Bar Roma or Roman Holiday

The Slow and Savory Review

It was a normal day until Brandy met the lion tamer. She had been wandering around the Randolph Street Market, browsing for antique wine racks and vintage lace doilies when she came across a rather imposing figure. They wore a tailored suit and an old fashioned coat that had tails draping down to their ankles. Their white gloved hands were clasped tightly behind their back. On their head rested a red satin top hat. But none of these visuals were what caught Brandy's eye. Indeed, what she had first noticed was the short whip in the figure's hand. "Using that for price negotiations, eh?" she commented to the person. They raised a dark eyebrow at her. "I, mam, am a professional lion tamer," they said, "And this is simply a tool of my trade." "Oh," said Brandy, "You're on pest control duty then?" "No mam. I simply do not care to leave my home without my instrument. It is an extension of myself. Besides, one never knows when it might come in handy."

This intriguing figure, it turned out, went by the name of Bucatini Bianco. Brandy and Bucatini wandered up and down the festival for an hour or so, chatting about their individual adventurous lives until Brandy had an idea. "Say," she said, "Would you like to grab a bit of brunch with me? There's a lovely Italian restaurant up in Andersonville I've been wanting to sample and I think you might enjoy it." Bucatini agreed with a short nod and the two headed off with their arms full of various treasures from the market.

Bar Roma in Andersonville was their destination, and they arrived to find a warm and rustic feeling U shaped space, laden with brick, aged woods, and antiqued metals. Even though the design utilized dark colors, the windows at the front of both sides of the dining room brought plenty of light into the space, making it feel more open and breezy.

Brandy began her meal with a Pomegranate Basil Smash, a delightfully sweet, slightly tart, and herbaceous drink that tasted like a summer day spent sitting in the middle of a garden. Bucatini went with a simple belini, which was light, crisp, and fresh tasting.

To snack on while they plotted out the rest of their meal, Brandy ordered them the Colazione di Straciatella, which consisted of grilled green grapes, some rustic toasted crostini, and an impossibly creamy Straciatella cheese (which sort of resembled the inside of burrata), drizzled with honey and some balsamic vinegar. The combination of such simple, but high quality ingredients was utterly delightful, with bursts of sweet, salty, and milky flavors coming in every bite. "There is no taming my taste buds now!" Bucatini chuckled, cracking their whip off the to side of the table.

Next, they shared a plate of Maritozzi con la Panna, an Italian style French toast, coated with almonds and stuffed with a banana, mascarpone cream and served with a side of bacon. Brandy thought the flavor of the toast was spot on, with a decent custard like interior to it and a wonderful crunch from the almond coating. The banana helped quite a bit to break through the sweetness and egginess, while the bacon served as a salty palate cleanser between sugary bites.

For their entree, Bucatini selected the Torticcio alla Trastevere, which Brandy took to be an Italian twist on a chilaquiles. At the base of the dish was crispy tortillas smothered in a tomato-chipotle sauce and then topped with smoky pork belly, avocado, and ricotta salata. Bucatini was immediately impressed that the tortillas remained crispy under the weight of all the toppings, which gave a nice textural contrast to some of the softer elements of the dish. The pork belly was a real standout, with it's succulent and smokey nature, while the sauce provided a bright and rich tomatoiness that actually lightened up some of the heavier flavors. "If I was eating this at home, be sure that the lions would have nothing to lick from the plate!" guffawed Bucatini, making Brandy wonder if they were implying that they actually kept lions as pets.

Brandy, never able to resist a plate full of carbs for breakfast, ordered the Rigatoni alla Carbonara. The rough cracked black pepper that was sprinkled across the plate meant that every bite had a thrilling sense of danger to it that Brandy rather enjoyed. The pasta had been cooked well, but Brandy found herself thinking that she preferred the more traditional spaghetti to the rigatoni, if only because the little tubes didn't hold onto the sauce or the cheese as well as she would have liked. The bacon in the dish lent a good amount of flavor, but didn't overwhelm everything else.

