Chicago

Every day I live in Houston I still can't believe how many people live in this city but then I visit the few other cities with even more people and I realize it's what makes these cities great.  In Chicago, I really love the hustle and bustle of everyone walking around with a variety of places to see and eat and explore. My husband and I were able to take a quick weekend trip here before the start of my new job. We were lucky enough to catch up with old friends, be tourists, and of course find our own cute little gems of the city that we always love to do! 

Stay:

Russell and I stayed at the Palmer House Hilton Hotel. We didn't get to do our usual Bed and Breakfast for this trip because honestly I couldn't find one I liked close enough to the city. So, this hotel is the next best thing. It was gorgeous, had a great breakfast, and most importantly perfect location to everything. We were in walking distance to every thing that we wanted to visit and there was also a metro stop right outside of the hotel for the airport or our day trip to Lincoln Park. Plus I love the pink lights for Breast Cancer Awareness month. I would definitely recommend this place if you are visiting Chicago!

Eat:

• Lou Malnati's Pizza

There are two main deep dish pizza chains throughout Chicago. This one is personally my favorite as I feel like it has the perfect amount of sauce to cheese ratio (more cheese of course). I believe pizza is one of the best things offered on the planet and when I want to splurge, it is my cheat every time. This place will satisfy your Chicago deep dish pizza fix. You can't tell me that doesn't look good.

• Portillo's Hot Dogs

Portillo's is the famous Chicago Hot Dog stop. This is a must do while in Chicago. It is usually crowded (with tourists mostly) but they have a system and move quickly and you'll be in and out with your delicious traditional Chicago dog. Remember no ketchup ;)

• RPM Italian Restaurant

RPM was my favorite restaurant in Chicago. It was so insanely delicious. Seriously, every single thing we tried was so good and I was actually sad when each dish was done. You will need to make a reservation pretty early in advance if you want a table or you can walk in and try and steal a seat in the bar area (which is what we did.) We couldn't decide what we wanted so we did more of a tapas style with a bunch of different small plates. Russell and I decided on the Truffled Garlic Bread, Prime Beef Meatballs, Zucchini Fritti, and Giuliana's Italian Salad. Then the best was yet to come with the dessert. Once again we couldn't choose just one so we split Pistachio Gelato and their special of the night which were these perfectly Fried Italian Doughnuts served with a side of Nutella. This is making my mouth water just writing this. I will go back to Chicago for this restaurant alone. Go.

• La Fournette

Russ and I have an obsession for french bakeries/macaroons/almond croissants/ basically anything french. So any city we visit, we will search out what people say is the best. And this one comes close to one of the best we had tried. The almond croissant was perfectly baked and the almond paste was extremely if not exactly similar to the way they make it in Paris. The macaroons were also delicious with a lot of fun flavors to choose from. Another bonus is this bakery is located in Old Town which is one of my favorite areas of Chicago.

Best Pita Bread Ever with Creamy Homemade Tzatzkiki Sauce

Just yes. 

Russell and I may have a slight obsession with Mediterranean food but why not?! It's healthy, easy, and amazingly tasty! Since we had this obsession, we were visiting our favorite Mediterranean restaurant too often for our budget. So a few weeks ago we decided to try our own. Russell first started with the pita bread and after the first taste not only did he succeed but he passed my expectations. Seriously, it was the best pita I've ever had. For me personally, better than any restaurant pita I've had. Now this recipe will take a little more time and effort than our other recipes but we promise once you have these, you will never want another store bought pita again. Then we decided to take it even farther and go with the full package - Tzatziki sauce. Once again this sauce is healthy and so easy to make. I will be having this way too often from now on. For lunch we added chicken, feta, tomatoes, and onions for a perfect Mediterranean pita sandwich. We hope you enjoy! 

Ingredients

Pita Bread:

• 1 cup hot Water, but not boiling
• 2 teaspoons Active Dry or Instant Yeast (we used instant for this recipe)
• 2-1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour  (may need to add a little more flour but do so sparingly)
• 2 teaspoons Salt
• 1 tablespoon Olive Oil

Tzatziki Sauce:

• 16 ounces Plain Greek Yogurt (we used full fat - sorry diet)
• 1 regular Cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced small
• 3 cloves Garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon White Wine Vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Dried Dill
• 1 teaspoon Dried Oregano
• Half a fresh Lemon, juiced
• 1 tablespoon Olive Oil

Directions

Pita Bread:

1. Mix the yeast and hot water together, letting dissolve for ~5 minutes. 
2. Using a stand mixer, add salt, olive oil, and 2-1/2 cups of flour to water mixture. Attach the dough hook and knead the dough on medium speed for 4-6 minutes until dough is smooth. You may add additional flour as needed to end up with a smooth and elastic dough. However, it is better to use too little flour than too much. 
3. Place dough in greased bowl (I use olive oil) and turn until coated. Cover bowl and let dough rise until it's doubled (should take ~1 hour). 
4. Once risen, deflate the dough and turn onto a lightly floured work surface. If not ready to bake, place dough in refrigerator for up to 4 days (Typically I only make 1/2 the pitas and save the other half for the next days meals). 
5. Break off a small piece of dough (~2" ball) and gently flatten into a disk using a rolling pin (each disk should be 6-8" wide and 1/4" thick). Lift/turn the dough frequently as you flatten to make sure the dough doesn't stick to the counter. 
6. Warm a cast iron skillet (using the iron skillet is the key to getting incredible pitas) over medium-high heat. Make sure the pan is good and hot prior to cooking any pitas. 
7. Place flattened disk on pan and bake for 30-45 seconds, until bubbles begin to form. 
8. Flip and cook for 1-2 minutes on other side. Pita will begin to puff up as toasted spots begin to form.  
9. Flip additional time, cooking original side for an addition 1-2 minutes. Typically I cook each pita for a total of 4 minutes (I set timer for this time when I first place pita on the skillet) - exact time should be adjusted per your cooking surface/temperature and taste.
10. Of course pitas are best eaten hot and fresh, but bread will keep in a bag for a few days as well!!

