Why? Weekends!

This weekend my dear friend, former bridesmaid, fellow dog-lover, and all around fabulous gal Jen came up from DC for a visit. She brought her black lab Skylos as well, so we had a full house of three people, three dogs, and lots of fun!

Jen is pretty laid-back and her only request for while she was here was dinner at Melt Bar and Grilled. So, Friday night, we headed there for some cheesy, carby goodness. I had the Rising Sun melt, Jen had the Gyro Melt, and Matthew had the Northcoast Shores Melt.

Saturday morning, I met up with my friend Katie to burn off the cheese and carbs at Harmony Yoga. This was Katie’s first power vinyasa class and I was so impressed how far she’s come in just a couple months of practicing.

Saturday afternoon was spent doing a photo shoot. Jen is an awesome photographer who is building up her business in the DC area. She kindly offered to do photo shoots for friends to add to her portfolio. So, we spent a sunny Saturday afternoon bopping around Ohio City and the Flats doing a glamour shoot with an urban backdrop.

We started with lunch at the West Side Market. The Market is a gorgeous backdrop for photos and a must-see for any non-Clevelander, plus we got to eat some tasty crepes from Crepes De Luxe. The Market was absolutely jammed and it was great to see so many people out and about!

From there, it was down to the Flats for some more glamorous photos. I felt like a model and I definitely credit the photographer for that! Matthew also came along and not only got to play around with his camera, but even got pulled into a few photos. It was a really fun experience and I can’t wait to see the finished product!

After all that hard modeling work, it was time for some refreshments. Matthew, Jen, and I met up with Beth and Enzo at Barrio for margaritas and tacos.

I really like Barrio’s build-your-own-taco concept. Don’t be afraid to add on lots of sauces and salsas. The meat was all very mildly seasoned, so you need those add-ons for flavor.

Sunday, it was time for another photo shoot, this time with my too-cute nieces! Apparently, after photos, we just naturally need margaritas. We headed to my mom’s for a southwest-style feast. Alicia and Amanda joined us, too. We started with a beginner’s yoga session to introduce my Mom to yoga, then proceeded to enjoy great food and great conversation.

This morning, Jen is hitting the road back home. It was a whirlwind trip and we packed in as many friends and as much Cleveland goodness as we could. Now I owe Jen a trip to DC!

How was your weekend? When friends visit Cleveland, where do you like to take them?

Why? Merry Christmas!

All of us at Why CLE wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas, a belated Happy Hanukkah, and general Seasons’ Greetings!

In this hustle and bustle of presents and family and food, may you find a moment for quiet reflection and to drink in how blessed you are.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Why? Weekends!

***A bit of blogkeeping: To celebrate Cleveland Beer Week, I’m giving away 2 tickets to Brauhaus in a Beer Garden at The Greenhouse Tavern. Click here to enter! Remember, you can tweet and share on Facebook daily for more entries.***

It was a busy weekend in Cleveland! On Saturday morning, Tobey, Matthew and I got up bright and early to participate in the Monster Mutt Dash 5K to benefit the Berea Animal Rescue Friends (ARF). Since Tobey is a rescue dog, shelters that care for and find good homes for pups have a special place in my heart. In fact, Team Tobey raised $125 for Berea ARF!

While Tobey and I had big plans to “run” the 5K, his little legs got tired around the mile mark, so we’ll tell ourselves we were one of the fastest in the Fun Walk category. Besides the race, there was a Howl-o-ween fair with lots of fun games, prizes, and vendors. We also had a great photo op with the Indians hot dogs, who kicked off the race.

Poat-race, Tobey suffered through wearing his adorable pink hippo costume (I think he’s plotting revenge against me now).

I certainly wasn’t the only pet parent making their pup dress up. We saw tons of cute pooches in costume from Eeyore to Hershey Kisses to bumblebees!

Monster Mutt Dash was a fun morning for both humans and pups! Tobey was tuckered out and slept the whole way home!

