ANOTHER SNOW STORM!!

It's the first day of March and we're right back where we started.  Another snow storm is heading our way.  Luckily we missed the other one that passed last week.  It did dump several inches in MI and IN, but we only got a dusting off it.  WHEW!  Let's see how lucky we get this time around.  It was suppose to have snowed during our morning commute but nothing happened.
Regardless, I had a pretty chilled weekend.  My friend came into town from Virginia.  I got a chance to hangout with her Friday night.  I had dinner at her family's house where I was served mulukhiyah.  It was delish!  To get a better understanding of this dish, I took the definition off of Wikipedia. 

Jordanian/Palestinian cuisine

The Jordanians and Palestinians have a tradition of cooking a more elaborate version of the dish. A whole chicken is cut open, the intestines removed, and the innards stuffed with herbs, spices and raw rice then sewn shut with thick thread. The chicken is then boiled to create the broth for the Molokhia soup which, after preparation, is served as five separate components: The molokhia soup, Arabic flat bread, the chicken (stuffed with flavoured rice), additional plain rice and a small bowl with a mixture of lemon juice and sliced chilli. The soup is mixed with rice and lemon juice according to taste, while the chicken is eaten on a separate plate.

I had the soup version with pita bread.  Very tasty! 

Afterwards we headed to the Fashion Outlets Mall in Rosemont.  It was pretty frigid that Friday night, so it was nice to walk around an indoor mall.  Since opening in 2013, it quickly became a favorite of local Chicagoans.  They provide a free shuttle bus off the Blue Line as well as free parking in their multi level garage.  With high end stores such as Gucci, Prada, Armani and Burberry all under one roof, it's no wonder why people love it here!  You can do some serious damage all in one visit.  My friend found a cute Tory Burch wallet as a souvenir of her visit.  I need to visit her soon... 

Gucci guccissima scarves!  Some as low as $159!

A weekend with my friend..

Back in August, one of my friends came over to hangout.  We talked and caught up with what's going on, but we were having a hard time figuring out what to do.  We could have easily stayed in, especially since it started to rain when she came over.  But after a glass of wine, and when the rain stopped, we decided to head down to Logan Square to check out my friend's restaurant.  It opened last summer, and I felt TERRIBLE I haven't been able to check it out.  Hence, here was my opportunity to see how things were going for him.
Masada is a middle eastern restaurant which features live music and dancing.  I loved the décor when I walked in!  I felt I was in a far away destination!  We found the owner and chatted with him on how things have been.  It was a pretty cool evening.  We smoked hookah and danced the night away.  I love surprise evenings...
The next day my friend invited me to the Cuban Festival in Reis Park.  I've never been before and was excited to see what all the hype was about.  Of course, there was plenty of salsa music, and food galore.  Luckily it didn't rain on us.  I loved seeing people dance!  I'm a terrible salsa dancer, but watching everyone gave me the itch to try to learn.  I ended up taking lessons after softball season was over.  I didn't have the guts to show off my moves, but it definitely made me want to improve on my skills.  Practice makes perfect!
Afterwards we headed back to Masada for more Arabic fun!  My friend wanted to show her boyfriend the new place we discovered, and he loved it as well.  In a weird sense, that weekend felt like a mini getaway.  It's nice to feel "away" sometimes...

With the owner of Masada restaurant...

Having fun with the hookah!

Dancing the night away...

The next day checking out the Cuban Festival in Reis Park,

Hanging out in the cigar section...

I love these two...

Good times

LOVED the live music! 

Back at Masada after the festival...