Weekend Recap: Halloween Party

Friday evening, we had a delightful dinner together at Oceanaire for Restaurant Week. The ride there however, was not delightful. We left almost 45 minutes early, yet somehow we were late. 94 was super backed up, so we got off and took University Ave. This was fine until we reached the U and Washington was closed. Then when we got there, the parking ramp was packed and we had to go all the way up to the 8th level. Needless to say, my $14 Bellini was well justified. I needed a drink! Of course I will blog about the meal itself for Foodie Friday.

In the parking garage, waiting for the elevator

Saturday morning we made breakfast burritos, did some housework, ran some errands and picked up a few last minute accessories for our Halloween costumes. We met Adam's parents back at our house for a short visit while they picked up the car carrier we took out west. It was fun to see them. After some relaxation and food prep, it was time to get ready for the Halloween party.

This was the first year we did a "couples costume." We were inspired to have 1920's costumes by one of our new favorite shows, Boardwalk Empire. I was a flapper and Adam was a gangster.

I loved our costumes!

We had a great time at Zack and Kellie's Halloween party. It was fun to see everyone in their costumes, play games and visit.

 I already had the dress that I had bought a year ago to wear to a wedding. I never wore it to the wedding, but it was a perfect flapper dress with the right accessories. I bought a black feather boa (which shed everywhere, ugh), a beaded necklace, black elbow length gloves, black short wig, and a black sequined headband. I made my headpiece by trimming and then sewing some white feathers from my bridal bouquet onto the headband. I then sewed on a vintage clip-on earring to cover where the feather met the headband. I was going to hot glue all of it, but I didn't want to wreck the earring. I also accessorized with black fish net stockings and some shoes I had bought on sale years ago but never worn. It was a lot of fun to put it all together.

Right before we left

For Adam's costume, we bought a pin stripe blazer, new pair of pin stripe paints (he'll be able to wear those again), and hat. He already had the silver tie with matching pocket square, dress shirt and dress pants. It was a pretty simple costume, but looked great on him!

The gun was from Sean's costume last year (still at Zack & Kellie's house)

 On Sunday, we slept in. Luckily, Chester was a good boy and didn't make too much noise to remind us he was still in his kennel. We watched the Vikings game - which was a little stressful for me but ended well. Then we did some yard work. I cleared out the garden areas while Adam raked, sucked up leaves, mowed the lawn, trimmed and organized the garage. He did a great job because the yard looks great!

Foodie Friday: Dinner at Meritage

We've had so many good meals this week, it's hard to blog about just one. I had a great dinner Wednesday night at Barrio with my friend Laura for Restaurant Week. But the best meal was Sunday night at Meritage with Adam for Restaurant Week.

Restaurant Week is sponsored by Minneapolis-St.Paul Magazine. Participating restaurants in the Twin Cities offer prix fixe/tasting menus. I've heard about Restaurant Week before, but we always seem to miss it. This time, we did not.

We've been wanting to go to Meritage in downtown St. Paul for a while, so this was the perfect opportunity. The service was a little slow as they were pretty busy. Almost an hour between our starters and main course? Really? But the food was so good it was worth it.

Sorry these pictures aren't the best, I didn't want to be obnoxious and use my flash.

Starter:
Stef: Harvest Pumpkin Soup: Gingerbread Croutons & Spiced Creme Fraiche 

 I thought the soup was AMAZING. I absolutely loved the gingerbread croutons and would have enjoyed having more than 3. Adam tried the soup and thought it was okay. He admits to not really being "into pumpkin foods." I'm not necessarily either, but this was great and probably my favorite course. I thought the pumpkin bowl (complete with stem lid) it was served in was a little silly though.

Adam: Trio of Oysters on the Halfshell:Chef's Selection served with Traditional Accompaniments

Adam said these were great. I took his word for it.

Main:

Stef: Lemon Sole Grenobelois: Seasonal Vegetables & Brown Butter Sauce

YUM! The sole had great flavor and had a great texture and crust. It was served with some really good veggies and capers which I love. It was great.

Adam: Beef Short Rib Pot au Feu: Traditional Poached Beef served with Root Vegetables, Horseradish & Pickled Carrots

 I tried a bite of Adam's short rib and it was delicious. I almost wished I had ordered it for myself and I'm not really into red meat at all. It was that good. Adam raved about it.

Dessert:
 
Stef: Apple Pavlova: Pomegranate & Honey Creme Fraiche

 This was kind of weird but good - the crunchy yet gooey texture was unusual. I enjoyed it though.

