There are few things I like more in life than grilled cheese. Or pizza. Hmmm anything involving cheese and carbs apparently? Anyway, after I finished up at the gym last Monday, Howie cut our phone call short because he was being summoned to half-off pizza night at Angelo's Pizza...only my favorite pizza place in all of Cleveland! Pizza was officially on my mind, and this epic sandwich was born. I took the typical grilled cheese sandwich topped with American cheese and turned it up a notch, adding provolone, pepperoni, spinach and some Italian herbs. It tasted just like pizza, especially when dipped in some warm marinara sauce on the side. YUM.
If you couldn't already tell from my posts this week, I love Valentine's Day! I get the whole argument that you should show people you love them every day (and I try my hardest to!), but it's nice having a dedicated fancy date night in the middle of winter when a lot of people choose staying in over going out. I don't have my outfit picked out just yet, but I definitely have my nails done! If you've met me, you've probably noticed that my nails are always red; I love how classy and feminine it is. Well, I finally tried something different! I painted an ombré look for the occasion, and I totally love it! A fiery red subtly transitions into a girly pink, making a perfect color palette for Valentine's Day! Best of all, you can do it yourself and avoid paying salon prices. Though I'm definitely an advocate for a good manicure once in a while...
With only 3 days until Valentines Day, it's time for everybody to get out and start buying chocolates for the people you love. I don't know where you usually shop for your chocolate, but it feels like I've gotten into quite the Malley's rut over the years. Don't get me wrong, Malley's always tastes great, but I feel like I've had it enough times to know what filling is inside each piece of chocolate just looking at it. Time to mix things up a bit! Last Valentine's Day, Howie bought me these gorgeous hand-painted truffles from Lilly Handmade Chocolates in Tremont that were almost too pretty to eat! Almost being the key word. With exotic flavors like Tiger Lilly - molasses, coffee, candied ginger and cocoa nibs, all coated in milk chocolate - they're too delicious not to indulge. Visit the store and support an incredibly talented local business...and of course load up on chocolate for all the people you care about. The store is open from 12pm-8pm through Valentine's Day!
Even though I'm constantly sharing pictures and recipes for delicious, not-so-healthy-looking food while simultaneously eating and drinking my way through the Cleveland restaurant scene, the truth is my diet revolves around green smoothies and salad most of the time. So boring, but, unfortunately, so true! I'd be lying to you if I said I don't get sick of it, so I'm always testing new combinations of ingredients to spice up my everyday, non-blog post meals. I came up with a gourmet salad recipe last week with ingredients that I always have on hand: chicken, spinach, granny smith apples, walnuts, and Craisins. I even splurged and bought a little Gorgonzola cheese to crumble on top for some extra flavor. Serve it with a homemade balsamic vinaigrette, and you have a super healthy meal that tastes like it's restaurant quality!
Valentine's Day is only 4 short days away! That means you guys have to get cracking on coming up with a Valentine's Day gift for your sweetie. Howie and I don't usually buy each other gifts, but rather food or wine-related gifts that we can enjoy together. Last year he took me out to a fancy dinner at Chinato on East 4th Street and bought me a wine and chocolate pairing from Lilly Handmade Chocolates in Tremont. If you haven't been to Lilly, you must try it! The chocolates are handpainted and absolutely gorgeous! I got Howie some Malley's chocolate, and made him a phenomenal after-dinner dessert: Layers of Love Trifle. What is it, exactly? Layers of Bailey's infused chocolate cake, chocolate mocha mousse and crunchy Heath bar bits. I add the Bailey's and espresso after the cake cooks, so you get the benefit of a dessert, coffee and after dinner cocktail rolled into one. I could've named it Heaven on Earth instead of Layers of Love Trifle, but had to do the latter because there's nothing NOT to love about this recipe!
Happy Sunday! I hope everybody had a fun weekend. I know I did, and now it's time to RELAX. I had a busy Friday night trying out the new Barrio Tacos downtown for dinner with friends, which quickly turned into a late night at the Butcher and the Brewer on East 4th. Then I was intending a quiet night in last night, but ended up having a tasty dinner at Market in Rocky River instead, with a little side-trip to 16-Bit Bar+Arcade afterwards for a few games of centipede. Lots of fun, but I definitely woke up needing a big cup of coffee today, I'm beat! That's why I'm at LOOP Coffee in Tremont this morning. The coffee is the bomb, but the atmosphere is even better; think hipster coffee shop in Seattle meets indie music store. Clean colors, abstract art, rows and rows of records and a full house of people working on their laptops fill the space. Seems like the perfect backdrop for some serious blog-redesign work...
If there's one thing to know about me, it's that I'm pretty artsy. It's kind of inevitable when you spend 6 years studying design with 100 like-minded people in your class. The second thing you should know about me, I love a good glass of wine. After a couple of years, I had almost 100 corks that I collected from friends, parties, restaurants, basically anywhere I could get my hands on them. I started a hobby making beautiful wine trivets for my family and friends, and of course, myself. It's a very thoughtful and functional gift that doubles as a piece of art! What I like most of all, is how little it costs to make!
