So I’m ridiculously behind in sharing my adventures (again), but I will always keep trying!

This weekend, my goal is to relax and unwind as I’m between two crazy workweeks. Luckily the Florida weather has been cooperating quite nicely so far and the summer heat has already started to creep in, bringing with it the desire to be lazy by a pool somewhere.

I haven’t made it to a pool yet, but I did make it over to the newly opened Datz Dough (@DatzDough) in South Tampa off MacDill, for a mid-afternoon treat with Nick.

I’ve been watching out for this place to open for months, ever since Datz first teased a photo of their plans to expand into the building next door (formerly Kalupa’s bakery) on Twitter (@Datz4Foodies). I mean anything that promised more of a focus on the baked goods of Datz was bound to be right up my alley.

They have a great Tumblr that is always packed with mouthwatering photos and videos of hand dipped doughnuts and homemade breads that make you want to lick your computer/phone’s screen (I haven’t actually done that recently though).

I had some pretty high expectations on my first visit today, knowing how much I love the Datz desserts, and I’m very excited to say that Datz Dough did not disappoint. Not only is it inviting with it’s blackboard-bordered open front door, already telling you what types of treats you can find that day, but the minute you walk in your faced with a spread of sweet and savory creations…

From macaroons and William Dean chocolates of every flavor and color, to doughnuts, cupcakes, cookies and quiches and breads, you’ll find a handful of delights that will tempt you.

To your left a large blackboard includes specials for the day including coffee creations like today’s Nutella Latte.

Do I even need to tell you how I feel about Nutella? Do you really need to guess whether I ordered this immediately?

Nick and I were so torn over what to share (like Datz, the portions are generous, to say the least) and after much debate over a Trix covered dipped doughnut, the gooey lemon bar or a decadent Chocolate Hazelnut brownie, we opted to stick with our chocolate and hazelnut theme.

We opted to eat there and enjoy the atmosphere and fun decor, which includes bright purple banquettes and striped walls with gold fleu de lis, all beneath a ceiling mural of a colorful sky, disturbed here and there by ornate hanging chandeliers.

We plopped ourselves at a small table adorned with a small vase of brightly colored green and purple flowers and enjoyed our afternoon snacks as we watched groups of customers come and go. The brownie didn’t last long, but the jazzy music encouraged us to linger a bit and relax so we ended up hanging out for a while to watch the goings-on.

Tonight we have a concert at downtown St. Petersburg’s live music venue, Jannus Live, and hopefully will be enjoying the sounds of Umphrey’s McGee to close out the night.

I doubt anything will top that brownie today though. That baby was magic.

 

 

I worked part of this St. Patrick’s weekend, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t celebrate. On the contrary, I did a little bit of celebrating my Irish roots each day….

Friday night, I whipped up an Irish-inspired dinner…

Welsh Rarebit with Guinness and Sauteed Vegetables.

Let me tell you, the Guinness really does make a difference and there is nothing like a zippy cheese-beer sauce over veggies and French bread to wrap up a busy day and start a weekend.

I got the sauce recipe on the Food Network.

Saturday, was a different story. After a two-hour workout, I headed off to Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park in downtown Tampa for the Mayor’s River O’Green Fest, which one of my clients was a sponsor at. The event turned out to be pretty cool with an amazing river-dying, music and a variety of food and vendors.

I’ve never seen the Hillsborough River look so great – glowing green – which is an improvement over the norm.

After working seven hours for the event, Nick and I laid pretty low Saturday night.

Sunday, didn’t include pints of green beer, but it did include a beautiful morning and brunch…

Chavez at Home is located right down the street, so we walked over and I ordered the Eggs Sardou which included a poached egg over an English muffin, artichoke heart and spinach with hollandaise sauce. For future reference, it is a really good combination.

After brunch Nick and I opted to walk around the neighborhood and work off of a few of the calories we just packed in. It made me realize how beautiful my neighborhood was though, and how much I need to get out more to explore it.

This beautiful park is on my way to work every morning and I never stopped to notice how beautiful it was!

I was so inspired by the fountain, I even did a little imitation…

It was no where as good as the statues though. Oh well.

Instead of the bars, we decided it had been too long since we saw a movie and went to check out Oz The Great and Powerful.

Verdict: It was a great prequel and a good movie overall, but it wasn’t amazing. I won’t say anything more or ruin anything, but I do think it’s worth seeing.