Adam: Chocolate Terrine: Creme Anglaise & Pistachio Sable 

 Adam said this was really good. I had a bite but didn't really like it as I'm not a fan of the bitterness of dark chocolate.

Drinks:
Stef: Prosecco
Adam: Red wine with his main dish

Meritage had great atmosphere and food. We really enjoyed our meal together. It was fun to go out in downtown St. Paul and try a new place. Tonight, we're going to Oceanaire in downtown Minneapolis. I can't wait!

Naughty Puppy Thursday: Chester's Original Halloween Costume

Originally, Chester was going to be a bat for Halloween. However, he absolutely hated the bat ears, and would shake them off soon after they were put on.

Chester and his dad the day the costume was purchased

Okay, so I can't say that I blame him as they covered up his ears and that probably felt really weird. However, without the little bat ears hat, he just looked like a purple and black butterfly. So... a different costume was chosen, the dinosaur. And he was a darn cute dinosaur. But he was also an adorable bat!

"Maybe, if I stand real still, my mom will take this off me!"

Here's some cute pro photos of Dino Chester from the Paw-a-Ween event courtesy of Modern Life Photo.
Us with the dinosaur-
http://modernlifephoto.nextproof.com/galleries/mn-pug-rescue-halloween-2011/images/44209752

Just the dinosaur (the only one where the costume isn't coming off)-
http://modernlifephoto.nextproof.com/galleries/mn-pug-rescue-halloween-2011/images/44209494
 

List Wednesday: Books I've Read This Year

One of my favorite things to do is curl up on the couch with the pug and a good book. I also enjoy reading in bed for an hour or so every night before I go to sleep. It helps me unwind from the day. This week's List Wednesday is of books I've read this year.

My goal this year is to read 52 books - one for each week. I've been doing pretty good with this, but a few boring books have slowed me down a bit. I have this problem where I can't just stop reading a book if I'm bored with it - I just keep waiting for it to get better. This results in it taking me 2 weeks or more to read it, instead of the usual one week or less.

I'm a member of Goodreads.com, so I can track my books and rate them. It's a great way to keep track.

Some of these books are silly or "chick lit" and I'm somewhat embarrassed to admit I read them... Oh well.

Here's my list for 2011 (so far):
I've put a * next to my favorites that I would definitely recommend.

January:
1. The Bells
Richard Harvell
2. Mistress of Rome
Kate Quinn
3. The Girl Who Chased the Moon
Sarah Addison Allen
4. The Infidelity Pact  (TERRIBLE)
Carrie Karasyov
5. The Heretic's Daughter
Kathleen Kent

February:
6. The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner
Stephanie Meyer
*7. The Imperfectionists
Tom Rachman
8. Smashed: Story of a Drunken Girlhood
Koren Zailckas
9. Days of Gold
Jude Devaraux
*10. The Likeness
Tana French

March:
11. The Boyfriend of the Month Club
Maria Geraci
*12. Faithful Place
Tana French
13. Bittersweet
Nevada Barr
14. Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang
Chelsea Handler
*15. Ape House
Sara Gruen

April:
*16. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
Rebecca Skloot
17. I Still Dream About You (TERRIBLE)
Fannie Flagg
*18. The Art of Racing in the Rain
Garth Stein
19. Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modest Bestiary
David Sedaris
20. Delirium
Lauren Oliver
21. Just Kids (PRETTY BAD)
Patti Smith
22. A Reliable Wife
Robert Goolrick

May:
23. The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey
Walter Mosley
24. Daughters of Rome
Kate Quinn
25. The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake
Aimee Bender 

June:
26. The Lacuna (HATED IT)
Barbara Kingsolver
27. Red Hook Road
Ayelet Waldmann
28. Exit the Actress
Priya Parmar 

July:
29. The Red Queen
Philippa Gregory
30. Sunflowers
Sheramy Bundrick 

August:
31. A Happy Marriage (HATED IT)
Rafael Yglesias
*32. Saving CeeCee Honeycutt
Beth Hoffman
33. The Shack (HATED IT)
William P. Young
34. Kings of the Earth
Jon Clinch
*35. The Gendarme
Mark Mustian

September:
*36. The Little Book
Selden Edwards
37. Friday Mornings at Nine (PRETTY BAD)
Marilyn Brant
38. Sisterhood Everlasting
Ann Brashares 

October:
*39. Pug Hill
Alison Pace
40. A Pug's Tale
Alison Pace
*41. The Mountains Between Us
Charles Martin
*42. The Kitchen House
Kathleen Grissom
*43. The Peach Keeper
Sarah Addison Allen


So I need to read 9 more books to reach my goal. I think it will happen as long as I don't get stuck in the middle of a bad book!

