I don’t know if there are words to describe how insanely happy I am that it’s Friday night. How happy I am that the week has finally ended, that I got to take a yoga class tonight and that I have zero plans this weekend other than doing whatever it is that I feel like doing. It’s pretty amazing. Candles lit, John Coltrane radio on Pandora (yes, I’m a nerd…at least it’s not Frank Sinatra radio…love that too!), red wine open and homemade pizza in my belly. Yes, yes, yes…relaxation at last!

I wandered into the grocery after yoga with no dinner plans. That of course led to Friday pizza night. I was just chatting with my mom and told her that I think I’ve had pizza four out of the last six Friday nights. Zero complaints about that. Pizza will eternally be the best Friday night dinner. I picked up whole wheat pizza dough and a variety of toppings at the store – sundried tomatoes and asparagus from the antipasto bar, mushrooms and artichokes along with some leftover tofu.

I rolled out the dough, brushed it with olive oil and pre-baked it for about 7 minutes at 450 on a preheated pizza stone before adding the toppings. I sprinkled feta and a mozz/provolone mix on top of everything listed above along with some oregano and a Tuscany spice blend. Finished it off in the oven for another 10-12 minutes on 425.

Served with a salad. Plenty of leftover to enjoy later.

I took 15 minutes at lunch to pop in for a polish change (a needed mental break) and I’m pretty obsessed with the color I chose. It’s from the OPI Bond collection and named, “The World Is Not Enough.” It’s a great metallic shimmery bronze. Pretty, sparkly nails are a definite pick me up…especially when it costs all of $5 to get a polish change and it looks one million times better than had I done it on my own.

I had the last of the leftover chili for lunch with avocado, cheddar, plain Greek yogurt, hot sauce and crushed tortilla chips.

Now I am going to completely switch gears. I didn’t get much of a chance to update the blog this week but I must share an amazing dinner that I had on Wednesday night. I finally got to try 5 Church which is a trendy new restaurant in Uptown Charlotte. Apparently it was one of the hot spots during the DNC and I saw on Twitter that two stars of Homeland were there the night that we were.

The occasion was my friend Maddie’s going away celebration dinner. You’ll recognize that this is the group of girls (and yoga friends) that I went to Asheville with. Well, Maddie is leaving us for a great new job and opportunity in Chicago. I am so sad that she is leaving but so excited to visit her.

The design of 5 Church was so incredible. The lighting, art, furniture…everything was beautiful! This is what you saw walking into the restrooms.

I ordered the “Smoked Then Roasted Salmon.” It was served over polenta with fennel and beets. The best thing about the dish was the sear on the salmon that still gave way to a perfectly cooked interior. All of the flavors were warm and and complemented each other well. It just seemed like the right thing to be eating on a fall evening with friends.

We ordered two desserts to split but the shining star was the S’mores Trifle. After my first bite I declared, “If anyone is ever having a bad day I would be more than happy to meet you here for this dessert and a glass of wine.”

Now it’s time to enjoy the rest of my Friday night. I’m thinking tracking down dessert along with some TV is in order.

What was the best thing about your Friday night…or the best sweet treat you had all week?