Different Places, Same Three Faces

So remember that last post in which I alluded to fabulous Italian cuisine on the horizon?  Perhaps I should have been a bit more exact with my timeline...for three weeks later not a recipe has been posted.  Why?  Well because these two foodies and our pup have relocated to beautiful Minneapolis, Minnesota!

It's crazy to think that only two and a half months ago the hubs opened an envelope at Match Day, revealing what city would be our future home (at least for the duration of his residency).  Sooooooo incredibly much has happened - three weeks in Italy, four days in Canada, two weekend weddings, a pre-move visit to Minneapolis, four car-fulls of flattened cardboard boxes, countless hours of apartment hunting, multiple goodbye dinners, downsizing our furniture on Craigslist, two sets of parents visiting for one graduation and a partridge in a pear tree.  Just typing those major highlights is exhausting...but living it was a whole different ball game.

With the downsizing, packing, traveling and overall flailing about that is inevitable with a cross country move, our eating was pretty much one of two things:  quick pantry/freezer meals or a final meal out at our favorite Dayton restaurants.  I may have started searching for chickpea flour (far more difficult than first anticipated) and made a couple two blog-able meals, but finding the time to sit at the computer proved to be impossible.  After all, we had to tear it up on those wedding dance floors.

Happily, the hubs and I are all settled into the gloriousness of our new downtown digs.  Just a short bike ride from city center, the 7 Corners neighborhood has thus far proved fabulous.  The neighborhood is surrounded by fabulous co-ops, steps away from a gorgeous bike path along the Mississippi and directly across the street from The Republic, one of the top 100 breweries in the country (with amazing food...dangerous).

But without a doubt, the best best BEST best thing so far in our move is the kitchen.  We have gone from a cramped 1970's galley with one legitimate prep space to an enormous, brand new open concept with top of the line fixins.  To say we are pleased is an understatement (an excited jig took place...literally).  For the first time in four years, the hubs and I can cook together without tripping over one another.  Now that we've unpacked all cookware and restocked on the essentials, I absolutely cannot wait to start sharing our eating adventures with you all.

How is the pups taking this all of these changes?  Like the champ that she is...champ of naps.

Oh, and I also found chickpea flour.  I love co-ops!