It was a relaxing day otherwise, to recover from Saturday, but given everything I squeezed into the weekend… I feel like I celebrated St. Patrick’s Day to its fullest.

Minus the many beers.

Hope you had a great St. Patrick’s weekend!

Strawberries have been my favorite berry, one of my favorite fruits, since I was a small child.

It’s probably why I get so excited for the Strawberry Festival each year. Held in Plant City, Florida, this two week event includes rides, music, food, shopping and a variety of entertainment.

I was so excited when Nick gave me tickets for Valentine’s Day!

Of course, schedules didn’t line up until the last day of the Festival, so this past Sunday, Nick and I finally decided to get our butts out there.

To start off the day, I got into the strawberry spirit…

A bowl of low-fat plain Greek yogurt with strawberries, chopped almonds and a drizzle of honey. It’s so good, it’s feels like you’re indulging in a dessert, but it’s a nutritious starter instead.

Once I was fed, we headed off.

Since this was our third visit to the Strawberry Festival, we knew what to expect and what we wanted to see and do. After last year especially, I knew that I wanted to hop on at least one ride and that I’d have to steer clear of the fried pickles (even though they’re delicious).

We grabbed parking in one of the lots within a half-mile from the entrance and ended up going through a back entrance right into the area where all the rides are. The carnival games and rides attract a real variety of people and you can end up waiting in lines for a while.

Luckily, we decided to go on the Ferris-wheel, which doesn’t attract any real lines.

I know it might be lame, but I love those things. They take you high up above everything and they don’t make you nauseous. Seriously, they are so underrated. Our view of the festival was pretty spectacular too.

We took advantage of the height and got our barrings, making note of where we could get food and see some of the other entertainment.

Despite my delicious breakfast, my stomach was rumbling so we opted to work backwards and grab a dish of strawberry shortcake first. It’s the best $3.50 you’ll spend at the Festival.

Our next stop is my favorite of the day – the pig races.

You’d think that they wouldn’t be so cute, or that they wouldn’t be very entertaining, but they are both and more. We watched different groups of various breeds of pigs race around the small track in pursuit of reaching the desirable cookie reward at the end, some even swamp through the water troughs down the middle…

They’re so darn cute, I always leave wanting to go adopt a piglet.

Now, this year, Nick vowed to do something… dangerous. He wanted to try the doughnut burger that he passed on last year.

Well, he didn’t chicken out and before we knew it this bad boy was ready to go…

Nick says it wasn’t bad at all, and I have to admit it looked pretty good.

It definitely topped the fried fish sandwich that I tried. Disappointing is being generous. Luckily it didn’t make my stomach scream in fury like the other fried foods.

After we meandered the various stalls and areas, we decided to make one last stop…

For strawberries. If you have $6 you can get a half flat of beautiful fresh strawberries.

The smell will drive you crazy the whole way home. Now I have to figure out which of my favorite strawberry recipes I am going to make with them first.

After my community garden adventures yesterday morning, I made a quick stop at one of my favorite Tampa spots – Oxford Exchange.

I’ve been there a number of times since its opening last fall, and it’s amazing to see this unique spot really blossom into one of the hottest places for locals and visitors alike to shop, eat, meet, and hang out.

The two-story building located right across the street from the University of Tampa on West Kennedy Blvd boasts a restaurant (which is open for breakfast/lunch/tea on weekdays and brunch/tea on the weekends), tea shop, coffee shop, retail shop and a bookstore all on the first floor. The second story is made up of a membership-based Commerce Club and offices.

I have been to the restaurant a few times, but typically I focus my attention on the book store which is made up of the most beautiful volumes and organized in the most creative way I’ve ever seen. Instead of the typical “fiction” and “biography” type sections, they opt for “Just Shy of Chick Lit” and “Romances That Would be Sanctioned by the British Museum” type nooks.

I love perusing the shelves to see what new unique finds they have.

Yesterday, I grabbed a caramel latte from the coffee shop, Buddy Brew (a local Tampa Bay company who uses Melitta products and old-school coffee-purist methods), and headed to the book shop with a very particular book title in mind.

Since I could spend ages looking through everything, I asked the book manager for assistance and she tracked down my book from the “Books BIG Enough to Move Into”…

I can’t wait to dive into this bad boy.

After I trotted off happily with my new book, I went to meet up with Nick for a bit of lunch.

Our pick? A new place that just opened in Hyde Park Village…

I had read about Piquant in the Tampa Tribune in January before they opened and was instantly intrigued by these chefs making delicious French food from scratch with the freshest ingredients.

