Aurora Farmers’ Market Opening Day 2022

~I don’t know what I would do without Facebook. Not only can I keep with my friends and family, but it also tells me of these great events, such as the Farmers’ Market in downtown Aurora, IL this past weekend. This was my first market of the season, and it was awesome! There were quite…

Beyond guac: discovering the versitility of avocados

~Avocados have long been associated with being part of a healthy diet, due to its abundance of healthy fats and other essential nutrients. This green fruit has surged in popularity in the past few years, so much so that it has its own niche brunch item: avocado toast. To be honest, I was skeptical about…

Here goes nothing: my experience with plant based pasta

~Sometimes when I go grocery shopping, and I don't know what to make for dinner, I end up wandering the aisles hoping that something will pop out at me, waiting to be transformed into a delicious meal. Last week while grocery shopping, I ended up in the pasta aisle and found something that caught my…

This new spice I found Sumac’d me upside the head

~I've always had a passion for cooking, and the combination of the Covid-19 pandemic and endless marathons of Hell's Kitchen have quenched my thirst for knowledge of new cultural cuisines to try. For Christmas I received a gift card to Target, and one of the things I got from it was a Gordon Ramsay cookbook,…

Broccoli Binge

~Like most children, I was not a fan of broccoli or anything green growing up. But as I and my palate matured I came to not only like broccoli, but rather enjoy it. And I'll always remember how to spell it because every time I think of broccoli I think of the movie Daddy Day…

Long Grove Strawberry Fest 2019

~Last weekend my fiance and I checked out the Strawberry Festival, an annual event held in Long Grove, IL from June 21-23 (we went on the 21st since we both had the day off). It was about an hour drive from where I live, but thankfully traffic wasn't bad. The main road took us on…

Burt’s Bees Beauty Challenge: Start!

~Most people know Burt's Bees through their lip balm, but did you know that Burt's Bees is so much more than that? They make shampoos, face creams, body lotions, and cleansing cloths galore, catering to all skin tones. I have oily skin and because of that I am more acne prone than most (whoopee...) I've…

Enter the Dragon (fruit)

~On my last trip to the grocery store (Mariano's, my favorite!) I went home with items I had on my list and a few that weren't. One of those was a dragon fruit. As strange as it was sitting in my cart next to the dried apricots and packages of Noosa yoghurt, there were good…

Return to VeggieFest: 2017 edition

~Last year I discovered VeggieFest, a unique lifestyle festival honoring those who have the courage to refrain from meat. This time around I wanted to take my boyfriend with me to share in the experience. Truth be told, it didn't go as well as I had imagined. The ran fell on our proverbial  parade (it…

What the duck (eggs)

~For the past year or so I've been on the hunt for duck eggs. Searching market after market with no luck, my hope was starting to dwindle. It wasn't until a few weeks ago when I finally hit the jackpot, but it wasn't at a farmer's market. They came from my boss! When he's not…