Kinder Kitchen

I just have to share the most adorable kitchen utensils. These were designed specifically for children to help in the kitchen. The handles and measuring cups are made from a soft grip silicone so they will not break and yet dishwasher safe! My son loves helping in the kitchen mixing the muffin mix or stirring the water, oil and eggs. When I make cookies he is right there helping me retrieve the ingredients from the pantry! These are great tools to get your little chef started! Makes a wonderful Christmas gift.... They are available at factorydirect2you.com.

Breast Cancer Fundraiser

The 12th Annual Housewares Charity Foundation Gala was held on March 23rd in Chicago. The emcee was David Venable from QVC. The honorees this year were Tim Adams, Chairman and CEO - Macy's Home Store and Lyn Kirby, President and CEO - Ulta Salon, Cosmetics & Fragrance, Inc. The dinner featured several James Beard Award winning chefs, including Art Smith (Oprah Winfrey's personal chef). He made the Hummingbird Cake and the Drop Goat Cheese Biscuits with Parmesan. Yummy!

The other chefs were Rick & Deann Bayless of Frontera Grill & Topolobampo, Paul Kahan of Blackbird, Tony Mantuano of Spiaggia and Bruce Sherman of North Pond. He was our chef. He made a Dangeness Crab Terrine and a Red Wine Smoked Ribeye with Cauliflower and Chocolate, Cocoa Nibs. Todd English was there as a guest. He was a James Beard Award Winner. The silent auction was fabulous, including seats to Martha Stewart Show with a personal tour and to David Letterman. A huge Waterford bar valet. Luggage, designer handbags, lap tops, cameras, fine china, servingware, clothing, the tables went on and on... so much fun! Thanks to Brady Marketing for our invite!

Chicago!

Chicago is one of my most favorite cities! I love it

when we get to travel there. I love the big city. The town is always bustling with people and great food! We went to Gibson's (of course for their Sliders), had a drink at the top of the Hancock Building at The Signature Room and watched the sunset - thus the pictures you are seeing of the rooftops. Ate at the Italian Restaurant Osteria Via Stato. We had the family style dinner that comes in three courses with accompanying wines. Thank you to Kuhn Rikon who picked up the tab. We had lunch at Joe's Crab Shack for their Stone Crabs. And we were guests for a special event - a fundraiser for breast cancer the 12th Annual Houseware Gala. I'll post pics tomorrow. We took a guided tour and saw where Obama lives (can not go by his house unless you are a resident, but we saw a street that connects to a street...), saw the house where Frank Lloyd Wrights worked, and Ernest Hemingway's birth house. Oh and the original Playboy Mansion. I totally enjoyed myself the whole time from the moment we landed until we took off. The Chicago O'Hare airport has some great restaurants there too. Even the airport experience is first class.