Happy Independence Day!

Welp, we’re back in good ole’ Wapakoneta!  We had such a great weekend in Chicago, and we have the Buda bellies to prove it.

Last night we decided to class it up a bit, by going to a fancy-schmancy restaurant.

I found Kinzie Chophouse on a website that listed some of the top restaurants in the city.  I had originally made reservations at an even fancier restaurant, but upon looking at the menu, I decided that Kinzie Chophouse was more up our alley.  We’re more steak and potato people than we are quail eggs and cavier people.   But to each their own.

Our waiter at Kinzie Chophouse was very nice and helpful.  He explained each cut of meat to us and how we could get our steaks prepared.  As he talked, we stuffed our faces with the restaurant’s delicious bread and butter.

Brandon decided on the special, which was a dry-aged Delmonico.  It was served with a spinach and tomato risotto and jumbo Cajun shrimp.

Brandon really enjoyed his meal and I can understand why.  I tried a bite (or two!) of his risotto and it was very creamy and flavorful.

I also had a Delmonico, but I got mine with a side of their potatoes au gratin.

Let me tell you, my steak was delicious, but I could have taken a bath in those cheesy potatoes. Whoa… those things were dangerously good!

Following dinner we went back to the hotel and crashed.  After our morning run, our afternoon at Wrigley field, and our huge dinner, we were very ready for bed!

And by the way, thank goodness that I brought my ear plugs on this trip!  Not only was our hotel downtown (which means you’re going to be hearing taxi horns all night), but it
was also around the corner from the local fire department.  And in case you were wondering, based on the number of sirens we heard in the middle of the night, the men and women of the Chicago Fire Department definitely earn their wages!

This morning Brandon and I woke up (semi) well-rested and headed to the gym to break a good sweat.  After breakfast and showers, we headed out into the beautiful sunshine to explore Michigan Ave. (aka the Magnificent Mile) a little more.

We had a great time pretended that we were wealthy and could actually afford to shop in Cartier, Burberry, and Tiffany & Co.  We also visited Mont Blanc so Brandon could drool over the watches.

After I dragged Brandon away from the pretty manly watches, we headed to a store that was more up my alley…

It was like this store was designed for me.  First of all, they gave us a sample as soon as we walked through the door.

Would it be wrong to say that I wanted to just keep walking in and out so that I could get more samples?  Since Brandon was with me, I restrained myself.

But restraint was very difficult when I saw my favorite candy bar…

(P.S. I continue to wear that Hershey’s hat as I sit here and write this post.  Because I’m cool like that.)

Eventually, I begrudgingly walked out of the Hershey store.  But I wasn’t sad for long because guess what was right across the street?!

And even better… more samples!

Yep, I’m loving Chicago more and more.

As if I wasn’t already on a sugar high, we soon came across one of the main attractions that had been on my “To Do” “To Eat” list.

Sprinkles Cupcakes!!

Those who know me know that I’m obsessed with the Food Network.  And one of my favorite new shows is “Cupcake Wars.”  Candace Nelson, the creator of the original Sprinkles Cupcakes in Beverly Hills, is one of the judges on “Cupcake Wars.”  So when I found out that there was a Sprinkles store in Chicago, I knew that I had to check it out.

The girls working at the store were all really friendly and helpful.  They informed us that two of the most popular flavors are the Red Velvet and the Chocolate Marshmallow (which was supposed to be like a Hostess cupcake).

I already knew that Brandon was going to want Red Velvet, because it’s his favorite, so I decided to give the Chocolate Marshmallow a try.

I’ll be honest with you.

Brandon’s was better.  A lot better.

Mine looked prettier…

…but his tasted better.  And I had major cupcake envy!

The cream filling in my cupcake was delicious, but the actual chocolate cake was a little dry and didn’t have a big punch of flavor, like I was hoping for.  It was good, but not AMAZING.

On the other hand, Brandon’s Red Velvet was moist and the cream cheese frosting was sweet and flavorful.  Good thing my husband is a big believer in the whole “what’s mine is yours” theory and was willing to share.  Not gonna lie, if the shoe was on the other foot, I don’t know if I would have been quite as generous with my cupcake.

And that was our trip to Chicago!  It was the perfect weekend, but I’m glad to be home.

Now a question for YOU!

What did you do to celebrate the 4^th of July?