A couple weeks back (sorry, it takes me some time to process and then write these things) I had the privilege of attending a World of Whirlpool event in Chicago. I was so excited because it gave me a good excuse to crash Vanessa’s place, meet her kids and make some great food together. From start to finish the whirlwind 24 hours was so worth it. I always have trouble communicating about these events to you though. Not because I don’t have anything to say but because I have too much to say! Do I talk about the fantastic food? (And it was a.m.a.z.i.n.g.) Do I talk about the great bloggers I met? (There were so many great Chicago bloggers.) Do I talk about the appliances I loved the best? (How many days do we have?) Or do I just stick to the highlights? (Which highlights do I choose?) You can see why this is so hard, right? I think for this event I am going to stick with the moments, facts and appliances that stuck out in my mind and that I think that you will be most interested in. If you want me to expand on other portions of the trip, just ask, I will be more than willing to tell. So here we go. Moment #1 
When I was touring around the KitchenAid kitchen poking my nose into the appliances and checking them out and I opened the dishwasher. This moment stands out vividly in my mind because I listened to see if it was on, checked the panel quickly for any real indications and then opened it. Only to find water pouring everywhere (inside mind you). Turns out it was on! What? I closed it again. I heard nothing. Reopened it. Water everywhere still. The dishwasher was on and I am not even exaggerating that I could not hear one thing. (I am not deaf, I don’t think). It was AMAZING. I want one. NOW. Moment #2 When I met the new Espresso KitchenAid Artisan mixer. Deep dark chocolate covered KitchenAid. Beautiful. I’m not sure when this color hits the market but it is most definitely on my “please can I have it hubby” list. Moment #3 When the staff revealed that the new KitchenAid food processor coming out in the fall of 2011 not only has a wide mouth, an extra speed setting and . . .are you sitting for this one? Go ahead, take a seat if you are standing. I don’t want you to hurt your tail bone when you hear this. . .it has an adjustable blade that you can adjust without removing the blade from the container. This means that you can make different size slices without taking the food processor apart. Just adjust the setting and away you go. You could even do it while you were slicing. Want thick sliced bread but thin sliced tomatoes (yes, this food processor is claimed to even be able to slice tomatoes without turning them into soup)? No problem. Wow. I wish I had a picture to show you. Hopefully soon. Moment #4 The Jenn-Air oven that thinks for you. Seriously. It is not cheap but this built in oven has an LCD screen (think tablet screen) that allows you to tell it exactly what you are cooking, what you are cooking it in, how you want it prepared and it will program itself to cook for the proper amount of time and at the right temperature. What? Yep, got a roast that you are needing to make and want it done medium-rare. Just enter the weight of the roast, the cut of beef, the pan you are using and the level of done-ness (it will even give you a picture to choose from) and it will tell you how long it needs to bake at a certain temperature. Amazing. I’ll take one of those too please! Moment #5 Lunch. Instead of wasting words to tell you about the deliciousness, I’ll just show you. 
Moment #6 
Learning (and seeing it first hand) that the type of pan you use to bake cookies can greatly determine the outcome of your final result more than the oven temperature and timing. Well, it can at least change the results. Take a look. Each of these cookies was baked with the same cookie recipe, for the same amount of time, in the same oven, at the same temperature. The difference? The pan. Which do you want? Moments #7-77 I could really go on and on about all of the great things that I saw, all the new appliances I now covet and the wonderful people I met, but eventually I need to get on to our menu plan for the week. 🙂 Suffice it to say, I had a wonderful time, met some new friends, learned some new things, and have added items to my wish list. What about you? I know you weren’t at the event but do you have a favorite Jenn-Air, KitchenAid, Whirlpool or Maytag appliance? 
Menu Plan Monday
Note: I am including our toddler meal plans here now too! Monday –
- Toddler Lunch – Fish sticks, California Vegetable Mix, Bananas
- Dinner – Stir Fry
BBQ Chicken Pizza
BBQ Chicken Pizza
Tuesday –
- Toddler Lunch – Chicken fingers, mandarin oranges, peas
- Dinner – BBQ Chicken Pizza
Wednesday –
- Toddler Lunch – Individual Mac & Cheese, grapes, green beans
- Dinner – Dinner at House Church – I am taking
Thursday –
- Toddler Lunch – Out to lunch with friends
- Dinner – leftovers
Friday –
- Toddler Lunch – Headed to the Zoo again (I hope). We had such a great time last week – PB&J/Peanut Butter Crackers, apple slices, mixed veggies
- Dinner – Chicken Parmigiana, spaghetti noodles, green beans
Saturday – Lunch – leftovers/sandwiches Dinner – Didn’t get to this last week – Grilling out Filets (Yum!), Roasted Asparagus, Salad Sunday – Lunch – leftovers Dinner – Tacos, guacamole, Cilantro-Lime Rice For more great Menu Plan Monday menu planning ideas visit orgjunkie.com!