The Coons Visit

I am so bad. I've had these pictures uploaded for a post for nearly a month now!! While Jay was home Julie, Michael & Finley came to visit. We had such a great time - all squished into a few days!

Jay quickly took Finley duty. They became good friends.

We learned a very important lesson. Do not mention one of Finley's favorite foods unless it's in front of him. We said "Macaroni & Cheese" just once & didn't hear the end of it for about an hour until we made it to the Cheesecake Factory for dinner. As you can see, he was thrilled to finally get what we promised him. 

Me & Julie! I have missed my "Lovah" so much!

The men:

The boys (see, I told you they became best friends): 

On Friday afternoon, Julie & I had "girls day". We started off with lunch at Arcadia Farms on the patio - what a perfect day to be outside! Then, we headed to the mall for a bit. We ended up doing some serious  walking & a little shopping! I got Edward his first outfit - this cute ensemble from H&M and the aviators from Baby Gap. I just love it!

Then we headed across the street to Sprinkles Cupcakes for dessert. And water. Can I tell you that I was sooo thirsty I thought I was going to die? I was. And that bottle of water couldn't have come faster. I love how the detail on the window behind us looks like a heart :) 

And the cupcakes? Delicious. The one on the left is Lemon Coconut & on the right was Irish Chocolate. Both were delicious but we decided the Lemon was the best. 

After Sprinkles, we headed to Dolce for a manicures & massages. Divine. We were spoiled. So spoiled that we decided to continue the awesome day by meeting up with the boys for In-n-Out. It was here that Finley discovered his love for ketchup.

On Saturday, we headed to Hohokam Stadium to see the Cubs play a spring training game. The weather was perfect for being outside (though a little warm) and we had a great time! I love this family picture: 

Jay helped make sure Fin didn't get sunburned. He's going to be such a great daddy!

We were so glad to have such a great visit with friends from back east. And I think they were happy to be able to come here & thaw out a little bit!

Well, there you go folks. Better late than never! Until next time!

From Our Kitchen: Valentine's Day

For Valentine's Day this year, we decided to replicate a burger from Kuma's Corner that we didn't get to try while in Chicago last month. If you forgot how amazing these burgers were, that post is here.

Anyway, before I get to that, let me tell you that when I got home from work that day, Jay greeted me at the door & led me to a drawn bath. I soaked in a bathroom adorned with candles while Jay prepped the meal. And, to top that off, he came in & gave me a foot scrub/massage in between chopping & sautéing!
I know - I am one lucky girl :)

After the bath, I joined Jay in the kitchen to help prepare our delicious meal. We decided to replicate the burger called "Lair of the Minotaur" from the menu here. He started by cooking up some pancetta in the cast iron pan.

Then the burgers were seasoned & ready for the grill:

One of the key ingredients to a meal at Kuma's is their delicious homemade ketchup! Jay found the secret ingredient - Gardiniera - at our local Italian deli & I helped mix up a batch!

The burgers were topped with the crispy pancetta, pears cooked in bourbon, caramelized onions & brie. We used challah bread for the bun. 

I think it looks just as delicious as Kuma's and we didn't have to wait for a table!

And the taste? Can't be beat. It was drip down your arm delicious! 

Thanks honey for a very special Valentine's Day! 

Chicago Part Deux

Saturday we got up, grabbed breakfast, then headed back to Midway to pick up our rental car. We had a quick drive to Schaumburg and were excited to see some of the Feltis family upon our arrival! The funny thing is they barely recognized Jay with his beard!!

The ceremony & reception was at Maggianos - just down the street from our hotel. They did a great job of decorating & the food was delicious!!! Here are some pictures from the night!

I love this one:

The father & mother of the bride. I just loved Anne's dress!!

Ryan with two ladies by his side:

Bride & Groom! You certainly can't tell here, but Sarah is pregnant too - just 4 weeks behind me!

Ryan, Jay & I go way back to our flight school days. It's always nice to see him!

Beard love:

This dress was nice & stretchy for my bump!

Kisses!

More kisses!

Goofball:

And the ever-so-fun act of trying to get a good picture. Jay has too much fun trying to mess it up. First try: 

Second try:

There was a third try even before I got frustrated:

...and THERE we go :)

We had a great time at the wedding - the Feltis family is...well family to us, so it was such a treat to spend so much time with them!

Sunday the bride & groom hosted a Super Bowl party at their house. Ryan had promised me a "surprise" upon arriving there & I was more in the mindset that it was a cookie or something like that. Well, it was way better! Brett came out from VA to surprise us! It was sooo nice to see him as it had been way too long since we'd last seen each other! (and I'll admit that I even cried when I saw him)

Friends from Westwind...

Goofy as usual...

The couch was packed!!