Finally, they both ended their meal with a little dessert. Brandy chose the Affogato, which was simple, perfect, and satisfying. "I only discovered the joys of an affogato a few years ago," said Brandy, "but they have become one of my favorite things. There is nothing quite as pleasing as pouring a dark, rich espresso over a bowl of ice cream." Bucatini had picked the Panna Cotta, which came with a salted caramel sauce and fresh berries. They giggled with delight at the jiggly little sweet, which was dotted with a galaxy of vanilla beans. The panna cotta it self was extremely light, as if it had been made with whipped cream, and had a very pronounced coffee flavor. Bucatini especially liked that the caramel sauce contained small bits of sea salt for a little bit of crunch and an extra burst of flavor.

Several hours after first meeting Bucatini, Brandy had learned more about lion taming than she ever thought she would need to know, and she felt her life was somehow enriched because of it. Bucatini, in turn, had a much more comprehensive knowledge of brunch by the end of their meal. "I never thought that the combination of sweet and savory flavors could be so important," said Bucatini in wonder. "And I never knew lions were such quirky creatures," Brandy replied, "How on earth to do you fit five of them into your home?" "Oh, they are rare miniature lions. Only about 10 pounds each." It was only then that Brandy began to suspect in earnest that Bucatini may have been, in actuality, a skilled and formidable house cat tamer.

The writers of this blog were invited to dine at the restaurant free of charge in exchange for an honest review.

The Short and Sweet Review

Postcards from Bunny: Pangea Nutrition and GIVEAWAY!

Ingredients delivered by Amazon Fresh

"Where on earth has Bunny been?" we hear you cry, and it's an understandable query, seeing as how she has been mysteriously absent almost this entire year. The truth is Bunny went deep underground late last year, to a place where social media dared not tread. And we mean "deep underground" quite literally, as Bunny has spent the last several months living in the deepest caverns of Spain, Italy, Greece, and all along the Mediterranean, helping her beloved Benedict research the fossils of all the ancient animals that once called them home. "I did start to miss sunlight after a little while," Bunny giggles, "But I don't think I've ever slept better! Also, being so far down that none of my electronic devices could pick up any signal certainly was a blessing and a curse. On the one side, I didn't have to read any distressing news or angry online rants, but I was also cut off from all my favorite food sites! The first thing I did every time we surfaced was to binge on all the delicious food I could find!"

Roasted chicken with sauteed veggies and quinoa

After a while, Bunny actually began to notice something: Even though she was gorging on piles of food as they moved across the continent, she was actually feeling better than she had in ages. She felt spry and alert and light on her feet. Why was this, she wondered, especially when upon returning to the States, she immediately began to feel sluggish and weighed down. Was it that the clean, well balanced eating habits of the people on that side of the world had had such a profound effect on her disposition?

As it turns out, many nutritionists consider the eating habits of Mediterranean people to be some of the healthiest in the world. Dr. Christos Mantzoros, a global obesity, diabetes and metabolism pioneer and Professor at Harvard Medical School, is one of those people, and that is why he recently co-founded a one of a kind meal kit delivery service called Pangea Nutrition, which takes everything about the Mediterranean way of treating food and translates it into an easy to follow guide to healthy eating.

Quinoa and radicchio salad with balsamic vinaigrette 

Bunny decided to give this service a try to see if her energy would indeed return to what it had been. The thing she appreciated right away was that she didn't need to worry about any of the meal planning. All of the ingredients for the recipes where ordered by Pangea Nutrition through Amazon Fresh and came straight to Bunny's doorstep. One week's worth of the service included recipes for three dinners and three lunches, all of which had over lapping ingredients to simplify preparation and minimize waste. All that was left was for her to prepare the meals.

The recipes Bunny received consisted of two chicken focused dinners and one salmon focused dinner, with a variety of salads for lunches and some nuts for snacking. All of the dishes were quite easy to create from the recipe cards, though they did take some time to prep. Bunny liked that there was a little bit of room in the recipes and with the ingredients she was sent to add a little more flavor here or there in order to customize the dishes to her personal taste. And because each recipe was built to feed two people, Bunny and Benedict were both able to reap the rewards of the plan.

