life lately.

hello there! here's what i've been up to lately. let's start off with my good friend/former roommate's/sorority sister's birthday/engagement party. i never say no to craft beer, bagel bites, and an evening full of catching up with my college friends/KD sisters.

summit beer + bagel bites

local eats from Fuji Sushi Thai - and i was so disappointed. i love trying new sushi places but the rice was sticky, congealed, and came off in one piece. it clearly came in a roll or something and was not fresh. the texture and consistency was just gross. i only moderately enjoyed the rolls in the bottom row because they were covered in avocado, salmon, and sauce... and even then the  quality of the crab and shrimp on the inside of the rolls i ordered was extremely sub-par. they definitely were defrosted and not fresh. where they said crab was used, it was was actually crabstick. using crabstick is fine but only okay when it is specified it is being used in a roll. the smelt roe on the rolls on the bottom left was congealed and seemed stuck to the rice, like it came on it in a mat. i ended up throwing majority of the top tray away... even wine couldn't help me wash it down. unfortunately, i will not be back. i'm happy to stick to my favorite Hakuya Sushi. 

in happier food news, grilling season has begun! we have a brand new forest green weber grill on our patio that is already getting plenty of use. above is grilled salmon with old bay seasoning. please excuse me and my watering mouth...

full post coming on this soon, but i was invited to the opening of TÊTE Charcuterie last weekend and wow... i was in heaven. i am a huge fan of cured meats and curated cheeses and wine. this was practically all i ate when i lived in barcelona. i cannot wait to share a full post about the opening. in the meantime, here is a sneak peek:

caroline and i in her river north apartment before we headed out

spuds mackenzie tattoo - my boyfriend's family has the same dog!

 

jackson blues cocktail

my favorite - the enhhhhhh - i love egg-based cocktails

on sunday, my family had a cozy birthday celebration for my mom:

so naturally i got in some cuddle time with my cat, bill.

spring is popping up around our front yard:

purple crocuses, one of my favorites.

and...

and we adopted 2 river-otter-like cats. they are former barn cats and best friends for life. they chirp at each other and it is pretty adorable. they're still warming up to us. i can't wait till they're lap cats.

recently, i was approached by one of my long-time favorite brands to review two of their products, and i'll be hosting my first giveaway next month! and i've just scored an invite to a restaurant downtown that i've been wanting to try for a long time for brunch! exciting things are happening over here at apartment pants!

what have you been up to lately?

xx.

chicago food bloggers brunch at public house

brunch is, hands down, my favorite meal. i love the laidback pace, the "show up whenever" attitude, and the fact that bloody marys and mimosas are encouraged as side dishes. naturally, i jumped at the chance to try out public house's new brunch menu. i'd actually never been to public house before. i'd heard it's a good place to grab dinner and drinks in river north, but it never struck me as a brunch place. i'd had dinner in the area several times before, but i generally grab brunch on the north side. however, i am never one to say no to (free!) brunch, so i made plans with logan of windy city living and we met downtown to sample the new menu.

they don't call it the windy city for nothing.

we arrived fashionably late (so we missed the chef describing how he created each dish) but we wasted no time sampling the new menu. i loved the presentation. there were full-size portions of each dish for us to photograph (see below) and adorable smaller sizes of the dishes for us to try, so that we could have a bite or two of everything. unfortunately, i caught a stomach bug the night before and couldn't fully enjoy all the incredible looking samples. that just means i'll have to go back (with a large group) so that i can try the crab cake benedict and chicken and waffles!

chicken and waffles

this looked amazing. i've never had chicken and waffles before and i hope my first time is at public house. they came with maple syrup and hot sauce on the side. i honestly would probably mix the two sauces and then drizzle it over both.

cinnamon sticky bun

while i generally prefer savory brunch options, if someone offered to go halfsies on this with me, i would not say no.

doughnut fried french toast

i managed to indulge in the mini doughnut version of this. aside from being ohsocute, the inside was spongy and soft. the sauces complemented the texture, and the perfectly ripe and robust berries added just enough sweet moistness.

