop:)

The boys aren't so interested in football. They would much rather cuddle and sleep.

And give me dirty looks when I jump up to celebrate a touchdown! Go Huskers!!!

I woke up on Sunday to find an entire box of ear plugs gone. The little tan guy (above) decided to make a midnight snack out of them.

Let's just say, walking the dog later in the day wasn't the most pleasant experience.

Project Food Blog

Thanks to everyone who voted for me, it really does mean a lot to me!

Voting ends Thursday, September 23. For those of you who would like to check out my post submission click here!

Question:

Have you ever been to a blogger meet-up?