Our Wknd

We had a low key weekend. Friday night we stayed in.  Ben was hankering to grill and I was dreaming of having at least one solid vegetable.  The compromise was pork chops on the grill with a side of butternut squash risotto (I'll post the recipe soon).

Ben wouldn't even try the risotto (wimp); but in this case the thought of more for me honestly went through my head several times while enjoying this tasty dish. It turned out great!



We watched Beasts of the Southern Wild, which is Oscar nominated for best picture and best actress (Quevenzhane Wallis , is only six years old! The youngest nominee for best actress). The movie is selfish is fictitious, based on a southern delta-type community called Bathtub, which is preparing for impending changes which will cause the flooding of their community.  It's one of those movies that seem so different from mainstream, that I *think* is what gives it the chance to win, but I would be surprised if it won Best Picture.



Saturday morning we got in a solid workout at the gym.  After doing weights, I found Ben, who was already on an elliptical (still recovering from an ankle injury from running) and I sweat my booty off on that thing! It was nice to have him by my side for some accountability and I was surprised to realize how much I left myself lax on workouts when by myself.

Saturday afternoon we drove to the far suburbs to meet a family who's interested in adopting Tiny Tim (far meaning that round trip this took about 3.5 hrs! Woohoo Saturday).  They already have a bulldog, who is a bit of diva and alpha rolled into an itty-bitty 35 pound bully.  They said the meeting went a lot better than they expected and we'll know by the end of the week if they're interested.

After much debate on where to go for dinner Saturday night (we wanted to try something new but couldn't agree on a place), we ended up going to dinner with Ben's sister and her husband at Derby, a bar in Lincoln Park.  I didn't have high expectations, but the food was surprisingly good!

The only downfall to dinner was that was right down the street from Local Option, which happens to be not only the best beer bar in the city, but the best beer bar in the state, according to recent awards. I was swayed to agree to one drink; which happened to turn into three.  This was only my second time at Local Option; the first was a few weeks prior.  We sat in a back both, which I honestly found to be really creepy and desolate.  This time, Ben and I had bar seats, which was much more enjoyable.  The bartender really knows his beer and I was pleased with all three I ordered.



For the record, I used to hate sour beers with a passion; but Ben has a passion for them, so over the past year they've grown on me and now I love them.  For anyone interested, I drank BFM Bon Chien 2011, Tilquin Gueuze and Hair of the Dog's Fred Flanders.  All three are excellent! Ben is currently brewing a sour, but part of the reason they are typically more expensive than other beers is that their fermentation process is over a year.  Yes, we have a 5 gallon glass carboy sitting in our bedroom that we will not be able to drink until next fall. My goodness, it'd better be good!

Sunday morning I drove to book club in the suburbs and had a great brunch with the girls.  We had read Book Thief and spoke very little about the book (yes, we're more of a 25% book, 75% random chit-chat type club).  It's a book based in Nazi-Germany which follows the story of a young girl and is narrated by Death. I hadn't been impressed, especially with all of the hype Ben gave it.

Following club, I proceeded to do my Sunday errands of Target and the grocery store before heading home and taking Tiny Tim on a home visit for a potential Chicago English Bulldog Rescue.  After running around all day, once I was home I went into complete relax mode (well, after having a slight anxiety attack about how much general cleaning our apartment needs) and finished the night with some pizza, a beer, and a blog post.

For a couple who has a kegarator in their living room, I've been surprised how little we utilize it!