granola parfait

i gobbled this right up. i could only really stomach fruits, and this was just perfect. the berries were juicy and that sauce they used in the second layer... wow. it was the perfect consistency: thin without being runny. sweet, without being saccharine. just. wow. i could tell it was freshly made and complemented the greek yogurt, berries, and granola. some people might disregard parfait, but this version is special. 

crab cake benedict

i am an eggs benedict junkie. it is always my go to when i grab brunch, and i've had all kinds of benedicts: smoked salmon, mexican, seafood, meat lovers, vegetarian. i had a bite of logan's and i can already tell i'll be ordering this when i come back for brunch. 

i would also like to note that the sample version of this dish was insane. they were served in mini cast iron pans and had teeny-tiny poached eggs on top. i mean, how?!

all in all, i was impressed with public house. before, i'd really only heard of it as being a popular bar in river north. the brunch menu is a solid list of staples. nothing super new (though that doughnut fried french toast and monster huge sticky bun... damn), but sometimes simple done right is better than a bunch of extravagant choices.  

if you close your eyes and point your finger at the brunch menu, you have a 100% chance of landing on something you'll enjoy. 

even though i wasn't feeling 100%, i still had a good time. i just wish i had been able to eat more of the dishes! this was my first official "food blogger event" and it was nice to finally be surrounded by a group of people who appreciate taking pictures of food as much as i do.  

thank you chicago food bloogers & public house for hosting such a fun event. i'll be in the area this weekend for st. patty's day and might have to stop by for a pint or two.

note: my brunch experience at public house was complimentary but all opinions expressed herein are my own. 

Public House is located at

400 N State St
Chicago, IL 60654

will you be checking out public house for brunch? what are your favorite places to grab brunch, either local or far away?

xx.

happy thursday.

via pinterest

i admit, i have been slacking on the blog front recently. while i read my standbys everyday, i've been caught up with work and sleep and busy weekends. i'll be back tomorrow with a new post, and will be posting with more regularity, even if it's just an image that inspires me that i want to share with you. 

so here's to thursday, a.k.a. friday eve, a day that will be full of productivity, coffee, trader joe's herb and spices popcorn, homemade chicken paprigash and red wine when i get home. 

how will you fill your day today? 

xx.

pinspiration.

who doesn't love pinterest? it's my go-to when i'm feeling disorganized, lost for recipe ideas, and uninspired (or bored at work... shhhhhhh). and i am not going to lie... i have spent an inordinate amount of time on my boards this week. i even have a goal to get to 4,000 pins by the end of the day and i am confident that i can accomplish it. 

why the recent spike in my pinning? well, this past week has handed it to me. i don't know if it's my commute, the snow that will.not.stop here in chicago, or the lethargy that a prolonged winter always brings upon me, but i have been feeling uninspired. my purchases and clothes and boxes have been piling up on our dining room table and our bedroom floor. the last thing i've been wanting to do when i see it is actually deal with it, so i've been finding solace on our couch while it stares at me from our dining room.

i'm putting an end to that though. i cleaned off our bedroom floor, did a whole heap of laundry (so that i've stopped selecting each day's outfits from a questionable pile in a laundry basket), tackled grocery shopping for the week after our sunday trip to the auto show, scored some free wood chairs off craigslist (our dining room feels complete now!), and even bought some pink tulips from trader joe's to bring some valentine's day warmth to our living room (they even match the pink walls that i hate a little less):

all that cleaning and getting things together makes me feel like superwoman! and i will tell you, that feeling spreads. i've been early to work, full of more energy and optimism. i'm determined to keep this up and make tidying up and getting things done a daily habit, not a weekend chore. on today's agenda after work: 

1. not sitting down on the couch!

2. putting said laundry away

3. clearing off the dining table

4. finding a home for more things sitting out. the amount of storage space we have in our place is ridiculous, and i am not taking advantage of it.

