What to do when your favorite aunt comes into to town on a cold and rainy Spring day? Eat, of course!

And we did! Right up until we went to bed. It was sinful but the celebration just couldn’t end.

She lives so far away and comes to town so rarely…

Mushroom and Leek flatbread at 87 West, seated next to the fireplace was the perfect setting for a cozy chat.

The warmth of the fire took the chill off…

Arugula tops off the flatbread and adds nice balance to the creamy rich cheeses.

Off to my favorite spot, Tartine Bistro for great wine!

Reza, the amazing bartender knows how to pick his wines. He never dissapoints.

Peanut butter accents rich dark chocolate!

This honey ice cream was a pleasant surprise on warm berry cobbler. Mouth watering delicious!

They make it in house and it is subtle, creamy and delicious!

Dante was the scene of a fabulous late night supper and wine tasting.

Not only did Dante roll sushi just for us; Sushi is a happy hour hour item and we were well past happy hour! But he was gracious enough to accommodate my lust.

I find that it is best just to sit back and enjoy. I never order. I just graciously accept what this world class chef puts in front of me.

Hearts of palm with spinach, portobello and ginger vinaigrette was amazing with crispy fried red onions.

Our bartender kept the wines flowing as we took a world tour of reds from Italy to France, California and South America!

There were Petite Sirah, Zinfandel, Pinot, Malbec…..

This was, by far, one of the best dining experiences that I have had in a while.

Dante is a true gem! In Cleveland or otherwise; world class!

Scallops and polenta are divine!

Lots of pesto and olive oil!

I sliced french bread and brushed it with olive oil and broiled for a few minutes to get crunchy, crusty goodness!

I also toasted some pine nuts and served them on the side to garnish everything!

Arugula dressed with fresh squeezed lemon and olive oil is simple, clean and delicious!

A great bottle of red wine and Brownies a la mode definitely make this a Meatless Monday to remember!

No one feels deprived. Not even the most serious of meat eaters.

Meatless Monday! Fried Eggplant and spinach fettuccine is easy and fresh!

Fresh mozzarella puts the finishing touch on thinly sliced eggplant lightly coated in Italian breadcrumbs.

Roasted garlic and roasted cherry tomatoes add rich flavor to spinach fettuccine.

With all this flavor, who misses the meat?

Top with shredded parmesan and enjoy!

Toss tomatoes in olive oil and roast on 400 degrees until they pop open! and smell delicious!

Beautiful beaujolais makes dinner…beautiful!

Egg and water then bread crumbs go into frying pan with hot oil for a quick, light frying.

Mash up roasted garlic with a fork and mix in about 1/4 cup olive oil to create a “sauce”.

Add salt to taste.

Just throw in fresh baby spinach to the last few minutes to boiling pasta to add flavor and nutrition.

Six o’clock and the bells are ringing.

Sammy knows that the bells mean dinner.

Today we had leftovers; Pizza and lots of it so nothing new to post today.

It’s truly starting to feel like Spring when the sun is shining at 6 pm and you can hear the bells loud and clear without the acoustic muffling power of snow!

Soon there will be dinners on the patio, bells ringing, the sun going down and a glass of wine under the stars!

Meatless Monday! was a huge hit tonight. It may have been the best to date.

The soup and sandwich idea was inspired by a cold and rainy day

This meal was not just meatless but vegan deliciousness.

My kale obsession continues and I have made it kid friendly and so satisfying.

I had planned to put the white beans in the soup and serve with a gourmet toasted cheese sandwich. When I mentioned this to my daughter she turned up her nose at the cheese sandwich idea, which actually made me happy as I am all about vegan meals.

So I began “deconstructing”. What to do with the beans? What do we get from cheese that we like so much? The creamy, filling, salty goodness! I can do that with white beans!

A baguette thinly sliced and lightly coated with fragrant organic olive oil was the beginning.

