Last week Bryan and I celebrated our three year wedding anniversary and it’s unbelievable how much has changed and how fast these three years went by. I love this man more and more each day and have truly enjoyed having him as my partner to tackle life’s lows and celebrate the highs. With that said, as I am sure the majority of couples can relate, it’s easy to get caught up in day to day routines. Often times we have to remind ourselves to step back from the responsibilities of running a home, graduate school, work e-mails, taking care of a dog, etc. and that before any of this, it was just him and I wanting to spend every moment together (still true..well..most of the time 😉 ). Because him and I usually have so much going on, date nights are sometimes a rare commodity. This is why I surprised him with a cooking class in the city to enjoy some wine + good food, celebrate these last three years, and possibly learn a thing or two along the way.

While researching the dozens of places to partake in a cooking class in Chicago, one place in particular caught my eye. The Wooden Spoon had everything I was looking for – an intimate setting with a great menu, knowledgeable chefs, and was tucked inside of one of Chicago’s many interesting neighborhoods. It was a mere coincidence that once I had decided on this location for our class, they had a ‘Whiskey Grilling’ class scheduled for the week following our anniversary. I was sold.

Let me start off by saying that this is one of those times I wish I could capture just how incredible of an experience we had in a blog post. I got a small taste of how kind and patient everyone is there after a small bout of panic while calling and telling them we would be 25 minutes late to our class due to a bad accident on Lake Shore Drive. Needless to say, we arrived a little bit flustered but were greeted by Chef Richard and four other wonderful couples with cheers, blue aprons labeled with our names, and wine opener to quickly get the Zinfandel flowing.

The Location

In order to convey how cool this place was, it’s definitely worth mentioning the neighborhood as well as the welcoming store front, store and kitchen set up, and beautiful outdoor grilling area. The Wooden Spoon is located in Chicago’s Andersonville neighborhood and is family owned and operated. Upon arrival you are greeted by an adorable store front complete with an actual giant wooden spoon, windows adorned with various kitchen gadgets, and chalkboards boasting the cooking classes scheduled for that day. It’s also important to mention that The Wooden Spoon is not just a cooking school but also a one stop shop for pretty much any kitchen tool or gadget you’re looking for. I had barely gotten my apron on and I had already made mental note of a few items I wanted to purchase after class.

At the back of the store is the kitchen area out of even the most inexperienced of chef’s dreams. At the center of the prep and seating area is the equipment and enough open space to ensure that everyone feels included in the preparing/cooking of the meal and for the Chef of the evening to demonstrate and answer questions.

Just outside the back door of the kitchen is the patio and grill. I could have easily spent all evening on this patio staring at the colorful mosaic tiled pizza oven and charming fountain and garden area. We got incredibly lucky with perfect grilling weather for the evening and as a result, we were able to socialize with everyone inside and outside while we sipped on our wine and waited for the last few dishes to finish up.

The Chef

Bryan and I both agreed that Chef Richard Ginn was probably one of the coolest people we have ever met. If I could describe the ideal person to walk us through how to cook with our favorite beverage – it would be him. Originally from South Carolina, Chef Richard is not only part of the team at The Wooden Spoon, but also has his own custom furniture design and construction company in Chicago called Riftsawn Woodworks. With such an interesting background, we really enjoyed learning from him and he creates an environment in which every couple feels relaxed and comfortable asking questions.

The Menu

It would be ridiculous to not mention what we made but I left this for last because I sit here still dreaming about easily one of the best meals I have ever had (husband agrees too). The pictures I took on my phone don’t do any of this any sort of justice but I was desperate to capture each and every dish.

The couples began with preparing of all the sauces/glazes we would need, chopping vegetables, and combining the ingredients for the dessert. After the initial prep, the real nitty gritty of the meal began. First up was Grilled Shrimp with a Whiskey Cocktail Sauce. This looked delectable despite me not being able to take part (silly shellfish allergy). Luckily, Bryan took one for the team and ate both of our shrimp portions. Between bites, his only words were “holy crap”. I’d call that a stamp of approval.

Next, the couples split up cooking the main dishes and sides. This included Grilled Chicken with a Whiskey BBQ sauce and spicy slaw, Grilled Whiskey Mustard Pork Chops with grilled apples, and Whiskey Glazed Carrots (this was my”holy crap” moment – we’re talking carrots glazed in butter, brown sugar, and whiskey, people). While it’s easy to say that any of this was the ‘best of’ chicken, pork, vegetables, etc. we’ve ever had – let’s talk dessert…

GUYS.

I kid you not- there was complete silence once the Double Chocolate Whiskey Cake with Whiskey Chocolate Ganache was served and everyone took their first bites. We’re talking out-of-body-experience kind of cake. It was the perfect amount of moist (I hate that word) cake mixed with a warm, oozing, ganache at the center of it all. One of the other ladies in our group caught eyes with me from across the seating area, shook her head, and threw up her arms in praise. We were each able to have a gigantic slice and I borderline licked the plate.

Bryan’s reaction: “I never want another kind of cake for my birthday ever again”.

We ended the evening with applause for ourselves and Chef Richard, took pictures with our newly made cooking friends, and perused the shop for some must-have kitchen items. Bryan and I picked up a cute cast iron cook book, new meat thermometer, and of course- a couple of adorable wooden spoons with their logo to remember the evening by.