Roasted chicken with quinoa and feta, raisins, and baby spinach

Glazed apple and arugula salad with walnuts 

Walnut crusted salmon with wilted garlicky greens

Beet and feta salad with pinto beans

Over all, Bunny loved the simplicity of Pangea Nutrition. Her one complaint was that she would have liked a little more direction when it came to breakfast. Since the plan only included instructions for snacks, lunches, and dinners, breakfast was sort of left up in the air, and as Bunny had seen first hand, there were plenty of fresh and healthy ways of enjoying a Mediterranean inspired early morning meal. Never the less, Bunny was so delighted with Pangea Nutrition that she wanted to give the chance to try it out to one of her readers!

GIVEAWAY INSTRUCTIONS: Give the Pangea Nutrition Facebook page a like, then visit the Pangea Nutrition Website to make sure Amazon Fresh delivers to your area. Finally, leave us a comment below telling us what you hope to get out of trying Pangea Nutrition (make sure you also leave something like your email address or a social media handle so we can get in touch with you if you win). We will pick a winner around noon CST on Friday June 16th. Good luck!

The writers of this blog were sent products free of charge in exchange for an honest review.

Revisiting Revival Social Club

At the end of 2014, Brandy was flooded with nostalgia when she visited the newly opened Revival Social Club, which was located in the same space that was once occupied by M Henrietta, otherwise known as Bunny and Brandy's very first brunch review destination. "There was just something so heartwarming about seeing that space cared for and loved by a whole new crowd," Brandy wistfully recalled. But having learned recently that Revival Social Club had acquired new chefs, a revamped menu, and a whole new bar program, she knew she had to go back to see how the old place was doing. "I feel a duty to that space, to make sure it is always home to a worthy brunch. I would take it as a personal insult if I ever heard ill being spoken of the brunch in that little spot next to the Granville Redline stop!"

Sunday morning brunch was still buzzing, which Brandy was happy to see. Glancing at the menus, she noticed that the once experimental bar menu had become more approachable, while the food menu, which used to concentrate on Southern American themed cuisine, had shifted more to home style Mexican American. Still, there was some holdovers from the previous incarnation, like the unforgettable skillet monkey bread.

Brandy started off her meal an iced Mexican Coffee, which had been spiked with Ancho Reyes liqueur and topped with a tequila whipped cream. "Oh, this is dangerous!" she said after taking a sip. The iced coffee was so smooth and the liqueur's flavor so subtle that she could have easily sipped her way through three glasses or more without even thinking about it. The whipped cream certainly did pack a punch, though, reminding Brandy that she wasn't merely drinking a lovely coffee, but enjoying a proper cocktail. Though she missed seeing the Dark Matter coffee infusions that the bar had previously been creating, she thought the Mexican Coffee almost made up for their absence.

To start off brunch, Brandy ordered the Truffle Fries, which came with a sprinkle of Parmesan, crisped bacon, chives, and a lemon aioli. The fries were a little dry on their own, but taking them for a dip in the creamy aioli certainly did help. The bold flavors of the bacon and the chives drowned out the truffle, sadly, but they did make the fries mighty tasty. "If it was me, I'd forget the truffle all together and just call these Bacon Fries," Brandy thought aloud.

Next, she shifted to the sweeter side with some Lemon Ricotta Pancakes. This was a flavor profile she'd been seeing quite a lot as of late, and though lemon isn't typically Brandy's favorite thing in the world, she did like these particular pancakes. A healthy slathering of coconut cream helped to bring out the creaminess of the ricotta while balancing the acidity of the lemon nicely. The pancakes themselves had a great fluffy texture that didn't leave Brandy feeling weighed down by the end of the plate.

Lastly, Brandy ordered the Skillet Nachos, which seemed to be an interesting new version of of chilaquiles. Adding some medium rare steak to the concoction that included pico de gallo, black beans, sour cream, guacamole, and scrambled eggs really gave the dish a feeling of well-roundedness. Every bite was a little different, which Brandy loved, with plenty of crunch coming from the freshly fried tortilla chips. She used these interchangeably with her fork to scoop up all of the lovely toppings. "What a delightful change of pace," Brandy declared, "I've become a bit bored by seeing chilaquiles on every menu in town, but this has something different about it that makes it into a whole new experience."

