My Kind of Town

I returned this week after a four-day conference sponsored by The American Dietetic Association, an organization of which I am a member. It was in one of the best cities in the U.S.-Chicago. I'm sharing some of the highlights with you.

I was fortunate to have a little bit of down time to visit with Amy and Joe. Amy moved to Chicago from Columbia, Missouri in July to join Joe right before their wedding. They are doing great, but Amy is not thrilled about the approaching cold weather:)

Seared Sea Scallops and Shrimp (the green stuff in the middle is a Granny Smith apple)

I admit it. I like pretty food. This is the beautiful dish that I had while at Vong's Thai Kitchen with Amy and Joe. The way a dish is presented can make it that much more enjoyable!

Another pretty dish courtesy of Hershey's Chocolate (the "bowl" is a cucumber cut lengthwise and the dressing is a vinaigrette made with chocolate although it tasted nothing like it

)

Me and Tony (He's grrrreat!)

The Expo Hall is the place to be at these ADA meetings. It's a huge room full of food companies convincing dietitians to recommend and use their products. They do this with plenty of free samples, and I got plenty of them including Frosted Flakes, which is not my favorite cereal, but it was free. I can also add that I won two cookbooks and box full of raisins and nuts from California Raisins. I love the Expo :)

Chris Gardner autographs his book

Did you see The Pursuit of Happyness starring Will Smith? Well Chris Gardner is the "real" person that he portrayed in that movie. He gave an inspiring motivational talk to kick off the conference. His main message is: Whatever happens, never stop, because you never know what great things are awaiting you if you keep moving and stay focused.