Happy Halloweeney!

As many of you know, I absolutely love the fall season. What better way to use the harvest than to decorate with plump pumpkins, eat rich treats, and dress up in a costume and make yourself look like a fool? I was lucky enough to be a part of a Halloween party this weekend at Claudio's apartment. Two of his friends decorated the whole house with spooky decor and I cooked up a few treats for the guests.

Each year I ponder what great costume I want to throw on. This year I was short on ideas and one day it just hit me: Rick Ricardo and Lucy from the great sitcom "I Love Lucy." Of course, I'm a redhead, and Claudio is Hispanic, so it all works!

Ricky and Lucy :)

Yep, Lucy hung out with "Pretty Woman" and a ambiguous spy-girl.

I love Halloween! Have a happy and safe one if you haven't already. Thanks for reading!

Senate and Hofbräuhaus

For about a month I have been scheming plans of a perfect birthday weekend for Claudio. I wanted this year to be extra special so I brainstormed ideas for a surprise and good place to eat. Thanks to my friend Peta (a local), I chose Senate restaurant in Over-the-Rhine, Cincinnati.

Senate sparked my interest not only for its location in OTR, but the fact that it looks swanky and serves hot dogs! Yes, hot dogs. First off, this was a stretch for me because I am not a huge connoisseur of franks. However, this venue does not serve the usual meat and bun. Plus, Claudio loves hot dogs (ie; the Chilean version). So on Friday night we made our way down to Senate and the birthday boy was quite impressed by the menu and atmosphere, as was I.

The locale is small but has attitude. Our wait was about 30 minutes but the host took my phone number to let us know when our table was ready. We sat in a long booth connected to other patrons. We enjoyed conversing with others about their choices before we made our own. I opted for a vegetarian dog with arugula, goat cheese, onions and sun-dried tomatoes. Claudio chose the "Lindsey Lohan," which included an all-beef dog with carmelized onions, goat cheese and arugula with a balsamic dressing.

My delicious dog.

Claudio's choice.

We also had some "truffle" fries to accompany our hot dogs. The fries were quaintly served in a glass cup along with an aioli sauce on the side.  We finished off with this delectable white chocolate hazelnut creme brulee. Very worth it!

Pleasantly stuffed after our delicious meal.

I give Senate mad props for combining a small unique atmosphere with great service and hot dogs we will definitely come back for. You must check it out if you're in town!

After leaving the restaurant, I was keeping in contact with the surprise group waiting for us at Hofbrähaus. Claudio requested we go to Barnes and Noble to take a peek at the books, so this worked out great for stalling. Eventually I told him we had to leave and I had to take him somewhere, blind-folded. We made our way outside to the Levee where I proceeded to blind-fold him. This experience was too good! People were staring and smiling at us as we walked from the Levee to Hofbra. A group of old ladies yelled happy birthday as the carriage drivers gawked in curiosity. After quickly gaining Claudio's trust, we made it to the surprise. He was so happy to see all his friends at one of his favorite pubs! 

It was my first time at Hofbrahaüs and it was definitely something new and fun to experience. The German brewery is large and lively at night time. The long wooden benches are filled with jovial patrons, holding their filled liters of German beer. We spent our time conversing while some ate German meals and listened to the live band. Definitely fun times for a large group. Here are some photos from our fun nite:

Beth and I attempting to be German.

Enjoying our brews. (Yeah, I'm drinking beer!??)

All in all, verrry good night! The birthday was a success and much fun for everyone. I would definitely recommend Senate and Hofbrähaus to anyone seeking to step outside the usual pub/restaurant box in the Cincinnati area. 

Mokka and The Sunset Bar and Grill, and other good eats.

This weekend was filled with delicious treats and good company. Friday night Claudio and I prepared some soup I bought in Chile. It was "crema de lentejas," lentil cream. It's basically an instant soup but very good! For dessert, we tried something new.

How good does that look?? I hallowed out two apples just enough to fill them with some vanilla ice cream. We then melted some manjar (dulce de leche from Chile) with half and half and poured it over the top.

Claudio is pretty pumped about his dessert.

It was simply autumn on a plate.

My parents came up to visit us on Saturday. The weather was windy, but just warm enough. We traveled  up to Newport to eat at Mokka. I had read about this restaurant in the weekend magazine. It was a great find! All four of us enjoyed different plates that were all uniquely delicious. My dad had "goetta" on an english muffin with a fruit cup. My mom enjoyed a veggie wrap with roasted peppers, onions, and lettuce with a sauce. Claudio had the goetta grinder on a bun with a side of crispy sweet potato fries. My sandwich of choice was the smoked salmon BLT. Although we had to wait a while for the food to come out, it was definitely worth the wait. I would love to go back sometime for their breakfast. They also have seasonal offerings such as pumpkin pancakes. 

Claudio and I standing outside, ready for a much-needed walk after filling our stomachs.