Satisfied to see a location so close to her heart finding their footing in a new realm, Brandy wandered out into the street. She then immediately wandered back into Revival Social Club, took a seat at the bar, and ordered more Mexican Coffee's until she had to be asked to leave so the staff could go home.

The writers of this blog were invited to dine at the restaurant free of charge in exchange for an honest review.

From the Kitchens of Bunny and Brandy: Tropical Breakfast Parfait "Cheese" Cake

It all started with a single thought. "What if I could have cheesecake for breakfast?"

Of course, Brandy could have cheesecake for breakfast, as she is a grown adult woman and capable of making her own choices, but even she knew, it was probably not wise to have cheesecake for breakfast. Well, at least not every day...

But still, the idea persisted and she couldn't quite get it out of her head. For days, she wandered in and out of her kitchen, looking at her pantry shelves or staring into her open fridge, until her whimsical idea began to solidify into something tangible. And it was a trio of recently discovered items that finally made her dream a reality.

Brandy had first sampled skyr from Icelandic Provisions at a special dinner, held at Baptiste and Bottle, celebrating the culinary prowess of Iceland. Skyr, she learned, is a deeply cherished part of Icelandic culture, with most of the country having eaten it regularly since childhood. Skyr is similar to yogurt, in that it is made with milk treated with specific cultures, but it's texture is even smoother and creamier than even that of Greek yogurt. It has more protein and less sugar than most yogurts as well, which greatly impressed Brandy. Icelandic Provisions had several unique flavors that combined familiar western fruits like strawberries, peaches, and blueberries, with lesser known Icelandic fruits like lingonberries, cloudberries, and bilberries. Brandy's favorite flavor, though, was the Coconut, which tasted just like the inside of a coconut cream pie. This, Brandy realized, would make the perfect base of her cheesecake.

Wanting to add a little sweetness and some additional tropical flavor, Brandy zeroed in on the carton of Banana Wave banana milk in her fridge. The stuff was so creamy and flavorful that she had been using it as a base for smoothies for some time, but she suddenly realized that the banana milk would pair perfectly with the coconut skyr. And as Banana Wave is packed with superfoods – fruit, grains and seeds – and because it begins with pure banana puree, she knew it would be a good source of fiber and vitamins without adding additional dairy fat into the recipe.

Every great cheesecake needs the perfect crust, and Brandy had just the thing sitting in her cabinet. She had recently discovered Grandy Oats' line of CocoNolas; three flavors of grain free granolas made from nuts, honey, and coconut. Light, crunchy, and not overly sweet, she had been downing this stuff by the handful for weeks for a quick boost of energy in the afternoon, but now, she knew that she had to utilize it's delightful flavor and texture to create a nutty crust for her cheesecake. While the chocolate chip flavor is her favorite for snacking on, and the super hemp blend gives the most bang for the buck, Brandy went for the original flavor CocoNola to maximize the coconut flavor.

As she prepared to make the breakfast cheesecake of her dreams, Brandy realized that what she had really done was to create a slice-able yogurt parfait. Not only that, but a parfait that was packed with protein and nutrients, but was very low in sugar, fat, and was completely grain free. "Also, it travels much more easily than a traditional parfait," she concluded. But in the end, this delightful concoction had such a creamy, rich texture, that she couldn't help continuing to think of it as the greatest cheesecake known to man.

The writers of this blog were provided with the products mentioned free of charge in order to facilitate the writing of this post.

Tropical Breakfast Parfait "Cheese" Cake 

5 single serving containers of Coconut Icelandic Provisions Skyr
1 9 oz package of Grandy Oats CocoNola
1 cup of Banana Wave Banana Milk
1 cup of chia seeds

Pour the banana milk into a medium sauce pan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Meanwhile, pour the granola in the bottom of a 9 inch spring form pan and smooth out into an even layer, making sure to break up any larger pieces. Place all the skyr (or yogurt) into a medium sized bowl. Take the banana milk off the heat and slowly pour it over the skyr, whisking away lumps. Once the banana milk and skyr are thoroughly mixed, add in the chia seeds and continue to whisk away any lumps. Carefully pour the mixture over the granola. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and let sit in the fridge over night.

