my favorite chocolate chip cookies.

i never realized a lot of the things i would miss when i went away to college. i'm not sure if it was christmas time, the stress of studying for exams, or the combination of both (most likely), but all i wanted last week was a homemade cookie. 

upon arriving at home, i made it my mission to get to making christmas cookies as soon as possible. the first ones i made were the never-failing, classic chocolate chip. i use this recipe, because in my opinion, it always creates the best results. an added plus- the smell of these cookies baking in the oven around christmas beats any holiday candle.

this recipe makes a lot of cookies! plenty to share. 

my helper in the kitchen. 

a festive soundtrack playing in the background. 

ta-da! they taste even better while they're still warm! 

what are your favorite holiday cookies?

happy baking! 

xoxo, caroline

a visit to wicker park + christkindlmarket.

if you are ever in chicago, i highly recommend taking a visit to wicker park. it's such a cute & quaint neighborhood, chock full of delicious restaurants, great shopping, the cutest bookstore and an old-school vinyl record shop. there's so much culture present, with urban expression and murals on the brick building walls. definitely worth an afternoon visit.

also, if you are ever here during the holiday season, make sure you stop by the annual christkindlmarket. it's an open-air german holiday festival that boasts their native foods, drinks, crafts, and trinkets. it's a fun way to celebrate culture, whether german is your background or not, and move into the holiday spirit.

here are a few photos from my saturday visit to wicker park...

holiday vibes.

myopic books: the cutest bookstore you ever will see. i'm not sure if i've ever seen so many books in one place. can i please just live in there?!

the yummiest meal at native foods. thai meatballs on a bed of lemongrass broccoli, kale, and quinoa. i mean, c'mon! it doesn't get much better than that. i'll be back, no doubt.

and from my sunday visit to the christkindlmarket in the loop...

the giant macy's christmas tree...

lots of schnitzel, sausages and sauerkraut...as well as yummy sweet treats. who doesn't love german food??

chocolate covered everything (fruit, cookies, marshmallows, you name it)! also, i couldn't pass up a free sample of german chocolate toffee.

 warm german pretzels, baked cheese and hot cider (!!!). YUM.

the best soft pretzel, hands down. spinach + feta stuffed.

christkindlmarket is right off the red line 'lake' stop.

the wonderful L.

stay warm & happy holidays!

xoxo, mary grace.

thanksgiving. {mary grace}

a thanksgiving spent in steelville, mo will forever be a favorite. this year, we spent thursday, friday, and saturday surrounded by fields, sunshine, and wilderness by day and crackling fires and endless stars by night. we hiked fields, explored the depths of caves, and rode ATVs until their tanks were empty. we camped, we cooked, and we made s'mores.
we laughed, we loved, and we indulged in nature.

one of our many cabins.

our pond {home to fishing, canoeing, paddle boating, etc.}, cabins, and new red barn.

exploring the dirt roads by ATV.

a view that will never get old.

2.5 hours after entering bat cave, we made it to the very back. it boasted both a waterfall & small pool.

this girl's giggles are contagious.

a glimpse of the cave's insides.

the end to every night. with s'mores, of course. 

hope everyone had a wonderful thanksgiving, wherever it may have been spent.

xoxo.

a weekend in chicago.

over the weekend we spent some time exploring one of our favorite cities: chicago! this trip was especially great because it was the first time we got to see each other in three months! chicago was the perfect place for our reunion. it was an amazing weekend full of exploring, laughing and overeating.

a reunion on rush street! we were just a little excited to see each other for the first time in 94 (!!) days.

it wouldn't be a trip to chicago without a stop at giordano's. if you're looking for some good chicago style pizza, giordano's is your place. 

an early saturday lunch at ralph lauren. 

sprinkle's has the right idea with their cupcake atm machine. 

perfect on a cold day in the windy city. 

a dark michigan avenue before the festival of lights. 

dinner in the lobby of the ritz carlton hotel. we loved getting to watch the lighting of the tree in their beautiful lobby, as well as listening to all of the christmas music. it's never too early to start celebrating! 

you never know who you'll meet in an elevator! 

finishing off our long day with netflix and cheesecake in bed. 

we had one goal in mind on our sunday... 

you never fail to disappoint us, shake shack. 

what are your favorite things to do in chicago?

xoxo.