Union Woodshop: Clarkston

Hello, hello! How was the weekend?

Ours was very normal and included a lot of food and treats. Nothing out of the ordinary or spectacular to report, however, we did find a new dinner spot full of barbecue that my Southerners would love!

Union Woodshop: Clarkston

(Linking it all up with Katie.)

I visited Union Woodshop once before in the afternoon with my friend Alex, and she insisted that we come back at night with the boys when we could venture upstairs during our wait time. There is always a wait time, and our projected hour and a half estimate was to be expected.

Since the restaurant is considerably small for the amount of customers that come through, they created an upstairs as an overflow waiting area, built a bar, and brought in entertainment like a pool table and a general store.

Filled with Michigan products and specialties, there were also hilarious books and trinkets you would likely stumble upon at an Urban Outfitters.

We found a lounge area off to the side to order a round of ciders that made Scott and I want to redecorate our basement!

The decorations were so simple, but made a statement with wood paneling, colored paint, and white christmas lights. Very cool and cozy.

Ninety minutes later, we went downstairs to our table with raging appetites.

The waitress took us through the menu items we should try, and we took her up on some of her suggestions.

Fried pickles, their variety of sauces, my chicken dinner with sweet potato and jalapeño mash, seasoned greens, and cornbread (left), and Scott’s pulled pork and chicken dinner with macaroni and cheese and baked beans (right).

The four of us topped it off by splitting two desserts that were good enough to keep stuffing ourselves, even though we were already extremely full. Some kind of chocolate brownie and ice cream goodness…

…and a butterscotch pudding.

We all left in the same boat: feeling satisfied, yet uncomfortably full. Next time we need to make a point to order less and share more.

We will return for sure!

Running and Resting

The rest of the weekend involved the usual activities including a Friday night dinner at home, wine, and movies.

Whole wheat linguine topped in marinara sauce with shrimp, peppers, tomatoes and spices.

I spent the majority of Saturday cleaning, studying, and running.

Roadie made it through 4.5 miles with me before I dropped him off and continued on until I didn’t feel like running anymore.

I haven’t done that in forever, but wanted to see what I was working with before half marathon training begins.

As it turns out, seven miles is when I start questioning why I run, and I hope to push that back to at least nine or ten as training goes on. Miles 8 through 10 are always the hardest for me to power through!

After Scott’s full day of events at the arena on Sunday, he came home with just enough time to get dressed and go out to dinner with some friends of ours in Downtown Rochester.

We went to Krus & Muer, which I have yet to blog about. It’s a great spot with a fantastic menu, and I need to do a better job at sharing more about it next time. For now, just know their summer specials are where it’s at.

Shrimp and fried green tomatoes, ya’ll!

(Both Scott and I ordered the same.)

Immediately following dinner, we crossed the street to The Dessert Oasis, because we hadn’t indulged in enough of them for the weekend. (Lies.) I fully blame Scott for this one. His sweet tooth has been out of control lately!

He was generous in splitting his chocolate mousse and dharma bomb (a dressed up chai tea) with me, so I couldn’t complain.

We wrapped the weekend up with the cutest snuggles from our friend Adam’s Malamute puppy named Odin.

He is so tiny! He is rumored to weigh anywhere from 110-130 lbs. as an adult, which makes me want to cuddle him as much as I can at this size.

I have always wanted a Pomeranian, and being this size with his fluffy puppy fur reminded me of one! Don’t ever grow up, Odin!

Before I go, I have a Van’s Waffles giveaway winner to announce…

Congratulations to Entry #15: Erin!

You were chosen by Random.org and have been emailed.

All right, friends, I better get going. There are some study materials to get to after I spend the afternoon shopping for new recipe creations and inspirations before an event at the arena with Scott tonight.

Hopefully, all goes well and I can share them with you in a couple of days.

Have a great start to your week!

Question of the Day

• Have you always wanted to raise a specific dog breed? What is it?

I grew up with poodles, then our family started adopting muts from shelters. Roadie is a stray, so I have never actually gone to pick out my own breed of dog before.

If I had the chance, I would probably want a Pom. Their facial expressions make me laugh and I just love their little tongue that sticks out. Their fur is so fluffy and I would just want to snuggle ’em all day like Odin!

If I ever got one, I would also have to have a bigger dog that could play catch and protect me. Roadie’s great for that and thinks he’s small enough to snuggle in my lap… so I guess there’s that! 

I guess maybe one day we will need two pups… ? (Kidding.) (Kind of.)