When ready to serve, top the "cake" with toasted coconut, cut into slices, and serve cold with fresh pineapple or a drizzle of honey. Makes about 8 servings.

La Storia or Pass the Everything

The Slow and Savory Review

If Brandy has any flaws, one of them might be her propensity to sample from the plates of her dining mates during a meal. "I just want to make sure I try a little bit of everything!" she explains in justification, Most of her friends are now used to this sort of behavior and tolerate her constantly reaching her fork across the table to pick at morsels on their plates, even scooting bits of their meals to the edges in anticipation of her curiosity. "Why don't you go to more tapas bars or dim sum houses if you're so insistent on trying a little bit of everything?" she's been asked more than once. "Because what if I like one of the dishes so much that I don't want to share?" Brandy counters.

Knowing her proclivity towards pilfering bits of their food, Brandy's dear friends Hawk and Bailey decided to take her to a meal where her FOMOOF (fear of missing out on food) would be quelled. La Storia in the Gold Coast had recently begun what they were calling a "Social Brunch" service; a sort of family-style-meets-prix-fixe set up in which everyone paid $30 a person and would collectively share a carafe of cocktail, 2 starters, a wood fired pizza, and 2 entrees. For Brandy, this sounded like an ideal situation. "It's as if they want you to try everything on the menu!" she exclaimed.

Hidden away on Dearborn amongst a row of some of Chicago's favorite restaurants, La Storia offers rustic Italian cuisine made from some of the freshest local ingredients available. Being below ground level, the restaurant doesn't offer much sunlight, but there are a few cafe tables out front and a beautiful courtyard patio out back for those who desire such things. Inside, the feeling is warm and intimate with a bistro-like atmosphere. The main room is dominated by a fantastic mural, depicting famous figures in Chicago culture, from Walt Disney and Al Capone to Oprah and John Belushi. Brandy, Bailey, and Hawk (none of whom are native to Chicago) had a delightful time trying to identify all of the individuals and what their connections to Chicago were.

The first important communal decision was to pick one of the offered cocktails. The table decided on the bottle of Prosecco, which came with fresh orange and peach juice, so that the table could make their own mimosas or bellinis.

Soon the starters were hitting the table. The three friends decided to order a sweet and a savory bread option. For the sweet, they sampled the Focaccia, which came adorned with house made ricotta, honey, and kumquat jam. Brandy just adored this sweet little bite of heaven, with its extremely light and fluffy texture and just a little crispness on the crust. The flavor was buttery and sweet with a little tang from the kumquat. "When I saw 'focaccia' on the menu, I thought it was going to be a denser bread, but this is divine!" exclaimed Bailey. For the savory option, the trio sampled the Lobster and Avocado Toast. Normally opposed to trendy dishes, Brandy was actually quite pleased with this version, which was piled high with large chunks of lobster meat and fresh avocado. Hawk's piece had a little too much char on it for his liking, but otherwise the group found the toast to be well seasoned and the perfect combination of crunchy and creamy.

Next up came the pizza. The table had decided on the Pesto version, which came topped with Guanciale, a fried egg, more ricotta, and of course, a basil pesto. Bailey was a little skeptical about having pizza for breakfast, but once she understood that this was not some Chicago style abomination, but a wood fired, chewy crusted, lightly adorned flat bread, she gladly took up a piece. The pizza had a good hit of salty flavor to it, which highlighted the smokiness on the crust. The pesto had just the right vibrancy and consistency for Brandy, and the egg on top was cooked to perfection.

The main courses were next up, the chosen dishes being an Eggs Benedict Florentine with charred artichokes, spinach, and fontina fonduta and the Steak and Eggs with potato hash, king trumpet mushrooms, and caramelized onion. The steak had been cooked to a perfect medium rare (even by Hawk's exacting standards) and had a good char on the outside. The crispy bits of onion and potato were a delight, and the earthy mushrooms added to the richness. As for the benedict, the eggs were poached beautifully, cascading a waterfall of yolk when Brandy sunk her knife into them. The flavor was actually quite unique, having a little more bite and lightness than a typical Florentine benedict because of the artichokes.