Saturday evening, Matthew and I headed to Old Angle Tavern for my friend Theresa’s 30th birthday party. The party was held in the basement room and was all decorated for a celebration.

We munched on pizza, wings, hummus, and veggies and I discovered a tasty hard cider – Magner’s Irish Cider. I’m not usually a fan of hard ciders, but this one was not overly sweet. I also just had a great time catching up with college friends and celebrating with the birthday girl!

Hope 30 is your best year yet, Theresa!

On Sunday, CLEgrandpa wanted to take us out for Sweetest Day, which is just too, well, sweet. Did you know Sweetest Day started in 1921 in Cleveland? Most people outside this area have no idea the “holiday” even exists!

We had dinner at Creekside Restaurant & Bar, which is a favorite with every generation in my family. I enjoyed the pot roast, served over a potato pancake and topped with crispy onion straws. The tender meat and rich gravy is comfort food that hits the spot!

My favorite part of dining at Creekside Restaurant is the dessert case. While I wanted a pumpkin cannoli, they were sold out and so I enjoyed a regular cannoli, while Matthew had a Guinness cream puff. So delicious!

It was a sweet end to a great weekend! How was your weekend, CLE?

 

Why? Weekends!

***A bit of blogkeeping: On Saturday, Tobey and I will be participating in the Monster Mutt Dash 5K to benefit the Berea Animal Rescue. If you’re interested in learning more or donating to Team Tobey, click here.***

Every once in awhile, you need a change of scenery. This weekend, eight friends loaded up the cars and drove east to Chautauqua, New York for a couple days of too much wine, too much food, and just the right amount of crazy fun. We stayed at the Captain Storm House Bed and Breakfast, a perfectly cute and quaint house with plenty of room for four couples.

Friday evening, we hung out around the house, made dinner, played board games, and may have had a room-to-room dance party. We were celebrating being away, being relaxed, and being with wonderful friends.

The one rule we had for the weekend was that we were “off the grid,” which meant no Tweeting, Facebook-ing, emailing, Instagram-ing. Be with the people you’re with, soak in the relaxation, live the moments as they happen rather than trying to reduce them to 140 characters. It was pretty amazing the difference that made.

On Saturday, we went to five of the wineries in the region: Mazza Vineyards, South Shore Wine Company, Quincy Cellars, Noble Winery, and Johnson Estate Winery.

While the wines were a bit hit or miss in terms of taste, every winery we went to was warm and welcoming and cost-friendly, too.

Saturday evening was much like Friday evening, with lots of food and wine and conversation. On Sunday, we checked out the cute town on Bemus Point, then grabbed a beer at Southern Tier Brewing Company.

While I thought I’d choose to have Pumking straight from the source, I went with the 2X Stout and was pleased with this tasty milk stout. We also got some beers to take home with us.

It was a fabulous weekend of relaxing, unwinding, and taking time to just enjoy each other’s company. If you ever wonder what blogging has given me (and there’s a lot), my friendships with these ladies and their husbands top my list.

Here’s to making this a yearly tradition!

Why? Puppypalooza!

Hi guys! This is Tobey, CLEpup reporting to you about Cleveland Indians Puppypalooza. That’s when pups like me get to go to the ballpark! I was so excited: I went to Puppypalooza last year too and had so much fun! I couldn’t wait to do it again.

First, they had a fair where I got to meet Wally Waterdrop and the nice people from Q104.

I also met Jake the Diamond Dog. I want to be like Jake someday.

Then I got to walk around the field. I helped my new friend Tucker and my old friend Furio stay in line. I’m a very good dog like that.

After I got off the field, I got to meet my hero – Mustard. Mustard gets to be on the field all the time and he never cheats like that Ketchup guy. Mom says she likes Onion best because she has a purse like Mom’s. But for me, Mustard is the best!

Mom and Dad were excited because it was Dollar Dog Night. I think I should get more than a dollar. I try to help clean up when Mom spills stuff while cooking and I always go out when I’m told. I only ran away one time and I had a really good reason. But anyway, Dollar Dog I guess means the people eat really cheap. I got to have a “dog” too. I don’t like to call them that, though.

