The first Sunday of 2022 calls for Sunday brunch! I mixed up these mini tomato and cheddar frittatas for an easy, tasty bite after church this morning. I was hoping we’d have leftovers to eat for breakfast throughout the week, but who am I kidding?! They were gone almost before I could finish snapping these photos!
I adapted the recipe from the book Platters and Boards that my sister gifted to me for Christmas. The original recipe called for goat cheese, but I’m personally not a big fan, so I swapped it out for a mild and sharp cheddar four-state mix from Wisconsin, Vermont, New York, and California. I also realized that you could add so many more ingredients like bacon, mushrooms, spinach, or other meats, cheeses, and veggies, depending on your personal preference. This recipe offers a great starting point, but I’ll definitely be trying more variations soon!
Mini Tomato & Cheddar Frittatas
Ingredients:
1 tsp olive oil
1 large garlic clove, minced
4 eggs
2/3 cup milk (I used 2%)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp Herbes de Provence
1 oz cheddar cheese
4-6 cherry tomatoes, quartered
Any other meat or veggies desired!
Make it!
Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a 12-cup muffin tin with 6-7 liners. (The recipe is designed to make 6 frittatas; however, my batch yielded 7!)
In a small skillet warm the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds or until fragrant.
In a small to medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, and spices, adding back in the garlic.
Pour into muffin tin, filling each liner about 3/4 of the way full. Drop 3-4 tomato pieces (or other meat and veggies) into each fritatta, sprinkling cheese on the top.
Bake for 22-25 minutes, or until the eggs are set and beginning to brown on top.
Let cool for about 5 minutes before serving; then enjoy!
After a year and a half of being separated by 2000 miles and a global pandemic, Lauren & The Foreign were finally reunited last month in Chicago! The week was full of sightseeing, cocktail tasting, and relaxing by our hotel’s gorgeous rooftop pool.
For anyone else who is thinking of Chicago for their next little getaway, we wanted to share some of the highlights from our trip so you can experience them too.
We stayed at the Viceroy, which was absolutely lovely and a perfect location for walking to most of our destinations. Next door was a cute little taco shop, Velvet Taco, which was our go-to for multiple meals, margaritas, and late-night snacks throughout the trip. Our top three tacos were the Rotisserie Chicken, Fried Paneer, and Mexi-Cali Shrimp.
After dinner at Velvet Taco, we spent the rest of our first evening exploring the neighborhood and eventually ended up down by Lake Michigan where we watched the sunset over the skyline.
The next morning, we treated ourselves to a delicious brunch of Phatty burritos and tater tots at Wake ‘n Bacon. The food and coffee were delicious, but the floral decor was maybe even more impressive. Good vibes all around.
After brunch we headed back to our hotel to spend some time at the rooftop pool, soaking up the sun and drinking wine and frosé from Devereaux. The weather was perfect and you really can’t beat those views.
After a day of relaxing, we were ready to go out on the town! We walked to Aster Hall for dinner, and then headed to Neon Summer for an evening of fun drinks, photo ops, and extreme neon mini golf! We opted out of the go-kart racing and the axe-throwing that were also available, and spent the rest of the evening at an incredible cocktail bar near our hotel called Sparrow.
Sparrow is a hidden gem serving 1930s-era cocktails and vibes. The moment you walk in, you’ll feel like you’ve been transported to a speakeasy. The art deco building and complex cocktails create a very sophisticated experience, and we can’t say enough about how much we enjoyed it!
The next day, we slept in and then went to The Hampton Social for lunch. This place has been on our list for quite a while so it was very exciting to finally get to experience it, frosé, neon sign walls, and all!
The food was delicious and filling, so after lunch we took a walk over to Navy Pier, where we immediately forgot how full we were and tried some delicious Malbec con Frutos Rojos gelato from FRÍO Gelato!
Then we walked over to The Art Institute of Chicago (admittedly a rather long walk), where we spent the rest of the afternoon.
Before we headed back to the Viceroy after our afternoon of art, we had to make a quick pit stop at the Bean in Millennium Park.