I then lightly toasted them and put them aside.
I sautéed ¼ of a white onion with 5 cloves of garlic and about 2 big tablespoons of rosemary in ¼ cup of olive oil until the onions were transparent.
Then I placed the cooled mixture into the food processer with 2 cans of white northern beans and pureed and set this aside, also.
I then sliced 1 large roasted red pepper.

I also had a large bunch of fresh basil. I used 5-6 cloves of garlic and toasted about a half cup of pine nuts and combined in the food processer with ¾ cup of olive oil and set that aside to assemble right before dinner so that the crostini did not become soggy.

The kale soup was easy plus I cheated with vegan soup bullion.

In a large soup pot I sautéed ½ a white onion with 5-6 cloves of garlic and about ½ cup of olive oil.

I chopped the kale and sautéed it for a bit, then added cubed yellow organic potatoes.

I then added about 8-10 cups of water and 2 tablespoons of vegan bullion and allowed it to cook for about an hour and a half.

Parmesan cheese tops my daughters soup.

This wine was great with the soup.

This was my “cheat” ingredient!

My food processor was my best friend today. I couldn’t have done it without her! I could have but it wouldn’t have been as easy or as fun!

This past Sunday was one of those autumn days, days that remind you of your childhood; the kind of sunny sky and warm wind that is the last tease before the long mid-west winter.

It’s time to get the rakes out of the garage and make an afternoon of cleaning the yard and battening hatches.

I stored all the clay pots, put away the patio furniture, hung the bikes and cut all the annual plants to the ground.

Weekend warriors with leaf blowers strapped to their backs give each other the knowing salute of someone who has surrendered to the whims of nature.

This house is the house I drew in art class as a little girl. The meandering stone walkway, which I built in the spring, is just as I had always imagined my walkway would be, someday.

After a day of bagging and hauling leaves it was time for dinner.

Only a veggie pizza from the neighborhood pizza joint would do. A nice malbec and a seat under the stars was the perfect way to end the day.

The food and drink debauchery which was my “Birthdaypalooza” has finally ended. I never thought that I would say such a thing; however, I don’t think that I could’ve gone on much longer and survived.

Thanks to my bff M I had a birthday to remember with all of the trimmings.
The big day was Saturday the 24th, however, we started at Lilly Chocolates on Thursday, then we head over to Athen’s Pastries then to M’s for wine.

Friday night he entertained me and some friends in grand style at his beautiful home, fireside with fancy cocktails from his wickedly creative mind! J suprised me with a beautiful bracelet and made me feel like a princess. We all went to Luxe for a fantastic dinner. I had the tuna and far too many champagne cocktails!

Saturday was an afternoon of lunch and shopping with mom, (More on her in another post!) an early supper with D at Tartine then off for cocktails with C, G and D at the Market Avenue Wine Bar. Again, far too much wine.

Sunday, my daughters thought that it would be nice to have a family dinner; lobsters, shrimp, scallops, mashed potatoes, two bottles of wine and one bottle of champagne later I officially surrendered.

This is my new favorite place to be.

Leave it to my bff M to make a fantastic discovery. Still shopping for furniture, which is fine with me because it leads to so much fun and mischief!

Lilly’s offers a superior selection of wine, beer and liquors. The specialty chocolates are amazing and made by hand at Lilly’s.

They offer pairings of beers and chocolates including Lambic Framboise with raspberry dark chocolate and Hitachino Nest West Ginger beer with peanut butter, kaffir, lime leaves, srirancha, white chocolate.

Truly sophisticated and fashion forward, Lilly’s is a true gem in Tremont and everywhere!

Order on line and treat yourself to something extraordinary.

Potatoes fried in Duck fat with garlic and rosemary. These are quite possibly the best French fries ever.

These fries are hardy food. They come with spicy mayo dipping sauces and stand alone with rich Cabernets or Belgian wheats.

Be forewarned; these fries are addictive and will leave you craving more, every time!

The wine and beer list at Bar Cento in Cleveland, OH is excellent and is rivaled by few.

Come for the fries and beer and stay for an inspired menu of ecclectic, innovative comfort food with a sophistcated twist.