Weekend Recap - 4th of July Edition

This past weekend was glorious! 

A lot of relaxing, a bit of celebrating, grilling out, sun and lots of togetherness with friends and family!

Here are a few highlights from the holiday weekend!  

Wednesday evening Derek and I walked the mile and a half to St Anthony Main! 

Where we enjoyed a bottle of wine, and an amazing dessert (a brownie sundae) at Wild Roast Cafe.  We must have gotten to the restaurant right at the perfect time - we didn't even have to wait for a table outside!  The weather was beautiful and the view amazing! 

Thursday (Happy 4th) Derek and I woke up fairly early and hit the gym! A few hours later we had a picnic packed and bikes in the car!  We were off to meet my friend Bri for a day of bike riding around the beautiful Minnesota lakes! 

We ended up riding about 15 miles around Lake Harriet, Lake Calhoun and Lake of the Isles!  

The weather was perfect and the lakes were buzzing with 4th of July activity!  

We met up with Derek's cousin Nate and friends around Lake Harriet - Nate and his friends were spending the day biking to each beach in Minneapolis and jumping in the lake at each stop! 

Once they had all splashed around in Lake Calhoun we ended up heading to Urban Eatery  for a few drinks before Derek and I headed home to get ready for Nate's cookout! 

I told you in this post that the 4th just isn't the 4th without a cook out! Pre fireworks we grilled out at Nate's enjoying where we sat on his back porch enjoying the beautiful evening!  

After dinner all of us wandered down the 2 blocks to Lake Calhoun to watch the fireworks over the lake! 

Friday I unfortunately had to work but after a quick 5 hours and a little packing Derek and I were off to his aunt and uncles lake house!  Derek and I spent the rest of the weekend relaxing with his family, soaking up the sun, and water skiing!   It was a great way to end the weekend! 

Now its back to work - but only for a few days stay tuned Derek and I are off on a road trip adventure! 

Happy 4th of July

Wishing you all a wonderful and safe holiday!

Source: goodrecipesonline.com via Peggy Banks DIYCraftyProjects.com on Pinterest

Go enjoy a day of celebrating, grilling out, and fireworks!
Happy 4th of July everyone! 

Recipe Round Up - 4th of July Style

Hard to believe that in just a few days we will be celebrating the 4th of July!  4th of July in my mind stands for celebrating our nation, enjoying time with family and friends, fireworks and an amazing cook out!

Source: topdreamer.com via Michel on Pinterest

I have never been one to make huge 4th of July plans (I am a more low key sorta girl) but grilling out and being with family and friends is always a must on our nations Birthday! 4th of July just wouldn't be the same for me without grilling up a great meal and of course some fireworks!

Source: ourhumbleabodeblog.com via Claudia on Pinterest

So in honor of the upcoming holiday, here are my must make 4th inspired recipes!  Read on for the recipes- but I am warning you these recipes do look mouth watering!

Weekend Recap - Out and About in Minneapolis

This past weekend Derek and I were busy out and about on Minneapolis and Stillwater! 

I feel like our weekend truly started on Thursday when we met up with another couple for dinner and drinks at The Union!

We enjoyed a lovely evening on The Union's awesome roof top overlooking the beautiful Minneapolis skyline!

Friday I headed to Stillwater so we could enjoy the lovely weather on Derek's friends boat! We enjoyed a relaxing evening chatting, drinking wine and enjoying the scenery!  

Saturday I hit up the Minneapolis Farmers Market with Nikki, Katie, Bridge and the babies!  The Minneapolis Farmers Market is a nice 10 minute walk from my apartment which is convenient - no need to try and find parking!

I was extremely impressed with the farmers market on Saturday! The farmers market was absolutely huge with rows upon rows of gorgeous produce, delicious baked goods and beautiful flowers!  I picked up a ton of fresh produce including some wonderful strawberries, blueberries and the best tasting cherry tomatoes! Once we were done wandering around we headed back to myplace to meet up with Derek for lunch!

We all hit up Lunds and enjoyed lunch out on the Lund's patio!  Of course lunch wouldn't have been complete without a little Sebastian Joe's Ice Cream - the cookies and cream was the best I have had!

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Once we said goodbye to the ladies and the babies Derek and I decided to rent a few Nice Ride bikes (read about them here) and tool around Minneapolis!

We ended up going for a 9.5 mile bike ride around the city before it was time to get ready to attend the 15th Annual Jazz Fest in St. Paul with Derek's cousin Nate!

Jazz Fest is one of the largest jazz events in the Twin Cities and is a free event for anyone to attend!   The event took place in Mears Park which is tucked away in downton St. Paul!  The event was packed with people enjoying the music and beautiful weather!

It was great to be outside enjoying music, experiencing something different and enjoying the company of  good friends!

Our weekend wrapped up with church, a lazy afternoon by the pool, a short and sweet run, grilling and a movie!

Happy Tuesday All!

Crab Cakes with Roasted Asparagus

When I was searching for a veggie side to go with our crab cakes the other day I came across the 20th Anniversary:Best Recipes compilation from Cooking Light.  As I was clicking through the various recipes this roasted asparagus recipe jumped out at me.  After looking through the recipe and noticing I had all the ingredients on hand, I knew I had to make this recipe to go along side our crab cakes! 

