Going Home

In April I got to go home to Chicago for a visit. It was not a planned visit, more spur of the moment...the best visits I think!  You see I was making flight reservations for my co-worker, and while on hold a recording I was listening to, explained to me that there was now a non-stop flight to Chicago from Berlin! To make it eve more sweeter, the flight was to cost only 500 Euros!! So, has soon as my boss gave me the green light, I packed my bag and was off!

My days at home were filled to the brim, it was never a dull moment! The following posts are going to give you a glimpse of all the action!

The first days were spent visiting my god child  at my alma mater---the University of Illinois--home of the fighting Illini! What a trip down memory lane!

Green Street 

 

Follets Bookstore.....I spent a lot of money there!

 

Altgeld Hall

 

The Alma Mater is out for repairs---we happily stood in for her.

 

China Trees, as my niece calls them, were in full bloom

 

The Undergrad Library.....love this place 

 

Blueberry Banana Muffins

Okay, so everyone by knows of my addiction to cookbooks... You all will be happy that I have this problem, because now I can share this recipe with you.

Cynthia Barcomi has brought out her latest book...... LEt´s  BAke .  (I think this one will be my favorite.) I acquired this book just as my bananas were taking a turn for the worse...or should i say better as they are were in perfect condition for the recipe that I would like to share with you today.

Blueberry Banana Muffins

You can find the recipe in her new cookbook.... available now at bookstores and online.

Easy Appetizers.....

So, I got this funky Tupperware thing recently and man am I glad I did. It is so cool....what a cool way to make some quick appetizers.  Use it for sweet or savory appetizers.

I started with ready to go pizza dough 

filled each little pod with a sauteed ground beef

then i covered the pods with a second layer of pizza dough 

next step....pop those little guys through

...place on a cookie sheet and bake for about 15 minutes at 350° F

Serve with your favorite sauce

Guten Appetit!

Organisational Saturday

Okay, so I have told you all about the serious addictions I have( the cookbooks being the worst ) Well, it seems I would also have a slight addiction to Christmas bulbs......I have them in all colors! And just when i think I have found a container large enough, my sister brings me another bag full and says you left these at my house! SO, today I decided it was high time to get my bulbs organized.! Thank you Mr. IKEA for once again lending a helping hand.

Red, my favorite color...good for Christmas, Valentines Day and 4th of July

Orange(go Illini), believe it or not, I found these bulbs at IKEA one Christmas Season along with black ones which you will see later on in this post

Baby Blue.....got these from Shelby! She had bought these on sale thinking she would have a blue Christmas one year

Silver and Gold......

The little ones, the misc color ones and yes the black from IKEA!

All packed up in the largest IKEA container I could find!

a side view

Thankfully the lid stays on... 

 

Label on ....ready for storage!

Easter Sunday 2013

Hope Everyone had a happy Easter. We were busy with remolding work, but took the time to enjoy Easter Sunday....no work just relaxing and sightseeing

If you have time stop over at Tablescape Thursday and the Tablescaper for more wonderful tables!

Mama´s Kitchen gets a new look

This past weekend my nephew-in-law Timo painted my kitchen.......so very grateful to him for giving my kitchen a "grown up look"

Now, I just need to pick out curtains....will do that when I am in Chicago in a few weeks.  Love my kitchen and can not wait till Timo can come back and  give the other rooms in the house a makeover.