Weekend Recap: Paw-a-ween

Sorry for the late weekend recap post. I had a work function last night and didn't get home until after 9:30 last night.

We had a fun weekend. One of the highlights was Paw-a-ween, which is the annual Halloween party fundraiser for MN Pug Rescue (where we adopted Chester from). Chester was originally going to be a bat, but he wouldn't keep the costume on, so I ordered a new one. Unfortunately, it was a tad too big for him. He was still a really cute dinosaur though.

It was hard for him to run around in, so we mostly had him in his little pumpkin shirt. Chester had a great time running around, sniffing butts and seeing other pugs. He got to see his brother Bubba too who is still about twice little Chester's size.

This is Chester's brother Bubba. It was hard to get a photo because he was in constant motion.

Chester and his mom

Chester and his dad

Feeling safe between his dad's legs

"My dad's bigger than your dad!"

We did have a slight incident though. Before he was going to have his pro picture taken, I had him off to the side of the room to change him out of his shirt and into his dinosaur costume. While I was doing this, another pug came up to him and wouldn't go away. He then nipped at Chester. Chester started FREAKING out, and I picked him up to calm him down. He was barking and yipping.
At that point, a bunch of pugs surrounded us and started barking and jumping at me. I tried to hold onto Chester (still freaking out) and push my way through the crowd of pugs to get out. It was crazy. They were like a pack of wolves surrounding an injured deer. As I was trying to get out of there, all these people were staring at us and one even said, "Does your dog not like other dogs?" UGHHH. I was like, he does, but HE WAS NIPPED AT by a much larger pug.

We got Chester outside and tried to calm him down. Then we tried to take him back in, but he started barking and we had to go outside again. While we were outside calming him down, we missed the costume contest. Bummer.

However, one of his brothers, Albert came while we were outside. At first, Chester was a little stressed (from the incident inside). But soon he warmed up to Albert.

Meet Albert

Albert and Chester

Sniffing each other. Even little Albert is taller than Chester.

 I think this calmed him down and enabled us to take him back inside (we had been contemplating just leaving). He still was a little tense, but was okay while we listened to the raffle. We won the last prize which was a gift bag from Ark Naturals. We then had his picture taken by Modern Life Pets.

He did well with having his pictures taken until some dogs waiting right outside the room started barking at him. At that point, we decided it was time to leave.

All things considered, he did really well. I wish the nipping incident hadn't occurred because it made him tense and nervous for the rest of the time we were there. I just hope he isn't traumatized and can handle future pug events.

Back at home, we relaxed a bit. Chester took a long nap as he was worn out from the event.

Being a dinosaur is exhausting!

 That night we went to Minneapolis for a birthday party at Adam's friend Dan's place. They had a giant glass boot, Das Boot. I didn't partake in that though as I hate beer and the communal drinking thing kind of grossed me out.

You drink a few sips and then pass it on

Sunday, we enjoyed watching the Vikings game. I was excited to see Christian Ponder's start. That night, we enjoyed a wonderful meal together at Meritage as part of Restaurant Week. I will post more about that on Foodie Friday.

Foodie Friday: Penna a la Vodka

This week we were inspired by our delicious meal at Scusi on Saturday night. We adored the Vodka Rose sauce, so I looked up a few different recipes and we made some. It turned out really good. I didn't love it as much as the Scusi version, but it was still yummy. We used the last of our fresh tomatoes from the garden and lots of garlic. Maybe too much garlic? Then Adam used the immersion blender to make it smooth. It was delicious served on top of penne. We'll definitely be making it again.

Fresh tomatoes and garlic cooking down

The sauce right after blending

We worked off of two different recipes to make our version and made a few tweaks as well.
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/penne-a-la-vodka-i/detail.aspx

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/penne-with-vodka-sauce-recipe/index.html



- Used half and half instead of heavy cream because that's what we had and I was trying to be healthy. It could have been a little creamier though so we'll probably use heavy cream next time.
- Used fresh tomatoes instead of canned or marinara because we had some to use up.
- Used 1/2 cup vodka
- Skipped the bacon.
- Added some red pepper flakes for some spice

We should have made garlic bread for the side. That would have been awesome.