Then it was time to get dressed up and head to dinner at Carmine’s! We had made reservations for most of the other meals throughout the trip, but didn’t have reservations for Carmine’s. Thankfully, even on a Saturday night, they were able to get us a table (indoors) right away. After filling up on some delicious pasta, we spent the rest of the night relaxing and resting up in the hotel.
The next morning was Sunday and we had a full day of relaxation planned. When we woke up, we went downstairs to start our day at Somerset with a breakfast of French toast and omelets.
Then we went back upstairs to lay by the pool, read a book, and just enjoy the beautiful weather for a couple of hours. Mid-afternoon, we drove over to Bottle & Bottega for a wine and paint session!
For dinner we went to Lou Malnati’s for some classic Chicago deep dish pizza. We ordered The Lou, their signature pizza topped with spinach mix (enhanced with garlic, basil, and onion), mushrooms, and sliced Roma tomatoes covered with three cheeses, on a garlic butter crust!
Since it was our last night, we decided to walk down to the lake one more time to enjoy the view after dinner. And once we realized how close we were to a Jeni’s scoop shop, we had to take a little detour for some delicious Wildberry Lavender ice cream.
The next morning, it was sadly time to pack up and head home, but not before a quick stop at IKEA in Schaumburg!
It was absolutely a whirlwind week, but so much fun finally reuniting and getting to explore Chicago together for the first time in 12 years! We can’t wait for our next adventure!
Strawberry and rhubarb is probably one of the best early-summer duos we can imagine. In honor of World Gin Day (June 13), we created this delicious Strawberry Rhubarb Gin Fizz that will have you tasting summer no matter what time of year it is.
Unless you already have some rhubarb gin in your bar collection, this will take some time (potentially several weeks for the infusion), but if you stock up on rhubarb while it’s in season and infuse a big batch, you’ll be able to enjoy this tasty and refreshing beverage all year round.
Cut rhubarb stalks into small (about 1 cm) pieces.
Place into large jar and add sugar.
Seal the jar and shake to combine. Leave overnight to allow time for the sugar to pull the juice out of the rhubarb.
After 24 hours, add the gin and shake again.
We infused our gin for about 3 weeks, but depending on your preference you may want to let it infuse for a longer or shorter duration. Give the jar an occasional shake throughout the process and taste often! When it has reached your desired level of flavor, it’s done! We’ve heard of infusing as long as 4 weeks, and as short as 12 hours.
Our gin after about 2 weeks.
When you decide your gin is ready, it’s time mix up a delicious Strawberry Rhubarb Gin Fizz!
Muddle 2-3 strawberries with lemon juice in the bottom of a mason jar. If using frozen strawberries you may need to wait a few minutes for thawing. The lemon juice should help speed up the process.
Add in rhubarb gin and stir.
Fill the rest of the jar with ice and top with Strawberry Guava sparkling water.
Garnish with fruit and enjoy!
We’d love to know if you try our infusion or cocktail recipe! Let us know how it goes in the comments! Cheers!
St. Patrick’s Day is going to be a little different this year, thanks to COVID-19 and social distancing. There may be less festivities this year, but that doesn’t mean there has be to be less St. Patrick’s Day drinks!
Our favorite part about this cocktail is the honey garnish which not only adds a unique visual effect, but also adds a pleasant sweetness to compliment every sip!
INGREDIENTS:
1.5 oz Stolen Whiskey
1.5 oz Doundrin’s Distilling Honey Liqueur
1 packet Salada Asian Pear Matcha Green Tea
Splash of apple juice
1 Granny Smith apple (for garnish)
Drizzle of Gentle Breeze honey
INSTRUCTIONS:
First, you will want to steep a cup of green tea. Set aside.
Place used tea bag in cocktail shaker and fill with ice.
Add whiskey, honey liqueur, a splash of green tea, and a splash of apple juice – tea and apple ratios can be made according to your own preferences, we just guessed!
Shake and strain into glass filled with ice.
Garnish with apple slice and a drizzle of honey around the rim of the glass. Enjoy!
We hope everyone has a safe and healthy St. Patty’s Day! Cheers!