Tzatziki Sauce:

1. Pour any liquid off the surface of the greek yogurt. (I used full fat here to make it thicker, but you can always go with 2% if you want it a little lighter)
2. Mix together yogurt, diced cucumber, garlic, white wine vinegar, dill, oregano, salt and pepper to taste, and lemon juice. 
3. Drizzle with olive oil.
4. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to blend. 

Our next Mediterranean adventure will soon be hummus as that is our other obsession. But until then we hope you enjoy this insanely good, fresh pita bread and creamy tzatziki sauce!

The Perfectly Creamy and Healthy Guacamole

Avocados are by far one of my favorite foods in the entire world, so naturally Guacamole was one of the first recipes I made sure to master.  Avocados are so delicious and naturally healthy for us however, not all guacamoles are made equal. That perfectly creamy guacamole you eat at restaurants is usually loaded with mayonnaise to give it that creamy consistency. That is why my recipe is so incredible. It is creamy and flavorful without the added fake fat. Guacamole is that perfect appetizer to have out whenever you have guests over from football sundays to week night dinners. Everyone loves guacamole. But, once you try this recipe you will never make it another way again. I always have people asking what I put in my guacamole and if I can make it again. So what's the secret ingredient? Feta! I know it sounds so strange but it works. It gives it the creamy texture and a little extra flavor. Try this recipe and I promise you won't be disappointed. 

Ingredients

• 2 Ripe Avocados
• 1/2 cup of diced Onions (red onion for stronger flavor, yellow onion for a more mild flavor)
• 1/2 cup of diced Tomatoes. Make sure to get rid of the juices and seeds as you don't want watery guacamole 
• Lemon Juice
• Garlic (fresh or dried) I usually do around 1-2 garlic cloves. Depends on how strong you like the garlic flavor
• 1/4 cup of Crumbled Feta 
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Optional

• Cilantro, chopped
• Serrano Peppers, chopped- if you like it spicy!

 Directions

Mix together all ingredients. Mash however much you want. I tend to like mine a little in between mashed and chunky as you can see in the pictures- seems to make everyone happy. I like to always taste as I go with the spices and lemon juice. A good thing to remember is most of the time you are going to be eating this guacamole with salty chips so go lighter on the salt to balance the chips. If it is too bland, you can always add more! If you do end up going over board with the spices, more lemon juice works perfectly. Another trick with guacamole is make it ahead of time and let it sit in the fridge to marinate the flavors together before serving. 

Russell and I have this guacamole at least once a week. Hope you all enjoy and become as addicted as we are!

El Salvador

Living Water International

So this post has taken me a little longer to write than other ones because I wasn't even sure where to start. So much happened in just a week. It was an amazing experience that I will remember for a long time.

First I want to talk about the incredible organization that is Living Water International. 783 million people lack access to safe drinking water around the world and LWI is doing something about it. They demonstrate God's love by drilling over 14,000 clean water wells to over 26 countries. Along with providing safe drinking water, their teams teach health and hygiene to the villages, and the most needed resource- living water which is the grace and power of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I was blessed enough to have the opportunity to join a team in El Salvador for a week to provide clean water to the precious school Centro Escolar.  This village is made up of about 80 families and over 200 children. Most homes did not have running water and the families have been walking down the mountain to the river to get any water for themselves. Yet because the water from the river is unclean, sickness and even death have unfortunately been a result.

I speak very little Spanish and going into the trip I had no idea what to expect, but God provided abundantly. The team is full of hard workers, determined to finish the well quickly and effectively. My days were split between teaching hygiene, drilling, playing with children, and just getting plain muddy. Going on these type trips are always eye opening as we see the poverty that us in America never experience. More than anything though these trips are humbling as the joy and generosity pours out of the people in this village. These families have so little however, every day we were offered food, drinks, presents, even chairs they were sitting in. Why is it when we have so much we hold on tighter to the things we think we deserve? Anyways, these were just a few of the eye opening experiences I had this past week.

As we finished the well and said our good-byes I was heartbroken to leave. The village is grateful for us being able to give them clean water but it is them who gave to me. While I was there, I was reminded of the joy I feel when being surrounded by children. I already miss their big smiles, warm hugs, and crazy dance moves. They reminded me of how big and gracious our God is. Hearing prayers and songs in even the small mountain villages of El Salvador reminds me God is everywhere and cares about every single one of us more than we can understand.  I was of course reminded of how much God has given me and the desire to give my time, money, whatever He asks, was lit again.

1 John 3:17
"But if anyone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need and refuses to help- how can God's love be in that person? Let us stop just saying we love each other; let us really show it by our actions that we know we are living in the truth."

Here is a video that Alice graciously made that sums up our trip!

http://youtu.be/1qxxnpfkOP0