Then I was on the big TV. I was dancing to my favorite song. My Mom and I dance to it all the time. It’s about calling me about cookies…or something…

Anyway, Mom and Dad are the best for taking me to Puppypalooza.

***Disclosure from the blogkeeper: I was offered 1 human ticket and 1 dog ticket from the Cleveland Indians to attend Puppypalooza in the Social Suite. As always, all opinions are 100% my own. Or Tobey’s. As previously mentioned, I’m a crazy dog lady.***

Why? Weekends!

***A bit of blogkeeping: I’m giving away 2 sets of VIP tickets to the Shoes and Clothes for Kids Luau on the Lake. The giveaway runs until Tuesday, July 10, so check it out!***

This week was all messed up with the holiday smack dab in the middle. So, I kind of felt like the weekend snuck up on me. On Thursday evening, Matthew and I met up with friends Nathan and Lane to check out Sweetie Fry. Since Lane already guest posted here about Sweetie Fry, I’ll keep it short: You must try it! You’ll feel like a kid eating nothing but french fries and ice cream for dinner, but it’s so good!

Matthew tried the chicken parmesan fries and I had the bacon cheese fries. The white cheddar and chunks of real bacon made these fries a treat!

I had heard rave reviews about the goat cheese honey ice cream, but it was no longer on the menu. I ended up with cookies and cream, a classic choice, with a “sweetie scoop” of french toast ice cream on top. The french toast ice cream reminded me of Cinnamon Toast Crunch and I will definitely be ordering a full scoop of that next time.

I started Saturday morning off with a hot, sweaty flow at Nishkama Yoga. I’ve never practiced Bikram, but I think practicing anywhere on Saturday counted as Bikram. It was SO hot!

Saturday afternoon, our friend Brian hosted another chance to sample his tasty Burgalicious burgers at Toth’s Place.

His newest burger is a mushroom swiss burger, with the mushrooms mixed right into the patty. Really tasty and juicy, but the patty still held together too. Nice job, Brian! Burgalicious burgers can be ordered and shipped right to you, so check out his Facebook page for more details!

After that, Matthew and I decided to head up to downtown Willoughby for a couple beers. We started at The 1899 Pub, where I tried a Curious Traveler Shandy. It’s a very lemon-y shandy, but I thought it was great for a hot summer evening on a patio.

From there, we went to The Wild Goose. Continuing to try new beers, Matthew checked out the Batch 19, which is made from an old prohibition beer recipe. I went with a long-time favorite: La Fin du Monde.

I really enjoy the pubs in downtown Willoughby: a lot have a laid back feel, they aren’t too expensive, and you can get a great selection of craft beer!

Sunday, we celebrated two birthdays. First, the elder CLEpup – Samantha – turned 14! Happy birthday, pup!

We also celebrated my brother-in-law Andrew’s birthday with a party at his house. It was a nice day of kids, food, and fun.

I got to spend a lot of time with my neice Leila, who is just the cutest kid ever!

Another summer weekend in the books! How was your weekend? What new answers to Why CLE did you discover?

Why? Pupsicle!

Hi, guys! CLEpup here. It’s been awhile since I stopped by to say hi.

It was so hot to be so fuzzy yesterday. Plus, I had to go see the vet lady. I don’t like that very much. She pinched me three times!

Maybe you had a rough day, too. You know what always makes me feel better? Popsicles on the porch. Here, I’ll show you how to do it:

Happy Summer, everyone!

***This is actually CLEpup, in his YouTube debut. He’s hoping to go viral by noon.***

Why? Home Cooking!

If you read the blog, it’s no secret that I love to eat and I love to write about cool new places in CLE to get good food. But, I also really love to cook and so I thought I’d share a recent home-cooking adventure. My grandma used to say that you shouldn’t make anything for company that you haven’t made before. This is probably good for your company, but not always practical. So, when I decided to make dinner for CLEmom’s birthday, I went with two new-to-me recipes.

