Friends with Cupcakes

Two years ago one of my close girlfriends, Elise, came to stay with me for a couple days while visiting from the south. We had one full weekend planned ahead of us, and since it was summertime and gorgeous, the nights seemed endless. Baseball games, catch up with old friends, dinner at our favorite jaunts, and a little secret that Elise let me in on that one Saturday night. Well let’s back up for one minute before I divulge the secret. See that Saturday afternoon, Elise wanted to meet up with some other friends for an early bite and a drink before we journeyed out for the evening. I had some errands to run, so she went solo and was going to be back in a couple hours. Around six o’clock Elise came in my apartment and said she wasn’t feeling so hot. She looked yellow. Uh oh…

Turns out poor Elise got a food borne bug that made her quite sick and we had to trade our new dresses and sexy heels in for pajama’s and fuzzy socks. The poor thing spent most of the evening sick and yellow, and finally fell asleep after a full night of misery. I stayed up and watched horror movies because it was about the only chance I got to watch them without being alone in my apartment. Security blanket in a way.

Sunday was one of those perfect days where it was pouring rain and crappy out all day. Which meant more couch time and catch up time with my now-feeling better friend. After 5 bottles of Gatorade, a gallon of water, and half a bottle of Pepto, the girl was starting to come back to life. We barely ate all day and finally ordered in for dinner. It was right after our dinner that Elise let me in on one of the best kept secrets in Chicago. She put on her flip flops, baseball cap, and said “follow me; we are going to Molly’s.” Molly’s? Who the heck is Molly and why are we going to see her at 8:30 on a Sunday? I don’t want to go see Molly, I want to stay in my little hermit house and keep under the covers. NO!

Ok, fine. I put on my flip flops reluctantly and follow the now hungrier than ever Elise down the street to the next block where in a matter of feet from my doorstep was the infamous Molly’s..cupcakes that is. YES! Molly’s Cupcakes! I’ve never been and I really don’t even care for cupcakes, nor would I normally seek out a shop that only sells cupcakes to satisfy my sweet tooth. Boy have I been living in the dark. When you walk in you are transferred back to your childhood days of playing board games and sitting on actual swings as opposed to chairs. And the smells! Oh the smells of cookies and frosting and chocolate wafting through the air made me want to seek out an employment opportunity.

Elise informs me that the ‘cookie monster’ is bar far her favorite and I was to have that one, oh and birthday cake, oh and peach cobbler, yeah that one too. Five cupcakes and a gallon of milk later, we were on our way back to my place to break the scales and keep on our pajama pants for the next week with the amount of calories we were about to consume. Bring it on I say.

Well Elise was right; cookie monster is the best cupcake I’ve ever tried. And I owe my now five pound weight gain over the past two years due to her. At least every other week I find reason to sneak into Molly’s and have my way with a delicious cupcake. Thanks Elise! You are the best and Molly’s is one place everyone should get to check out at least once if they are in Chicago. I promise, you will not be disappointed. Happy eating and don’t’ forget to follow me on Twitter @Chitownchef or on Instagram @chichef