Both Lauren’s and my favorite food is chocolate covered strawberries. So naturally this is our go-to recipe to help celebrate Valentine’s Day this year. The secret to amazing strawberries? Add a liqueur into the chocolate for better consistency and added flavor. In the past I’ve used Disaronno which is an amaretto-tasting liqueur and works wonderfully, but for this recipe I’m using Sukkah Hill Spirit‘s Besamim – an aromatic spice liqueur. It creates a much more complex flavor profile and makes for absolutely delicious berries!
What you’ll need:
baking sheet lined with wax or parchment paper
1 pint of strawberries
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
3 TBSP Besamim liqueur
The first thing you’ll want to do is wash and dry the strawberries, and I cannot emphasize this enough – make sure they are dry before dipping them in chocolate or it will not stick!
Next, you will melt the chocolate. There’s a handful of ways to do this – in the microwave, or in a double boiler – but I don’t have a double boiler and I like to keep an eye on it, so I usually do it on the stove top. If you overheat the chocolate, it will become hard and crusty and you will need to start over. A good tip to remember: heat the chocolate low and slow. On a low temp, and stirring continuously.
For added control, I like to melt it a half cup at a time. When the first 1/2 cup is nearly completely melted, add 1 TBSP Besamim and stir in as the chocolate finishes melting. Turn off the heat and immediately dip 1/3 of the strawberries in the chocolate and place on a baking sheet lined with wax paper or parchment paper. Then melt more chocolate, add liqueur, and dip the berries until they are all coated.
Then place the tray in the freezer for about 5 minutes to help the chocolate harden.
Once the chocolate is cool and hardened, melt the white chocolate chips. Use a fork to drizzle the white chocolate onto the strawberries. Feel free to use any combination of chips to create a variety of strawberries! Store berries in the fridge until ready to enjoy.
Serve with Besamim over ice or a glass of your favorite rosé! Happy Valentine’s Day!
Last weekend I got to try 9 different wines and a delicious Loud coffee liqueur from PRP Wine thanks to my colleague, Karl Barton. PRP Wine produces high quality, exclusive wines from 65 wineries in 13 countries around the world. Karl delivers a fantastic, professional, educational, and entertaining wine tasting experience.
We started off with a nice white wine that they call the “Porch Pounder” because it’s a great summer wine and easy drinking. It was absolutely delicious. Next was a Hungarian wine nicknamed “Naked in the Pool.” Clearly also another great one for summer! The other two white wines we tried were a German Riesling and an unoaked Chardonnay.
Then we had the reds. Before this tasting, I did not consider myself a red wine drinker, so it was perfect when Karl brought out the Chevalier de Bayard (or Red Chevy) which he described as the red wine for white wine drinkers. It was actually really nice and not quite as intense and tannic as some of the reds I’d tried in the past. We also tried a Pinot Noir from Chile, a red Zinfandel from Lodi, and Tres Magi which is a Spanish red blend made from Merlot and Grenache.
So here’s the crazy part. After the Red Chevy, the other red wines were much more bold and tannic and full-bodied. And I liked them ALL. Clearly I just wasn’t drinking the right kinds of red wine before, but I am definitely a red drinker now. I even poured myself a glass of red and enjoyed it with dinner last night.
One of the other amazing things about these wines is that there are no added sulfites. When you get a headache from drinking too much wine, it’s often caused by sulfites. There will always be some present in wine because they occur naturally during the fermentation process, but bigger wine producers add them in to maintain consistent flavor year to year. All of PRP’s wines are single vintage and the producers do not add sulfites in as a part of their wine-making process. Clearly, I had a decent amount of wine at this tasting and I got no headache whatsoever. Not that night, and not the next morning.
We finished with an Italian dessert wine and the Loud coffee liqueur, both of which were absolutely delicious and truly the icing on the cake to a wonderful evening.
Huge thanks to Karl and PRP Wines for helping create such a wonderful evening of good food and drinks with family and friends. If you’d like to have a wine tasting at your home with Karl, leave a comment below and I will put you in touch!
Brunch. One of the best parts of the weekend. We recently visited Vintage Brewing Company at their Capitol East location (previously Tangent) to try out their new brunch menu. Needless to say, we were quite impressed.
We started off with a round of brunch cocktails. We enjoyed a variety of unique signature cocktails such as the Woo Girl 2.0 and Friends of Dorothy. We also tried their award winning Bloody Mary which did not disappoint.
