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I Should Have Been A Buckeye

May 26, 2015 / / 4 Comments

Earlier this month, I returned to Columbus, Ohio to celebrate the life of an uncle who passed away. He was a husband, father, and grandfather, but to me, he was always my “Weird Uncle Doug.” The story goes that once when I was little, I referred to him as weird. My family thought this was hilarious and so the nickname stuck. I always appreciated Doug’s ability to be silly and sense of humor, so if this is “weirdness,” then it’s an honor that I hope I can continue. Doug had received a lung transplant in 2012 and gracefully battled complications with pulmonary fibrosis until his recent passing

I really can’t remember the last time I visited Ohio. It must have been when my grandpa passed away. My folks, Ohio state grads, grew up in Cuyahoga Falls near Akron, Ohio and we visited both sets of grandparents often. Many others in my family also graduated from OSU and I think I always knew what a buckeye was. A real buckeye, not just one of those peanut butter candy ones.

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One of my earliest memories from Ohio includes collecting buckeyes from the sidewalks on walks to the park with my grandparents. I always thought Ohio was beautiful. I remember riding a train along the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad, hiking around Brandywine Falls, and walking along the Beaver Marsh Boardwalk in the Cuyahoga National Park. My grandparents were avid hikers and never went anywhere without their walking sticks. They kept the walking sticks in a tall, circular holder in their porch. It’s funny what you never forget.

My grandpa Roger was a retired engineer for Firestone Tires and an extremely organized man. My folks would giggle about how he had particular way about doing everything. We could always identify gifts he wrapped, because they were reinforced with many layers of tape. My grandma was organized, too. Like many who lived during the Great Depression Era, her storage spaces contained boxes of boxes and bags of bags, twist ties, and used wrapping paper. My mom also inherited the desire to make order from her surroundings in a way that I’ll never understand. While every object in her kitchen cupboards had a specific place, mine are intentionally jumbled and that’s the way I like it.

Of all of the loved ones in my life who’ve passed away, my grandpa Roger is he only one who spoke to me in a dream. As a grade schooler, I found this very alarming. We had a whole conversation in which he told he couldn’t come back, but not to worry because he was doing just fine. The others make occasional appearances but never say anything.

It was good to be back in Ohio, but it was hard to be back. I reconnected with some of my relatives and my dog-cousin Nicholas.

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Wearing two left socks.

I dined at a Bob Evans for the first time. Even the kitchen was decked out with a Buckeye banner.

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I tromped through The Ohio State University and listened to my relatives reminisce about their college years.

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We paused at Mirror Lake. Supposedly, the founders chose this location because Mirror Lake included a drinkable spring that supplied water to a farm. The spring dried up in 1891 with officials added a storm sewer to the campus. Eventually, the sewer system was repaired so that the spring could flow again. It dried up again in 1918 due to construction projects around the lake and so the University pumped in water from the Olengangy river. The river water was sulfuric and stinky, so the City of Columbus took over supplying the water ever since. It’s still a little stinky.

There’s a lot of history of students jumping into the lake before and after football games and the University is currently looking to rebuild the lake so that it’s more sustainable.

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I giggled as I watched a new graduate run around campus with his parents posing for photos in his cap and gown days after graduation. The university’s fifth president, William Oxley Thompson stood watch.

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We left just as the dark storm clouds moved in.

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In the fall, I’ll return to Ohio to attend Bloggy Conference at Cedar Point in Sandusky with a few North Iowa blogger friends. While I’m there I plan to revisit our old stomping grounds and pay some respects. Of course, I’ll have to eat a Swensons Galley Boy cheeseburger. It really wouldn’t be right if I didn’t. I always did love Ohio.

Oh come let’s sing Ohio’s praise. . . 

Chicago-Style Deep Dish Pizza At Lou Malnati’s River North

May 25, 2015 / / 10 Comments

I was provided with lunch at the Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria to facilitate my review. All thoughts are 100% honest and my own.

Welcome back to the fifth part of my six-part series about traveling to Chicago with the North Iowa Bloggers and the Clear Lake Chamber. This post is about that iconic Chicago food known as deep dish pizza.

This trip also marked my sixth visit to Chicagoland. Upon my first visit to Chicago with my family in grade school, our relatives advised us to order deep dish pizza at Gino’s East. Not just any Gino,s either, but the Gino’s East location on Well’s Street. For a suburban, Twin Cities kid, Chicago deep dish pizza tasted utterly fascinating. We were intrigued by our sausage pizza which came with an entire layer of sausage, and its rich, yellow crust.