More beard love:

The two prego ladies before heading off to sleep. It was a crazy, long weekend!!

Jay's Home - Chicago Trip!

Jay arrived home from work on January 25th! It has been wonderful having him here and we are really enjoying our time together!!

After a week of getting over jet lag, we headed to Chicago for our friend's wedding reception. We decided to get there a little early so we could enjoy the city and are glad we made it in ok after the "Storm of the Century"! We flew into Midway with no problems & took the train downtown. After walking a few blocks in the freezing temps on the barely cleared sidewalks, we were happy to warm up in our first hotel of the trip. We stayed at the Affinia Chicago - a great hotel that we really enjoyed (and another great deal from TravelZoo). Here is a quick little tour of our room:

After dropping off our bags and layering up, we got back on the train and headed to Kuma's Corner. I found this gem from the list here of Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives &  was not disappointed!! The funny thing is that we walked about 10 blocks on the not-cleared sidewalks from the metro to the restaurant! It was such a fun adventure climbing on piles of snow & watching people still digging out from the storm. We finally made it & our bellies were ready!!

WHERE IS MY BURGER???? (BTW - he's an operator)

Happy to be inside & warm!!!

Our first course was this delicious bowl of homemade macaroni & cheese with prosciutto & peas.

Then came the burgers which were all named after heavy metal bands. Coordinating music was pumping in the restaurant the whole time as well. Jay had the "High on Fire" which included Siracha Hot Chili Sauce, Prosciutto, Roasted Red Pepper, Grilled Pineapple & Chili Paste:

Please note the ketchup. This was not your everyday ketchup - it was amped up with Giardiniera. Jay and I just LOVED it.

I had the "Brujeria"which included Cheddar Cheese, Charred Tomato Salsa, and Cream Cheese & Chorizo stuffed Jalapeno Poppers on top. OMG LOOK AT THIS THING.

THEN guess what we did? We took the easy way to the train (bus) and made it back to our hotel for a 4 HOUR NAP. And when we woke up? We were still full. Our plan was for Gino's pizza for dinner, but the place closed at 9pm that night (and we were too full for that anyway), so instead around 10ish we went downstairs to C-House (with head chef/co-owner being Marcus Samuelsson from Top Chef Masters) for dessert & a drink. I got this absolutely delicious hot cocoa with homemade marshmallows:

And one of my most memorable dishes of the weekend - this homemade coconut donut. It was topped with coconut mint ice cream & a cajeta (caramel) sauce. It was sooooo good.

Jay got the Salted Sage Flan - with brown butter pears, hazelnuts & maple/pear sorbet:

Let's just say all we did on Thursday was travel & eat. My kind of a day!

Friday morning we got up to a beautiful day. Jay being the amazing husband he is got up & braved the cold to get me coffee & breakfast from the bakery down the street. Another delicious treat - this cinnamon crunch muffin. Divine.

Then we showered & hit the Magnificent Mile for some shopping. It was cold outside, but we worked up a sweat! After some time in the shops, we looked forward to heading outside for some fresh air!!

Jay got a shirt & tie to wear for the wedding & I got a top. We were both pretty good!!

And then it was time for Gino's East. One of the famous deep dish pizza joints in the city happened to be conveniently located next door to our hotel, so we stopped in for some pizza. I had worked up such an appetite shopping/walking that we got some meatballs & breadsticks to start!

You should see this place. It's COVERED in graffiti. So of course I added our own little touch:

(writing on white-out type substance wasn't easy)

And then the pizza arrived & we scarfed it down. Delicious!

Guess what? After that? It was nap time. Are you surprised? We enjoyed some time in the room & after a recommendation from our Gino's watier & some other research, went to Old Town Social for dinner (via cab which was nice!). This restaurant features their own homemade pork/meat products from their own butcher shop on site. I restrained myself from taking pictures of all our food (it was dark & never comes out right in that lighting), but here is what we enjoyed:

*Apple & Parmesan Salad (with Arugula & Lemon Vinaigrette)
*Selection of homemade meats: Summer Sausage, Cotto Salami, Pate de Campagne, Toscano Salami, *Selection of delicious cheese: Grafton, VT Cheddar & Wisconsin Grueyere.
*Milk Braised Pork Shoulder with Creamy Polenta & Brussels Sprout Leaves
*Homemade Paparadelle Pasta with Butternut Squash, Roasted Chicken, Escarole & Peccorino
*Brussels Sprouts side dish made with homemade Pancetta
*Homemade Donuts with Cinnamon Sugar and a Marscapone Sabayon Sauce
(had to take a picture of the donuts seeing as it was the 2nd night in a row with one of my favorite treats):

I promise we didn't just eat this day but pictures of us shopping isn't nearly as fun as seeing our yummy treats is it? 

One more Chicago post to come - stay tuned!!