Looking to expand your cookie baking repertoire this season? Try one of our favorite holiday recipes to make Cookie Season a little bit more delicious!

Salty Malty Brownie Cookies (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel): Chocolate cookies have a tendency to be dry, but these defy the norm. The recipe calls for over a pound of chocolate and the absolute minimum amount of flour needed to hold them cookie together. (Trader Joe’s sells chocolate in pound bars and their 72% dark chocolate is a great substitute for the bittersweet chocolate called for in the recipe.) Fudgy, decadent, and always a crowd pleaser!

Gingerdoodles (Handle the Heat): Part gingersnap, part snickerdoodle, this is a cookie for those who love molasses. The only negative reviews I’ve ever gotten on these cookies are from a toddler who surreptitiously grabbed this after being cut off from the sugar cookies!

Salted Caramel Pretzel Blondies (Smitten Kitchen): It’s always nice to have a great bar recipe on hand for those days when you don’t have the time to scoop individual cookies and to swap out cookie pans in the oven. The salt from the pretzels and the caramel adds a nice break from the sugary overload of most holiday cookies. And this recipe is incredibly easy to adjust with whatever mix-ins you most enjoy!

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Brightonwoods Orchard & AEppelTreow Winery & Distillery in Burlington, WI create a fantastic fall apple experience for the 21+ crowd. AEppelTreow uses the fruit grown next door at Brightonwoods to make delicious hard ciders, wines, and spirits. For $5, they offer your choice of six samples that can be enjoyed at the outdoor picnic tables and they allow you to bring your own picnic foods. If you visit on a weekend, the donut truck may also be open! Don’t forget to stop back inside to pick up a four-pack of cider or bottle of your new favorite spirit.

Across the parking lot is the Brightonwoods Orchard barn which offers an incredible selection of apples. During a September visit, they had 23 different varieties available, all with labels explaining their history and how best to use them. If you need pie apples, there are plenty of options here! If you’re lucky, there may also be “seconds” available to purchase at a discount that can be turned into homemade apple butter. In addition to apples, the barn store offers pub cheese, seasonal baking mixes, fresh (non-alcoholic) cider, jams, and a variety of squash. If you’re looking to take your love of apples to the next level, you can even buy an apple tree to take home and plant in your own yard!

Brightonwoods is not a U-Pick orchard, but you can still take a stroll around the premises. Enjoying the fresh air and not ready to head home yet? Drive 5 minutes east to Richard Bong State Recreation Area for a hike around Wolf Lake.

There is a bathroom available for visitors at AEppelTreow.

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For a kid-friendly U-Pick experience, head west to Honey Hill Orchard in Waterman, IL. Hop on the wagon and let a tractor drive you through the orchards to your favorite apple variety. If you can’t choose, start at the far end and walk back to the barn, picking as you go. If the tractor pulls away while you are still buying your U-Pick bags, check out the petting zoo while you wait for it to return. U-Pick is cash only, but credit cards are accepted in the barn store and at the food window.

The barn store has too many food items and gifts to count! Pick up a jar of Honey Hill’s own honey, grab an apple pie to-go, peruse the jam selections, and pick out a tea towel or other seasonal home good. You won’t be able to leave without finding something that catches your eye!

Outside food is not allowed at Honey Hill, but there are plenty of on-site goodies to purchase. Step up to the window on the side of the barn to get hot drinks, donut sundaes, and other sweet snacks. In addition, food trucks are often available on the weekends. If you manage to leave hungry, grab a burger at Dairy Joy Drive-In on the way back to Chicago.

On a hot day in Chicago, the beaches and parks are always crowded with people enjoying the sunshine. However, in the middle of the picnickers, swimmers, sunbathers, and boaters at Montrose Beach, there is shady piece of solitude. The Montrose Point Bird Sanctuary attracts migratory birds during fall and spring and is home to a nesting pair of endangered piping plovers during the summer. At the center of the sanctuary is a woodland area with mulched paths which offers shade, respite from the crowds, and incredible views of the skyline. It’s the perfect spot for a breath of nature without venturing too far from home!

The winter holidays look a bit different in 2020 with smaller celebrations and many people staying close to home. However, departing from family traditions does not mean that you are condemned to binge Netflix and eat a frozen dinner on Thanksgiving.