We hit it just after the lunch rush, so we were offered seating right away. I really liked the modern interior…

I was particularly interested in the bakery display…

But, we opted to eat outside since the weather was so beautiful.

Our waitress, who was also named Shannon (always a good sign) presented us with two menus, the food (breakfast and lunch) and tea.

Since I love herbal tea, I selected the Earl Grey Lavender tea (so did Nick) and was delighted by the way they steep it and then bring it to your table in this funky little pot that just sits on your tea cup and pours out the brewed tea, minus the leaves into your cup.

I so want one of these for home! I would buy loose leaf tea if I had one of these.

For lunch, Nick opted for the chicken salad sandwich served on a croissant with avocado and cheese, and a side of homemade potato chips.

I went for the brie and spinach baguette with tomato jelly and a side of pomme frites (french fries).

The bread was wonderfully soft inside despite the very thin crisp crust and I was thrilled to see the melted brie just oozing over the sides of the bread. The tomato jelly was a real surprise as it added a nice touch of sweetness to the sandwich and complimented the earthy flavor of the spinach.

I also loved how they served the food on a wooden plank/board, but it did make for a crowded table, what with our various drinks and then both our lunches on the table. We were dropping a few things.

Once we cleaned our plates wooden boards, I knew I had to at least try something from their dessert menu. They were a french bakery after all. My choice was the chocolate chip cookie, which came out as a petite little ball…

It was crunchy on the outside, but had plenty of gooey chocolate inside…

With full bellies, Nick and I both agreed that Piquant would be a new favorite weekend stop.

I can’t wait to try the brunch!

One of the things I love about my job is that I get to connect clients with great community organizations and get involved in some fun area activities.

What started as a simple scouting visit for a client, however, resulted in deciding to join a community garden!

Nick and I talked about our wish to have someplace to grow our own veggies for a while. Neither of us knew where to even begin though. I had seen community gardens when I lived in Somerville, MA, but didn’t even consider they existed in Florida.

So when I had to research some garden-related organizations for a work project and stumbled across a number of Tampa Bay community gardens, I was so excited!

The Seminole Heights Community Garden (who are so well-organized they even have a Facebook page!) quickly rose to the top of my candidates for my work purposes and I reached out to the contact I found online to see if I could discuss partnership opportunities. Thankfully my contact, Elizabeth, was a positive, bubbly woman who was intrigued by what my client was proposing and she invited me out to see the garden.

Finally today, I got out to the site located just a 10-15 minute drive from my place in South Tampa, and just a few minutes off Rt 275, making it convenient for both me and my client!

High fences border the garden which is located in the heart of a suburban neighborhood, so you wouldn’t know what it was unless someone pointed it out.

Elizabeth informed me that the garden had been around for about five years due to a generous offer by the plot of land’s owner, who decided not to sell the land but let the community use it as a garden. Thus, the Seminole Heights Community Garden !

When I walked inside, I was immediately shocked by the lush greens that were growing everywhere in long rows. One large community garden area takes up about 70% of the lot, with smaller circular beds bordering two sides (individual gardens that people tend to themselves vs. the main garden that everyone helps with).

Several people were working in various capacities around the garden watering, tilling, pruning and harvesting.

I met most of them and everyone was knowledgable and friendly, and more than happy to share their knowledge on gardening, and to have me taste everything there…

Elizabeth toured me around and showed me the word shed area that took up one corner of the garden, which housed all the tools and much of the supplies, as well as the “Harvest Table” which is where all the vegetables harvested from the community garden are placed for members to take what they want.

Today’s harvest consisted of red and green cherry tomatoes, cauliflower heads that had gone to seed, collard greens, some kale and a few things I couldn’t identify.

They also had a bunch of smaller pots containing 20+ varieties of heirloom tomatoes that a member who moved away donated, which were being revived. They quickly urged me to take one of the small plants home when I expressed my love of tomatoes.

I wandered the paths with Elizabeth chatting about everything from basic plant care, to the garden’s history, membership benefits, partnership ideas, and even cultural gripes (we both wished that there were more opportunities for community gardens and local produce).

More members came in while I was there, some to work and others to just pick up produce from the Harvest Table. After about an hour and a half of speaking to different members (I found myself talking to an 85 year-old woman from France for about 20 minutes), I was convinced that not only was this a really cool tie-in for my client, but that I was also completely sold on joining.

