The Best of Summer

June 4, 2017June 5, 2017 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 4 Comments

What do I love about summer? Hmm … that’s easy. Being outside. Running outside. Drinking beers outside. Going for walks outside. Sipping cocktails outside. You get the idea – being outside. Laying in the sun outside.

And this weekend, I had plenty of outside time. So in my opinion, it was pretty great!

It started off with patio cocktails / happy hour with some of my lady friends. It was just warm enough to sit outside and we all ended up getting Rose Spritzers. Girly? Yes and it was just what I needed.

For dinner, B and I got Indian food takeout. It was SO good. Naan and second helpings not pictured.

Saturday morning, we had plans to do a local 5k race. B ran the whole thing with FW in the stroller and I ran with him. FW slept the entire time 🙂

We ran the race with B’s family – look how many of us there were! And 5 of them – including all the kids – ended up getting age group awards.

The race featured pancakes after the the run. Not a bad post-race meal 🙂

After the race, we hit the West Side Market for some groceries.

The afternoon included some errands, including shopping for some summer clothes for FW … but on the way back, we were able to grab a patio beer at Goldhorn Brewery.

After drinks, we hit the grocery store for pizza supplies. And while we were there, we grabbed some delicious mussels as an appetizer.

And then it was pizza night. Obligatory homemade pizza photo not included. We also then watched War Dogs, which was much different (and better!) than I had expected.

Sunday morning started early with FW waking up at the crack of dawn and not being able to go back to sleep. So we decided to get out and go for a run at the park.

And sit by the beach for a little bit.

Then it was time for DONUTS! We had missed National Donut Day, so we figured a belated celebration was better than never!

That afternoon, I did a little baking for the first time in … well, forever! I made a peach cobbler-type cake for a dinner with our friends.

And that evening, we headed to Dave and Anson’s house for a dinner with them, Joey and Lulu and some other friends who were in town. It’s crazy that it’s no longer just the couples – there were four kids there, too! It was fun to have Francis play with their kids.

And the boys were happy to get together – they all met at law school and have stayed friends since!

And that was it for a fun-filled summery weekend.

Some questions for you:

Do you stay in touch with your friends from school?
What was the last thing you baked?

I’m linking up with the weekly wraps.

WIAW: Holy cannoli, my Little Italy dinner

April 12, 2017April 9, 2017 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 2 Comments

Ooh I love Italian food. Italian appetizers, meals, desserts, you name it. I love it all. And today’s WIAW features some eats from a night out in Little Italy. Amazingness.

The day started with some yogurt, fruit and granola.

And the rest of the banana from my yogurt was eaten with some homemade peanut butter.

Lunch was late so I first had some mixed nuts.

And then my late lunch included some veggies I had brought in – cauliflower, asparagus and others, along with some goodies from the salad bar at work – shrimp, chickpeas and cheese!

A snack? Clementine. And then it was time for our Little Italy dinner! We got mozzarella sticks as an appetizer.

And mushroom pizza for our main dish. YUM! Wine not pictured but consumed nonetheless 🙂

And then we got my favorite for dessert – cannoli. YUM. One for B and one for me!

And that was my WIAW.

Do you like cannoli?
What’s your favorite Italian dish?

Weekends That Feel Like Spring

April 8, 2017April 9, 2017 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 4 Comments

We finally had a springlike weekend in Cleveland!! The weather was sunny and Sunday it was WARM so we spent as much time as we could outside. Friday night, B, FW and I went to Little Italy for dinner and dessert! The weather was sunny and cool and it was nice to be in such a walkable area for dinner. We grabbed mushroom pizza at Mama Santas and the best cannoli at Presti’s.

Saturday morning started with a 4 mile treadmill run and some breakfast with the boys. Fun fact – we learned that FW loves mango!

We spent most of the afternoon looking at houses. Still no real contenders … but we did get to go out for lunch at one of my favorite places – Stone Oven! This is one of my favorite salads.

And since we ended up finishing our house hunting near B’s brother and his family, we decided to take a walk with FW’s cousins! FW snoozed for a bit while we walked.

Saturday night ended with some steak and potatoes. I love it when B cooks for me 🙂

Sunday started with some more outdoor time- I got in an outdoor run with Mary. I got in 9 miles, and they felt great!

After the run, it was time for Sunday brunch with B’s family. We typically do Sunday dinner, but this weekend was a delicious brunch.

After brunch, we headed to the park to enjoy more sunshine. It was packed- everyone was at the lake!

Since we had Sunday brunch with B’s family, we had dinner to ourselves. B made an awesome meal – he roasted a whole chicken and put it with a giant salad. My type of meal!

And that was it. I hope the weather stays nice so we can continue to spend time outside this week!

Some questions for you:

Did you get in any runs this weekend?
How do you like your steak cooked?

I’m linking up with Katie and the weekly wraps.

WIAW: I <3 Cannoli!

April 15, 2015April 12, 2015 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 10 Comments

I can’t believe I missed last week’s WIAW linkup. In all fairness, I just got back from San Francisco and totally meant to do a WIAW San Fran-style, but I never ended up taking photos. Whoops.

So, for this week’s What I At Wednesday, I bring you LAST Wednesday!