This is a great year to try making a Thanksgiving dinner, especially if you’ve never done it before or have new recipes to try out. You won’t have a table full of hungry guests if the turkey takes longer to cook than expected and after your kitchen victories, you’ll get the enjoy the bounty as leftovers for several days. (If the prospect of endless leftover turkey gives you pause, consider roasting a chicken instead. Then use the leftovers to make homemade chicken soup which can be frozen for a future cold winter day!)

Links to all the recipes are on Pinterest!

Looking for ideas on what to do between the cooking, eating, and dishwashing?

Many Turkey Trots have gone virtual this year, but whether or not you are participating in an official event, lace up your sneakers and run or walk a 5k.

Go for a hike at a local forest preserve. The Forest Preserves of Cook County manages 70,000 acres of land near Chicago!

The Macy’s Day Parade will still be airing on Thanksgiving morning, so you can curl up on the couch and enjoy a parade of floats and balloons.

Schedule a virtual happy hour with friends and family. On Thanksgiving, Zoom is lifting the 40 minute time limit for free meetings, so you don’t have to worry about interruptions.

Start writing your holiday cards! Getting mail is fun anytime, but especially these days when a trip to the mailbox might be the highlight of the day.

Go for a drive to look at holiday light displays. This year, the Morton Arboretum has turned Illumination: Tree Lights into a drive-thru experience so you can keep your distance from other visitors.

Take a virtual trip to a museum. Many museums have virtual tours and interactive content on their websites, including the Art Institute of Chicago.

Play board games online with your friends and family on BoardGameArena.

Spend the day immersed in a great book. This is the time of year to fully lean into the Danish lifestyle of hygge. Pile on the blankets, keep a mug of hot chocolate nearby, and aim for peak coziness.

Whether you currently live in a condo or are thinking about buying one, you’ve probably wondered whether the HOA assessments are reasonable. First off, what are assessments? If you live in a building or community with shared amenities—such as a condo, co-op, or townhouse—you are responsible for covering your portion of the costs of those shared amenities. Your homeowners association (HOA) will manage these expenses and bill you on a regular basis, generally monthly. Your unit is assessed based on your percentage of ownership, so the assessments of a studio condo will be less than the assessments of a three-bedroom unit in the same building.

There are a lot of costs associated with maintaining a building. Your assessments may be used to pay for building insurance, snow removal and landscaping, preventative maintenance, communal spaces, property management fees and building staff, and some utilities. A 500 unit building that has door staff, elevator, fitness center, and pool will have more monthly costs than a four unit building with a small front yard. In Chicago, the city only collects garbage from single family homes and residential buildings with four units or less. For larger buildings, the association will have to pay for private trash removal. Some large buildings will use their size to negotiate a discounted rate on internet or cable for all residents, which is then included in the monthly assessments. The wide variety of building amenities means that it is important to pay attention to what is covered by the assessments when comparing units.

In addition to recurring bills that keep the building running, your association should be building up the reserves for high cost projects, such as replacing the roof or tuckpointing the masonry. A condo association may do a reserve study to see what upcoming costs need to be incorporated into the budget. Although it can be tempting to keep assessments low and just deal with problems as they arrive, preventative maintenance is cheaper than deferred maintenance.

If an association doesn’t have enough in the reserves, then a special assessment may be levied to cover the costs of a large or unexpected repair bill. A special assessment is in addition to your regular assessment schedule and may be due all at once or spread out into installments. If there is expensive maintenance on the horizon, an association may raise the monthly assessments or do a thirteenth month assessment so that they can avoid a special assessment. With a thirteenth month assessment, owners are billed for an extra month once a year and the proceeds are added to the reserves. This is often easier for owners to budget for than a special assessment.

While it is tempting to choose a property with the lowest possible assessments, that is not always the cheapest choice in the long run. If your association doesn’t have the funds to maintain the building, then you may be hit with a special assessment. More amenities generally mean higher assessments, but if you are going to enjoy those features that may be a good value for you.

The way to find out if a building has healthy finances is to ask questions and do your research. For prospective buyers, the HOA meeting minutes will generally be provided during the attorney review period and often include discussions about current and future repairs. For current owners, get involved and attend the HOA meetings so you can stay on top of what is happening in your building. Your assessments are well spent if they are used to maintain the building and build up a healthy reserve fund.

With cold weather on the horizon, fall is the time to knock out your home maintenance checklist. Start by tackling the outdoor chores on a sunny weekend afternoon. Rake the leaves, clean the gutters, and store your (cleaned) outdoor furniture in a garage, shed, or basement. If you have time, plant tulip and daffodil bulbs so that you have spring flowers in the garden to look forward to.