Lou Malnati’s invited us to enjoy a meal during our trip, so we stopped by their River North location for an early lunch after touring the Skydeck glass ledges (I wrote about my experience here). I asked my cousin, a Chicago resident, about his thoughts on Lou Malnati’s and replied that out of the big Chicago deep dish chains, he prefers Lou’s.

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A hostess led us upstairs to a large table in a corner nook and our server Jason greeted us warmly. He was obviously a seasoned employee who knew the menu inside and out and kept up with our banter. After examining the menu, we chose our own deep dish pizzas in the “personal” size and one group member added the Trio of Dips With Pizza Chips appetizer to share. Since so many of us ordered a side salad, Jason recommended a family-sized house salad instead.

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I had planned to order my own side salad and felt apprehensive about sharing because I wanted to eat a lot of salad and not feel bad about taking too much. We’ve all been in those situations where someone asks us to share or split something and you oblige even though you totally want to eat your own. Eating enough fruits and vegetables on trips is challenging. When I’m away from home, I realize how off-balanced my body feels when I don’t eat as many vegetables as I do from cooking my own meals.

Jason was right. The large house salad was huge and provided more than enough for all eight people. I even went back for seconds. He brought us ramekins of four salad dressings including red wine vinaigrette, creamy lemon garlic, gorgonzola and ranch. The group’s favorite was the creamy lemon garlic which they sell by the bottle. I thought the red wine vinaigrette was especially well-balanced.

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The trio of dips included spinach artichoke dip, hummus topped with giardiniera, and roasted garlic.

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I wanted to leave room for the pizza, so I just took a small taste of each dip. If I hadn’t anticipated a plane ride later that day, I would have polished off the roasted garlic. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it tasted like pure, roasted garlic puree.

My pizza arrived topped with pepperoni and hot giardiniera (spicy pickled vegetable relish). This turned out to be my ideal combination. I wish I could order pepperoni and giardiniera pizzas everywhere. The giardiniera had a pleasant heat and was super chunky with carrots, celery, and olives. I liked how the pickled vegetables helped to cut the richness from the cheese and provided some textural contrast.

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In writing this post, I learned that Gino’s pizza crust does not actually get its golden hue from cornmeal, but yellow food coloring and corn oil. Lou Malnati’s advertises a signature Buttercrust. Some Lou’s prepares some of their pizza combinations on Buttercrusts, you can upgrade their regular deep dish to a Buttercrust for $0.75.

In 2004, Eater Chicago wrote a feature on Lou Malnati’s and interviewed Lou Malnati’s son Marc Malnati. Malnati shares how their recipe for dough has remained the same 42 years. Each batch of Buttercrust is fermented for 48-hours and really does contain butter. Other interesting facts I learned from this Eater feature is that the restaurant makes the sausage from lean pork without fennel (since Malnati feels fennel is overpowering), and sends staff to California each year to personally approve which tomato harvests will be picked and canned.

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Donna ordered a gluten-free personal-sized pizza with a sausage crust (Lou Malnati’s also offers gluten-free thin crusts). Like Gino’s East, Lou Malnati’s sausage is above average. It’s the complete opposite of those sausage pellets we find so often on cheap pizzas. While I enjoyed the flavor of this gluten-free pizza, I don’t think I could eat more than once slice during a meal.

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Photo courtesy of Beth at It’s Just Life.

All in all, Lou Malnati’s serves a craveable deep dish pizza in a crust that tastes lighter and more crisp than it appears. I also learned that spicy giardiniera is my ideal pizza topping, which is inconvenient given that I’ve never seen it offered anywhere that I’ve lived. Spicy giardiniera looks like it’s easy to prepare, so I’ll have to whip up a batch before I make my next batch of pizzas at home. Lou Malnati’s did provide us with a gift certificate, but I examined the prices and found them to be reasonable. My personal pizza with two toppings costs about $9 before tax and tip and provided enough for a leftover slice. The family house salad costs $10.85 and fed our group of eight with leftovers.

Touristy or not, Chicago deep dish pizza is delicious. We can’t find it in North Iowa, so I’m looking forward to trying Laura’s recipe for deep dish which is flecked with cornmeal.  On this weekday, the restaurant was packed with local business people and tourists, alike.

Thank you Lou Malnati’s for treating us to lunch & a cookie pizza and to Jason for providing excellent service to our big, loud, enthusiastic group. 

A Recipe: Cafe Latte-Inspired Lentil & Shrimp Salad

May 23, 2015 / / 4 Comments

The dishes whose leftovers never last long in our fridge; these are the recipes that I post.

