Chicago, Day 1

Because I'm lazy and not feeling too hot (thanks, cold!), I'm just going to post these without trying to make them align side-by-side.  My apologies.  :)

Saturday morning, we got up early and headed to the airport.  We narrowly made our plane because we got held up in security and were sad that it was a cash-only flight, but we made it!

 You could see where the snow had stopped!  I love that we can now use our phones on the plane.  :)

 Chicago!

Once we landed, we got our CTA passes and got on the train to head downtown to Hotel Indigo in the Gold Coast. We took a taxi from the train station to the hotel and checked in. It was fun watching of the train and taxi, and our hotel was adorable and trendy. I loved that they had Tootsie Rolls in the lobby and were so pet friendly!

 our view at Hotel Indigo--so cosmopolitan! *lol*

Then we grabbed lunch next door at The 3rd Coast. I had a delicious caprese sandwich, a salad, and a milk stout. 

Once our tummies were full, we took the train out to Michigan Avenue, exploring Water Tower Place for the most part. We hit up American Girl Place, the LEGO Store, and Macy's. 

 Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower)

 American Girl Place at Water Tower Place (my favorite!)

I love the "window" displays at AGP!  I would love to have the job to set those up.  It has long been my dream to work for American Girls.  ;)

 Cecile and Marie-Grace's holiday window display

 Molly's (so sad she was retired this year!)

 Rebecca's

 Julie's

 Kit's

 LEGO Willis Tower

Chicago skyline

 LEGO Santa Large-Fig (See what I did there?  The "people" are called mini-figs...but this guy was 'UGE!)

 Our friend Rob of Lifelites lit up THIS Iron Man!

 husby in his element

We planned to go to Giordano's for dinner. As usual, it was a l-o-n-g wait, so we explored some nearby stores during the wait (Nordstrom Rack, Anthropologie), and Beverly and I went to sit outside the Water Tower to people watch as it wasn't too cold and there were literally no other places to sit. We also popped into Hershey's and Ghiradelli's, where we got some free samples, and into some of the richy-rich stores. 

 the Water Tower

Because it was the Saturday between Christmas and New Year's AND it was so warm (for Chicago in winter), the streets and stores were bustling!

 Zach and his dad outside Nordstrom Rack

Once inside Giordano's, we had a half-pineapple, half-pepperoni pie with some drinks. Poor Zach ended up getting sick and taking a taxi back to the hotel while we finished up. He felt some better by the time I made it in, and while his sickness was disappointing, it was still a pretty good first day in Chicago.

Menu Monday: BLUEBERRY-STUFFED SCONES

I may have mentioned this before, but we really love eating breakfast for dinner around here. For example, Saturday night I made buttermilk waffles with buttermilk syrup (thanks to the ladies at The Pretty Life Anonymous) and turkey bacon. Breakfast foods are filling and cheap and are sooo enjoyable to eat. Besides, who has time to eat a nice big breakfast in the morning? Mornings are hectic around here; we are lucky to eat at all (but Zach and I both do). We also like to have breakfast as a quick fix for dinner or an easy meal to make when we are busy or are preparing to travel, as we are this week. We are going to Brickworld outside of Chicago because my husband loves Lego, and I love my husband. ;) (Plus it's going to be pretty awesome AND our friends Rob and Mechelle are going. I really am excited; I promise. I just think Mechelle and I are more excited for Giordano's pizza. ;)

Since Zach and I have met, we have shared plenty of scones. I have made some from mixes--the best ones bought at World Market on trips to KC--and I have tried several recipes. I made one using sour cream and orange zest the first summer we were together, and I remember we liked that one quite a bit although it was crumbly. The one I used on the morning of the Royal Wedding? Not so much. Tonight, however, I am happy to say I have found a scone recipe we both like, even though the scones it makes are somewhat different from the ones to which we are accustomed. By that, I mean that the fruit is an actual filling as in a fried pie or dumpling, rather than being mixed into the batter. I had quite a bit of buttermilk leftover from "brinner" this weekend, so I wanted a recipe that would use some of it up. Fortunately, I found a recipe in the cookbook that Zach bought me for our first Valentine's Day together. WIN!

We bought some more blueberries at the Farmers Market, so BLUEBERRY-STUFFED SCONES were born!

-Combine 1/2 c. all-purpose flour, 1/6 c. sugar, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1-1/4 tsp. baking powder, and 1/4 tsp. baking soda in a bowl.

-Add 6 Tbsp. butter or margarine and mix until the flour mixture becomes crumbly. (I used my KitchenAid [of course!] on the 2 setting.)

-Add the 1/2 c. buttermilk until combined. It will be very sticky.

-On a floured surface, tear off 2-in. diameter portions from the dough and roll the dough out into circles that are about 4 inches in diameter. (I suggest flouring the surface and rolling pin in between each circle, and it doesn't hurt to flour your hands, too!)

-Place 7-10 blueberries in the center. (You can use any kind of fruit, jam, baking chips, cheese, nuts, or what have you. Use your imagination. :)

-Fold the circle in half and seal edge. Place on a greased baking sheet and brush the top of the scones with heavy whipping cream. (I used Baking Joy every time I need to grease a pan or what-not for baking. My mama always used Crisco, and while that softens your hands, it sure is messy!)

-Bake for 15 minutes until lightly browned at 400 degrees.

-Sprinkle with powdered sugar while warm. (I wish I had used my sifter. They would have been that much prettier!)

[10-12 scones]

-I also made cheesy, chivy eggs to go with the scones for "brinner." Zach says I make the best eggs he has ever had, and he loves chives. The chives, rosemary, and basil are doing great in our herb garden. The mint is o

kay--some of the bottom leaves have browned, but it is growing upward and the top leaves are huge and green--while the cilantro just can't catch a break. Does anyone have any tips?

P.S. I'm such a nerd and just remembered how to imbed links! I'm proud--and embarrassed!

P.S.S. We are going to be gone until Monday, so no posts until next Tuesday at the earliest. The only food I will be talking about will probably be Chicago-style pizza and hot dogs!! I'm sooo excited about them.

P.S.S.S. I had radishes again this week in salad Sunday night. They are so nice and peppery. But can you cook them? I need to research that.

P.S.S.S.S. Someday, I promise, I will have a lovely camera that takes lovely pictures. Right now my iPhone will have to suffice. : /