Head into the garage to check that you are stocked up for winter. Is your snow shovel still in good condition? Does your snowblower need more fuel? Do you have a supply of ice melt to treat slippery driveways and sidewalks? Then turn off the water to your exterior faucets and store your garden hoses.

Windows are next on the checklist. Remove and clean your screens and carefully store them. Install your storm windows, if you have them. Then add weatherstripping around any drafty windows or doors. If you still have an a/c unit in the window, now is the time to remove it.

Replace your furnace filter and have your HVAC system serviced. If you have a fireplace, schedule a time for the annual chimney cleaning before you start using it. Clean out your dryer vents and replace the batteries in your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Lastly, reverse the direction of your ceiling fans so that the heated air is circulated more efficiently.

Once all that is done, grab a mug of hot apple cider and relax!

Download the checklist

Timing matters when buying a new home. First time buyers might be working around the timetable of their lease so they can avoid paying both rent and a mortgage for months on end. Current homeowners may be trying to juggle a home sale with a purchase so that they have the funds for the new downpayment. So how long does the home buying process take and when should buyers start seriously looking at properties?

The available inventory in your target neighborhood will be the biggest variable in how long it takes you to find your next home. When homes are selling above list price in bidding wars, starting your search early will give you the best chance to find a great property within budget (so long as you can be flexible on your closing date). If you have a very specific wish list, especially if the desired home features are uncommon in your area, you will also have a longer home search.

The prospect of paying for two homes is often what limits the flexibility of prospective buyers. The good news for renters is that mortgage payments are made in arrears. In most leases, you pay for the property at the beginning of the month, so your rent payment on November 1st is to cover the month of November. But when you pay in arrears, your payment for November would actually come due on December 1st. This means that if buyers close on October 15th, they will prepay the interest for the remaining days of October at the closing table and their first mortgage payment will be due on December 1st. Closing early in the month costs a bit more up front due to the prepaid interest for those extra days, but can give buyers almost 60 days before their first mortgage payment is due. This gives prospective buyers more flexibility with their timeline and allows them to buy a property while they still have a month or two on their lease.

Once your offer is accepted, the contract-to-close process will generally take 30 to 45 days. Your lender may be able to fund the loan sooner, but this gives you the time to remedy any potential issues that may arise with the inspection, appraisal, or underwriting. When you are creating your home buying timeline, plan for at least 30 days to close.

Understanding your local market before you start seriously considering properties will make your home search process more efficient. Physically visiting properties can be time consuming, especially if they are far from being a good fit. When you know what types of homes are available and how much they sell for, you can reset your expectations and save yourself from the disappointment of losing out on great homes. Many buyers will adjust their wish list after viewing properties and seeing what their budget will get them in their preferred neighborhood. At the beginning of your home search, it is useful to view a selection of properties that show a variety of styles, sizes, prices, and locations. This lets you compare different options and decide which features can be compromised to ensure you get your must-haves. Some buyers will start checking out home listings online four to six months before they are ready to buy, but if your timeline is compressed your real estate agent can give you a market overview with tour in a single weekend.

Start looking seriously at properties about three months before you want to close. That may seem early, but about half of that time will be in spent under contract. In a low inventory market you may want to get started even sooner, but don’t fall in love with a home before you are ready to put in an offer! The more flexible you can be with your closing date, the more options you will have to find a home that is perfect for you.

Alice went on the ultimate socially distant trip in August 2020—a solo backpacking overnight on the River Ridge Backpack Trail. It is an 11 mile loop in the Forest Glen Preserve, about a 3 hour drive south of Chicago in Georgetown, IL. The eastern edge of the park abuts the Vermilion River and the Indiana border. Though the drive from Chicago is mostly over flat farmland, inside the park there is an expansive network of streams, ravines, and ridges. Around the halfway point of the backpack trail, a turnoff at a gravel road leads to a a 72-foot tall observation tower that allows day hikers and backpackers alike to get a birds-eye view of the surrounding countryside.

