A unique dining experience at ALINEA in Chicago

I have a really fabulous friend that gave me a night out at the top restaurant in the world, ALINEA {according to NBC Chicago}, to celebrate my birthday. I was told to dress up and make sure I was on time. I was told it was a set menu and that I would be impressed. I was told that this was a really big deal… needless to say I was very impressed. ALINEA in Chicago delivered on all of its promises and then some. It was a wonderful evening with ridiculously delicious food and fabulous service and I would love to go back and eat there again!

The food was like eating art. It was not only delicious, it was beautifully presented. The menu is seasonally driven and there are between 18-22 courses depending on the menu at the time and the availability {ours was 14}. The wine pairings are outstanding and compliment the food wonderfully. It was a night to remember and will definitely stand out as a top dining experience.

My Mother’s Super Easy Dill Potato Salad #Recipe

I was not always a potato type of girl. In fact I strongly disliked potatoes for a good long time. But then I grew older and I had children {I require them to take no thank you bites of everything… so I guess I should do so too, huh?}. Needless to say my taste buds have changed and I have some to find that I like potatoes, most of them anyways. And since the weather is finally heating up I am looking forward to grilling out. One of my favorite summer dishes is BBQ and potato salad. So I pulled out some of my mother’s recipes and got to work. This is my mother’s Dill Potato Salad and it is delish!

  

Strollers at Disney World

I just got back from my family vacation at Walt Disney World in Florida and I cannot wait to go back! While I am incredibly happy to be home I am not ashamed to admit that I am having a difficult time getting back into the swing of things. Disney World somehow produces a happy magical feeling inside me that is contagious. My entire family is ready to start planning our next trip! All of the ups and downs, ins and outs, tips and tricks of my Disney experience will be shared with you, just not all in this one post. This post is all about strollers at Disney World: Single strollers, Double Strollers, Stroller Parking, Stroller Locks, and Stroller Etiquette at Disney.

It seems really silly to write a whole post about the strollers at Disney, but if you are a parent of a little one planning a trip to Disney World and you plan on bringing your kids with you a stroller is simply a must. I originally did not plan on bringing a stroller with me to Disney, but after talking with my husband and my SIL we decided to bring strollers {yes that is plural, because we brought 2 strollers with us}. Those strollers were such an incredible blessing! I am so glad that we brought them. So here we go…

  

Glazed Pork Tenderloin in the Crockpot #Recipe

I love a good pork tenderloin. Unfortunately cooking pork tenderloin always seems to take a lot longer than anticipated. I have been looking at ways of cutting back my time in the kitchen hovering over my oven. It just so happens to nicely coincide with the weather heating up – I am also looking at ways to get dinner on the table while keeping my oven use to a minimum. So a new Crockpot recipe it is! I love a good win-win situation.

  

Chewy Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Cookies #Recipe

I have been in a baking mood lately. Cookies, sauces, marinades… they have all been whipped up from scratch in my kitchen with love and a little help from my boys {I think they only help because I let them lick the pot when we are done}. This week I raided my pantry and threw a whole heap of ingredients together to create some chewy chocolate pecan oatmeal cookies. I call them chocolate chunk oatmeal cookies because the pecans I used were pecan halves that I chopped up into chunks. So when you bite into these cookies you get the chewy oatmeal mixed with chunks of pecans and chocolate… delicious.

May Monthly Meal Planning #FreePrintable

I am barely squeaking this in here. I cannot believe that today is May 1^st already! The month of April just flew right by. Since a new month is upon us, I guess that means that I need to put together a new monthly meal plan for the month of May. I am really hoping that the weather will cooperate and I will be able to get outdoors to use my grill and smoker to make some super summer inspired dishes! So without further ado, here is the May monthly meal plan.