For dinner, I decided to serve red-wine braised short ribs. I found the recipe for the short ribs on The Little Kitchen and you can read and print it here. I was drawn to this recipe because of the red wine glaze, but also the use of lots of vegetables and spices, as well as the long cooking time to get the short ribs tender and flavorful.

You make the short ribs in the slow cooker, but there is a fair bit of prep work before you start. I’m used to slow cooker recipes that basically require you to throw everything in the pot and turn it on. First, I needed to de-bone the short ribs and both brown the meat and cook up the bones. I got my short ribs from my previously-mentioned go-to butcher, Pinzone’s Market Fresh Meats.

The dogs were pretty intrigued by this much meat smell at 6am (with the long cook time, you need to get this in the slow cooker early). Also, if you’ve never butchered short ribs at 6am, you’re really missing out.

From there, it was time to cook the vegetables, then make the sauce with red wine, balsamic vinegar, and thyme. I used Ravenswood Cabernet Sauvignon for the sauce. Since you’ll have about half a bottle left after making the sauce, pick a wine that you like and enjoy it with your short ribs dinner!

It’s OK to leave your vegetables roughly chopped for this recipe. While they stay in the slow cooker the whole time, you remove them before serving the meat. Next, you get to the typical slow cooker recipe part: throw everything in the pot, turn it on, and go away for 10 hours.

I will say, the house smelled great even before I turned the slow cooker on and the flavors only built over the cooking time. I served the short ribs with mashed potatoes and asparagus. I like to leave the skins on the potatoes for two reasons: (1) It tastes good and (2) I hate peeling potatoes. I seasoned the asparagus with garlic and basil olive oil, wrapped it in foil, and baked it in a 350-degree oven for 30 minutes.

The end result was a very tasty meal! The vegetable and wine flavors permeated the meat, which was fall-apart tender after all the time in the slow cooker. This is a great winter meal and is something that will make your guests feel like they’re getting something really special.

For dessert, I made blueberry cobbler, with blueberries from the West Side Market. You can read and print the cobbler recipe here. The best thing about the cobbler is that it doesn’t call for a lot of sugar, but rather uses the natural sweetness of the berries. It was a delicious finish to the meal and a nice alternative to the traditional birthday cake.

It can be just as fun and exciting (and tasty) to enjoy a good meal at home as it is to enjoy a good meal in one of CLE’s great restaurants. Making a celebratory dinner for my mom, who taught me how to cook and how to enjoy spending time in the kitchen, was particularly special. I hope you try out these recipes and enjoy them as much as we did. And then, the next night, enjoy a fabulous meal out. It’s all about balance, after all…

Have a great weekend, CLE!

Why? 11 Random Facts About Me!

Last week, MojaMala2 tagged me in her 11 Random Facts post. Never one to pass up a blogging meme, I figured I’d participate. Here are the rules:

The Rules:

• Post these rules
• You must post 11 random things about yourself
• Answer the questions set for you in their post
• Create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer
• Go to their blog and tell them you’ve tagged them
• No stuff in the tagging section about you are tagged if you are reading this. You legitimately have to tag 11 people!

OK, well, I’m going to modify the rules a little bit. The people who have already done the meme have tagged just about everyone in the blogosphere that I would have tagged. So, I’ll simply give you the 11 facts and answer Moja’s 11 questions.

Random Facts About Me

1. I HATE bananas. Even as a kid, I wouldn’t eat them.

Image Source - alazyjfishingcharter.com

2. I didn’t get my drivers license until I was 24 years old.

3. I’ve never been on a Tremont Art Walk. Bad Clevelander!

4. CLEguy and I met on Match.com. I totally think we’re cute enough to be on a commercial, don’t you?!

5. I didn’t play any sports in high school, but I was a captain on the Speech & Debate team.

6. When Bar Symon was open, I went to every monthly craft beer dinner there, but one. The one I missed was because CLEguy’s sister was having her baby, so it was a worthwhile trade-off.