The trail is marked with red and white blazes which are only visible if hiking the loop clockwise. Starting at the Visitor Center, it is 3.5 miles to the Group Camp, 5.5 miles to the turnoff to the Observation Tower, and 8 miles to the East Camp. Alice stayed at the East Camp overnight and then hiked the final 3 miles back to the Visitor Center the next day. The route includes stream crossings and several steep inclines, so trekking poles are useful for balance, testing the sturdiness of the ground, and clearing spiderwebs from the trail. In August, the water level is quite low in the streams, so hopping across the rocks is fairly easy. However, this means that collecting water is more difficult. The Group Camp and the East Camp do not offer any potable water source, so backpackers need to carry a water filter. Alice collected water from a stream at the base of the hill just before the East Camp and filtered it with a Sawyer Squeeze. During springtime, the streams are full and the stream crossings will be more difficult, but hikers gain the benefit of plentiful water sources.

This is a great trail for a shakedown hike, a quick weekend trip, or as a first foray into backpacking! If you aren’t into the idea of carrying your tent on your back for 11 miles, there is also a modern campground in the center of Forest Glen Preserve and plenty of trails available for day hikes.

THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GO:

1. The River Ridge Backpack Trail requires advance registration and a fee per group. As of August 2020, registration must be sent in at least one week in advance with a $10 fee for groups of 10 or fewer people. For up-to-date information, check out the Vermilion County Conservation District website.

2. Cell service is quite spotty in the park and you are likely to pick up service from Indiana. This means that your cellphone clock will adjust to a different time zone, so you may want to wear a non-smart watch or just keep your phone on airplane mode.

3. Make sure you bring a way to filter water! Trekking poles are also a useful addition to your gear list for this trail.

4. The first day of hiking took Alice 4hr 45 min, including a 30 minute detour to the Observation Tower for a snack break. She hiked clockwise from the Visitor Center to the East Camp and, including the side trip to the Observation Tower, this was a total of 8.5 miles. The second day of hiking, a 3 mile section from the East Camp back to the Visitor Center, took Alice 1hr 40 min. She does not recommend hiking this trail at night, so make sure to leave enough daylight to get to your destination.

Willow Springs, IL

The Palos Trail System is located in the southwest suburbs of Chicago and has 42 miles of multi-use trails. This offers recreation opportunities for hikers, mountain bikers, equestrians, and cross-country skiers. The trails wind around wetlands and through woods and prairies. Short trails can be combined into a longer loop or completed on their own for a more leisurely stroll. Be aware that some of the trails cross roads, but the road noise is minimal on the trails.

Chicago, IL

Just east of O’Hare Airport along the Des Plaines River you’ll find the Catherine Chevalier Woods. This forest preserve has wide trails through wooded areas and grassy fields with picnic shelters. Additional forest preserves border the Catherine Chevalier Woods on the north and south, so adventurous walkers can follow the Des Plaines River Trail for many miles. The wooded areas are particularly wonderful to visit during the summer when mature trees shade the trail and make those hot summer days more bearable.

Chicago, IL

The natural area at Horner Park is an 11 acre section of restored riverbank with prairie plants and a mulched walking trail. It is located on the North Branch of the Chicago River between Montrose Avenue and Irving Park Road and is a short walk from CTA buses and the Brown Line. There is also a parking lot along the western edge of Horner Park. The natural area is buzzing with bees and butterflies that enjoy the pollinator plants and walkers can take stone steps down to get up close to the river. For a short walk close to home, this is hard to beat!

Oglesby, IL

Located a few minutes down the road from the famous Starved Rock State Park, Matthiessen State Park offers breathtaking scenery with fewer crowds. The waterfalls and sandstone canyon inspire many an amateur photographer and the best views don’t require a long trek into the backcountry. Wooden staircases lead to the bottom of the canyons and it is important to stay on the trails, both for safety since the rock can be slippery and to minimize the impact on the area. For the cold weather enthusiast, the park offers cross-country ski trails and ski rentals during the winter!

Georgetown, IL

If you are looking for a weekend camping or backpacking trip, the Forest Glen Preserve offers multiple campgrounds among the 25 miles of trails. The Vermilion River runs along the eastern side of the preserve and the trails traverse streams, ravines, and ridges. A 72-foot observation tower offers views of the treetops and surrounding countryside. Some of the trails, such as the River Ridge Backpack Trail, include technical sections, such as stream crossings and steep inclines. Although the drive to the preserve is mostly through flat farmland, once you’re there you’ll be glad to have a set of trekking poles!

