November is coming up quickly and it's the month where I'll be trying a new recipe every week! So I've been pinning up a storm of fall (okay pumpkin) and cozy slow cooker meals to try out. Here are some of my favorites:

Slow Cooker Lo Mein 

I need to use our crock pot more and this looks SO GOOD.

I had a girlfriend over on Saturday and decided to put together a little wine and cheese spread because that's my favorite kind of dinner and Mark doesn't think it counts as dinner so I have to do it when he's gone! Anyway as I was laying it out I spontaneously decided to snap some pictures for a blog post. I think it still looks pretty nice but if I'd planned on taking pictures I would have picked a cuter knife for the cheese and actually remembered to put out the wine for pictures ;) Here are my tips for creating the perfect spread:

1. Have at least two different meats and cheeses so there's something for everyone. I like to go with a spreadable cheese like brie or goat, and a hard cheese like an aged cheddar. And for meat I pretty much always go with salami, and for a second I think prosciutto, or some kind of ham, is a good choice. 

2. Fruit! I think that any fruit goes well with cheese, but berries are especially delish.

3. Grab a fresh baguette. I cut mine up and popped it into the oven so we had freshly toasted baguette and it was nothing short of amazing. I also had crackers so you could pick your carb poison.

4. Veggies too! I feel like veggies are excluded from cheese platters a lot, but I think that some veggies and hummus are essential and then you can feel a little less guilty about all the cheese and bread you consume :)

5. And finally finish with chocolate. I'm a chocolate fiend and don't think it counts as dessert if there's no chocolate, so this had to be included in my list! I had some brownies from the day before that I added to the spread because wine and cheese need to be rounded out with the magic that is chocolate. It's just a fact.

As you may know, Mark and I aren't eating out for the month of March, and it's been a little bit of a roller coaster. For the most part it's been fine and I haven't given it a lot of thought, but since we got Louie I've been longing for someone else to prepare my food. The first weekend with him was exhausting and cooking was the last thing I wanted to do. We stayed strong, though! Anyways, this Friday is April first, so I'm already thinking about where I want to go out for date night. Which got me thinking that I wanted to share some of my favorite Bay Area places for eats and drinks. Enjoy!

Sausalito: Barrel House, pictured above. This is a really beautiful restaurant right on the Bay in Sausalito with amazing views of San Francisco. They even have a bar that hangs out over the water - that's where this picture was taken! My recommendation: make a day of it and bike across the Golden Gate bridge then reward yourself with a Gin and Tonic and this amazing view.

Santa Cruz: Regale Winery, pictured below. I went here twice within three weeks, that's how good it is. Unbeknownst to me (until a month ago!), there are several wineries up in the Santa Cruz Mountains, which is great for us South Bay folks who don't want to make the trek up to wine country. Regale has gorgeous views of the mountains, and it's a great place to pack a picnic and enjoy your day with some vino!

San Francisco: The View. Perched atop the Marriott in the heart of SF, this lounge has ah-mazing views of the city and the Bay. We went at night, which was busy busy busy. This place gets crowded, so go for happy hour to beat the rush. 

San Jose: Hedley Club Lounge. If you're wanting to hear live jazz in a sleepy hotel, then this place is for you. I stumbled upon this place when I was in the mood for live music, so we went to check it out. The music doesn't start until later, but you can hang out and have a drink and apps beforehand. It wasn't very busy when we went on a Saturday, so I think this one may be a little hidden gem!

San Jose: Cielo Rooftop Terrance. Is there any better way to have drinks than on a rooftop? I didn't think so. This one is another hidden gem on the roof of the Hotel Valencia in Santana Row, which is always a busy area, but not many people seem to know about this bar. There are lot of couches for lounging, and mountains for viewing here!

Brunch

San Jose: The Village Bistro. This is one of our most frequented brunch locales. It's part of Santana Row, which is a trendy shopping area in San Jose. There are several restaurants to try, tons of shopping, usually there's live music, and the people watching is top notch.

San Jose: The Table. I found this via Yelp, and we decided to give it a try one Saturday morning last fall. Let me tell you, it did not disappoint! The serve monkey bread as an appetizer, if that tells you anything. Go early, or you'll end up in a line out the door.

Dinner

San Francisco: A 16, pictured above. If you couldn't tell from the picture, this place is adorable. It's nestled in on Chestnut street, and it may look tiny, but it extends back pretty far. I've been a couple times, but the first time I went with Mark I couldn't stop saying the word cute the whole time we were there. It was so quaint, and I loved every minute from the delicious cocktails, to the pizza and pasta. I mean, #carbs. 

Los Gatos: Willow Street Pizza. Speaking of pizza, this place is a thumbs way up. It's a chain (boo), but don't let that ruin it for you. The first thing its got going for it is that it's on the main street in Los Gatos, which is the cutest town. And the second thing is well, the pizza. It's really good. I never would have guessed that it was a chain either, because it had a great atmosphere! Plus, there's a huge patio. Yas!

Lost Gatos: I Gatti. Another Los Gatos gem, this place has scrumptious Italian food. Are you sensing a theme here? I'll give you a hint: I love carbs. I had lunch at I Gatti on my birthday last year, so it holds a special place in my heart. It's really tiny, which makes it all the more charming, and it has a patio out front so you can people watch!