At just $25 per year for the “Worker Bee Membership,” which gives you access to anything harvested from the big community garden and the ability to come in and work on that garden, I thought it was an extremely worthy investment, especially since this garden is working year round. Ah, such a great benefit of living in Florida…

As soon as I got home and met up with Nick, I shared my garden adventures with him and quickly convinced him to also become a member. Actually, I didn’t have to do much convincing as he had wanted to start his own garden at some point.

I’m excited to meet up with Elizabeth in a couple of weeks to hand in my membership dues and work in the garden again!

My mind is already working on what types of recipes I want to compile for my fresh organic vegetables.

Any suggestions on your favorite veggie recipes?

There’s a reason Datz in South Tampa uses the handle/hashtag #Datz4Foodies online.

Because it really is a foodie’s dreams come to life.

Granted you really need to enjoy bacon to get into their full menu, but even pescatarians like me can find something that delights the taste buds.

Since Datz is located about a mile from my apartment, it’s a favorite go-to for any meal (their Sunday brunch is the best splurge in town), but since it’s Tampa Bay Beer Week, Nick and I decided to take advantage of the SweetWater Brewing Tap Takeover on Wednesday.

We managed to get there early (around 6:30pm) so we only had a 15 minute wait for our table, but that was perfect for Nick who headed straight to the bar where SweetWater Beer was on tap and a representative was walking around talking to patrons and explaining the menu.

He actually ran through each of the different beers with me with recommendations when I told him I was a “beer newbie.” Of course, my eyes landed on the Blue as my final choice. The SweetWater rep assured me that it wasn’t too sweet and instead just had a “hint” of blueberry.

By golly, the man was right. Blue was light and smooth with a hint of blueberry and a clean finish.

Datz always gets your mouth-watering before you decide on an appetizer with a good helping of fresh popcorn. Not just your average buttered popcorn though, they spice them up…

This time around they gave us Cajun spiced popcorn that literally shot up your nose on the first bite. It’s not often you have popcorn that gives you a head rush.

After many experiences at Datz ordering waaaaayyyy too much food, I opted not to order a first course, but when Nick ordered my favorite appetizer, the truffle fries, I just couldn’t resist.

Luckily, I was able to reign in my desire to slap Nick’s fingers away and inhale the entire basket. Which is especially good since I had my work cut out for me with the bruschetta flatbread and a side salad.

I piled the salad on top of the flatbread to make a sort of salad pizza and let the pesto and balsamic from the flatbread balance out the pile of veggies. No surprise it was delicious. I still had more than half left to take home though.

Note: Bring your appetite when you go to Datz, because even the apps are delivered as a healthy portion. The entrees are downright mountainous, but they’re so good you’ll try to finish every bit of them. Don’t be afraid to admit defeat and ask for a doggie bag.

I had to fight my midweek desire for a big ol’ dessert, especially one of the giant slabs of cake, but I managed to say no.

Speaking of desserts though, I did get really excited as I peaked inside the building next door, formerly Kalupa’s Bakery, which has been under renovations since Datz took it over. The reason for my excitement was the interior, which looked remarkably different since I last laid eyes on it.

The best part was the sign…

That’s right, Datz’s Dough is coming soon.

And I am sure that if it’s anything as mouthwatering as what Datz already delivers… I will want to move in.

I’ve drank more beer in the last few days than I think I have all this year so far. I know that doesn’t say much since I’m not really a big drinker, but still.

Fully embracing the week-long holiday that is Tampa Bay Beer Week, Nick and I have plans throughout the week/weekend to take advantage of various special events around town. Sunday’s beer brunch was just the beginning!

Since it was a school work night yesterday though, we opted to take it a little more low key and tried to make it to the Cigar City Brewing tasting event at the South Tampa World of Beer. Unfortunately the event, which started at 5pm (who starts an event at 5pm on a weeknight??) had already wrapped up when we got there around 7pm.

Luckily, I was okay pulling up a stool, conveniently near a portable heater (it was a bit chilly yesterday after-all and the bar is mostly open to the elements), and just relaxing at the bar. WOB’s selection is pretty impressive and I spotted the CCB beer, Evander, from Saturday that Nick had gotten and I really liked (it tastes like molasses), so I quickly ordered the bottle to share.

I nursed my selection for almost an hour while Nick sampled several of the menu highlights. It was actually pretty relaxing there watching the various sports stations and people mingling around the bar.

