The Accidental Boilermaker

Yesterday and today, I tried my hand at two different recipes calling for molasses. A molasses swirl bread for toast and sandwiches Molasses spice cookies to help Nate get over his cold

I'm thankful for the weekend I got to spend with my family in Decatur. We ate a ton of really good food and mostly just relaxed and enjoyed each other's company. It was a very nice Thanksgiving. Turkey with all the fixings Kate and Meredith being silly Me and Kate being silly We all went for a run to burn off those extra calories

I love pumpkins and all things pumpkin flavored. Ask Nate, every time we go grocery shopping, I snag a can of pumpkin puree so I have plenty on hand. This weekend I made pumpkin fudge and pumpkin lattes - way better than those expensive ones from Starbucks. I also love cranberries and I found a recipe that combines my two loves - pumpkin cranberry bread . This is the third variety of pumpkin bread I've made this fall and I think by far the best.

I spent the weekend in Chicago to celebrate Kate's birthday (which was yesterday). My Mimi came up from Decatur too but she didn't know I was coming, so me and Kate surprised her. We went to Navy Pier to see an art expo that Kate was super excited about. It was pretty neat and we got to see a glass blowing exhibit that was really cool. Mimi took us to Grand Lux Cafe for lunch and then we shopped around Michigan Ave until it was time for Mimi to catch her bus ride back home. Sunday, Kate and I went to Hyde Park for breakfast. She showed me around University of Chicago and then we tried to read/study on campus, but we both ended up falling asleep. My parents drove up for lunch and then took me back to the train station. When I got to Lafayette, Nate was waiting for me with a rose. All in all, it was a fun weekend. SOFA exhibit at Navy Pier Skyline The birthday girl