Chicago: Getting Acquainted

CHICAGO WITH CHILD | DAY 1
1. The Avenue Hotel
2. Foodlife
3. The Disney Store and Apple Store on the Magnificent Mile
4. Whole Foods
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1. After an all-nighter at the airport on the way here, we had a well deserved nap as soon as we arrived at our very comfortable hotel [The Avenue, half a block away from the Magnificent Mile].

AVENUE Hotel Chicago: 160 E Huron Chicago · 877-AVE-5110



Warming by the fire in the lobby.



2. Then, chomping at the bit, we got our sleepy butts outside for dinner. We found Foodlife, only a few blocks away. It's not a food fair exactly, but it does have several kitchens to choose from. Perfect for the family with varying tastes.



I had a yummy sesame chicken bowl, hubs enjoyed the Texas BBQ and Spud quietly inhaled his basic grilled cheese sandwich.



Oh yah, and some ice cream.



As we arrived someone seated us and gave each of us plastic card to rack up at our choice of a variety of vendors.



Other goodies include Vegan soups, sushi, hot dogs, stir fry, Thai food, juice bar, pasta, wine and more.

Foodlife: Water Tower Place [in the mall with Macy's in it] at 835 N Michigan Avenue · 312 335 3663

3. Window shopping on the Magnificent Mile [Michigan Avenue]. Flagship store after flagship store means some great window displays. We also spent a bit of time browsing the large Disney Store. And the Apple Store. That was for mama.



Disney: 717 N. Michigan Avenue · 312 654 9208



Apple: 679 N. Michigan Avenue · 312 981 4104

4. We had the hotel rig up a mini fridge for us and decided to fill it up with breakfast foods and healthy snacks. A stop at Whole Foods did the trick.

Whole Foods: 30 West Huron Street · 312 932 9600

Even if we haven't managed to take much of it in yet, I can tell that I'm really going to like this town. It is packed full of charm, stunning architecture, old and new, fantastic public art, and world class museums. Oh yah, and all that food you should never eat like hot dogs, pizza and popcorn. My kid is going to love this town too.

Favourite Cookies

PEANUT BUTTER CUP COOKIES
I posted about this last Christmas Eve and I just couldn't resist making these again. This time for our work mates.



Changes from last year's recipe: I left out the orange flavour and actually like it better. And about half way through the process I discovered that when I drizzled the white chocolate criss-cross, back and forth, I think it makes them look like little presents.

Christmas Past

I've set aside today to finally get this year's Christmas card done. And here I sit, with a little coffee and a lot of procrastination ... which really presented itself while browsing previous year's cards.

Toes under the mistletoe. And lots of kisses too ...

Oh, Tannenbaum ...

"Let it Snow" ...

We decked the boy ... "fa la la la la la la la la"

Looking for inspiration, instead I found a healthy dose of cringe. Maybe it's the kick in the bum I need.

Photo Friday #3

TORONTO, CANADA | TRAVELS WITH KID

Trundling along the streets of Toronto we stumbled across some interesting graffiti apropos for our little Spud.

You'll find other links to travel pics at my favourite family travel site Delicious Baby. Or go there to share your travel photos on Fridays too.

Rainy Day in the City

So we played hockey in our parking garage.





"Car!"

Photo Friday #2

PEGGY'S COVE, NOVA SCOTIA | TRAVELS WITH KID
Blatantly picturesque fishing village in Atlantic Canada ...


... boasting one of Nova Scotia's more photographed lighthouses ...



... beautiful coastline ...



And cliffs so crazy, it makes a mama's heart stop.



You'll find other links to travel pics at my favourite family travel site Delicious Baby. Or go there to share your travel photos on Fridays too.

A Bit of a Collection

NOSTALGIA AT MEALTIME | PUTTING THE BUNNIKINS TO USE



This is hubs' bowl from when he was wee.


This is Hubs' dad's pitcher from when HE was wee which we just recently acquired.


And my bowl from when I was wee. I remember wanting to eat all of my soup so that I could see the picture on the bottom of my bowl. And the bunnies running around the edge always intrigued me.



It's so tempting to squirrel these away to keep them safe ... I don't know why ... so future generations can put them away in their cupboards? Silliness. When I let go of the tendency to be precious about them, I get great joy watching our little guy enjoying them at mealtime.

Photo Friday #1

CUBA | TRAVELS WITH KID



From the gorgeous little colonial town of Trinidad to the white sand beaches of Cayo Coco was a long 4 hour drive on Cuban roads. This warranted a little "juice" break for everyone at a local cafe along the way.

You'll find other links to travel pics at Delicious Baby.

Apple Handles

MAKING GOOD FOOD FUN

Ice Cream Sandwiches

WHITE CHOCOLATE OATMEAL COOKIES | VANILLA ICE CREAM


First we made the cookies.
3/4 C. brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 C. rolled oats
3/4 C. brown flour
1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 C. sliced almonds
3/4 C. white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F. Cream butter and sugar together. Add egg and beat well. Add oats, flour, baking powder, almonds, and chocolate and combine. Spoon on to prepared cookie sheet with parchment paper and press down slightly to flatten. Bake for 8-10 minutes until golden brown.