Twin Cities people will know what’s up when I mention Cafe Latte salads. On special occasions, my folks would take us to dine-in at Cafe Latte. On very special occasions, we’d purchase a German Chocolate Cake. I felt very special moving through the cafeteria line and choosing anything I wanted. It was (and still is) difficult to decide which combination of soup, salad or sandwich I wanted.

Since Cafe Latte offers so many choices in each category, I usually choose a salad sampler that allows me to try three different varieties. Cafe Latte always offers a hearty salad that includes a grain + smoked salmon or shrimp. Of course, the salad with seafood always lands on my plate.

We craved a substantial and healthy salad and so I felt inspired to rework an old recipe for lentil and crab salad tossed in a homemade vinaigrette. Back in 2004 I had originally shared the recipe in Simple, Good & Tasty as part of a series about joining a CSA. This time around, I swapped a few ingredients with equal success.

This salad was the perfect dish to propel us through the second half of a busy week. On busy days, I often have to force myself to pause for lunch, and reach for takeout or a snack without enough protein. This salad is flavorful, filling, and protein-heavy enough to call our names.

Cafe Latte-Inspired Lentil & Shrimp Salad

Cook’s Notes: Add whatever vegetables you enjoy. I simply added some of our favorites. This week I was crunched for time, so I used pre-cooked lentils in a pouch that I found at Target and Melissa brand pre-cooked and chilled beets. You can always cook these yourself. There’s really no “right” way to make this salad. Surimi is an affordable substitute for cooked shrimp. As a word of warning, some brands of surimi are better than others. I’ve found certain grocery store’s house brands to taste pasty and fishy. When I make homemade vinaigrette, I eyeball the ingredients, whisking in oil to the spices and vinegar component until I like the flavor. Chill leftover vinaigrette for future salad or veggie dip. I tossed mine into coleslaw mix to serve with ribs. *Makes 4-6 servings.

lentil shrimp lemon vinaigrette salad

Ingredients:
8 oz. cooked lentils (If you cook your own, you don’t need to pre-soak them and they cook relatively quickly)
2-3 small cooked beets, diced (I bought a pouch of Melissa brand pre-cooked beets, too).
2 handfuls green beans, blanched and cut into bite-sized pieces.
Cucumber (about half), sliced into half moons
Finely diced onion
Small cooked shrimp or surimi/fake crab. I like to add a lot (1.5-2 cups)
Cilantro, chopped (or parsley)

Lemon Vinaigrette:
Dijon mustard (2 good dollops)
Juice of two lemons
Garlic powder
Honey
Salt
Black Pepper
Oil (I use olive oil, or a combination of whatever I have on hand).

Instructions:

  • To begin preparing the lemon vinaigrette: In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the juice of two lemons, a dash of garlic powder, about the same amount of honey as mustard (two squirts of each), a pinch of salt, and a pinch of black pepper.
  • While quickly whisking, slowly stream in oil. If you stream in the oil slowly enough while whisking, the oil will mix well with the lemon juice and the dressing will stay emulsified. It’s worth the extra effort.
  • The dressing will thicken as you incorporate the oil. Pause every so often and taste the dressing as you go. If the dressing is too tart, whisk in some more oil and/or add more honey. You can always add more spices, too.
  • To prepare the salad, combine the cooked lentils, cooked diced beets, blanched green beans, sliced cucumber, a little bit of chopped onion, seafood, and a handful of chopped cilantro. Toss with lemon vinaigrette.
  • Before serving, taste the salad for seasoning, adding more salt, pepper, and lemon juice as needed. Serve warm or chilled. It’ll taste even better the next day.

The Glass Ledges At Skydeck Chicago: A Review

May 20, 2015 / / 5 Comments

I was provided with the opportunity to tour the Skydeck Chicago before hours with an optional audio tour device and  participate a photo session to facilitate my review. All thoughts are 100% honest and my own.

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I’m typically afraid of heights, but did just fine at the Skydeck Chicago observation deck located in the Willis Tower (also referred to as the Sears Tower).

This trip to Chicago along with seven North Iowa Bloggers in partnership with the Clear Lake Chamber of Commerce commemorated my sixth visit. During grade school, I first visited Chicago with my family and have faint memories of the Willis Tower. I was enamoured with the movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and wanted to lean against the observation deck windows just like he and his friends did. You can find a guide to the Chicago locations featured in the film here here. Back then, the glass ledges didn’t exist, for they were built in 2009. You can just make them out gazing at the building from a distance.