Finally, the group decided to end their meal with something sweet and ordered up a slice of the special Italian Cream Cake. The layer cake was impossibly moist with a slight lemon flavor, which was offset by some bright, fresh strawberries, a coconut cream, and some crunchy candied pecans. "This is like every classic dessert flavor all in one bite!" Bailey exclaimed, to which Hawk agreed, and Brandy nodded as she shoveled another bite into her mouth and slowly slid the plate closer to her section of the table.

"I have to say, there is something rather pleasant about being able to try so many things all in one meal," said Brandy as they sipped the dregs of their coffee, "And I really liked that all of us had full permission to try all of the dishes, so that it wasn't just me snagging bites from every plate." "I can see why you do that, though," said Bailey, "It's kind of fun not having to worry that you're missing out on your second or third choice dish." "And the price point is kind of incredible for the amount of food you get!" said Hawk. "Let's just all agree that from now on, when we go out to eat, we'll always order family style," said Brandy, "Unless I really like my dish. Then none of you are allowed to have any. In fact, you're both lucky I let you have any of that cake."

The writers of this blog were invited to dine at the restaurant free of charge in exchange for an honest review.

The Short and Sweet Review

Mother's Day 2017 Chicago Brunch Guide

All About Town

Olive Theory All Locations offering Buy One, Get One Free heart shaped pizzas 

Jerry's Sandwiches All locations offering complimentary mimosas and surprise gift envelope for all moms 

Kanela All Locations offering a complimentary starter for moms 

Porkchop All Locations moms eat for free and get 1 complimentary cocktail 

Andersonville 

Bar Roma A la carte, Special dishes, complimentary glass of sparkling rosé for moms

Bridgeport 

The Duck Inn prix fixe for $48,  complimentary mimosa for moms

Edgewater 

Revival Social Club A la carte, complimentary flower and chocolate dipped strawberry for moms

Mango Pickle A la carte, special tea and coffee service 

Fulton Market

La Sirena Clandestina  A la carte, live music all morning

Swift & Sons family style $49 per person

Gold Coast

Fig & Olive Prix fixe for $40 

Maple and Ash buffet for $65 

Eataly prix fixe for $95, includes a brunch cocktail making class 

Lakeshore East

III Forks prix fixe, 3 courses for $48 

Lincoln Park

Geja’s Café A la carte, complimentary 5-minute massage and glass of bubbly 

The Blanchard A la carte complimentary flute of champagne 

Café Ba-Ba-Reeba A la carte special tapas for mamas menu, all moms get a special gift 

Logan Square

Osteria Langhe A la carte special brunch menu created just for Mother's Day 

Mag Mile

Michael Jordan's Steakhouse A la carte special brunch menu created just for Mother's Day 

Howells & Hood buffet- $39 

LH Rooftop at LondonHouse buffet- $75 

North Center

Tavern on Little Fort special a la carte menu

River North

Hard Rock Café buffet for $35 and live retro music 

SafeHouse Chicago complimentary SpyMom-Mosa or a Spycial Bloody Mary for moms

Mercadito prix fixe, 4 sharring courses + cocktail for $30 per person

Imperial Lamian complimentary basket of dim sum items for all moms

I|O Godfrey at The Godfrey Hotel buffet for $39 

Cantina Laredo complimentary Mimosa or Bloody Maria for all moms

Tortoise Supper Club buffet for $69 

Bottlefork complimentary mimosa for all moms

Vermillion prix fixe- $25 for 2 courses or $35 for 3 courses 

Bar Lupo live jazz music, complimentary bottomless mimosas or rose for all moms 

Bohemian House family style $35 per person

Roscoe Village

Commonwealth Tavern special a la carte menu 

South Loop

The Chicago Firehouse buffet for $59 

The Loop

Great Street Restaurant in Renaissance Hotel Complimentary mimosa for moms and dessert table 

