Farmer’s Markets
I love the magnificent fall veggies, the ever-so-filling
breakfast tacos and the fleeting farewell to summer. That I can take.
Crazy however that I don’t get good Tomatoes again until
next spring!
Bon Appetit!
Red
and Yellow Breakfast Salsa
2 medium-sized tomatoes, 1 yellow
and 1 red, seeded and diced
1 clove garlic, minced1 small jalapeño chile, stemmed, seeded and minced
1 scallion, thinly sliced
¼ cup chopped cilantro
¼ cup diced red onion
2 Tbs. fresh lime juice
Salt to taste
Combine tomatoes, garlic, jalapeño,
scallion, cilantro, red onion and lime juice in small bowl. Sprinkle with salt,
and let salsa sit at least 15 minutes to blend. Taste, and adjust salt, if
necessary.
Crumb
Bakery – Green City Market
Every Saturday night, I put away some of my great finds from the
Green City Market that morning. Needless to say, we have a lot of amazing Saturday
night dinners.
Today? It was cold and rainy so I made a big pot of Zuppa Toscana and served bread
purchased from Anne Kostroski. She turns ordinary
loaves into exquisite works of art by using organic flours from Illinois,
Wisconsin, and Kansas, Wisconsin cheeses, and the variety of produce found at
Green City Market. In fact, her Lardo Taralli and seasonal focaccia are market favorites.
I hardly make bread anymore (except Jim Lahey’s No-Knead bread)
when I can buy it this good at the market!
Bon Appetit!
Day of the Dead
This
is one of my favorite holidays in Mexico and I celebrate it every year no
matter what country I am in.
I
gather all the things I kept from the people I love who have passed (in death
or separation) and celebrate their life.
Where
will you put your altar? Mine is in my kitchen because nearly all of the people
I love truly respected both cooking and eating.
Isn’t
it remarkable how your culinary style has been defined by the great chefs of
your past?
Celebrate
this month by creating the dishes they taught you to love to cook.
Bon
Appetit!
Turkey Burgers
Isn’t
it nice to know what goes into your burgers?
I love
my kitchen aid grinder attachment and have made a delicious burger mix with
turkey breast and chicken thighs and beef and pork.
In
fact, there is such an huge difference in taste I swear you’ll never buy a package
of ground meat again.
Bon
Appetit!
BBQ
When I think of BBQ, I’m dreaming of Alabama white sauce, Memphis
dry rub, Texas bigger and better, Kansas City slow smoked meat dripping in sweet
sauce and North Carolina… where pulled pork mopped with a spice and vinegar liquid and topped with
slaw is often breakfast for the genuine BBQ fanatic.
OK – I’m officially hungry.
I don’t just BBQ in the summer. In fact, I’ve got my smoker and my
fur coat ready to survive this winter no matter what... that is until I think
of the BBQ chef in Texas who is standing outside grilling in her bikini.
Bon Appetit!
Cross-Rhodes
913 Chicago Avenue, Evanston
With paper-thin gyros and the best Greek French
fries I’ve ever tasted, I understand why this neighborhood Greekrestaurant is
always packed.
If you are into the social aspect of eating, eat
here. People who dine here on a regular basis report that they are always
treated“just like family.”
My bill: $10.00 including tip.
The huge steak fries are topped with white wine,
lemon and an herb sauce. What really amazed me is when I took a bite they were
so crispy.
What did I know about good fries? I am use to
drenching mine in ketchup.
Bon Appetit!
La
Fournette
1547
North Wells was an accidental find on my morning walk from the Green City
Market.
From the
Kouglof to the Streusel Brioche, this was such an inviting way to start my day.
After
taking pastry classes, I’m totally convinced that not a soul does bakery better
than the French.
Pastry in
Paris? A serious thought for my next vacation.
Bon Appetit!
.JPG)
Few Spirits
www.fewspirits.com
While I was sipping my Divino at Testori (Vodka
instead of Gin, june, dimmi, lemon and a few grapes floating around for focus) the
staff were all raving about Few Spirits, a small batch distiller in Evanston.
.JPG)
We
took the brewery tour ($10) on Saturday and fell in love with the distillers
and the entire operation, thriving and soon to outgrow the little garage where
they started 18 months ago.
During
that time, they impressively won a Double Gold at the Spirits competition in
New York and two silvers at the esteemed World Spirits
Competition in San Francisco.
If you friend them on Facebook, you’ll likely find out when you
can go down and volunteer to help out. A session just wrapped up earlier in the
day with 8 volunteers showing up to bottle.
.JPG)
Few Spirits makes three types of gin. I’m not a gin drinker at all
but owner Paul Hletko replaced
some of the juniper with citrus and pepper flavors, and used a base spirit of
whiskey. One sip of the American Gin and I was a fan. I actually thought that
it’s light flavors would make a great martini which in the past I had only
associated with vodka. They also make white, rye and bourbon whiskey.
The
newest specialty? Grappa, an Italian brandy made from the pressed skins and
seeds of grapes – in other words a winemaker’s leftovers.
Here are a few recipes from their vault and
their growing list of restaurants are bound to mix some double magic too.
Bon Appetit!
The White Manhattan
2
oz FEW White Whiskey
1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth
2-3 dashes Angostura Orange Bitters
1/2 oz Sweet Vermouth
2-3 dashes Angostura Orange Bitters
Garnish with maraschino cherry
Cosmo “Not”
Bartender Josh RewWatermark, Nashville, TN
1 1/2 oz Few White Whiskey
3/4 oz Pama liqueur (pomegranate)
3/4 oz Lavender syrup
1/4 oz Lemon juice
Shake, strain into martini glass
American Trade Winds
2
oz FEW American Gin
1/2 oz Orange Curacao
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Orange Curacao
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
Garnish with lemon twist
.JPG)
The Big Green Egg
OK
– I’m convinced. Real Urban BBQ is using them to smoke some of their meat so I
am now a full-blown aficionada.
.JPG)
That
along with my friend Mark who talks a good BBQ every day on the train and has
shown me enough photos to be convinced…especially with his turkey.
The
Big Green Egg is the superstar among backyard chefs. I love the fact that the
egg can hit temperatures over 600 degrees or you can hold it as low as 200.
If
I had an extra $1000 , this would be it. Just think of the money you’ll save
because you don’t have to buy that $10,000 pizza oven.
Bon
Appetit!
.JPG)
Silver and Gold Treads
I
found these beautiful threads. Don't they look like you can start weaving whatever dream you happen to have.
Last
night, I dreamt that Julia Child took me to her kitchen to show me how to make
a Big Mac.
Back
to the box for another dream and P.S. …knock off all the ice cream before
bedtime!
Bon
Appetit!