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Currently, the Willis Tower is the highest observation deck open to the public in the United States and receives more visitors than the Hancock. It’s the eighth tallest building in the world, tallest building in Chicago, and home to the American Airlines corporate headquarters. According to this recent New York Times article, the Blackstone Group recently purchased the Willis Tower in March 2015 for $1.3 billion. The Blackstone Group’s Global Head actually grew up in the Highland Park area of Chicago. This article notes that the building sits 20% vacant and adds that the Blackstone Group plans to spend $150 million to renovate the tower’s retail space and Skydeck.

The John Hancock Building ranks as Chicago’s fourth tallest and their observation deck is now known as 360° Chicago. It looks like the Hancock is remodeling and has added some sort of tilting glass observation box feature. Jake and I visited the Hancock in 2010 before this was added. The Hancock also features a cafe and bar on the observatory floor and a restaurant called the Signature Room on the 95th floor.

The Skydeck staff invited us to visit before their official opening hour on a Friday. The weather became stormy in the afternoon, but we enjoyed a beautiful morning. Since there was no one in line, we quickly moved through security and took the elevator up to the 103rd floor. Our ears popped.

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Our reflection on the elevator’s ceiling.

In between the front entrance and elevator to the Skydeck, we walked by what appeared to be exhibits and theater presentation people could view as they waited in line. I’m guessing that the line can grow rather long, hence the waiting space and option to purchase a FASTPASS.

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We took advantage of the empty Skydeck by admiring all of the views and stepping onto the ledges. I found the glass ledges less scary than I had anticipated.

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Loni, Donna & I playing on the ledge. Don’t look down!

The glass booths provided fun places to take photos. Many selfies were taken.

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Fun with selfie sticks.

A photo station run by a staff member is located in one of the glass ledges. The photographer this morning provided our group with a photo session.

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Image courtesy of Skydeck Chicago

Soon after we finished taking photos, a huge group of grade schoolers entered the SkyDeck. I’m guessing the Willis is a popular destination for field trips. I learned that the Victoria’s Secret Pink apparel line is still a thing!

Let’s talk pricing: A regular adult pass costs $19.50 and a FASTPASS, which allows guests to bypass the exhibits and theater presentation, costs $45. There’s also a day/night ticket package and reduced ticket pricing for children ages 3-11, except for FASTPASSES. Children under three receive free admission. For an additional $5.50, you can purchase an audio tour device that looks like an old school flip phone. One side of the device displays pictures and text. The audio tour provides some Chicago history and helps you identify 20 locations from the Skydeck.

Finally, you’ll find nice bathrooms and a gift shop located on the Skydeck and a larger gift shop upon exiting.

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All in all, I enjoyed my time on the Skydeck, despite my fear of heights. When I travel on my own, I usually stay close to the ground, but if observation decks are your thing and you want to walk in the foot steps of Ferris Bueller, check out the glass ledges at the Willis. In case you’re curious, the Skydeck and Hancock observation decks are similarly priced. Before you visit the Skydeck, keep in mind that it’s a popular tourist attraction. Depending on when you visit and whether many school groups are present, anticipate possibly waiting in line for a while before reaching the elevator to the top. We were very lucky to visit before the opening hour and have the whole Skydeck to ourselves.

Thank you Skydeck Chicago for your generosity and warm welcome. 

Occasionally JeniEats.com receives free products for review purposes. All opinions expressed are my own and were not influenced by any form of compensation. This disclosure is done in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 10 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Croissants In The Club: Sheraton Chicago Review

May 18, 2015 / / 7 Comments

I was provided with a hotel stay at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers to facilitate my review. All thoughts are 100% honest and my own.

We stayed at the Sheraton Chicago and spent a lot of time in their Club. Our clubbing experience mostly involved quietly drinking sodas and eating granola bars.

Sheraton provided our group with two rooms connected by a door, each with two queen beds and a bathroom and access to the Club Lounge, hence all of the club references.

We flew into the O’Hare airport and took the train to the hotel’s closest stop. From the train stop, we walked for about 10-15 minutes through downtown Chicago. Parking in Chicago can be difficult, especially in downtown Chicago. If you are driving to Chicago and want to stay in a downtown hotel, expect to budget anywhere from $40-$60 a day for parking. Really, it’s easiest not to have a car if you want to stay downtown. Our train tickets cost $5 from the airport to the hotel and about $2.50 vice versa. O’Hare and the train stop closest to the Sheridan are on opposite ends of the line, but it’s an easy 30-minute ride. There are lots of stops, but the ride goes by quickly. We noticed a lot of people carrying luggage through the downtown area, so don’t feel sheepish about doing so.