Naughty Puppy Thursday: Play with me!

Chester's favorite toy as of late is his Kong Wubba, closely followed by his green rubber Hartz bone also known to us as "squeakie." These are the toys he wants to play with ALL THE TIME. These are also the toys that get taken away and hid when we want calm Chester to make an appearance.

"Wait - is that a CAMERA?!"

"I'll kill it for you mom!"

This morning he wanted to play desperately while I was getting ready. He kept bringing these two toys in and dropping them at my feet. Then he'd look up at me like "MOM! I want to play with you. SO. BAD."

How could I resist?

I was late for work....

Another fav is his Tuffy Toy starfish, but it's kept out of the general toy box population. It makes him extremely wild, so he doesn't get to play with it very often.

List Wednesday: Winter Favorites

This day of the week is now going to be "List Wednesday" on this blog. Okay, so it doesn't have quite the same ring to it as "Wedding Wednesday," but frankly there aren't many things I want to discuss that start with a "W."

So here we go.

The cold weather as of late has reminded me that winter is quickly approaching. When it gets nice in the spring and summer, I quickly forget how cold and miserable it can get in Minnesota. This morning on my walk with Chester I could see my breath. Consider me reminded.

This is one of my least favorite seasons (besides fall), so I'm trying to cheer myself up about it by listing some of my favorite winter things.

Stef's Winter Favorites:
in no particular order

1. Scarves
I have lots of scarves, but I can usually be found wearing my lavender pashmina one. This year my goal is to wear my assortment of scarves more often. Scarves are pretty much my favorite winter accessory.

2. Boots
I also love boots. I mostly wear flat boots in the winter. Snow + Ice + Heels seems so dangerous.

3. Snuggling
Snuggling the husband, snuggling the pug, snuggling in bed with a good book. I love it all.

4. Christmas
This holiday makes winter worth it (until January at least). I love putting up the Christmas tree, driving around and looking at Christmas lights, sending and receiving Christmas cards and seeing family and friends.

5. Peacoats
I love peacoats. I own 3 or 4. All black. I still like to look at them when I go shopping - just in case I find another perfect black one. I especially love them when paired with a colorful scarf (see #1).

6. Staying in and watching movies
We do this a lot in the winter. Sometimes it's just too cold to venture out on the weekends. I like to hibernate when it's below zero.

7. Hot chocolate
Is there anything better than hot chocolate paired with #3 and #6? Probably, but it can't be found in winter.

8. Tea
I very much enjoy tea. Maybe not as much as I enjoy hot chocolate, but you can't drink hot chocolate every day. I have quite the variety of teas. I think my obsession with tea began my semester in London. I still haven't been able to find the perfect fruity tea from Tesco that I loved though, or anything remotely close.

9. Soup
In the summer it's our goal to grill at least once a week. In the winter, it's our goal to make soup at least once a week. Chicken Wild Rice, Potato, Spicy Sour, Onion. We're always looking for a new kind to try.

10. Adam's Birthday
Adam has his birthday in January. We usually do fun things together to celebrate that involve good food, family and friends.

That's about all I can think of for now. I guess winter isn't so bad if you can get past the extreme cold, snow, and horribly long commutes.

Why do we live in Minnesota?!

Travel Tuesday Debut: Places to go

Well, "Snapshot in Time Tuesday" fizzled and died as I lost interest in it. Wedding Wednesday is toast as well since our wedding was over a year ago now and I have nothing really left to obsess over. So I've devised a new schedule for the week to replace these two days and keep me posting. Why have a theme at all? Well, when it gets cold out and we aren't doing as much, I have nothing interesting to post about during the week.

So I present...

Travel Tuesday!

Here I will discuss places I want to go, things I want to see, and trips I've planned. I'm not sure exactly what direction this will take, but it's better than not posting at all on Tuesdays. Stay tuned tomorrow for what Wednesday will become.

My first Travel Tuesday post is about the places I hope (and plan) to visit in the next year.

- Disney World in Florida 
This trip is already booked for Thanksgiving. It will be just my mom and I along with Carey and Caroline. We're going down to see Christine and Kelly march in band at WDW. Adam was not even remotely interested in going along. Trust me, I tried.

More details next week maybe.

- Milwaukee, WI
Adam and I are hoping to road trip to Milwaukee to see the Twins play the Brewers in May. It's part of our goal to visit a new (to us as a couple) MLB ballpark every year. Last year it was Kaufmann Stadium in Kansas City. We're checking off the close ones first and neither of us have ever been to Miller Park.