7. CLEmom and I lived with CLEgrandpa while I was growing up. A three-generation household is an interesting challenge.

8. In between boomeranging back to CLE, I lived in DC for three years and Denver for one year.

9. My dream job is teaching constitutional law. Yes, I’m a geek. See, also, #5.

10. CLEpup is my first-ever rescue dog and I’m never going back to anything else.

11. “Cowboy Take Me Away” by the Dixie Chicks was the first country song I fell in love with and got me hooked on country music.

Now to Moja’s questions:

What are you wearing? Black yoga pants, t-shirt, lululemon jacket

What is your dream race to run? If I liked running/still wanted to run, then the Cleveland Marathon.

Where is your favorite vacation spot? Really anywhere warm, tropical, and beachy.

What was your last dream about? I honestly don’t remember.

Would you rather be too hot or too cold? Too hot. I’m a freeze baby and HATE being cold.

If you had to listen to one song on repeat forever what would it be? “Like the Rain” by Clint Black. It’s beautiful and haunting and his voice is amazing.

What was your favorite school subject? (Do not say recess) In high school, probably English. I always loved to read and write.

If you could go back to school would you study the same things or pick a different major? This is actually a big question for me at the moment. I’d keep both my undergrad major (political science) and grad school (law) the same. But I’d be more sure about how I wanted to use the degrees after school.

Are you an Apple fan or Android fan? Apple.

Any tattoos or piercing? Are they visible? I have my ears pierced. Yes, my ears are visible

Favorite alcoholic beverage? A big red wine…mostly Zinfandel these days.

Happy Friday, CLE!

Why? Weekends!

I was a homebody this weekend, CLE. Between not making plans and the snow, I had a little “at home” R&R and I have to say, it was pretty great!

Friday morning, I decided to try a new (for me) class at Fitworks: Dance/Step/Weights. Through this class I learned that I have no problem making a complete fool of myself in a windowed room where everyone else at the gym can see you. Other things I learned: I am clearly the most uncoordinated human being on the planet and CLEguy and I better register for dance lessons before the wedding.

Friday evening, I had some friends over for a girls’ night in. CLEguy had gone up to Detroit for the Auto Show, so a giggly, gossipy, wine-infused evening was clearly in the cards.

We ate take-out Chinese food,

watched “Gilmore Girls” (I got the complete series for Christmas),

and pretty much talked non-stop. Girls’ nights in are good for the soul!

The next morning, I got up bright and early with every intention of helping my friend Beth and her husband move into their new house. However, I was greeted with this:

Completely unable to even get out of my driveway, I had to bail on helping move boxes and settle in to being stranded. Nature was forcing me to relax. So, in honor of the many games of “Family Feud” I played on the iPad that day, here’s the top things I did while snowed in:

1. Watched more “Gilmore Girls.”

2. Finally started reading the third book in “The Girl with a Dragon Tattoo” series.

3. Made dough for homemade pizza crust and homemade bread.

4. Finished the wine from Friday night.

5. Bundled up and attempted to shovel the driveway/missed the days of living in a condo where they would shovel for me/ended up paying the neighbor kids $20 and some brownies to do it for me.

6. Drove the pups crazy (and vice versa).

All in all, being stranded wasn’t so bad. It’s rare for me to “time-out” like that on a weekend, but maybe I need to do more of it.

Sunday, CLEguy and I had the final walk-through of our house and it went perfectly. As I mentioned, we’ve been house-hunting and everything seems to be falling into place so well.

For Sunday dinner, I made classic beef stew in the slow cooker. Not only did it make the house smell yummy for the walk-through, it’s also a perfect wintertime meal. I also used the rest of the dough I made Saturday to make homemade bread for sopping up the stew. Delicious!

Since we wanted to celebrate the walk-through going well, we popped a bottle of bubbly, which does not pair all that well with stew. Oh well, it was still a nice celebration! We should be in our new house by the beginning of March! Now, who wants to help pack boxes?!

Hope you had a great weekend, CLE! If you actually got out and about in the world, tell me what you did!