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! 

(source)

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!

(source) 

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! 

(source)

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! 

Family Getaway - Bayfield WI

This weekend my family Derek and I are off to beautiful Bayfield WI.

Bayfield is a meer 4 hours away from Minneapolis and is located right on Lake Superior.  

Recently described as the best small town in the midwest (source) - Bayfield has many things to offer such as exploring the sea caves on Lake Superior

 biking around Madeline Island,   hiking, shopping and enjoying local dining in a number of quaint restaurants.  And lets not forget the beautiful scenery - who wouldn't want to wake up and stare at this while drinking coffee?

So what exactly are our plans this weekend besides relaxing?  Well eat of course, exploring, I am sure a bit of shopping and hopefully biking and hiking if it is nice!   We are also having a late Father's Day celebration and celebrating my mom and sister's birthdays!  I am looking forward to a weekend of being with family and relaxing!

And I thought since it is the weekend and all that I would leave you with some tasty recipes!

Strawberry Shortake - Cooking Light

Strawberry Spinach Salad - An all time favotie - Cooking Light

Apple Crip - Martha Stewart

 

PS - these are all apple and berry recipes because Bayfield is known for their orchards and berry farms!

Enjoy and Happy Friday!

Chicago Highlights

I always cherish the time with friends no matter how short it is! 

And this past weekend in Chicago was no different! 

We celebrated

 Ate, 

(Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba amazing sangria)

Laughed, 

and just plain enjoyed each others company! 

I was so happy to be able to celebrate Kari at her bachelorette party, see some of my best college friend and reconnect with my bestie Rhaves! 

It was a wonderful long weekend that ended to quickly! 

Chi Town Bound!

Just a little inspiration for this fine Thursday morning as I am about to jet set to Chicago to spend a long weekend with some very dear friends!

Source: suzyspeaks.com via Hilliary @ Brunch and Cupcakes on Pinterest

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!  
Stay tuned for a weekend recap next week! 

Live Your Dream

My mom sent me this quote today while I was at work:

"By Recording your dreams and goals on paper, you set in motion the process of becoming the person you most want to be.  Put your future in good hands - your own." - Mark Victor Hansen

I found this so inspirational!  Go and become the person you want to be!  Live your Dreams! 

Happy Tuesday!

6 Things from the Weekend

With another week beginning I thought I would share 6 highlights from a wonderful weekend that has come to a close.  Such a wonderful weekend full of friends, family and impromptu moments!  Take a look at how I spent my weekend... 

1- Patio dinner overlooking the beautiful Minneapolis skyline with our friends Katie and Ryan! 

(Source)

It was my first time eating at Tuggs in St Anthony and Maine and let me tell you I fell in love with this charming part of Minneapolis! 

2 - A beautiful 5 mile run Saturday morning along my favorite downtown trail! First long run since Derek and my half marathon!  Beautiful scenery! 

 Love running along the Stone Arch Bridge! 

3- A little impromptu shopping!  

(Found Here) 

I picked up the above maxi skirt and the below cocktail dress on a whim this weekend!  I really been obsessing over stripes and maxi skirts lately. 

(Found Here) 

4 - A lovely evening backyard wedding! 

Derek and I attended his cousins wedding Saturday night and had a blast with family!  The evening was laid back and casual which I loved!  

5-A spur of the moment rainy day DIY projects! 

My apartment is slowly looking more and more like a home!  An early morning Ikea trip led to this lovely afternoon project! 

6- And last but not least - good quality time with an old friend!  Always good to catch up and reminisce! 

What did you do this weekend?

Weekend Plans - City Pages 2013 Beer Fest

Despite the fact that this work we was only 4 days long due to having Monday off for Memorial Day... This work week felt like one of the longest!  I feel like the weather is mostly to blame.  Minnesota went from bright sunny skies to dark gloomy and rainy!  But I am not here this morning to talk about the weather or my long week!  I am here to tell you about the 2013 City Pages Beer Fest that Derek and I are attending tonight with some friends! 

Now for those of you who know me well you know I am not a beer drinker.  Wine would be my drink of choice!  You can actually count the number of beers I enjoy and will drink on 3 fingers.   And on top of only liking 3 beers I truly have to be in the mood to drink a beer!  But non the less I thought this would be a fun weekend event and something different to do on a Saturday night! 

The City Pages Beer Fest is being held downtown Minneapolis a mere 3 minute walk from my apartment (I saw them setting up tents yesterday from my gym window), and is featuring live music, food trucks and of course beer tasting!  This particular beer fest is one of the longest running of its kind and is returning to downtown minneapolis for its 21st year!  There will be over 20+ of the finest domestic and import beers to taste and a part of the proceeds will go to Finnegans a local non for profit brewing company that was started in 2000 here in Minneapolis.  See below for what Finnegans does... 

"Over 98% of the funds that land in the FINNEGANS Community Fund are distributed to our non-profit partners to support hunger alleviation in each state where our product is sold" (Source).  

How cool is that?  A brewing company that believes in giving back and building great communities! 

So if your in the area this evening come on down and check out the City Pages Beer Fest - You can buy tickets ahead of time here.