weekend

First, deep-dish pizza at Giordano's in Chicago on Saturday night. Mmmmm...

stuffed cheese pizza with pepperoni, green pepper, onion

Then an art show opening for Anders Nilsen at Home Gallery in Hyde Park.

Sunday morning breakfast at Sophia's in Madison. Delicious.

omelette with spicy sausage, roasted red & yellow peppers, caramelized leeks, and asaigo
breakfast potatoes

berry & cream cheese coffee cake (still warm)

And a funny little hair salon.

Price Ryka Women's Transition,White/Chrome Silver/Fusion Coral/Metallic Steel Grey,9 M US

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friday

view from our backyard one evening

dog on the move

fruit in our kitchen

Here are some random, silly pictures for this beautiful, sunny day. They seem to fit my carefree mood today. It's 81 degrees outside. I (finally) got my Dear Nora record in the mail. We're going to our old college tomorrow to see a lot of friends. I'm excited for this weekend.

new finds

Lately I've only been posting about food, and mostly (or exclusively) Meatless Monday posts.  So, I thought I'd share some of the rad things I've picked up in various locales as of late.  The dress I found at a great little vintage shop on a recent trip to Portland, Oregon (can't remember the name, but it was on Mississippi).  I wore it to me and Matt's fourth wedding anniversary dinner.

60s wiggle dress, $25 

American Tourist "Tiara" suitcase, $15

I got the perfect travel accessory at a little antique store in Dickeyville, Wisconsin, home of this place:

 Dickeyville Grotto

Luckily, the church adjacent to the grotto had a garage sale!  I grabbed this super cute sewing box (the chimney is a pin cushion!) and also a coat, but it's way too hot right now to even look at a wool coat.  

 sewing box, $0.50

Matt and I also had a very successful trip to our favorite local consignment shop a few weeks back and got the following items:

 metal cabinet, $25

 set of 6 coasters, $2

vintage fan--watch your fingers!

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success

Yesterday, we spent a good part of the afternoon thrifting at our favorite local consignment store, Carousel. I think this brooch makes my coat seem prettier and a bit more vintage.

circle brooch, $1

Ollie explores my new hatbox

hatbox, $4

I found myself suddenly wanting a hatbox this week and was fortunate enough to find this cute one. I was also fortunate enough to discover a reason to buy it: to hold my embroidery hoops and fabrics for projects.

Our main purpose for going to the store was to find new old frames for some sketches we had from artists at ComicCon back in 2006 and some postcards that Matt got for Christmas last year. We're finally getting them ready to hang.

frames, $1-$4 each
art (clockwise from top left): Anders Nilsen,
Jordan Crane (sketch and postcard),
Sammy Harkham, Souther Salazar

confession

I'll admit, Matt and I are one of those couples who check out restaurants based on drool-inducing shows on Food Network or Travel Channel. We went to Lucky's in Wrigleyville after we saw their french-fry-stuffed sandwiches on Man v. Food. Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives featured Cemitas Pueblas, so we drove to Chicago to try it.

Unfortunately, sometimes these features mar the authentic local flavor of the place by sending out-of-towners like us flocking to try it. Comet Cafe in Milwaukee is often too busy for people in the neighborhood to get in since the suburbanites saw Guy Fieri's visit.

On the other hand, these restaurants are getting this kind of publicity for some reason. And each place we've tried at a TV show's recommendation has not disappointed. So, a few weeks ago, we did it again. My parents and their friends were going to do some sight-seeing in Chicago with us, and they had the brilliant idea to head for one of Rick Bayless' restaurants. He has a veritable complex of eateries: the high-end Topolobampo, mid-range Frontera, and a lunch place, Xoco, with churros that smelled soooo good. Brunch at Frontera was all we could get reservations for, which was fine since that's where we had seen an amazing dish featured on Food Network's The Best Thing I Ever Ate.

carne asada a la Oaxaquena

Matt and I shared this rib steak, which was easily the most flavorful, tender steak I've ever had. The smoky and slightly spicy sauce made the perfectly-cooked meat so succulent. Fried plantains topped with a bit of queso fresco and crema rounded out the meal as Bananas Foster's more subtle cousin. The other plates at the table were also good, but in my opinion none held a candle to that steak.

tacos al carbon with duck

sapitos: gorditas with chorizo & plantains, scrambled eggs, and chicken and black bean mole

frothy Mexican hot chocolate

chocolate hazelnut tart

The entire meal, from the tasty limeade margarita and chips and salsa to the desserts, was perfectly enjoyable. I would return to try the new menu when it changes. We even got to see chef Rick Bayless himself, making his rounds in the kitchen. Thank you again, food television.