Weekend Bites: Anniversary Edition

Well, it's Friday, but I'm still going to fill you in on our past weekend because it was a good one! Mr. H and I celebrated our five-year wedding anniversary, and there was no shortage of celebratory moments.

On Friday evening (our actual anniversary), I surprised him by picking up Salted Caramel cupcakes (our wedding cake) from A Cookie and a Cupcake in Tremont. I topped them with our original cake topper (a joke about how he made me wait almost 8 years before we "finally" married). And I arrived home to a surprise of my own, a floral arrangement made to mimic my wedding bouquet from Urban Orchid. Mr. H is incredibly thoughtful. I'll keep him.

Then we headed out the door to the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo for their new Wild Winter Lights event.

Not only is the zoo the site of our "first date" in Cleveland the first weekend I visited him from NY...

...but we also got engaged there. So it's a special place for us, and this new event was a perfect way to celebrate. The lights were beautiful, there were a lot of activities, and the weather was great that evening.

However, we were ready to warm up and fill our bellies after walking around outside. So we headed to Urban Farmer Cleveland in downtown. We hosted our rehearsal dinner there five years ago, and that experience is still one of my favorite moments of the wedding weekend.

Any meal at Urban Farmer must start with their signature Cornbread cooked in a tin can. It's some of the best I've had.

We also shared their Calamari before Mr. H enjoyed their Trout and I dove into a 21-day dry-aged Filet with tallow butter and blue cheese. It was a really lovely meal.

The celebrating wasn't over, and we jumped in the car the next morning to head to Gervasi Vineyard in Canton. More on that later!

After a wonderful night away, it was great to get back home and have Mr. H back in the kitchen whipping up amazing meals like these Pork Chops from Saucisson and a roasted butternut squash, brussels sprouts, pecans, and dried cherries mix that makes a great side dish for these colder months.

Having an anniversary smack in the middle of holiday season can sometimes feel overwhelming or not ideal, but I always appreciate taking the time to slow down and focus on celebrating with each other. This year was special--- our first big milestone, so we did it up!

A New Cookie and a Cupcake

Our favorite bakery, and wedding cake designer extraordinaire, have moved, and...opened a second location! A Cookie and a Cupcake have finally moved into their new Tremont location, now situated on West 14th Street near Bac. They also opened a second east-side location in South Euclid on Cedar Road.

I haven't visited the new east-side location yet, but we popped into the new storefront in Tremont the other day. They have combined their old bakery with their Churned ice cream shop (formally located by Lincoln Park), and they are now offering all baked goods and ice cream under one roof.

It's quite a charming "roof" too. I love the soft colors and cheerful wall mural.

You can get your classic cupcakes here...

...an assortment of cookies, cheesecake, and other treats...

...and ice cream.

You'll find interesting flavors here, like: Strawberry Rhubarb, Brown Butter with Lavender Brittle, Avocado with Blackberry Jam, and Roasted Garlic.

I suggest always getting a Salted Caramel Cupcake.

I'm enjoying their new home on West 14th Street, and I hope that east-siders will visit my favorite bakery in their new location over on that side of town. The only thing that I miss about that smaller shop in Tremont is the intense smell of baked goods that hit you in the face upon opening the door. The new, larger and airier spot just doesn't have that delicious assault to your nose.

A Cookie and a Cupcake
2681 West 14th Street
Cleveland, OH 44113

13953 Cedar Road
Cleveland, OH 44118

"Cupcake" Crush

Our recent little find in Tremont is A Cookie & A Cupcake. While my waistline won't thank me for finally stopping in this neighborhood bakery and shop...my tummy sure does! I've had samples of their mini-cupcakes at a couple of recent tasting events (see left), and I was always impressed with how moist and fresh they were. I'm here to tell you that they are even better from the store!

"R" and I stopped in there on Saturday for the second time (in one month, ugh). With a mouth full of cupcake, "R" exclaimed "I want to run back in there and hug the women who made these". At least that's what I think he said through all of the crumbs and frosting that were taking up most of his mouth.

We had the Strawberry, German Chocolate, Apple, and Espresso cupcakes. The Apple cupcake was topped with traditional apple pie filling with a shot of cinnamon frosting hidden in the center. I discovered that all of the cupcakes we tried had something tucked away in the middle of the cupcake. They were like tiny explosions of flavor once you got to the center! The Espresso cupcake was a moist, chocolate cupcake with a hint of coffee flavor. This was my second time trying the Strawberry. I previously thought that the white cupcake with light strawberry frosting was my favorite. But then I tried the German Chocolate. The rich, chocolate cupcake was filled with a delicious chocolate and coconut filling in the center, which was a perfect little surprise. I will certainly be getting this flavor again!

Their cupcakes may be making a big splash all over Cleveland, but they make much more than cupcakes. There are cookies too...and brownies, cheesecake, and beautifully decorated custom cakes. I'm talking about Food Network-worthy cakes. The designs photographed on the walls are just spectacular, and they are screaming for me to have a special occasion! If you haven't already heard of A Cookie & A Cupcake, then seriously consider checking them out. This is coming from a girl who will always pick salty over sweet. But they have tickled my taste buds and made a fan out of me.

P.S. I really hate the word "moist", and I can not believe that I wrote that word as many times as I did in this post. But they really are...moist!

A Cookie & A Cupcake
2173 Professor Avenue
Cleveland, OH 44113
(216) 344-9433