To say that we left with our bellies full is the understatement of the year. I loved that Bryan and I got to share this experience together and we will 100% be going back for future classes. The recipes from the evening were shared with us via e-mail minutes after we left the class and I know these dishes will be on rotation in our own kitchen here at home. I more than recommend The Wooden Spoon for your own date night or a fun evening out with a group of friends. Thank you to everyone at The Wooden Spoon for making our anniversary celebration such a special one!

Link here to the calendar of classes to book your own experience at The Wooden Spoon!

How many times can one say they had a weekend of quality time with their loved one, good food and sightseeing, accomplished a long time goal, enjoyed beautiful weather, and didn’t have to go far from home to do so? This was easily one of the most fulfilling weekends I’ve had in quite a while and an experience I was so excited to share with my husband.

Not long after our last lengthy race, Bry and I decided to begin training for the Humana Rock and Roll Half Marathon (or in my case, the 10K, let’s not get crazy here). Runner’s high is a real thing and finishing our races in April left us with the need to push ourselves a little further. The timing also worked out perfectly because our two year wedding anniversary was on July 11th. We figured an overnight in our own city (that we don’t explore nearly as much as we would like to) would be an ideal way to celebrate – and a shiny new medal wouldn’t be bad either 😉

We drove downtown to the Health & Fitness Expo on Saturday afternoon to pick up our bibs, shirts, and take a peek at some new running gear. Being around all of these people who are working towards the same goal that weekend is pretty cool and the energy at the expo made us even more ready to begin our runs the following day. After browsing a bit and taking some pictures, we headed to the Hilton to drop our stuff off and grab some lunch. I had been hearing about a restaurant/cafe called ‘Goddess and the Baker‘ for quite some time and luckily it was a 15 minute walk from the hotel. Holy..cow..did I love this place. I am so sorry I had not ventured downtown sooner to try it. Their menu boasts fresh and seasonal choices for breakfast, lunch, and dinner complete with a HUGE selection of delicious looking/tasting pastries and a heavenly coffee bar. It was really difficult for me to pick just one thing to eat off their menu but I chose their Chicken Club sandwich and kombucha to drink. Bryan and I sat by the window and enjoyed the people watching. I also couldn’t pass up a macaron and cold brew on my way out. This is easily my new favorite spot downtown and I am already looking forward to trying the naan bread grilled cheese next time 🙂

We quick stopped at CVS to stock up on Larabars and water for the morning (I forgot the city doesn’t provide grocery bags anymore..) and walked back to the hotel for unpacking, a small nap, and stretching. Before we knew it, it was time to explore again and we certainly wanted to enjoy the 80 degree weather. Since we had to call it an early night, we wanted to stay close, so we ended up where every other tourist in the city ends up – Millennium Park. Though this time, we didn’t take the typical ‘Bean’ selfie, but stopped under the bandshell to listen to some classical music and perused the new Maggie Daley park. Did I mention how perfect the weather was? It seemed like everyone and their cousin was outside enjoying the music and the breeze off the lake. We enjoyed some dinner al fresco at the Plaza in Millennium Park underneath my favorite string lights and headed back for the hotel to rest up before bed.

Let me tell you – 4:30am comes early on a normal day, but when you have to run 6.2 or 13.1 miles, it comes extra early. We rolled out of bed, stretched, and tried to shred some pre-race jitters. Bry and I each went our separate ways and headed towards our corrals around 6am as the race officially began at 6:30. It wasn’t long before my corral was up to the starting line and I started my first 10K! Running along the lake shore was so much more scenic compared to my usual runs at the park by our house. The view certainly made the first three miles go by really quickly. I started feeling a bit tired at mile 4 and while I hit my ‘wall’ about mile 5, the live music along the route, light shows, and cheering crowds as I neared the end motivated me to push through. Before I knew it, I was sprinting (okay, after 6 miles I guess I couldn’t call it a sprint) the last quarter mile to the finish line. I quickly hobbled over to the teams handing out water bottles and chocolate milk, received my medal, and hurried to the side of the crowd watching the half marathoners roll in to watch Bryan finish his very first half. Bryan finished the 13.1 miles in 2 hours and 12 minutes which he was super proud of – and so was I. We had both finished the longest runs we’ve ever completed so we headed over to the post-race party to grab our free beer and share in the excitement of everyone else finishing the race. We didn’t spend a ton of time at the party because it was time for brunch – probably what we were looking most forward to this weekend. While I am not a fan, there is nothing like a huge post-run Bloody Mary to my husband.

As much as we would have liked to enjoy some more city time, we were so glad we decided to not spend the second night and head home for a shower and very long nap. We finally ended our anniversary weekend with a pasta dinner at Gattos, one of our regular Downers Grove spots, and live Irish music and darts at Ballydoyle. I was so tired by the end of Sunday evening, that I found it hard to stay awake past 10pm. Between all of the fresh air, running, and contagious energy downtown, I was so ready to hit the pillow. It was a much needed weekend spent celebrating all the hard work training we’ve put in the last few months and two years with my very favorite person.

We’re certainly ready to give our knees a bit of a rest from hitting the pavement, but are looking forward our next two races: the Stan’s Donuts 5K in August and and Ditka Dash 5K in October. Do you have any races you’re training for? What is your biggest fitness goal?