Perhaps Monday nights out need to become a tradition of some kind?

By the time I finished my part of the bottle, I was ready for some food so we rolled on home where I dove right in to making some favorite comfort food…

Pesto Grilled Cheese with Arugula and Tomato Salad.

Say what you will, but I used KRAFT slices, which I love in grilled cheese because it melts so well, and some leftover almond basil pesto that I made recently.

Not to too my own horn too much, but I make a killer grilled cheese. Butter in the pan, slightly pressed and cooked to golden-browned perfection, this was a real treat to end my Monday. The salad was a perfect compliment to the creamy goodness of the grilled cheese too.

I don’t do grilled cheese every week, but it’s definitely one of my favorite comfort foods.

I happily took my comfort foods and plopped down to watch a movie on my Netflix that I’ve been wanting to watch for a while – Butter.

(Image Source)

Turns out, this movie was AWESOME! It was charming, witty and even laughed a bit at itself with a pretty positive story about a foster child searching for her place in the world. I’m a Jennifer Garner fan anyways, but boy was her character unlikeable! I’ll just say – I was rooting for the stripper. See, now you have to see it to understand that comment.

Nick also enjoyed it and admitted to being somewhat skeptical when I first suggested we watch it. Win!

My other roommate was not as enthused with the movie, opting to doze through most of it, but that’s pretty much the norm. Low expectations with this one…

She’s a good snuggler so we keep her around regardless of her movie watching abilities.

Yesterday was a continuation of Tampa Bay Beer Week with a unique brunch experience – brewery style.

Nick and I had gotten tickets to an event called Eggs & Kegs at Cigar City Brewing hosted by Loko Cuisine. Since it was a pretty easy sell being a brunch at our favorite brewery, the hopes were pretty high. Besides, the menu sounded kind of awesome complete with a BEERmosa (yes, that is like a mimosa, but with beer).

We bundled up on the cool morning and headed over to the industrial park-type setting where the brewery is located in Tampa, and despite knowing the event sold out, were still surprised when we pulled up to a packed parking lot and saw groups of people walking up to the building.

We got… creative in parking and then went to the main building where they had opened one of their brewing rooms (which is basically a big warehouse garage filled with brewing vats lining the walls.

In a surprising twist, the catering company, Loko Cuisine, setup the food area in the center of the room. On a warm day, it would have been a fun and almost creative setup, but the cold temperatures made it downright uncomfortable.

Luckily Nick dashed inside the main tasting room and turned our tickets in for our beermosas and they were delicious.

After waiting in line for 20 minutes, they finally put the food out, buffet style and invited people to dig in. Juggling our beers in one hand and our paper plates in the other, we piled our plates with a pretty mouthwatering array of breakfast items.

I was so excited to have some things that I could eat (only one dish was exclusively meat) that I may have gotten a little carried away…

There were sweet corn cakes, cheesy potatoes layered with eggs, chocolate and creamy custard filled french toast, and some spiced shrimp cocktail.

Once we had loaded up, we wandered inside the tasting room with a slim hope to find an open spot among the few tables inside.

Yeah, that didn’t happen. The place was so packed we pulled up a standing spot by their merchandise corner. Luckily the food and beermosa made up for the lack of seating. Still smiling faces.

Definitely a fun experience, but not sure I’d pay $25 per person for tickets. I expect to at least get a seat and warm place to eat when (call me picky).

Perhaps it was the beer, or perhaps it was that on top of the pile of starch loaded on carbs that I consumed, but it took me the rest of the day recover from breakfast.

Was it worth it? I’m going to say yes, but I think I will do it differently next time around.

Tampa Bay Beer Week continues…

After working last Saturday, I was looking forward to taking it a little bit easier this weekend. Though I was up by 8 a.m., I spent my first couple hours catching up on all my favorite blog feeds and picking out dishes for next week’s meal plan.

I landed on a variety of classic and new recipes for the week…

Week of March 3rd Meal Plan:

• Monday – Grilled Cheese & Salad
• Tuesday – Vegetarian Fajitas
• Wednesday – Dijon Fish & Roasted Veggies
• Thursday – Veggie Flatbread
• Friday – Salmon Cakes & Roasted Potatoes

Once I had my meals planned, I wrote out my grocery list just in time for Nick to wake up and wander out to join me and the cat as we cozied up on the couch. It was a tad bit chilly this morning (it was in the mid 50′s when I woke up – which is cool in FL) so we had wrapped up in blankets.

