Sweetness has never tasted better! My review of the Lovely: a bake shop holiday menu

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been eating a lot of sweets lately. I don’t think it’s just my body’s response to the stress and exhaustion of these past few weeks – I also believe it’s got something to do with the season. Between my mother-in-law’s baking at home and numerous lunches and potlucks at work, the sweet tooth, pie & coffee cake aficionada in me has never felt happier!

For me, now is the perfect time to indulge and to try to put the worries and challenges of this past year behind me. Lovely: a bake shop provided the perfect opportunity for me to do just that, when they recently invited me to sample their holiday sweets menu. I happily obliged – and off I went 🙂

For the love of pizza! My review of the newly opened 800 Degrees Neapolitan Pizzeria

With a baby at home and demanding jobs outside the home, who has time to dine out? Not me or my husband, that’s for sure. We haven’t had the chance to go out in what seems like forever, and sometimes I do miss the free time I once used to enjoy. Thankfully, 800 Degrees Neapolitan Pizzeria has recently come to our rescue, when we were invited to the opening of its newest restaurant in Evanston IL.

After opening its first California location in January 2012 to rave reviews, 800 Degrees has been turning out, on average, 800-1,200 pizzas per day, serving 300,000 pizzas in its first year from a single location (wow!). 800 Degrees is also credited with starting the “assembly-line” pizza phenomenon. I couldn’t wait to be a part of this phenomenon myself, so I gladly accepted the invitation to check out their new location. It was an offer I simply couldn’t refuse 🙂

Sweet is the way to go: My visit to this year’s International Home + Housewares Show

Doesn’t this cake look beautiful? To me, it certainly does. It is one of the many cakes presented by Cake Boss Buddy Valastro’s team at the 2015 International Home + Housewares Show. With a newborn in the house, I haven’t baked a cake in ages – and as for “real” food, my idea of perfection is anything you can throw into the slow cooker and leave it there to cook for hours on end. Nowadays I don’t have the time to do much in the kitchen, and I feel hopeless and lack the energy to follow complicated recipes. I definitely need help, excitement, and borrowed inspiration. Going to this year’s International Home + Housewares Show was just what I needed. With so many delightful cakes to admire and so much novelty to absorb, who wouldn’t feel inspired? 🙂

Pizza time, again! Time for some stuffed Giordano’s pizza

I wrote about this before: My pizza cravings have gone through the roof since becoming pregnant 🙂 I wouldn’t mind eating pizza for breakfast, lunch and dinner – as a matter of fact, I think I’d absolutely love it! There is something very enticing in a pizza, if done well: the buttery and slightly flaky crust, the mellow melted mozzarella like a lava of joy in your mouth, the multilayered and assertive  flavor of the tomato sauce – they all come together to create pie heaven for the pizza aficionado.

I was in pizza heaven last weekend, when I went to the opening of the new Giordano’s Pizza carry-out and delivery location in Glenview. It was an event I would never forget – not just because of the delicious food I sampled, but also because of the special guest I got the chance to meet: basketball legend Scottie Pippen.

A delicious tomato sauce and artisan pizza at its best: My review of Craft Pizza

Since becoming pregnant I have been craving pizza all the time. I have found that there is something really magical in the flavor combinations in a pizza. The versatile taste of the tomato sauce, the meaty deliciousness of salami, the freshness of the red onions, bell peppers or basil – I am amazed at how they come together in a pizza to create a meal that is wholesome, generous and authentic in all its simplicity. I used to like pizza – now, it’s more than just liking: it’s a full-fledged love affair. Who would have thought? 🙂

Thankfully, Chicago is home to some of the best pizzas in the world, and living here has given me the chance to try out a variety of pies, coming from both new and well-established pizzerias. Such was the case recently, when myself and other Chicago Food Bloggers were invited to attend the preview party held by Craft Pizza, a new pizzeria located in the Wicker Park neighborhood. 

There’s a new kind of Potbelly sandwiches in town: the flats!

Food and restaurant reviews are a feature recently added to this blog, and it’s one which I enjoy a lot. I like to visit Chicago eating spots (be they well-established or newly opened) and to discover innovative and exciting menu items, made with care and with the freshest ingredients. And when these new items are sandwiches or panini – that’s even better. 🙂 This is why I was very excited when Potbelly invited me and other fellow food bloggers to try out their flat sandwiches, which are available in stores starting this week. 

A review of the new menu items from Corner Bakery Cafe: Spring has sprung in the kitchen!

I don’t know about you guys, but I just love the weather outside! It seems that spring has come to Chicagoland and that, after months of grueling cold and icy roads, I can put away my heavy winter coats and wear light clothes – at last! Spring and summer are my favorite seasons because I feel at my best in the sun: I am confident, inspired, energized, happy. Now is the time when things and situations around me gain new meanings, and obstacles are approached with a positive and constructive attitude. Now is the perfect time for me to go ahead and work on any outstanding projects.

I always eat light in the spring and summer. Whereas during winter I often make Georgette’s zucchini bake and drink rivers of comforting sweet hot chocolate, in the spring I want to give my body nutritious but also calorie-friendly dishes. The foods I make at home and eat while out and about are informed by this desire to eat lightly, and each new dish I discover makes me very happy.