We're also hoping to stop on the way at the New Glarus Brewery. It's only about an hour out of the way. Adam loves Spotted Cow and a few of their other brews!


- Bayfield, WI
This is where I would love to go to celebrate our 2nd wedding anniversary. I definitely have a thing for Lake Superior and lighthouses. I have always wanted to go to Door County, but that's a bit far away from the cities. Then I found out about Bayfield and the Apostle Islands, and they've been on my to do list ever since. They're about 4 hours away from our house, but that's better than 6.

While I love Duluth, we have been there a lot together and it would be fun to try somewhere new along the lake. Adam still needs some convincing though.


- London, Paris and Ireland
Ever since I studied abroad in London for a semester back in 2005 I've been longing to return. Adam has never been to Europe before, so I thought London would be a good intro for him. Originally, we were thinking London, Scotland and Ireland, and maybe a daytrip to Paris on the EuroStar. However, that would be just way too much and we'd liked to spend a little more time in Paris. I've always wanted to go on a night cruise on the Seine. Adam said he'd rather do Paris than Scotland as well.

We mostly have it figured out what we'll do in London and Paris (it helps I've been there before) but Ireland is another story. Dublin is on the agenda for sure and I'd love to go to the Cliffs of Moher. I need to do a lot more research though. I have been to Ireland before, but only to Cork for a long weekend.

This trip will be in the late summer or early fall. We definitely want to avoid the Olympics in London.


That's all we have tentatively planned. Hopefully we'll go somewhere else as well. I do so enjoy traveling!

Weekend Recap: Costume Shopping, Scusi and Football

Our weekend was pretty low key but enjoyable. On Friday night, we had dinner and then watched “Black Swan.” It was super weird and I’m still not sure how I feel about it. Adam thought it was kind of dull and messed up.

We have a Halloween party to go to this year (Adam’s friends have an annual party), so Saturday afternoon was spent getting supplies for our costumes. I’m not going to say what they are yet, but I’m actually pretty excited to wear a wig because I never have before. I’m hoping I can get it to work without all my hair in the way.

Saturday evening we had a nice dinner together at Scusi in St. Paul. They serve small plates that you share and that are brought out whenever they’re ready instead of being staged.

I had a nice glass of Prosecco and Adam enjoyed a beer. We started with a Mediterranean  Mix of olives in warm oil and then some very flavorful grilled calamari. Adam and I both remarked that you can’t find calamari that isn’t deep fried very often at restaurants. It was a welcome change and the lemon marinade/sauce was delicious. We also enjoyed some risotto, but our absolute favorite dish was the shrimp ravioli. The ravioli noodle was so delicate and there were large chunks of shrimp inside. On top was a vodka rose sauce that was simply divine. I would definitely go back for that dish alone.

Our table was a little on the tiny side, but that was really my only complaint. Fortunately, they were quick to clear it when we were done with anything so it didn’t get too out of control. It was fun to try a new place together.

Back at home, we watched some playoff baseball followed by our wedding movie. It had been a while since we watched it, but it never gets old. I’m so glad we have it on video; I feel like I relive that magical day every time we watch.

Yesterday, we watched some football and I did some organizing around the house. Then I got out a few Halloween decorations (like 4) and found a special surprise for Chester with all my Halloween stuff.

"Really mom?"

"Does this make my butt look big?"

 It was a little Halloween t-shirt I got for him before we even adopted him! I wanted a dog so bad back in 2009! Let’s just say he didn’t like it too much, but it was absolutely adorable on him.

Then we went over to Curt and Robin’s for dinner and to watch the train wreck that was the Vikings game. Ugh. They are so bad.

We had “build your own pizza” on pita bread. Curt and Robin had really yummy ingredients like artichokes, turkey pepperoni and caramelized onions. I was grateful they had white sauce as well! We also had some awesome apple pie that Robin made. Yum.

We left at halftime and I hadn’t planned on watching anymore of the game. I was in bed looking at facebook on my phone when someone posted about Christian Ponder. I raced out of bed in time to see Ponder’s NFL (regular season) debut. It was exciting! Okay so he wasn’t great, but he was at least easier to watch than McNabb. There was at least potential and he seemed very well poised.

I can’t believe we’re halfway through October already! Next week is Paw-a-ween with the pug rescue. Can’t wait.