Per usual, my day started with egg whites and veggies, made by B. I decided to also add some turkey jerky to my plate. Weird? Who cares – I gave up meat for lent and have been eating it since 🙂 And it’s almost like turkey bacon, right?

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We had just gotten back from San Fran the day before and hadn’t gone to the grocery store yet, so B and I grabbed lunch together – my favorite salad at Stone Oven! Janea’s Salad- chicken, tabbouleh, couscous, feta, croutons, roasted red pepper and sun dried tomato. YUM.

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And a beautiful pink lady apple for a snack.

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And then, dinner! My friend Andy from high school was in town and he and his girlfriend spent some time at the West Side Market and decided to pick up some groceries and cook us dinner! They made us an awesome meal – Ohio City Pasta with a homemade bacon tomato sauce, broccoli and mushrooms. SO GOOD. What’s better than coming home to friends cooking you dinner – and wine? Not much!

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Oh and because they are awesome, they also picked up some desserts for us from Little Italy!

I had half a cannoli and a 1/4 of the napoleon.

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What a great meal and great day of eats for a Wednesday!

Some questions for you:

Do you have a favorite salad near you? What’s in it?
What are your thoughts on jerky? Like? Hate?
Do you have a favorite Italian pastry? I love Italian pastries but cannoli are my favorite. Yumyumyum I could eat them all day long!

A LOVEly Weekend

February 16, 2015February 16, 2015 / Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / Leave a comment

I’ll admit it – I like Valentine’s Day. I like any holiday that celebrates love – how can you not? I consider it a day to celebrate ALL love – love of your family, friends, significant others, etc. That’s how I was brought up (yes, my parents still send me a Valentine’s Day card and I send my brother one!) and I LOVE it.

That being said, I’m not one of those people who expects to celebrate myself all weekend long – with Christmas in late December and my birthday being in late January, there’s hardly a reason for me to expect any gifts, a big celebration, etc. BUT I do enjoy celebrating in other ways … like good food, good company, good drinks and well – goodness all around! Luckily, that’s how the weekend turned out.

Friday night was cold and snowy, so B and I decided to stay in, watch the Interview, and get takeout Vietnamese to eat with our new chopsticks we’d bought in Vietnam.

Saturday morning I woke up somewhat early to get in a little treadmill and elliptical action at the gym. I had thought about doing the Chili Bowl 5k (last year, B and I ran it after doing a 9 mile training run) but the weather was cold, super windy (20+mph winds), and snowy so I was happy to stay inside and run while B slept. And of course the elliptical and treadmill helped me work up a hunger for brunch! That’s right, B and I went to Phuel for brunch – I got my favorite (granola, fruit, yogurt and honey) and B got his standard order – banana chocolate chip pancakes.

B and his pancakes. He’s probably thinking “Please take the picture so I can eat these soon”

Glorious homemade granola. Not quite as good as my mom’s recipe – but the closest thing here 🙂

After brunch it was time to get in some of our weekly shopping at the West Side Market. We picked up some treats too – a cannoli for the night’s dessert. We had plans to cook a homemade Italian dinner and I of course wanted my favorite Italian dessert.

So many types of cannoli!

After the Market, B stopped in Hingetown for a coffee/tea stop. I decided to try a new tea at Cleveland Tea Revival – not my standard Ginger or Ginger Turmeric – and I wasn’t disappointed. Their Shark Week Tea may be a new favorite of mine.

Shark Week tea. I just googled what that meant and whoops! I’ll still drink it.

We also were able to stop off at Gallucci’s to pick up some supplies for dinner. I wish I had taken a photo of my cart – Gallucci’s is like Target to me. I go there with the full intent to buy 3-4 things and come out with 10+ items.

I <3 Gallucci's - and not just for their wine.

For dinner, B and I prepared an Italian feast together. My favorite way to spend the night! We prepared homemade pasta, sauce and chicken cutlets. With some bubbly and cheese and meat as an appetizer and I was in heaven.

love me some cheese!!!

Pasta making experts.

Prosecco and crystal. Because why not?

I love going out to dinner – don’t get me wrong, but there’s just something about spending the time making a meal together – B and I made the pasta and chicken together, so instead of having a 1-2 hour meal at a restaurant, it turned into a whole evening activity. And it was delicious!

Dinner.

The pistachio cannoli from the West Side Market – and homemade limoncello

Sunday was another COLD day. And I’m talking super cold – I woke up to -1 degree temps with 15mph winds meaning it “felt like -25”. So of course B and I decided it would be a great day for a “Lazy Sunday.” Which for me meant doing as very little as possible – but enough so that I wouldn’t get bored. I decided to play it safe and run inside again, bringing this week’s mileage to 36!

After the workout, I wanted to do some meal prep for the week. I roasted a chicken (usually B’s job), sweet potato, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and acorn squash.

A bit of meal prep

Then it was time for dinner with B’s family. We were celebrating my niece’s birthday (can’t believe she’s SIX!).

my contribution to the dinner – salad!

The gorgeous red velvet birthday cake B’s mom made

blowing out the candles!

We go over there almost every week, but this week was special not only for the birthday but it was also a goodbye dinner for B’s brother. He’s is traveling abroad to Germany so we had a big family meal before he leaves this week. I’m so jealous – I loved studying abroad and hope he has as much fun as I did!