Yesterday was the Chicago Marathon and, of course, I headed out to watch it. I mean it’s only 1 block away from my apartment, I kind of have no excuse. I had this eloquent post that I was going to write about the marathon and my thoughts on running and how I feel about not running as much anymore and all that wonderful stuff. You would have loved it. But then my cat got sick.
But then my cat got sick. 
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Ok, confession time. When I was younger French Onion Dip and plain potato chips were one of my favorite things ever. And not good homemade French Onion dip, oh no. The most processed store bought version. 
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Get ready for the onslaught of pumpkin recipes. I’m sorry I’m not sorry but it’s fall and it’s time for pumpkin. 
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Alliterations are fun and so are roomie reunions. Good thing both of them are in today’s blog post!
So last week I spent some time with my college roommates in Rolla, Missouri where Ashley lives. I have been to Rolla before, but this was Jes’ first visit so Ashley got to show her all the sites. Now, Rolla is quite small. Yes, there is a university there (Missouri Science and Technology where Ashley works) but it only has 8,000 students. Those 8,000 students make up most of Rolla. Needless to say, most of our site seeing was not in Rolla.
Missouri is kind of pretty… especially the Ozarks
We picked Jes up from the St. Louis airport (almost 2 hours away from Rolla) and had dinner at a Thai place called Pearl’s Cafe. It was pretty good and I had Tom Kha Gai soup for the first time. It was probably the best part of my dinner and I’ve tried to recreate it but haven’t gotten it quite right. Soon….
Again… Missouri isn’t too shabby to look at
The next day after a stop at the Giddy Goat (a coffee place that had good variety for small town USA) we headed out to the Meramec Springs. This place was really beautiful. There was a fish sanctuary where you could feed fish (which we obviously did) little bridges, waterfalls, the spring, of course, museums, and trails. We walked around a bit and drove on the historic drive and saw old homesteads and a really pretty overlook of the Ozark Mountains.
Ashley checking out the Slag Notch. Still don’t know what that means
The fish sanctuary and the fish we fed.
Jes and Ashley by the cavern over the spring.
The actual spring… I thought it would be bubbling or something but it kind of just sits there.
After Meramac, we headed to Sybill’s for lunch. This place was in a super fancy house and they had some pretty good food. I got a strawberry avocado spinach salad and even thought it was a little sad when I removed the bacon, bleu cheese, and super sweet dressing, I added some sauteed summer squash and it made a pretty good meal.
Next, we went to The Public House which is a joint winery and brewery in St. James. This place was really nice and had a lot of indoor and outdoor space. Their gardens had a variety of yard games like bocci ball, Jenga, and lawn chess. There was a good selection of beer, cider, and wine and while played some games and caught up on life. Overall a great time.
Jes and her giant knight. They are both very excited
All the beers and a cider
Finally, we headed to a fudge factory. But not just any fudge factory, oh no.
Seriously, can’t make this up
Uranus Fudge Factory. Because the best fudge is found in Uranus. I can’t make this stuff up guys. There was also a burlesque dancing bar, tattoo parlor, and a food truck plaza. Ah, the good ol’ US of A.
That night I made a spaghetti squash casserole that will probably be on the blog this week. Then we just relaxed, watched Family Guy, old YouTube videos we made back in the day (like this one, you’re welcome Ashley) and laughed. Laughing is always a good thing.
It was a great trip, but I am glad to be back to my routine after over a week away. I’ve got new recipes to share and fall weather has finally made it’s way to Chicago. October is here and that means my birthday and anniversary are soon, yay! Oh, and speaking of anniversaries, Happy One Year Anniversary Mr. and Mrs. Meyers! Have an awesome day and enjoy your new (puppy) addition! 
How was your week/weekend?
Told you this week was all about the Meyer lemons and poppy seeds.
Of course, I had to make some lemon poppyseed muffins because who gets lemons and poppy seeds and DOESN’T make muffins? Psychos, that’s who. I might be crazy but I’m no psycho. Anyways….
I was a little worried that these wouldn’t turn out after I made my first batch and they were…. well, bland. They tasted like nothing and that’s not what you want from a muffin. So I switched a few things around and the second batch turned out much better. They even got the approval of my family at Easter, so that’s an even bigger plus!
I used frozen blueberries because that’s what I had at the time but if you want to use fresh that’s good too. You might have to adjust your cook time, so keep an eye on them. Other than that this recipe is pretty straightforward and fairly simple to make!
After the recipe, you’ll find a quick poll. It will only take a few seconds and it will help me make this blog even better for you. Thank you in advance and have an awesome weekend!
Meyer Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins with Blueberry Bottoms
Life Healthfully Lived 