Foodie Friday: Green Chilli

This week we tried a new recipe - Green Chili. We have a surplus of tomatillos and I've been looking for different ways to use them. The original recipe I found called for pork roast and to be cooked in a slow cooker all day, so we amended it a bit. We cooked it on the stove and used ground turkey instead. It turned out really well though. It included roasted jalepenos, tomatillos, Anaheim peppers and onions. Both Adam and I would have preferred it to be a bit more spicy though.

It doesn't look the most appetizing, but it had good flavor

Naughty Puppy Thursday: Jumping Troublemaker

Chester was quite the little troublemaker this morning. While I was getting ready, I heard a little noise in the living room. I went out to check on him, and he came darting out of the bedroom. In there, I discovered a pen laying on the floor, but the cap was missing.

Great.

The chase was on.

I chased him around and under the dining room table before he made his break for the bedroom. He hasn't quite figured out that I can easily corner him in there. Once captured, I discovered he did not have the pen cap anymore. I put him in his pen and began searching for it as I thought, "I do NOT have time for this right now." I finally found it under the old couch in the dining room.

He has this thing lately where when he's about to be caught with something in his mouth, he will drop that item and run away from it. As if he won't get in trouble if the evidence is no longer on his person. Tricky little thing.

Mind you, this pen was originally on the side table, so he must have climbed onto the couch and then onto the table to get it. After those shenanigans, he was stuck in the same room as me.

Later, we were in the bedroom so I could change. I look over, and of course he was standing on top of his kennel. I mean, why wouldn't he be? Then, I put him on the bed and he tried to jump on top of the dresser. What is his deal?!

But the latest naughty behavior occurred in the bathroom...

"What? Am I not supposed to be up here?"

Yes, beginning this week he likes to jump on top of the toilet. Luckily, we almost always keep it shut. But, if he keeps this up, one of these days he may end up with a cold wet surprise.

Weekend Recap: Downtown La Crosse, Fishing, Boating

I realize this is a day late. So sorry.

We had a bit of a last minute trip down to La Crescent / La Crosse over the weekend for a fishing and scrapbooking weekend. The weather was beautiful for Adam and my dad to do some fishing even though the fish weren't really biting much. My mom, sister and I had big plans to do some scrapbooking with my Cricut, but that only happened for a few hours. Regardless, it was a fun weekend.

Friday night we met Joe downtown for a few drinks. It was fun to see him and hang out. I wanted to try out the new Irish "pub" downtown. I was excited that they had hard cider on tap even if it was Magner's. Adam enjoyed the Guinness on tap as well. My only gripe is that they played really loud music that most definitely wasn't Irish - as in rap.

Take 1 - a little blurry

Take 2 - better but we're not centered as well

 Next, we went to Del's for a while so I could enjoy the best Bloody Mary's in town. My bloody was delicious. I've been hyping their bloody's up to Adam for a while now, so I was a little disappointed he didn't want one of his own. He said he had to be in the right mood for it though. Maybe next time

On Saturday the guys went fishing from 8 until after 6! What a long day of fishing. They caught a few fish that they saved so we had some fresh walleye and perch bites as an appetizer. Yum.

My uncle Jerry and Diane invited all of us out on his pontoon boat on Sunday. We were out from around 11:30-2:30. It was a beautiful day to be out on the river. We put the boat in near Pickwick and rode up river to Winona to get pizza which we ate on the ride back.
 

Mom was a baby hog!

There was some color

Photo by Adam

The boat crew

 It was a lot of fun. Plus, Steven and Samantha were there so I finally got to see their new baby Weston. What a cutie!

After the ride, while they were loading up the boat, I had fun taking some pictures. I really need to practice with the camera more though.

A tree starting to change colors

These were fun to photograph

Foodie Friday: Chicago Style Pizza

Last Friday, we went to Tommy Chicago's Pizzeria in Mendota Heights for dinner. It's a smaller restaurant, so we had to wait a bit for a table. By the time we were seated, we were pretty hungry so we got a half order of deluxe garlic bread to start. It was really good but huge. I can't imagine what a full order would look like!

For our main meal, we ordered a Chicago Style Double Crust Pizza. It was a 14" pizza with crust on the bottom, toppings with two layers of cheese, another layer of crust and sauce with herbs on top. We ordered it with artichoke hearts, Greek pepperoncinis and green olives.

cheesy goodness

Adam can't decide what piece to take first

It was delicious but really big for two people. We didn't even eat half of it. Luckily, it reheated well. We got another lunch out of it and Adam got another dinner.

Adam can't wait to go back! I on the other hand, need a little more time before I crave that much pizza again.