Tom's Birthday

On Saturday we had some friends over to celebrate Tom's birthday. I made some of his favorites... lasagna, deviled eggs, and a variation of this recipe for Oreo Cupcakes. The Oreo in the bottom was the best part! Yummy. We ate, drank, and watched the Cubs kick the Rockies butts. (Bummer!)

As I had mentioned on here before, we purchased a grill for our deck earlier this month. Tom is usually VERY hard to buy gifts for. However, with the new BBQ he needed some accessories. Presents done.

Of course we had to try them out on Sunday night, which was his actual birthday. We made burgers stuffed with cream cheese, sun dried tomatoes, basil, Trader Joe's Red Pepper and Artichoke Tapenade. They were delicious! (Have I mentioned how much I love living right by a Trader Joe's?) We spent the rest of the night relaxing and watching the Rockies beat the Cubs. (Go Rockies!)

It was a great weekend. I am so grateful to share my life with such a wonderful man :)

Argentinian Steak - So Yummy!

We went to an Argentinian steak house with our neighbors a few weeks ago. It was AMAZING! The place is called Tango Sur and if you look at yelp you can read all sorts of fantastic reviews of it. They do not take reservations, so if you are the impatient type you probably want to go in the middle of the week at like 3:00 PM. Otherwise, prepare for a wait. We waited three hours to get in on a Friday night. It was 11:00 PM before they even sat us. When we left it was almost 1:00 AM and the place was still hopping. Gotta love Chicago!

Tom and I both agree that we would wait again for it - yes, it is that good. In addition to delicious empanadas and melt in your mouth steak, it is also BYOB. Ahh... BYOB, something we haven't explained on here yet. Many restaurants in Chicago are BYOB! Save some money by bringing your own adult beverages of choice. It's awesome!

We like to play a "Who would we take here?" game when we try new restaurants. This was a tough one. It would be a sure bet for any of our meat loving friends. However, I think Logan and Megan would especially enjoy it, and my dad if we didn't have to wait to get in.

St. Patty's Month

Tom and I knew that St. Patrick's Day is a huge holiday in Chicago. What we didn't know is that it's like a month long drunk fest for Chicagoans. We made a error by scheduling our housewarming party the same day as the St. Patty's Day parade. Even the green liqueur and Guinness cupcakes (which were amazing BTW!) didn't entice many people to come. That being said, we had a wonderful time with the people that did make it.

Prior to our party, we headed downtown to see the dyeing of the river. I was really excited about this. It did not disappoint; it was pretty darn cool. They say that the dye, which is a secret formula, is completely safe for the environment. I have to wonder if their "secret formula" is a lot like the "special ingredient" in Coca Cola. They didn't think that was harmful either. Anyway, we took some great pictures and learned some valuable lessons, which I have been nice enough to summarize for you below.

The Coloradans Guide to Surviving St. Patty's Day in Chicago:

1. St. Patty's Day celebrations (a.k.a. drinking and wearing emerald green beads and headgear) start around March 1st and end... well I'm not sure when they end. We are running in the Shamrock Shuffle on April 10th, so maybe after that?
2. Even though Chicago is not a morning town apparently people will get up as early as 6:00 AM to start drinking green beer.
3. People drinking green beer all day = green puke.... watch your step.
4. I'm sure you've heard that the traffic is really bad in Chicago... well, this goes for the sidewalks as well.
5. If you want to see the parade, instead of the back of people's heads and the occasional tip of a bagpipe, you must claim your parade spot early.
6. It turns out that pushing your baby in his or her stroller through a crowd of drunk people isn't the best parenting decision you've ever made.
7. Don't be fooled by pictures of people in Chicago without their winter clothes on for St. Patty's Day. It is NOT warm here, they are simply too intoxicated to notice the real reason they can't feel their legs.
8. Side affects of green beer at 6:00 AM include, but are not limited to the following: having trouble controlling the volume of your voice, dancing around like a moron, slurring your speech to the point that no one can understand you, and the inability to realize that no one else cares how much you've had to drink. If you are exhibiting these behaviors - stop F#%@ing drinking!

HAPPY ST. PATTY'S DAY!!

PIZZA

Well, it's about time I discuss pizza... I am living in Chicago, right? Chicago is know for it's deep dish pizza. The problem is Tom loves a thin crust. Although, as our search for Tom's perfect piece of pie continues, we are realizing that he's not really looking for a thin crust either. He's on the hunt for more of a medium crust option. Abo's is our Denver/Boulder area fav and so far we haven't found anything like it in Chicago.

While his search continues, I am finding that I like it all! Deep dish? Delish. Thin crust? Divine. My favorite pizza place so far is Apart Pizza Company. They have thin crust pizza in all sorts of yummy signature combinations that are to die for. They also have awesome salad options. We had a Caprese type salad with fresh mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, & fresh basil on top of arugula (Logan, you would have loved it. Even with the tomatoes!)

Now, can someone please point me in the direction of the nearest gym?