Photos: Ali's Birthday

 

This post is so belated that if this were 20 years ago, Ali would already be declaring herself twentysevenANDAHALF!

Editing and uploading these photos made me so happy - lobsters, champagne, birthdays, smug cats and family... what could be better?

Wait, there might be one thing! This gif of a look I have been on the receiving end of many a time. "Seriously, Laura?" Love you, Al!

Rent the Runway Loves Chicago (We Love You Too.)

We had no fun at Chicago Blogger Network's RTR Party.







No fun at all.

Actually, we had a total blast. Earlier this month, the beauties and brains over at Chicago Blogger Network teamed up with Rent the Runway to showcase a sampling of winter dresses just in time for cocktail party season! The W CityCenter was totally packed with fashionistas, bloggers, and loyal customers to the brand. It was our first official blogger's event so we were a little nervous, but we grabbed a few glasses of wine, made some new friends, and drooled over dresses for a few hours. In other words, our dream night.

If you're not familiar, Rent the Runway is a service that allows you to rent designer dresses for a fraction of what they would cost to buy them retail. They'll ship you two sizes so there's no worry about fit, and you can also chat online with a stylist if you're worried about making the right choice. You can check out photos of real girls in the dresses (sort by your height and body type!), read reviews, and you won't be fined for those life-happens spills, burns, etc.

We know, it's genius, right?

We couldn't snap any decent photos of the dresses because it was pretty dark in there (and fine, our hands were full of wine glasses, thanks again CBN!), so instead we hopped online to pick out New Years Eve outfits from RTR -- we're still working to finalize our plans for the holiday, but if they even REMOTELY qualify as dressy, we've got a plan.

Recipe: Baked Ham and Egg Cups

How was your Thanksgiving? Ours was great-- as predicted, lots of games and too much food. In other words, perfect.

As we mentioned, we were really looking forward to making Thanksgiving brunch to our family. Our choice needed to fit two main criteria: fairly light (Thanksgiving dinner later!) and easy enough to assemble for 7 people.

After seeing a few variations floating around Pinterest, we made egg cups for brunch earlier this year and decided that they'd fit the bill nicely for  our Thanksgiving morning brunch. We made two variations and were happy with both results, so we thought we'd share! They are so cute and really, really easy... plus, the world is your oyster when it comes to the toppings -- you can really add any combination of ingredients your little heart desires.

Laura went the traditional route and made Denver-esque cups by adding diced peppers and onions with cheddar cheese to each cup. Ali got creative and made the clear winner of the day - she blanched asparagus and added two spears to each cup with a tiny bit of cheddar in the base, then served them with a Hollandaise sauce.

We left the crispy edges but you could trim them or get really crazy and cover them with foil while baking.

In our opinion, this is a handy staple to have in our back pockets for brunch with the girls, for family, or after a particularly long night out. Cheers! (with our ham and egg cups.)

Ham and Egg Cups -

1. Preheat oven to 375.


2. Spray a muffin pan with cooking spray or lightly oil. (We used popover cups this time because we wanted more room for add-ins, but have previously used muffin tins and it works just as well!)


3. Line each cup with two slices of ham, pressing into the bottom of each cup.


4. Add desired toppings, then carefully crack one egg into each cup.


5. Bake for 25 minutes or until egg is cooked through. Each cup should easily lift from the tin.

Chain O'Lakes State Park

The view from the back patio

This past weekend, we got our urban sherpa on. (This is Ali's ingenious term for the plight of the automobile-free when attempting to leave the city or trek around the city without multiple trips home. Basically packing laptops, gym clothes, makeup, two changes of clothing, etc. in various bags: purses, totes and shopping bags and dragging said bags everywhere you go.) On Friday, we headed up to the burbs to celebrate our stepdad's birthday. As always, it was a great time, but I think its safe to say the highlight of everyone's weekend was the family canoeing trip.

Before we could get going, we had to make an emergency trip to DSW as our shoes were deemed "impractical." We helpfully both brought home our respective pairs of leopard print shoes, so there was a family-assisted, fast and furious hunt for appropriate boating footwear. Mission accomplished in under 12 minutes; we are champs and the fam has great taste. And yes, we are aware that we are ridiculously lucky we are to have the kind of family that feeds us and houses us for the weekend and then buys us new shoes.

Chain O'Lakes State Park is about an hour and a half northwest of Chicago, and we really couldn't have picked a better day for a drive. We admired our shoes and were there in no time flat. After a hike through the woods, some time acting like children on the swings, and a lunch of Ali's amazing chicken salad and Asian apple pears, it was time to face the canoes.

Ali and I both love the water, but were less than thrilled at the perceived high probability of our canoe tipping and and flipping, fully clothed, into the muddy water. Luckily, my sister has an eagle eye and politely demanded a canoe roughly the width of a pontoon, so flipping turned out to be a non-issue.

She also turned out to be a pro navigator and the stronger paddler of the two of us, though I maintain my half-assed paddling was to take pictures. "ITS FOR THE BLOG!"

Our parents paddled along next to us and the four of us spent the next two hours canoeing up and down the banks of the river in total awe of how beautiful the scenery was, totally alone on the water with the exception of a crane and some elusive jumping fish. It was absolutely perfect in all respects: company, weather, and a new adventure, and a day I know I'll always remember.

Ending the day with a dipped cone from Dairy Queen!

The Air & Water Show By Sea

I love the Air and Water show. I do not love the crowds at the beach.

This year, I crossed a major To Do off of my bucket list, and joined 18 friends on a boat for an incredible summer Sunday that I will never, ever forget. There's a thumb in the picture of me diving into the water in my shorts and tank top (we thought it was going to be too cold to swim), but you better believe that happened.

Quartino's New Second Story Outdoor Patio

> Photo via Eater Chicago

Thanks to this handy tip from Eater Chicago, I was raring to check out Quartino's new second-level patio. Quartino is a long time DEUX on our list. (How do we not use that pun more often?) It's the perfect spot for happy hour with the girls or a loud group dinner. Wine by the carafe? Cheese by the mountain? Olives by the bucket? Exceptionally reasonable prices? Yes, please!




Ali and I twisted arms, bribed and threatened with bodily harm last week so the girls would drag themselves out on a Tuesday (read: proclaimed, "new outdoor patio at Quartino!" to an extremely receptive and enthusiastic reception)  to experience it for ourselves, and while it was much smaller and far more narrow than the above picture lets on, it was absolutely lovely. In the future, I'd stick to a smaller group of two or three, but the five of us spent a great evening catching up over chilled white wine, grilled octopus and gorgonzola dolce, blissfully perched above the madness of State and Ontario.

FYI: It's first come first serve, and we had to specify that we wanted to sit upstairs.

Cheers to another al fresco dining option, Chicago!

Oh, Weekend.

You are so elusive. You come, you go; you're here, you're not...

Frankly, you're heartbreaking.

But...

You were great while you lasted.

See you soon!

May Flowers?

Any day now? Liiiike... today, maybe? It's May!