Seven Lions buffet for $38.95 

Steadfast prix fixe for $50 

Roanoke prix fixe for $33 for 3 courses 

University Village

Tuscany on Taylor  A la carte special menu created just for Mother's Day 

West Loop

Macello complimentary flute of rosé prosecco for moms

West Town

Ruxbin prix fixe- $75 for 4 courses 

Frontier family style for $29 per person 

Suburbs

Tuscany Restaurant Wheeling buffet for $42.95 

Parker's Restaurant Downer's Grove buffet for $32 or a la carte dinner menu 

210 Restaurant & Live Music Lounge Highwood buffet for $35 with live gospel music 

The English Room at The Deer Path Inn Lake Forrest buffet for $65 

The Happ Inn Northfield $39.95 "All You Can Eat” appetizers and desserts, $5 mimosas 

The Estate by Gene & Georgetti Rosemont buffet for $46 complimentary mimosa for moms

Punch Bowl Social Schaumburg buffet for $25 complimentary mimosa, Mom’s brunch is completely free if she bowls a strike on her first attempt.

Tea Time with Brandy: XO Marshmallows Kickstarter

Brandy had a very vivid dream last summer that she still can't quite get out of her head. She dreamed she was standing on a bank of pastel pink clouds and all around her was blue sky. She bounced from cloud to cloud until she came across what looked to be a small table, which was set for a tea service, except instead of tea, there was a pot of steaming hot chocolate. Brandy sat herself at the table, and feeling a little like Alice in Wonderland, she poured out a mug of the velvet liquid. Then she noticed a silver jar in the center of the table, which had an ornate lid. When she lifted the lid, she found a multitude of the most luscious looking marshmallows she'd ever laid eyes on. Each one was as big as an ice cube, but lighter than air (indeed, some of them began floating out of the jar and Brandy had to scramble to make sure none of them escaped into the ether). She popped one into her mouth and savored the unexpectedly rich flavor of salted caramel. She tried another one and got a wash of coffee. Another tasted like green tea. And yet another tasted like lavender and honey. Then before her eyes, Brandy saw the marshmallows transform from perfect cubes to little circles with holes in the middle, almost like a donut. The thing was, these heavenly little marshmallow rings were the exact size of Brandy's mug of hot chocolate! She plopped one in and watched the little thing swirl happily in it's warm bath or chocolate.

The morning after this dream, Brandy journeyed down to the Lakeview Festival of the Arts, where she stumbled across two very hip looking young ladies, who just happened to be selling, of all things, handmade marshmallows. Brandy was intrigued, to say the least. She learned that the ladies were named Kat and Lindzi and that they had just launched a Kickstarter campaign to help them grow their marshmallow making obsession in the form of XO Marshmallows. Brandy immediately purchased a few of their wears and found that they tasted just like the marshmallows in her dream had. Then she saw that one of the goals of the Kickstarter was to help them launch a new product; little marshmallow rings called Mars'halos that fit perfectly into a mug of coffee or hot chocolate! It was then that Brandy decided she needed to back these ladies and see her marshmallow dreams become reality.

Flash forward to the present day. XO Marshmallows successfully funded their Kickstarter and Brandy has been watching their progress with great interest ever since. Then last month, she saw that they had launched a second Kickstarter, this time with the goal of opening Chicago's first ever marshmallow themed cafe. "Oh, I simply MUST see this come to fruition!" said Brandy. One of the Kickstarter rewards was a special flavor of marshmallow; strawberry, which was made with actual strawberry puree. Brandy could not get enough of these juicy, fruity, little pillows of paradise. When she stumbled upon some strawberry flavored pound cake, she decided to use it to make a decadent triple berry shortcake. Giving the marshmallows just the slightest bit of caramelization with a torch made the snack the perfect sugary indulgence when combined with fresh tart berries and the creamy, moist cake. "I made something so simple, and yet so delicious with these things, with almost no effort," Brandy commented, "Just imagine what those girls could do with an entire cafe themed around these things!"

XO Marshmallow's Kickstarter has only 10 more days to go, so make sure to pledge before time runs out to get access to exclusive rewards like limited edition flavors, signature merch, or even a private coffee tasting! It is also worth mentioning that Brandy may or may not seek vengeance on all of Chicago if she doesn't get to see her prophetic dream of a marshmallow cafe come true. "If Chicago thought the Curse of the Billy Goat was bad, they don't want to see what I've got up my sleeve!" she threatened.

The writers of this blog were sent product free of charge in order to facilitate the writing of this post.