And this is the genius part, as found on flip flops and applesauce, we sandwiched a blob of vanilla ice cream between two of the cookies. Next we wrapped them in plastic wrap and put them back the freezer for a bit until the ice cream was hard. So yummy!

And next time, I might try adding a little caramel sauce to the inside of the cookie before adding the ice cream. That would go nicely with the white chocolate and vanilla I think.

And if you are in a hurry, go out and buy the cookies! The kids will think it's just as special and it's even easier.

Cutie-Patootie Sandwiches

And what do you do with those leftover cutouts from your Bird in a Nest? We saved a few to make mini, triple-decker sandwiches for lunch.

Heart-shaped Cherry Tomato, Cheese and Mayo sandwich:



Round Almond Butter and Blackberry Jam sandwich:

I Heart You

NOSTALGIA AT MEALTIME | A BIRD IN A NEST FOR BREAKFAST
Hubs fondly remembers this classic for breaky. Spud was right on board from the beginning and has had it two mornings in a row now.



INGREDIENTS
Bread [and cookie cutter]
Egg
Butter

METHOD
Cookie cutter out the centre with whatever shape you fancy. With a bit of butter in the pan, toast up one side of the bread for a minute or two.



Flip the bread over and crack one egg into the whole. Cook for another minute or two depending on how hard or soft your wee one likes it.



If you toast up the cutout piece too, serve it as a yolk dipper. Or save them for cutie-patootie sandwiches later.



It turns out my mom was raised on this as well; my Grandma made it for her in the leftover bacon fat and called in 'Toad in the Hole'. I think it must be a North American variation on the English version which I believe is a sausage in a Yorkshire pudding. I plan on researching that one, and testing it, soon.

Sprinkle Milkshakes

A SHOWY MILKSHAKE  |  FUN IN THE KITCHEN

1. Lightly brush simple syrup on the inside of your glasses

To make simple syrup:
Add 2 parts sugar to 1 part boiling water. Stir until dissolved. And set aside to cool. Keep leftovers in the fridge.

2. Pour 1/4 cup of sprinkles into glass

3. Roll the sprinkles around to coat the inside. Repeat with 3 more glasses.

4. Make milkshake in blender:
1 C. frozen peaches and strawberries
6 scoops vanilla ice cream
2 C. milk

5. Blend until smooth and pour into glasses.

6. Serve immediately to avoid the colour of the sprinkles running into the shake. Makes 4 kid-sized shakes.

Birthday Party: Indiana Jones

An afternoon spent digging for treasure, dodging boulders and poison arrows and romping through the jungle; it doesn't get any better than that for a 5 year-old's birthday party. A couple extremely creative and cool friends of ours [shout out to Elaine and Jason!] put on a super fun Indiana Jones party for their son's 5th birthday a few weeks back and we were invited! Spud had the time of his life.

ACTIVITIES
Obstacle Course
The star of the party led the troops through the course to show them how it worked [he had been practicing all week so there was no stage fright]. The course was active and full of action, suspense, and imagination. It had it all.
1. balance on 2 x 4 into driveway
2. weave in and out of hedge bushes
3. run down drive way, dodging the large boulder [silver exercise ball] flying at you
4. follow a garden hose maze while dodging poison arrows [chopsticks tossed with purposefully bad aim by volunteer parent]
4. run to tree and swing over long rivers of lava [carefully raked leaves]

Treasure Hunt
Jewels in the sandbox could be found easily with sifters and small shovels. Those honing their bigger observation skills were rewarded with shiny, golden skulls [spray painted dollar store items] and small, smooth rocks cleverly hidden in trees, under bushes and on ledges throughout the backyard.

Jungle Trek
Through the back of the flower bed, against the fence, through some bushes, to the creek in the back yard and toward the bog. Not for the faint of heart.

FAVOURS
Canvas sack with small adventurer snack [jelly beans] and a whip [whittled stick and brown ribbon]. Each kid filled the sack with all their findings from the Treasure Hunt. So smart. Spud couldn't wait to take his booty to show-and-tell at school and before long he had the teachers put on a treasure hunt of their own for the students that same afternoon!

ON THE MENU
Barbecue of course. Hot dogs for all. Tropical fruit. Tropical juice. Ants on a log [black ants AND red ants!]

THE CAKE
The Temple of Doom. Made out of chocolate mud icing. And love. Decorated with candy skulls and rock candy. Complete with altar, ramp and large boulder [sucker] for the birthday boy.

Musical Glasses

All you need is ...
A tub
3 or 4 glasses of varying sizes and shapes
A metal spoon
Some water





I remember this activity fondly when I was a kid. And, it turns out, I still like it today. It kept Spud busy for 20 minutes, tinging and clanging, filling our apartment with some pretty avant garde sounds. Fun for everyone.