Lunch at Fred’s at the top of Barney’s in Chicago!

What a gorgeous sunny day in Chicago!

What better to do than lunch and shop on a crispy cool Spring day?!

Where better to go for both than Barney’s and Fred’s?!

A seat next to the window with a glorious view of the Gold Coast was the perfect way to enjoy this beet and goat cheese salad!

Fred’s is a cool upscale spot which features organic and local food as much as possible.

The atmosphere is pure Gold Coast; Comfortable luxury!

The salmon was wild caught, tender and juicy.

The spinach was perfectly cooked and flavorful.

This is a great combination.

I can eat salmon and spinach everyday!

The avocado and tomato salsa made this the absolutely perfect meal for me!

All my favorites on one plate with green onion, too!

Very fresh. Delicious!

My honey had the linguine with clams in a very light tomato sauce.

This dish was garlicky and spicy.

Absolutely fantastic!

We were both jockying between the two plates trying to decide which was better.

It was a tie.

We were so full!

But that did not stop us from completely cleaning our plates!

Of course, we walked around Michigan Avenue for a while.

I shopped, he tried to stop me from shopping, and so it went until we stumbled on Tavern on Rush……..

  

Easy and Elegant Al Fresco Dining! Quinoa Salad, Avocados and Salmon!

salmon al fresco

What do you do when unexpected guests, a limited budget and a lack time conspire to put a wrench into an otherwise beautiful summer evening?

039dinner al fresco

I had the quinoa, an avocado, some olives and cheese and the chocolate sauce!

The grocery was about to close in 10 minutes!

I ran in without a plan. Went straight to the “fish area”; I needed something fancy that would cook fast and go well with the quinoa salad I had just decided to make.

I bought the salmon; Wild Norwegian Salmon which is thick and moist which for me means easy cooking and a juicy dinner.

034dinner al fresco

I chopped the avocado and put together a deconstructed salad on a cute plate with some olives and feta cheese.

054salmon and quinoa

A handful of fresh veggies get chopped and go into the cooked quinoa with olive oil and lime juice.

047salmon al fresco

I broiled the salmon with crushed garlic and some olive oil and lemon.

A quick toss of the quinoa and veggies and plate it up! 20 minutes! Quick and Fancy!

045salmon al fresco

I bought a quart of coconut ice cream and blackberries and topped it off with chocolate syrup.

coconut ice cream with chocoltae sauce and blackberries

I was almost embarrassed by how impressed everyone was but happily took the credit!

058coconut ice cream with blackberries and chocolate sauce

  

Pink Girlie Cocktails and Hot Smoked Salmon Spread!

097salmon spread

Hot smoked salmon is the key ingredient to this light, savory dish that is tasty and sooo girlie!

We topped whole wheat crackers with the delicate creamy and sublte flavors of the salmon spread.

096salmon spread

My dear, BFF shared her favorite recipe with me and I will share it with you.

Ingredients
6-8oz hot smoked salmon finely chopped
1 Tbspn fresh dill finely chopped
1 Tbspn fresh parsley finely chopped
1/4 cup red onion finely chopped
1/4- 1/2 cup of Hellman’s Real Mayonnaise
1 large garlic clove crushed
A sqeeze of fresh lemon

Salt and pepper to taste

The real secret to the success of this recipe is to mix the mayo, garlic and lemon together very well before adding to the salmon.

Mix well and serve chilled!

063girls getting ready to party

Pink and girlie all around when friends just want to have fun!

090girlie cocktails are delish

This delicious pink cocktail was inspired by a magical elixir we had at Le Colonial.

We tried to approximate the light tropical flavors of the passion fruit martinis we ordered and serve them “family style”!

We mixed a high quality, low sugar coconut pineapple juice with a light berry juice mix, and added vodka and fresh lime.

The result was sublime!

093salmon spread

  

Steamed Mussels and Salmon with Noodles and Cold Beers!

003stonemad mussels PD

Stone Mad Irish Pub in Cleveland Ohio was the hot spot as we sipped on ice cold beers and enjoyed the steamed mussels in a rich broth with onions and red peppers.

Sunny skies gave way to a cool crisp night as the sun went down on the stone extravaganza that is Stone Mad.

007stonemad mussels PD

The rich woods and carved stone create an ambiance that will have you thinking you are in the heart of the Irish countryside.

005stonemad ussels and beers PD

The mussels are classic and great with beer.

The salmon and noodles was one of Chef Michael Fadel’s specials and was very good and easily shared by two.

019stonemad sa
lmon PD

Romantic and cozy; this is a great date spot and will be even better come summer.

The gorgeous stone patio with fireplace and quixotic atmosphere beckons.

018salmon stonemad PD

  

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