When Ali was in town, she bought her twin sister, Caroline, the tiniest gift I’ve ever seen.

My friend, Ali, came to visit us in Chicago last week. We lucked out with weather, and we had a nice surprise when we realized that this week was the Chicago river dying in honor of St. Patrick’s Day!

On her last day, Ali agreed to sit down for a few final photos before our farewell brunch.

Trader Joe’s just got Parisian macaroons. This is a very big deal.

P.S. Head on over to photographer Laurel McConnell’s blog to check out some amazing cupcake photos (including a photo by yours truly).

Jeff and I learned a few important lessons in pet ownership this week:

1. Don’t let your 14 pound cat within five feet of a 70 pound dog
2. When 14 pound cat tries to get away from said 70 pound dog, don’t try to pick him up—your face may become a stepladder

I made a trip back to Michigan over the weekend to see my family—I was particularly excited to see Henry. I’m amazed by how much he has learned in the past two months!

I couldn’t resist those little eyelashes as he slept all snuggled up. Adorable!

I’m a bit late on this, but I want to wish a big happy birthday (technically February 29) to my fiance, business partner, favorite home cook and computer superhero.

Happy birthday, Jeff!

Guess who?

Romulus needs to work on his hiding techniques.

You’re probably starting to realize by now that I have a huge sweet tooth. So last week, when More Cupcakes surprised me with free cupcakes and a handwritten note (thanks to a Twitter nomination by Meg, who modeled in the photo last week), I was beyond ecstatic. Chicago is a serious contender as the best cupcake city in the world (and I’d love to be a cupcake ambassador to fight for that title).

Here’s what it’s like to eat a cupcake from More (ok, this is just the visual—it’s a lot better when you can actually taste it).

Here are a few of the flavors (from top right): Belgian dark chocolate, red velvet, coconut, buttercream with white chocolate curls, s’more with toasted mashmellow, chocolate ganache, belgian dark chocolate cake with cream center and chocolate ganache with chocolate buttercream, milk and white chocolate curls.

The attention to detail is stunning.

For more information about More Cupcakes, visit their website or follow them on Twitter. They are really friendly!

Just call this sweets week. Maris was kind enough to let us use her cupcakes from More Cupcakes for a few indoor and outdoor shots. And thanks to Meg for posing. Yum!

Maris is a recent NYC transplant—and we’re lucky to have her here in Chicago. She’s also a fabulous cook and food blogger (seriously, she puts together some of the best party spreads I’ve seen). If you’re looking for a great foodie to follow for recipes and inspiration, check out her blog, In Good Taste.