Trip to Chicago - Grandmother's Garden Quilt and Imported Food Galore!

Last week, I was in Chicago helping my family care for my uncle who had surgery. Along with other family members, I stayed long hours at the hospital. True to form, I can never just sit still and relax. I always have to be doing something. I decided to spend my time working on a Grandmother's garden quilt I had started many years ago. This little quilt is made from dime-sized hexagons. Because it is so small, it is easy to transport, so I usually work on this project when I travel. Here are some pictures of my little quilt-in-progress:

Since I only work on this quilt when I travel, I may end up making it into a little wall hanging instead of a full sized quilt so I can complete it in my lifetime. Only time will tell...

On another note, I was born in Chicago and I lived there until I was eight years old.  Because I still have family there, I like to visit there every now and then.  One of my favorite things about Chicago (besides my family, of course) is the vast assortment of ethnic food available to consumers.  You name it - they've got it - regardless of the culture.

One of my favorite places to shop at is the Eurofresh Market in Palatine, a suburb of Chicago.  This store absolutely fascinates me because it literally carries food and ingredients from all over the world.  I can easily find things there that used to be prepared by my beloved Polish-German grandmother when I was a child.  These things always evoke great memories of my childhood.  Needless to say, I couldn't resist taking pictures while in the store.  Here are some pretty cool finds at the market:

Packages of sauerkraut imported from Poland. Who would have thought there were so many varieties?

Matzo ball soup mix made by Lipton.  Who knew???

Seasoning mixes from Poland for every kind of dish imaginable.

A full aisle dedicated to olive oil from Italy and all sorts of vinegars known to man. Amazing!

And let's not forget the magazine section so you can keep up on all of the latest news and gossip.

I ended up buying way too much store while visiting Eurofresh, but hey, a girl's got to do what a girl's got to do, right?  Here's just a sampling of what I purchased:

Chocolate from Poland.

Coffee from Germany.

Seasoning mixes from Pakistan to make chicken curry and from Poland to make stuffed peppers and cabbage.  (My mouth is watering just thinking about it...)

Mustard from Poland to go with all of the deli meat I purchased.

Vanilla sauce mix, vanilla sugar, vanilla and almond extracts from Europe just in time for my holiday baking.  Can you tell I LOVE vanilla?

Thanks for letting me share my adventures with you.  Be sure to check back regularly. I have some awesome handmade Christmas projects and tutorials I will be sharing here over the next month. :)

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