Definitely worth a try! My restaurant advice: avoid chains and look for local and unique places. Also, read the local newspaper for reviews and spots you might not find otherwise. And never ever order the same thing as the person sitting next to you. Why order the same when you can try different choices?

I'm looking forward to this next weekend as well. If you're in the Cincinnati area, I encourage you to go to the Factory Square Fine Arts Festival. I have never been but I am excited to see a lot of great work and get inspired. Cheers!

Apples and Art

This weekend some friends and I experimented a little in the kitchen. We made "apple pie," the drinkable kind. This was a great warm fall treat. Basically, our recipe consisted of apple juice, apple cider, cinnamon sticks, and sugar. This came to a boil and simmered a little to get the flavor of the cinnamon. After cooling a little, we added vanilla vodka. It turned out pretty good! However, my attempt at "cookie bowls" failed. The idea was to put cookie dough on a muffin tin flipped over. This way, the cookies bake on the opposite side, forming bowls. The problem was, I put too much dough and not enough non-stick spray. Next time, less dough and I think I'll use foil on the tin.

Along with our apple drinks, we played apples to apples!

After reading the card "hardworking" of Adam's, I then said that if anyone had "Mexicans" he would choose it. Well, Andrew pulled out the Mexico card.

Sunday, Claudio and I went to Covington to check out "Art Off Pike." It was a small art festival with vendors selling their work. It was nice to see all the different media including pottery, paintings, prints, and jewelry. This makes me want to get my life in order so I can paint more often and sell my work! 

Here's a photo of a mural next to the festival.

All in all, very good weekend. I've been dreading this week though, one more week of recruiting for the tutoring program I'm working with! I'm glad I'll be done with this job, but also stressed if I'll get another position. I'm still looking for other options, so if you're in the area and know of anything, please let me know. Have a great week!

Yes, I'm on Reddit.

Peer Pressure. Yep, it still exists even when you're outside of college. BUT, this is not why I'm on Reddit.  I have known about this website for quite a while due to Claudio being such an enthusiast. Most of his friends are "redditers" as well. I'm not sure I could give it the description it deserves considering I just made my account the other day. However, in short, it's a website with many interests where you can browse and discuss. It's not just for gaming nerds after all! (No offense.)

So far, these are a few of my subscriptions:

-ArtCrit
-Bicycling
-Museums
-Coffee
-Feminisms
-Earth Porn
-Fitness
-Fonts
-Food
-Thrifty
-Interior Design

Yep, that's about it for now. I think I will enjoy the occasional browsing and posting. We'll see how it goes! Check it out for yourself ;)

A Weekend in Cincy

This weekend proved itself to be refreshing with a mixture of good company, stress relief, inspiration, and attitude change. After ending my Friday workday with stress and frustration, I headed out to see Abstrk, an exhibition at Manifest gallery in Cincinnati.

I was aware of this small gallery by the web but learned my former painting professor would be in the show. One of Boris Zakic’s pieces made an appearance at the small gallery among other works. Manifest is located on a small street off W.H. Taft, somewhat near the Cincinnati Art Museum. The exhibition focused on abstract works from artists around the country. Some pieces had a basis in real objects, such as those in a landscape, while other pieces created objects through abstract forms. I am enthralled by the idea of creating objects through the abstract. By painting abstractly, one can turn certain paint daubs into objects that have no specific definition. I hope to explore this more now that I have my painting supplies with me.

After hanging out with friends Friday night, it was nice to sleep in a little on Saturday. Claudio and I spent some time enjoying a calm day in his apartment. I broke out my easel, masonite, and paints as he read for class and we listened to the Sufjan Stevens radio on Pandora. Later, we joined friends to eat at Buca di Beppo, a family-style Italian restaurant. It was delicious! If you’ve never been, they serve large portions to share among your group. Each dining room has a theme and large tables ideal for the family. Seven of us shared a large salad, calamari, and three pasta dishes. It was very affordable, about $12 each.

On Sunday my brother dropped by on his way down from our farm in Indiana to visit Claudio and me. We went to Coffee Emporium in Over-the-Rhine. I had heard about this café from various people so I knew it had to be somewhat good. This location has a plethora of locally roasted beans from multiple countries, fresh-brewed coffees, and sweets from local shops. We enjoyed coffee and shared a Reeses’ pieces cookie. As we sat outside at a table, in the breeze and warm sun, I sipped my earthy coffee as Andrew and Claudio puffed cigars. What a great Sunday!

Andrew and Claudio enjoyed their cigars outside Coffee Emporium.

Claudio and I standing outside ArtWorks next to a knitted column. I'm holding my new coffee :)

So far, this city inspires me. There is so much going on in the arts community here. The neighborhoods are filled with local coffee shops, ethnic restaurants, live bands, and art galleries. This is what I needed. I am so ready to get my feet wet in this new experience and find my niche. There are so many things I want to do. God is good and may he show me the way.