Chicago Botanical Gardens

The plan was to go to the Planetarium, but when we woke to beautiful, sunny, spring-like Chicago weather my husband suggested we visit the Botanical Gardens instead. There are over 385 acres with 24 different specialty garden areas, 15 acres of prairie,100 acres of woods and 8 lagoons. Although in late March, much of the gardens and flowers were dormant (with the exception of the greenhouse), but it was still a showcase of natural beauty! We loved strolling through the winding paths and exploring the different gardens. As beautiful as it was in it's dormant early spring season, we will definitely return when it is in it's full bloom!

Milwaukee Museum of Art

The Milwaukee Museum of Art, a world renown museum, is just as much a work of art on the outside as it is on the inside.

This bird-like structure was designed by Santiago Calatrava and at noon each day crowds gather outside to watch the retractable wings open and close. You can view the opening and closing of the wings from the Lakefront, but the best view is halfway down on the bridge on the downtown side. Although, when I look at the structure, I don't see a bird, I see instead a great ship with sails heading into Lake Michigan.

The building is architecturally stunning on the inside! This is the view from the inside of the main lobby, with beautiful marble floors throughout, looking towards the sweeping and breathtaking Lake Michigan. This is a great place to take in all the splendors that the lake has to offer!

Prost!

Milwaukee is known for it's breweries.

Sprecher's Brewery began like many other breweries in Milwaukee with great hopes of creating a great beer. It's founder realized that it was hard to keep the parents in the brewery during the tours because their kids became restless. So he decide to "brew" some root beer to keep the kids happy so the parents would stay longer. Ironically, today Sprecher's actually sells more root beer than beer. On it's tours you can try 4 different samples of their beer and unlimited amounts of their sodas. We all liked their "amber special" and their "hop on top" beer, but we can see why their root beer is a favorite.

Bacon Wrapped Tenderloin

I will wrap anything in bacon--chicken, shrimp, potatoes, water chestnuts, well you get the idea. So it should come at no surprise that I wrapped my pork tenderloin in it!

Cook Time: 45-50 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 pork tenderloin, cleaned and trimmed
• 6 slices of bacon
• 1 tablespoon of garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon of Lawry's Seasoned Salt
• 1 teaspoon dried crumbled leaf basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried crumbled leaf oregano
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• olive oil

Preparation:

Combine garlic powder, seasoned salt, basil, oregano, and black pepper; rub seasoning all over the pork tenderloin. Wrap pork with bacon and secure with toothpicks if needed. Coat well with the olive oil. Bake uncovered in a 375 degree oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until pork reaches an internal temperature of about 155 degree. Make sure the bacon is really done. Remove and wrap in foil. Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing.

Candied Walnuts

This recipe could not be simpler...

Ingredients:
2 cups coarsely chopped walnuts (you can substitute pecans if you prefer)
2 cups sugar

Butter a baking sheet, set aside. In a medium-size skillet over medium high heat, with a wooden spoon, stir sugar until it melts and turns into a golden syrup (careful because if it turns brown it is burnt and will taste bitter). Add nuts to hot syrup, stirring until nuts are well coated. Pour in a prepared pan to cool. When completely cool, break into pieces. Store in an airtight container.

MY TIP: This recipe is versatile-- adds a nice crunch to a fall or winter salad or can be used to top ice cream.

Bacon Wrapped Water Chestnuts

When I was talking with my oldest daughter who also loves to entertain, she mentioned that she was hosting a girl's night in and was going to exchange clothes and accessories with her friends. I thought that was a cute and practical idea especially since she has a ton of clothes that she never wears.

So it got me thinking. I have a ton of cookbooks, some I love and some I never use. So for my girls night in I decide to host a cookbook exchange. I invited 8 friends who like to cook, asked each to bring 2 cookbooks and an appetizer to share. I gave a prize for the best appetizer--bacon wrapped water chestnuts was the hands down favorite! And we all walked away with new cookbooks and appetizer ideas!

Here is the best recipe of the evening...

Ingredients

• 1 (8 ounce) cans water chestnuts, drained
• enough soy sauce to cover chestnuts
  
• 1/2 pound sliced bacon
• brown sugar
  

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, marinate the water chestnuts in the soy sauce 6 to 8 hours, or overnight.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
   
3. Cut the bacon slices in half. Wrap each water chestnut with 1 half slice of bacon. Secure with toothpicks and arrange on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle with brown sugar.
   
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until the bacon is crisp.

Prosciutto and Blue Cheese Spoons

I love the spoon appetizer. There is something about the presentation that just intrigues me. It also intrigues others because whenever I serve these they always draw attention. Spoon appetizers are traditionally served on Chinese spoons, but I prefer a more formal presentation so I serve them on my good silver. These small bites are packed with big flavor.The pungent taste of the blue cheese, with the sweetness of the caramelized onions, along with the saltiness of the prosciutto makes this one of my favorite appetizers.

Ingredients:

3 imported prosciutto slices
2 small onions, slice very thin
1 ounces of blue cheese
1 Tablespoon of red wine or raspberry vinegar
1 1/2 Tablespoons butter
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Directions:

Peel and slice onions very thin. Cook on low heat until caramelized around 1o minutes. Add wine and turn heat up to medium until alcohol evaporates. When done, put onions on spoon, add some cheese and top with prosciutto. Serve immediately. This makes 10 spoons.

MY TIP: I prefer the intense flavor that the blue cheese provides, but you can substitute freshly grated parmesan cheese for a much milder but equally delicious appetizer!

MY OTHER TIP: For the best taste, these need to be served warm.