Tom and I opted for the hostel's complementary help-yourself breakfast offered in the common room located in the basement.
Tom and I, meanwhile, planned to drive over to Claire's house in Logan square, the next neighborhood over from Wicker Park, to help her with the shopping and food preparation for the cookout that evening.
As the nearest parking spot we'd been able to find in that busy part of Chicago was several blocks from the Holiday Jones,
Cherry Almond Streusel Pie
The Pie:
2 cans of tart red cherries.
2 tablespoons of quick-cooking tapioca
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 9-inch unbaked refrigerated roll-out pie crust
The Streusel:
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup slivered almonds
Drain one can of cherries and mix it with the other can of cherries with the juice from that can. Mix the cherries and juice with the tapioca, sugar, and cinnamon. Let stand for 15 minutes.
Mix the flour and brown sugar then cut the butter into the flour and sugar until the mixture is crumbly. Mix in the almonds.
Roll out the pie crust, place it in a 9-inch pie pan and spread the cherry mixture into the pie crust. Spoon the streusel mixture over the cherries.
Bake at 375 for 45-50 minutes, until the filling is bubbly and topping well-browned.