Mountain View: Downtown. I won't pick any one restaurant because there are a ton and they're all good. I will give a shoutout to La Fontaine, and Blue Line Pizza though ;) Castro street in MTV is adorable. At night there are twinkle lights, and everyone sits outside. It's really lovely! If you're in the South Bay 'burbs, be sure to check it out!

Other Places You Can't Miss

San Francisco: Smitten pictured below. Okay, so it may seem ludicrous to spend $6 on a single scoop of ice cream, but wait, this is not just any single scoop of ice cream. This ice cream is frozen right in front of you with liquid nitrogen! Okay, so maybe it is a little bit ludicrous, but it's actually delicious. I got mine with cookie dough as a topping, and there were pretzels in the cookie dough. What the what? So good. Definitely worth the hype. 

San Francisco: 21st Amendment Brewery. This is the only place in the city that has cheese curds! I repeat, this is the only place in the city that has cheese curds! And not just any old cheese curds, actual, delicious, Wisconsin cheddar cheese curds. If you ask anyone from the midwest about this place, they'll all know about it because of said cheese curds. If you're from California and have never had the delicious battered delicacy that is cheese curds, then run, don't walk over to 21st Amendment. I'm not a beer drinker, but all of my friends have loved the micro-brews here too. Also, they have really great tater tots. Just saying. 

I really wish that I could have a Donuts section here, because you're probably aware of my love affair with the king of pastries. However, I haven't found any places that I love. Womp, womp. Would love recommendations if you have any!

Well, I'm sure I've forgotten something since basically everywhere I've tried since moving here has been new and exciting. I'll make sure to update if I find somewhere else I want to share!

Have you been to the Bay Area? If so, where did you eat??

xo Catherine

Chicken kebab bowl image and recipe from I Will Not Eat Oysters. 

As you may know, we're not eating out this month, so it's the perfect time to try some new recipes like the yummy chicken kebab bowls pictured above. The idea behind not eating out is both to save money, and to try and eat better, so I went in search of some tasty, healthy recipes that I'd love to try (you an follow along on Pinterest). I'll be honest, I don't love cooking. I do it, but only because I have to. The times I get excited about cooking, though, are when I'm trying a new recipe. So hopefully I'll use this as a way to give myself a little kick of motivation. 

Cauliflower tater tots recipe and image from Farm Fresh to You. 

Cauliflower has become the go-to carb substitute. I've seen recipes for cauliflower pizza, pasta, and now tater tots! Mark and I made a cauliflower pizza crust last year and while it was time consuming, it was delicious!

Eggplant lasagna recipe and image via Panning the Globe. 

I made an eggplant parmesan not that long ago and it was delicious! You couldn't even tell you were eating vegetables ;)

Zoodle pad thai recipe and image via Skinny Mom.

I had a zoodle pad thai at a restaurant in Minneapolis a couple months ago and have been wanting to try and replicate it. That would first require me buying a zoodle maker, but I think it would be so fun to try! That's one food trend I want to hop on board with. 

Cauliflower patty recipe and image via Carb Switch. 

Here's another cauliflower recipe for you! It seriously is the miracle vegetable. 

I'm challenging myself to make one of these recipes this weekend. Hold me to it! Now which one to pick...

Do you have any recipes you swear by, or that you've been wanting to try?

xo Catherine

p.s. shout out to my friend Kara for helping me with blog post ideas when I have writer's block!

I don't know about you, but when it comes to the Superbowl, I'm only in it for the food. This year I feel like I have to participate though because the game is being played literally a mile away from our apartment. Therefore, we're having a little get together so that Mark and his friends can go walk around and soak it all in on game day. I'm excited about it because I get to make lots of yummy appetizers. Win-win! Here are some of my favorites:

Pepperoni Cheese Stick Roll Ups

Image and recipe from The Girl Who Ate Everything. 

Mini Crescent Dogs

Image and recipe via Pillsbury. 

Slow Cooker Spinach Artichoke Dip

Image and recipe via Damn Delicious. 

Taco Dip

Image via Brown Eyed Baker. 

Recipe:

8 oz cream cheese (softened)

1 cup mayo (can be substituted with plain Greek yogurt)

1 packet taco seasoning 

Mix all ingredients and spread on bottom of dish. Top with shredded lettuce, Mexican blend cheese & diced tomato. Serve with tortilla chips.

I've made and love all of these, but I have to say that taco dip is always the crowd pleaser and will be gone so quickly! 

What are your favorite game-day recipes??

xo Catherine

It's very simple and completely free to sign up, which you can do here. The next sample day is December 15th, so mark your calendars! 

Full disclosure, I did partner with PINCHme for this post, but I honestly do think it's a really cool company and wouldn't share it with you if it wasn't something that I believed in. If you do sign up, I'd love to know what you think!

xo Catherine 

(Taken on Crave's rooftop)

Today I was featured on The Cultured Lens talking about my top places in Minneapolis to eat and I thought I would share! I love Minneapolis. It has so much to offer and the restaurant scene is amazing! Head over to The Cultured Lens to read about my top places. If you're local you should definitely try all of them!

xo Catherine