I spent my evening on the southside last night, maybe that’s why the Cubs got crushed.  But I digress.  I spent my evening with a group of women and we ate breakfast…for dinner.  And that’s alright with me!

MDA (Midwest Dairy Association) and Edelman brought 3 local Chicago bloggers together; Erin of the state that i am in (I think I’m in love…with baby Rufus! ), Caroline of Whipped (she had me at Bougatsa ) and yours truly of, you know, here, there and everywhere.  We gathered with our friends together at Chicago’s Washburne Culinary Institute (yes, WCI is where Season 4 of Top Chef was filmed! – yay Ted Allen!)

The three of us introduced ourselves and talked a little about our blogging addictions habits and what fascinates us about dairy products.  We went around the room and everyone in attendance shared their favorite breakfast.  I was inspired by…..

some of the breakfasts that were mentioned.  Some like cereal, some like omelettes, bagels and…donuts!  Yum!  Of course, I shared that I’m a freak about Special K’s Yogurt and Berries – can’t live with it (because I’m always eating it all), can’t live without it.

We sampled dairy products and a variety of Cabot cheese – my favorite: the Chili-Lime Hand Rubbed Cheddar, LE YUM!  Then, we all joined registered dietitian and National Dairy Council’s spokesperson, Melissa Dobbins in the kitchen for a recipe demo of Cheddar and Red Pepper Breakfast squares.  Melissa answered some dairy questions for us while cooking up this delish dish.

After the presentation, we went back out to the dining area to enjoy a fully catered breakfast for dinner!  The spread was fantastic.

Of course, none of us left empty-handed.  We were all given a 3-A-Day of Dairy cooler bag full of great products!

The contents included: A Tastebook and 5 Tastebook coupons, 3-A-Day of Dairy measuring cups, apron, cereal to-go container, handouts, and a ridiculous amount of coupons for free and discounted products!

The special giveaways weren’t too shabby either.  I would have loved to have won the gift basket, which included a Crate and Barrel cheese board and tools, a cheese making kit, a Williams and Sonoma Pizza Stone and a Williams and Sonoma Cow Creamer.  Other giveaways were copies of Lisa Drayer’s new book, “The Beauty Diet” and a Mukka Express Machine.

I have to say, it was a very “good morning” kind of evening.  Thanks MDA and Edelman for putting this lovely event together!  You can view more of my pictures from the Chicago 3-A-Day meet-up HERE.

Who else is talking about 3-A-Day?

Popular bloggers like, CityMama over at BlogHer, The Pioneer Woman and Gather among others.

Now, being so dairy-inspired, I’m going to post a few of my favorite recipes over the next couple of weeks.  Stay tuned!

*To my guests: Joanne and Sarah, thank you for coming!  I am grateful that you were able to attend!

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