Porter, IN

After more than 50 years as a National Lakeshore, in 2019 the Indiana Dunes was reclassified as the 61st National Park. It is situated along the southern shore of Lake Michigan and is accessible via train on the South Shore Line. The Cowles Bog Trail is a great loop for exploring the varied habitats in the area, including the namesake bog, black oak savannas, and steep sand dunes. Although the Cowles Bog Trail is only about 4.5 miles, the sand makes hiking difficult, so bring plenty of water and plan for slower speeds than usual. At the midpoint of the trail, you will reach the beach where the Chicago skyline is visible across Lake Michigan!

Delafield, WI

The Lapham Peak Unit of Kettle Moraine State Forest is located in southeastern Wisconsin, just west of Milwaukee. A section of the Ice Age Trail passes through the Lapham Peak Unit and a 45-foot tall observation tower at the highest point of the park is a popular scenic overlook. The landscape of this area was created more than 10,000 years ago when ridges were formed between two glacial ice sheets. Now you can enjoy hiking, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing on more than 17 miles of trails!

Planning a move while Illinois is staying at home?

1. Organize more than you think is necessary.

2. Plan ahead earlier than you think is needed.

3. Always have a plan B!

The Montrose Point Bird Sanctuary is an oasis in the city, both for North Side residents and the migratory birds that use this area as a rest stop. Many people head to that northern part of Lincoln Park to sunbathe at Montrose Beach, play soccer at the fields near Cricket Hill, or hop on a boat at Montrose Harbor, but there’s more to see at the easternmost edge.

The familiar concrete steps outline Montrose Point and on warm, summer days, you’ll see people fishing, dogs splashing in the water, and picnic blankets dotting the cement. The steps abut a narrow border of prairie plants, tall and colorful, and beyond that, in the center of the point, is a densely wooded area. The northern edge features a long concrete pier that stretches into Lake Michigan (a great place to take photos of the skyline) and dunes along the water. The variety of plants and natural features make Montrose Point a welcoming place for many types of birds. According to the Lake-Cook Audubon Society, more than 300 species of birds have been recorded in this 15 acre sanctuary!

Whether you want to take a stroll with your binoculars to try to spot some rare birds or you are looking to disappear from city life for a bit on wooded trails, this gem of the Chicago Park District should be on your “must-visit” list.

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]]>MONTROSE POINT BIRD SANCTUARYAlice WeinertSat, 18 Apr 2020 21:27:30 +0000https://www.havenandloft.com/blog/books-about-home5e614f63af54854fda30fe44:5e615b0c8643790468bc7944:5e99e9d4da6f7538407199a9

When stuck at home, whether due to inclement weather or global pandemic, many of us reach for a book to occupy our time. You may not be able to get a change of scenery, but these three books will make you look at your home in a new light.

The design of our homes has changed over time, influenced by historical events and social norms. Bill Bryson explores that history in At Home: A Short History of Private Life by taking the reader on a tour of his Victorian home in Norfolk, England. Journeying from the hall to the scullery to the plum room and beyond is more than your typical house tour. Each room gives Bryson a reason to delve into the fascinating history of the structures where we reside. A trip to the fuse box becomes a discussion of the transition to an electric world and the study is the setting for a discussion about the invention of mousetraps and household pests more generally. When you are staring longingly out your living room window, you can consider the window and glass taxes in Great Britain (from 1696 and 1746, respectively) which impacted the architectural designs of the era and caused many buildings to have windowless rooms. The buildings we live in are shaped by history and are enduring examples of what was (and is) important to daily life.

Many of us can’t imagine home without thinking about food. The kitchen is the center of many residences, whether or not cooking is happening in there with any regularity. An Everlasting Meal by Tamar Adler is a cookbook, but it is also a meditation on how to cook with what is available. Many of us have had produce go bad because we didn’t plan out our meals properly for the week or have found questionable leftovers in the back of the fridge that had to be trashed. Living in a large city like Chicago, it is easy to run to the store or pop into a nearby restaurant to get exactly what we are craving at the moment in time. However, cooking for oneself can be incredibly fulfilling and many of the meals that are most comforting are made from basic pantry staples. For anyone looking to get reacquainted with their kitchen, this book is a great place to start.

The Hundred-Year House by Rebecca Makkai is the perfect novel for anyone who has wondered about the previous residents of their home. Told in four parts and backwards through time, Makkai unravels the secrets hidden within a fictional hundred year old estate about thirty miles north of Chicago as we learn about the wealthy couple who built the house, the art colony that existed on the premises, and the modern day (well, the year 1999) occupants. When you reach the end, you’ll want to flip back to page one to reread it with a new perspective!