Veggies to me are one of the easiest thing to add to your meal to instantly complete it!  Veggies are versatile  easy to prepare and just plain delicious!  Not only did the below crab cake win approval from my crab cake loving boyfriend but the asparagus did too!  

Enjoy these crab cakes tonight and don't forget your veggies! 

Cajun Style Crab Cakes:

6-8 Crab Cakes 

1Lb Lump Crab Meat

1/2 Cup Panko Bread Crumbs 

1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard

1.5 Tablespoons Light Mayo 

1 Teaspoon Black Pepper 

2 Teaspoons Cajun Seasoning 

1/4 Cup chopped onion 

2 Cloves chopped garlic 

1 Beaten egg

1- Combine egg, mayo and mustard stirring until combined.  

2- Add your crab meat to your egg mixture.  Stir until crab is completely covered in your egg mixture.

3- Add panko bread crumbs and seasoning to crab.   

4- Form crab mixture into 6-8 patties. 

5- Heat a non stick skillet lightly coated with 1 tbs olive oil. 

6- Add 3 crab cakes to the pan and cook on each side until lightly browned - about 1-2 minutes on each side.  Repeat with remaining crab cakes. 

Serve immediately with choice of sauce and sides! 

Enjoy! 

  

Workout Shake Up - Barre Bliss

For the past week I have been shaking up my fitness routine at Barre Bliss! 

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Barre Bliss is a local fitness studio in Minneapolis that offers barre classes, yoga, cycling and barre bliss boot camp!  

I am loving the excitement and variety that I am getting from doing a few classes a week at Barre Bliss!

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So far I have taken a cycling class, yoga (let's hope I get my flexibility back) and the Barre Bliss boot camp which has been one of my favorites!  I  finding that mixing up my workout routine has helped me break out of the little workout rut I feel like I have been sinking in! Plus I am getting back in the groove of early week day mornings (hello again 5:20 AM) and it feels great! 

Not only has it been fun to shake up my fitness routine but I have seriously enjoyed trying something new and spending quality time with some of my girlfriends! 

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So if you haven't already I suggest you get out there and try a barre class! I swear you will enjoy it! You might even get hooked! 

Read more about what a barre class is here, here and a few helpful tips here!

Happy Wednesday!

Weekend Recap - Bayfield WI Edition

This past weekend Derek and I drove 4 hours to spend a semi long weekend with my family in beautiful Bayfield WI! 

I had mentioned in this post that my entire family was going up North for the weekend to celebrate a belated Father's Day, my momma's birthday and the little ones birthday as well! 

And even though the weather was less then perfect most of the weekend, we had a blast!  It was nice to be able to get away for a short amount of time and just simply relax.  We had no real plans, no agenda or place to be and I loved it! 

Once Derek and I got to Bayfield on Friday we relaxed for a bit before getting ready for our big celebratory dinner!  My dad had made reservations at Wild Rice which is one of the nicer restaurants in the Bayfield area!  

I loved the open layout of the restaurant, the food, wine list and even the quirky bathroom decor! 

I sampled the local white fish and trout for dinner (sorry no pictures) and it was delicious.  What did everyone else enjoy?  Scallops and steak of course!  Our meal ended with a delicious molton chocolate cake and a selection of sorbets!  An excellent way to end a great meal! 

Once dinner was over we all decided it was time to turn in for the evening so we could enjoy a jam packed Saturday!  Unfortunately Saturday we woke up to overcast skies and drizzle but we made the most of our day!   Early Saturday morning my mom, Derek and I meandered around downtown before finally returning back to our condo with the most delicious and decadent of breakfast! 

Winebread, Carmel rolls and cinnamon rolls! 

In Bayfield the Candy Shoppes famous for their winebread.  Read about it here and here.  The Candy Shoppes winebread is dough (much like cinnamon bread dough) which is rolled out, topped with a fruit topping, folded, baked and finally topped with the most amazing cream cheese icing!  The wine bread and rolls were heavenly!  A perfect birthday treat for my mom and a great way to kick start our day!  After the whole gang showered and got pretty we headed back out to explore and shop 

before finally making our way to a local winery for wine tasting! 

I have to say I think the All Sisters' Winery may have been the highlight of everyones day! We spent hours there tasting the fabulous wine, taking pictures, enjoying each others company and chatting with Caitlin the winemaker/owner!   It was such an amazing experience!  Read about the All Sister's Winery here - it truly is an awesome story (Mother/daughter owned)!  And if your ever in the Bayfield area go check it out! 

So after our 2 hour tasting and a case of wine later we were off again for dinner at Ethel's at 250.  One word somes of dinner - fabulous!  Great pasta! 

Our night ended with wine, Farkle and relaxing! 

Sunday our final day in Bayfield (at least for Derek and I)  we were welcomed by sunshine and 80 degree weather which was perfect for our ferry trip to Madeline Island! 

We spent the afternoon walking around Madeline Island snapping pictures and just being regular old tourist!  We enjoyed lunch at The Pub before taking the ferry back across Lake Superior to Bayfield. 

 To say it was a great weekend might be a bit of an understatement!  We had a fabulous time and I truly wish we could have stayed longer!  And if your ever in the mood for an up North trip I highly recommend checking out quaint little Bayfield! 

Happy Tuesday everyone!