The Woo Girl 2.0 is Hendricks Gin, St. Germaine, Cava, lime juice, and Bitter Truth cucumber bitters. Friends of Dorothy is Plantation Pineapple rum, house-made grenadine, lime juice, ginger beer, mint, and Bittercube Jamaica #2 bitters. These cocktails differed quite a bit from the classic brunch cocktails we’re used to, but we loved the creativity here! We also shared an order of cheese curds.
For our main meal, we couldn’t decide between savory and sweet so we chose both! Our sweet selection was the French toast which came with fresh strawberries and blueberries and was topped with local maple syrup and powdered sugar. To die for! On the savory side of things, we went with the Breakfast Flatbread which was topped with roasted bell peppers, onions, carrots, scrambled eggs, goat cheese, cheddar jack, garlic aioli, and scallions.
After our meal, the general manager gave a quick tour of the new, updated space since the name change. They added a lounge with the classic Vintage fish tank and repainted the space in a lighter color to help it feel more bright and open.
We love the new atmosphere and of course, the new menu! We definitely recommend checking out the new Capitol East location for brunch as soon as you can!
I recently got to visit Wollersheim Winery & Distillery with my sister Rachel, from Roots & Rosemary. Céline, winemaker and granddaughter of founder, Bob Wollersheim, gave us a tour and shared the wine and spirits-making processes with us.
At Wollersheim, the grapes are grown locally and they do a lot of things the old-fashioned way. While sometimes it may require more time and effort, it surely pays off in the quality of the finished product.
One of my favorite parts of the afternoon was tasting some aging wines straight out of the barrel!
After the tour, Céline treated us to a delicious Wisconsin-style brandy sweet Old Fashioned happy hour. Easily one of the best I’ve ever had.
Here’s Rachel enjoying her first-ever Old Fashioned.
Wollersheim holds winery tours and spirits tastings daily so definitely go check them out and see, taste, and learn about all the amazing things going on there for yourself!
We are so excited to share that we were recently featured on WKOW’s Midday Madison. Lauren got to talk about who we are and shared a delicious recipe for a fall cocktail: spiced pear mules!
Here’s what you need to make your own:
2 oz Spring44 Distilling’s Honey Vodka or 2 oz State Line Distillery’s Vodka and a spoonful of honey
1 oz pear liqueur
1 oz lime juice
dash of cinnamon
ginger beer
sliced pear
cinnamon stick
Shake vodka, honey, pear liqueur, lime juice, and cinnamon with ice. Pour into Moscow Mule mug rimmed with lime juice. Top with ginger beer. Garnish with pear slices and a cinnamon stick.
While you enjoy your delicious mule, be sure to check out our feature on Midday Madison below!
One of our favorite snacks and drink pairings is a charcuterie board. There are so many different options for foods to include, and the variety of tastes and textures is sure to please any palate.
There are also many ways to design and create your own board — the possibilities are endless! We put one together for family and friends at Lauren’s sister’s Fall Fun Day event! Below you will find a step-by-step for the charcuterie board we built.
We started with two blocks of Toscano cheese from Trader Joe’s: one soaked in Syrah, and one dusted with cinnamon. Two perfect cheeses for fall! Then we added two small ramekins for pickles and olives and built the “salami river.” We folded the salami in half twice and then placed each piece facing opposite the last to create this beautiful river flowing across the board.
Next, we added some fall fruits: Bosc pears and dried apricots! We also added a round of Gouda cheese. You can never have enough cheese, right?
To finish it off, we added a couple of cracker varieties and the last of this season’s fresh blueberries and red and yellow raspberries! Here are a few more looks at the finished product:
This charcuterie board was absolutely delicious and was a big hit at the Fall Fun Day event this weekend, as you can see below! 🙂
Like we said before, the possibilities for your charcuterie board are endless. Aside from the meats and cheeses, other things you can include are fruits and veggies, nuts, jams, mustard, or honey. We hope this gives you some inspiration to start making your own!
If you try it out, or you’ve made and enjoyed cheese and charcuterie boards before, let us know your favorite thing to include on one in the comments below!
Exploren with Lauren 