And what’s a trip to the suburbs without a stop at my favorite bakery?… JAROSCH BAKERY in Elk Grove Village. Amazing baked goods… and my all-time favorite fruit “pizza” coffee cake! Plus, a great childhood flashback as it’s always been the favorite bakery since I grew up in Elk Grove Village! And so many of my high school friends worked there over the years!

So we tried the newest OREOs in my pottery classes… and both times we landed on “The Dark Side”… meaning red filling! We never got the blue cream?! And while I’m not the biggest Star Wars fan, I am a big OREO fan!!!

Looks like Kristy is celebrating NATIONAL FUDGE DAY today… and trying to stay just a little bit healthy?! A dollop of homemade yogurt & fresh strawberries… and just a squirt of hot fudge!!! Looks yummy Kristy!

Bright blue bowl & bright red cherries!
Looks like the perfect snack for a warm sunny Friday. Thanks for sharing Kristy!

And not only was Cory a great host for the pottery tour weekend… but I also came home with two of her plates that I bought to add to my Cory McCrory Collection!!! And, the artists all got a loaf of homemade sourdough bread as a lovely parting gift… and I “might” have come home with three… allegedly…

So we’ve had a couple fun OREO flavors lately in my pottery classes! Including Sour Patch Kids… that were surprisingly YUMMY!!! I know, they sound kinda terrible… but I was mistaken. And the Maple Cremes were imported from Canada thanks to Tessa!

Big CONGRATULATIONS to my friend & pottery student Martin Sorge who announced today that he’s officially writing & publishing his first cookbook! If you recall, he was also the WINNER of “The Great American Baking Show” last year… which of course we celebrated in our pottery class with a lot of yummy baked treats! Congrats again Martin… we can’t wait to see your cookbook!!!

Oh yeah… and thanks for showing off that fancy stamped cake plate! It was the “prize” I made for Martin… before we found out he had won the real “trophy” cake plate!!!

Be sure to follow Martin on Instagram… @martinsorge

It was a great weekend getaway… surrounded by a LOT of great pottery, beautiful scenery, good friends & yummy snacks! What’s not to like?! I love going up to the Minnesota Pottery Tour every year. So much to see… so many photos & stories to share… more coming soon!

You gotta love a good road trip… and I especially love a good KwikTrip!!! Always good a gas refill, a clean bathroom & for a “kwik” snack along the way! Okay, so this cinnamon roll may have just been the “vehicle” to get all of that frosting into my mouth?!!! And I’m okay with that!!!… burp.

I’m pretty sure it’s not pear season in Chicago… but I was still happy to find some on sale at the grocery store! Just waiting for them to ripen… hoping that it’s not all on the same day!!!