nano brew

I love weekends. I know- you do too. Weekends are great – no (or at least only a little) working, no waking up early (okay, maybe sometimes), just time with friends, family, and you can do whatever you want!

What do I like to do on weekends? Eat … drink/go out … eat good food …. work out … cook … see family and friends … repeat!

And this weekend was pretty much ALL OF THAT. So there. I won this weekend. And now onto a busy week and the beginning of May!

Friday night was super low key. We ordered some Flaming Ice Cube (RIP kalebouli :() and relaxed. We had to get up early on Saturday for our 10 mile race, so I was hoping to get to bed somewhat early.

Saturday morning started early – at least for a Saturday for me. We had the alarm set at 6 a.m. to get ready for and be at the race on time (side note – last year we got there late … which didn’t matter because it’s chip timed, but still not something we wanted to do every year). Started the day with my usual 1/4 bagel and PB2 and honey and off we went to the race!

It was a cold morning for this time of year – it was 40, cloudy and breezy and I had on a thick long sleeved shirt and vest and pants and gloves and was fine the whole time!

Feeling good post-race

The race wasn’t easy. B pushed me – I’m still sore today! – and made me run harder than I likely would’ve liked, but it worked out! I ended up with a PR from last year too – 1:28:39.16 was my final time!

It was nice to be done with our run and ready for the day by 10:30 a.m. We decided to do our usual Saturday morning activities – hit up the West Side Market and get some tea and coffee in Hingetown.

Tea for me and coffee for B!

In the afternoon, we hit up the driving range for the first time of the year. I don’t golf and I clearly wasn’t dressed properly, but it was fun to get in a few swings in the beautiful weather.

IMG_20150425_154010

Then – Gallucci’s! My favorite Italian grocer has limited hours and B and I made sure to get there early enough to pick up supplies for dinner. We had decided on homemade pizza – best decision ever.

This is Gallucci’s. Yes, we also bought wine.

It was so nice out that we decided to go out and grab a few drinks before making dinner. Our typical go-to spot – Parnell’s.

IMG_20150425_195323

And then dinner! B made the best pepperoni pizza ever and we even experimented with limoncello drinks. I made limoncello a few months ago and wanted to try it with prosecco and a little cranberry juice – so good!

20150425_201558 20150425_191641

Sunday my legs were sore so I decided to listen to my body and NOT work out. I did make B go for a walk with me – because, why not? It was a gorgeous day.

20150426_112336

We decided to walk to brunch. And surprise – I ended up getting lunch food. I enjoyed a black bean chorizo chili. I love chorizo and beans – it was perfect! B’s biscuits looked pretty good too – but for some reason I really don’t like biscuits and gravy. But his hash brown was amazing!

B’s food … that hash brown was great!

My chili

After a leisurely walk back we ran a few errands and then it was time for the Cavs game. Spoiler – they beat the Celtics and are on to the next round of playoffs! Woohoo!

Sunday afternoon ended with some baking – butterscotch brown sugar cookies from one of my favorite bloggers, Two Peas and their Pod. They came out so good – soft, chewy and sweet.

1430081832220

And then Sunday dinner at B’s parents house. Another perfect ending to my weekend!

Only one question for you:

What was the best thing you ate this weekend? Besides those cookies and the pizza, probably the strawberry rhubarb crumble B’s mom made. Such a great Sunday dessert!

Brrrrrrr. Okay, while it’s only November, it’s clear that winter is here. For those of you in Cleveland, you know what I’m talking about. That’s right – SNOW.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m a Northeasterner at heart so I know snow. It’s pretty. I’m familiar with it. I hate people who complain ever year as if they’ve never seen it before. Still, the first snow of the year is always difficult and that is what hit us this week.

Still – what a fun week we had! I know I typically write weekend wrap-up posts, but we had so much fun this weekend I figured, why not share our fun from the week as well? It’s a nice reminder that even in the winter in Cleveland when things get cold and dark, there’s still so much fun to be had – any day of the week. So now – a few sentences per photo for a quick look at this week:

nano

One night, B and I met up with his siblings for an impromptu trivia night at Nano Brew, a local bar that features pretty good food (I love their chorizo bean chili!) a wide selection of beers and – that’s right – trivia on Tuesday nights. It was fun, but we didn’t win. We did get all the final questions right, though, and ended with 76 points!

giant slice at edisons

Another night we hit up another place for Trivia, Edison’s in Tremont. The game wasn’t as much fun but the food – omg. LOOK at all those veggies on that pizza!

IMG_20141112_205345

NEWSIES is in town! B and I had tickets and I enjoyed every single minute of the performance. I sang along (in my head) and smiled the whole time. I loved the movie as a child and even though the show wasn’t 100% the same it as still so much fun.

20141112_172853
The mural was at a house B and I looked at this week. It took up the entire all next to the kitchen and living area. It’s kinda dark but you can see there’s a dog playing piano and someone passed on on the right with a bottle …

IMG_20141112_210010
Crockpot meals are the best when you have a long day at work and the weather is cold. I made a spicy black bean soup and topped it with avocado and Greek yogurt. The leftovers for lunch were so good and with the 5 jalapeños I put in there (plus hot sauce and chili powder) it was definitely spicy. I may have to share the recipe.