last thursday evening, our little crew popped in the wagon and went for some dinner at liberty market. the days had been long and since i was actually making an effort to do some serious meal planning AND cook dinner at home every night, it was time for a night off. plus, friday was month end for ben which means that he gets a later start to the work day buuuuut has to stay way late into the evening to “close” and finalize numbers and whatever else those trade people do. so thursday was a perfect evening for a family date night.
i really wanted the tastes and feelings of comfort food with the goodness of a homecooked meal but minus all the time and dishes, ya know? and for that, liberty market is the spot. you know you are getting fresh and local ingredients that are lovingly and exquisitely prepared without a bunch of junk. it is a meal that i would create in my own kitchen, elevated to amazing levels.
we grabbed a table in the back and ordered up some baked “fries” to start. a major crowd-pleaser. please see below…that would be elinor’s hand reaching in to pull “her” plate of fries toward her within two seconds of the plate being set on the table. this girl and her food, i tell ya.
ben got a fancy sparkling water and i sipped on the yummiest coffee. freshly brewed decaf stumptown coffee with “market-made” almond milk. woah. i would sure love one of those every morning from here on out. looks like i need to get my juicer cranking and make some of fresh almond milk for my chicory coffee. i can see that being the new go-to for spring/summer, for sure.
for the main event, we enjoyed apricot chicken with whipped sweet potatoes and broccolini + green chili pork with roasted veg and homemade tortillas + tomato cheese pizza for miss elinor. we shared bites (well, ben and i did. elinor kept her food all to herself and then got in on some of mama and papa’s…um, growth spurt?)
after dinner, we strolled about gilbert to people watch and enjoy the cool air and setting sun. it was a delightful night. the perfect mix of arizona winter meets the hope of spring. the sun was warm and the sky was clear. the air was crisp and moving easily through the trees, just enough to stir up some good ol’ desert pollen. these are the days.
swanky & dapper 