If you can't get to the bakery, make your favorite bakery treats at home, like these authentic, New York-style black-and-white cookies. These are strange times, my friends. Many, if not most, of us are sheltering at home and engaging in social distancing as the world grapples with this horrible pandemic. Like so many of you, I am essentially ...
Search Results for: black and white
Visit to Victoria and Vancouver
With our kids at camp, my husband and I took a quick trip to Victoria and Vancouver, British Columbia. There is a lot to see and do (and eat) in this part of Western Canada! Living in Chicago, among the things I miss most are the mountains and the ocean. So, when planning a trip, if I can include some mountains and ocean views, all the ...
Tilapia with Lemon, Pepper and Herbs over Roasted Leeks
With its quick cooking time and myriad health benefits, fish should be the solution for the recurring problem of what to cook for dinner on busy weeknights. Yet it often isn't. Why? Because we think that serving fish for dinner requires a special trip to the fishmonger. But what if you could find naturally-seasoned, restaurant-quality, prepared ...
Penne with Black Olives, Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Feta and Spinach
I've loved California Ripe Olives since I was a little girl when I used to eat them off the ends of my fingers at Thanksgiving dinner. Black olives are prized for their unique flavor, striking black color and firm texture. But did you know that California Ripe Olives are as good for you as they are tasty? An essential part of the Mediterranean ...
Southwestern Tuna with Rice, Corn and Black Beans
My love for tuna is well-documented. And when I think tuna, of course I think Bumble Bee, the brand that was always in the pantry when I was growing up. While I adore a tuna salad sandwich for lunch as much as anyone, I also know that this healthy, lean source of protein is an incredibly versatile ingredient that can star in all kinds of dishes, ...
Chicago Restaurant Week 2015: Blackbird
Did you know that Chicago Restaurant Week is happening right now? From January 30-February 12, over two hundred and fifty restaurants in the city and suburbs — including some three and four-star restaurants — are offering special pre-fixe menus of three and four courses for $22 a person at lunch and $33 or $44 a person at dinner. (Tax, tip and ...
Chicago Restaurant Week: Naha and Blackbird
Chicago Restaurant Week ended yesterday, although I hear that many of the restaurants extend their special menus for an extra few days. I took advantage of the special $22, three-course Restaurant Week lunch menus to return to two of my favorite restaurants in the city: Naha and Blackbird. Naha is one of the most reliably excellent restaurants ...
Diner Classic for Dinner: Red Flannel Hash
Truman Capote is rumored to have said that his favorite food was chicken hash. Indeed, chicken hash was the centerpiece of the midnight buffet at Capote's legendary 1966 Black and White Ball at Plaza Hotel. I love all kinds of hash myself and would happily eat some version of it every week even if I wouldn't serve it at a society ball. I have ...
Kitchen Update: Week 10
The latest on our kitchen renovation. We have cabinets! We have countertops! I have not been updating you regularly on the status of our kitchen renovation because, to be honest, there were many weeks when progress was hard to see. Work in the walls -- plumbing and electrical -- took several weeks and while much was actually happening, it ...
Kitchen Renovation: Week 2
We are halfway though the second week of our kitchen renovation. Last week, I started with the bad news: twelve weeks without a kitchen! This week, there is not really any new bad news. I still don't have a kitchen and I miss cooking and baking like crazy. But, we knew that already. In fact, not having any new bad news is actually good ...
Kitchen Renovation: Week 1
I have some exciting news to share: we are renovating our kitchen! A little over two years ago, my family moved into a new (to us) house in our town. We loved the central location; the beautiful addition on the back of the house; and the spacious finished basement that was the perfect hangout for our kids and their friends now that they are ...
Easy Hors d’Oeuvres for an Outdoor Wine Tasting
Thank you Middle Sister for sponsoring this post. Bring your favorite Middle Sister wine along to all of your celebrations this year! Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial start of summer and I am officially opening up my backyard for business. I adore al fresco entertaining during the summer months and because our house sits across the ...
Pokemon GO Cupcakes
Has Pokémon GO fever hit your house? Both of my kids have started playing the new, augmented reality mobile game and are completely obsessed with capturing wild Pokémon, gathering supplies at Pokéstops and battling at nearby gyms. It's no surprise that JR loves Pokémon GO: he's been a Pokémon fan for years. But Zuzu? Five minutes ago, she had ...