5. begin to organize my jewelry

i promise, i have a lot of blog posts on the back burner (a restaurant week review of siena tavern, how to's on vegetarian quinoa casserole and slow-cooker-hand-rubbed-pork-shoulder, my recent bar cart and vintage purchases, room-by-room organization tips and photos, etc.), but kicking that lethargic feeling and getting.shit.done has been the #1 goal on my radar lately. i'll share some recent home decor pinspiration below... you can probably tell that my current obsession is adding a gallery wall or two to our home!

all images can be found on my home decor pinterest board. i'd love if you followed me!

on a personal note, i am so excited that today is thursday, which means tomorrow is friday a.k.a. VALENTINE'S DAY. i love holidays and any excuse to celebrate, but i also love all things love. i tell Matt i love him so much he probably finds it annoying. i don't care. i am so excited for tomorrow! maybe this is because this is my first Valentine's Day with Matt (our first date was February 17th of last year) and I am just beyond excited to celebrate us & our love. we have late reservations at Maggiano's tomorrow and i've bought him some small things i think/hope he will love. i also bought the sappiest card i could find and will probably tear up as he opens it. crossing my fingers for flowers delivered to my office, but i will just be happy to share an indulgent Italian meal (stuffed mushroom and wine!) with my better half.

saturday night, we'll be having a "nerdy board game" night with matt's coworkers. i'm thinking of make these homemade pretzel bites. this weekend is shaping up to be l-o-v-e-l-y.

what have you been up to recently? 

xx.

a month of moderation.

bachelor mondays.

it's no secret that i love kicking back with a glass (or two) of wine after work. every monday, my friend krystal and i share a bottle while we watch the bachelor. on the weekend, i sip while i cook. however (and maybe this is just me getting older? sigh), lately i've noticed that the morning after i have a glass or two with dinner, i feel sluggish and lethargic. i think the holidays make everyone overindulge a little bit, and that overindulging seems to have followed me into 2014. i've made a pact to go for the next 30 days without bringing a bottle home to enjoy with dinner that week, without swinging by trader joe's or whole foods or world market to try a new springy white. 

i'm 2 days sans vino and already i'm feeling like i have much more energy! my goal with this 30 days is to reevaluate what i'm putting into my body as i am a big believer in "you are what you eat"/"put crap in, get crap out". no one ever feels like running a marathon after a rich meal with a cocktail or two on the side. while i am all for indulging, i think it should be done so in moderation. my rich food and drink choices have caught up with me recently, so this month will be all about moderation and reevaluating habits... and maybe shedding a few pounds in the process!

have you ever gone a month without alcohol, sugar, carbs, gluten, meat, or some other favorite indulgence? how did it work out for you? what were your results? 

xx.

happy weekend!

januaries are never fun. everyone is sad the holidays are over. the cold is no longer joyful and nippy but harsh and never-ending. the snow seems to get dingy and brown when it used to be crisp and white. there is nothing festive in the stores and there are no fun holidays to celebrate. thankfully, january always seems to fly by, and this year was no exception. thankfully, tomorrow is february and i'm welcoming it with open arms. 

february will be a month of firsts for me. i'm having my first ever restaurant week meal with logan of windy city living at siena tavern tomorrow. after that, i'm going to my boyfriend's work dinner party (this will be my first time as a +1 at a work function and i am ridiculously excited!). this will also be my first valentine's day a boyfriend as well. i can't wait to deck our apartment out in red white and pink (Paper Source, here i come!) and make cookies, cupcakes, and hopefully some honeycomb. 

i hope you have a wonderful weekend and that your start to february is just fabulous. 

via pinterest

xx.

chicago food blogger.

last night as i was watching the grammys, i got an email that i had been added to the network of chicago food bloggers! i am so excited to share more restaurant reviews and recipes, as well as to beef up my blog (pun intended). i spent the weekend out of town (eating at some of my favorite college restaurants, among other things) so i don't have any new takes on recipes to share, but i thought i would share some recent food pinspiration. 

here's hoping our meals this week look something like the following: 

honey + beer glazed chicken skewers

creamy polenta & mushrooms

chipotle beer shrimp quesadillas with spicy guac

bbq chicken and avocado quesadillas

sweet potato corn cakes with garlic dipping sauce

can you tell i'm on a comfort food kick?

what's going to be on your dinner plate this week?

feel free to follow me on pinterest and i'll happily do the same!

xx.