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The hotel is massive and the lobby is attractive. You’ll find many sitting areas, big glass containers of fruit-infused water, and flowers. At least two conferences occurred in the hotel during our stay.

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I’m one of those people who is OK with my own filth, but totally freaked out by other people’s. But in all honesty, I found the hotel to be very clean. Obviously, the hotel staff was aware they were hosting bloggers, but I didn’t notice anything untidy from the lobby bathroom to the elevators.

Here’s the view from our room:

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And glimpses of our bedrooms and bathrooms:

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Who doesn’t love artwork above the toilet?

As a word of caution, your hotel room may contain a motion-activated tray of tempting la cart snacks. This little jar of cookies was so cute that I grabbed it after noticing the sign that said guests are charged for snacks lifted from the tray. If you or your child accidentally picked up one of the snacks, you could try talking to the staff like we did. I’m sure this happens all of the time.

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We stayed at the Sheraton for one night. One of our trip coordinators has a connection with the hotel who surprised us with some evening snacks. I don’t turn down free champagne.

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We spent a lot of time in the Club Lounge located at the 33rd Floor.

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The Club Lounge is a beautiful space equipped with comfortable furniture, granola bars and fruit, chilled sodas and bottled water, wifi, pool tables, televisions, coffee and espresso. According to the website, the lounge also provides business travelers with meeting space and some office supplies. The view’s nice too.

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Guests with Club Lounge access are invited to enjoy a continental breakfast and evening appetizers. We caught the last half of the appetizer hour on Thursday evening and found chips and salsa, mini egg rolls, beef skewers, and cheese platters. I think guests can order beer, wine, and cocktails from the server for an additional charge. If you want to catch the food at its freshest from the kitchen, arrive near the beginning.

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The lounge breakfast included pastries, fruit, granola & greek yogurt, hard-boiled eggs, bagels (toaster provided), and a steaming kettle of hot oatmeal. I especially liked the coffee, yogurt and granola & mini croissants.

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I loved how these croissants tasted like real butter and had some lacquer on the outside. I’m experiencing croissant withdrawal and ate my fair share.

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Overall, I found breakfast thoughtful and adequate. If you have Club Lounge access, you’d be wise to grab breakfast here. The evening appetizers are pretty substantial and could provide a light meal.

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So how does one get Club Lounge access? It appears the Sheraton Chicago provides a lounge access upgrade with room reservations. I searched for reservations on a random June weeknight for a similar room with Club Lounge access and found it cost about $395 prepaid & $418/night with a flexible reservation. The Club Lounge access upgrade might cost about $44 more per day. This upgrade could be worth it for those sharing a room with at least one additional person who plan to take advantage of all of the food options, and business travelers. Starwood Preferred Guests also get free club access if they are platinum members (meaning they booked 25 stays in a calendar year).

Keep in mind that if you are not a Starwood Hotels & Resorts preferred guest, internet is not included in your room rate and will cost an extra $15-19 per day. As far as I can tell, you can receive the free internet as a preferred guest by registering online and booking your room through their website or app.

In conclusion, I enjoyed my stay at the Sheraton Chicago and can’t describe anything I didn’t like. Obviously, the hotel was expecting bloggers. The space was beautiful, staff greeted us warmly, and treated us to perks we weren’t expecting like Club Lounge Access and champagne.

The only drawbacks I can think to mention are that the trays of snacks in your room are motion-activated and that the hotel could possibly be cost prohibitive. Jake and I have found that hotels accessible to touristy areas of downtown Chicago (or any large city) provide smaller rooms, cost more per night, and don’t include as many amenities in their basic nightly rate. If you want to stay within walking distance of Navy Pier, Millennium Park and Michigan Ave, the reality is that you’re going to pay more for this convenience. Plus, there’s the whole cost to park your own car downtown. Expect to pay $60 a day for valet parking or at least $40 to self park in a downtown ramp. It’s really easier not to have a car if you are staying here. The public transportation to and from the airport is affordable and easy to navigate.

If the Sheraton Chicago is within your budget and you want to stay downtown, I feel confident telling you to go for it! If it’s not, there are lots of hotels and bed and breakfast in cool neighborhoods near the downtown area that provide good values and amenities, too.

Thank you to the staff at the Sheraton Chicago for hosting our group and giving us full access to the hotel’s amenities. 

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