Passover Meal Ideas
Are you looking for dinner ideas that are kosher-for-Passover to get through the rest of this week? Me too. I have combed through my archives to find some of my favorite wheat-free recipes to make your Passover meal planning easier. This is also a great list of gluten-free meal ideas for those times you are hosting friends or family who avoid ...
A Visit to Lima’s Surquillo Market
My family just returned from a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Peru. We visited Machu Picchu and other Inca ruins, the Andean city of Cusco and Peru's capital, Lima. We were astonished by the complex buildings of the Incas, touched by the warmth of the Peruvian people and delighted by the delicious food we ate. It was one of the best trips of my ...
Cookie Recipe Round-Up for National Cookie Day
Friday is National Cookie Day! And why not? It's the time of year when everyone is pulling out their favorite cookie recipes, creaming sugar and butter, chilling dough, cutting out shapes, piping icing, drizzling chocolate and filling tins. Even people who rarely bake have a favorite cookie without which their holidays would not be complete. If ...
Fall Vegetable Soup
It is such a bountiful time of year at the farmers market! I come home every Saturday laden down with red and yellow peppers, purple eggplant, green zucchini, orange carrots, scarlet beets, tan butternut squash, and even coal-black radishes. Somehow I still spend less than I did in July when I could easily blow a quarter of my walking-around money ...
August 2015 Chicago Food Swap Recap
The Chicago Food Swap had its August event on a perfect summer Saturday. A large group of returning swappers and some new faces joined together to trade and swap a diverse array of homemade and homegrown treats from backyard herbs and vegetables to South Asian curry and rice dishes to New York’s iconic black-and-white cookies. The offerings were so ...
DIY Pokemon Cupcakes
As the deadline for my book manuscript approaches, I find more and more ways to procrastinate. This week, the project that was more compelling than my work was making cupcakes for JR's eighth birthday party. Confession: I do not usually bake for my children's birthday parties. Some years ago, I found a baker in my area who makes amazing custom ...
Chicago Restaurant Week 2015: GT Fish & Oyster
Another day, another Restaurant Week meal. This time, my $22, pre-fixe lunch came courtesy of GT Fish & Oyster. This was my third visit to this nationally recognized, East Coast style seafood restaurant and once again, I was reminded why I love it. GT Fish & Oyster is one of the restaurants that does not condescend to its Restaurant ...
November Chicago Food Swap Recap
The final meeting for 2014 of the Chicago Food Swap took place this past Sunday at Peterson Garden Project's Fearless Food Kitchen in the Broadway Armory Field House. Despite freezing temperatures, snow flurries and parking woes, the event was a tremendous success. Everyone left laden down with delicious homemade and homegrown food and a warm ...
Costa Rica with Kids
My family just returned from an amazing week in Costa Rica. We stayed on the Papagayo Peninsula in the province of Guanacaste, which is located in northwestern corner of the country. Costa Rica was the tropical paradise we had hoped it would be. The Pacific ocean beaches were stunning with fine sands, blue water and gentle surf. The landscape ...
Farmers Market Find: Red Currants
Perhaps you have noticed red currants, glossy and ruby-red, at the farmers market lately. If so, consider yourself lucky. It can be hard to find these members of the Ribes family. Even if you noticed them, I bet you did not buy them. They were expensive, right? And you weren't sure what to do with them. Red currants are shockingly expensive, but I ...
Meatless Spaghetti a la Carbonara
Today's post is sponsored by Safest Choice Eggs as part of its March Meatless Meals Party. Before March 31st, enter to win one of two Safest Choice Prize Packs, worth over $450, containing a $200 Amex gift card, a 10" inch Lodge Round Fry pan, a set of Sur La Table mixing bowls, a year's supply of eggs and more. When I was a little girl, one ...
Warm Up with Argo Tea
Today’s post is sponsored by Argo Tea. Argo Tea has a special offer for West of the Loop readers to warm up this month: receive a free oatmeal with purchase of a signature drink at any Argo Tea cafe location. Argo Tea is also giving away a special gift to two West of the Loop readers: a tea gift set and a $50 gift certificate to its website. See ...