Since I was originally planning to visit a Community Garden in Tampa for some work research in the afternoon, Nick and I made plans to pop over to LA Fitness for a quick workout. Once we got back and ready, however, I realized I missed my contact at the Community Garden (doh!), because I mixed up the times. Boo.

Instead we decided to go explore a bit. I had heard about Cafe Hey around Valentine’s Day, when Tampa Bay Times wrote an article on the Cafe’s creative take on anti-Valentine’s Day cupcakes. I have been dying to check it out ever since.

We drove through downtown, up N Florida Ave, and crossed over to Franklin St just after the Rt 275 junction and there it was! The neighborhoods in that area are a little.. rougher around the edges and the buildings are a bit on the older side, so I actually drove past Cafe Hey the first time due to it’s unassuming exterior.

The inside of the 8-10 table Cafe was cozy and fun though!

 

Mismatched furniture supplied different sized dining areas and nooks, and colorful local artwork was hung against the exposed brick walls. Each of the eclectic servers were dressed differently and wearing old-fashioned aprons (even the guys).

All the day’s specials were posted on dry erase boards mounted high behind the front counter and upcoming events were taped to the front of the glass case.

As you place your order at the register, a delicious display of homemade baked goods tempts you to take a nibble. The chocolate chip cookies especially were too irresistible so I snapped one up.

One of their daily specials is a tuna salad, so I opted to try the Cranberry Walnut tuna salad in a wrap for my lunch (to go along with my chocolate chip cookie).

The food was incredible and I was really impressed by their selection of vegan and vegetarian options. Plus many of their ingredients were locally sourced and extremely fresh.

Both Nick (who ordered a veggie soup and turkey sandwich) and I are certain we found a new favorite spot in Tampa. I can’t wait to go back and try something else! The cupcakes need to be sampled next…

With full bellies, we took a little drive to where the Community Garden in Seminole Heights is (which I’m visiting next weekend now), then headed to Whole Foods where I picked up a cart-full of groceries.

Nick meanwhile, meandered over to the bar – yes, an actual bar in Whole Foods – so I had to retrieve him before heading out.

Luckily he had picked up a couple of beers for us to sample. The bottles were so creative!

It is officially Tampa Bay Beer Week now, so I was all for sampling. My apricot beer was good, but sweet, even for me. Nick’s choice meanwhile, was like beer flavored liquid molasses. I almost drank all his instead (woops- he he).

We finished off the day with a trip to The Dubliner, which is walking distance from my apartment in Tampa’s SoHo (South Howard) area. They just serve beer, so I opted for the Sea Dog Blueberry…

And there were really blueberries in the bottom! (The bartender added those.) It was so good I had two.

Tampa Bay Beer Week is a pretty serious thing around here, due to the many craft breweries and generally love of a celebration, and there is an event every day through March 10th. It’s pretty much a holiday week packed with beer themed and related events. Breweries even plan take-overs of local bars and setup special food and beer pairing events. So fun!

Our first actual event is Sunday for a special beer and brunch event at Cigar City Brewing.

It should be delicious!

Ohhhhh Monday. You’re back.

No matter how tough it is though, there is a silver lining to Monday…

My grande Starbucks non-fat Vanilla Spice latte, no whip, no foam. Yummy.

Even better, I’m still chipping away at Starbucks gift cards from the holidays so this baby almost feels free!

I even love stopping at my neighborhood Starbucks, which has no drive-thru so you have to go inside. I love seeing the regulars and having some of the baristas actually act like they recognize me (which they really should by now).

It’s just a good start to the day before I turn my car onto the highways and have to inch through crawling traffic until I get to the bridge.

See, there is my silver lining to Mondays.

Plus I got to enjoy delicious leftovers from last night…

Pesto shrimp with arugula and spinach. Yum.

Then of course, I came home to this…

Yes, ladies and gentlemen meet my crazy newspaper borrowing cat. She’s extremely special.

Seriously though, I created my first Vine of her that perfectly captures her pure insanity.

Then I wrapped up the day with a simple two-ingredient dinner. And let me tell you, if you haven’t given Trader Joe’s prepared frozen foods a try, you are missing out. I paired their Chicken-less Mandarin Orange Morsels with steamed broccoli making a yummy, fast meal, plus leftovers since this makes two perfectly sized portions.

I never thought I’d say it, but Mondays may not be that bad.

How was your Monday?