It's too hot for coffee. Start with ice, add a dash of cream, and then top with espresso. Stir if you like, or just enjoy the layered 80's look.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Café Noisette
Sunday, July 20, 2008
dessert dessert dessert
These pics are from the last dinner I was ambitious enough to make *3*, count 'em, *3* aprés dinner treats. I think it was because C was back from Italy and I wanted to impress him. And you know what they say- "the way to a man's heart is through his stomach". hah! So here you have a chocolate raspberry tart, lemon yogurt loaf, and way in the corner, the mini pecan pie "cupcakes"- larger photo below.
They ain't shrimp, they prawns.
I love to BBQ. It's been more than 5 years since I've had a Q so I've made up for it by cooking almost every meal since the second I could haul that badboy outta the shed this spring. Certainly a highlight this year was the Wild Gulf shrimp that Rob tipped me off to at T&J's Seafood We soaked em in some Italian dressing for about 20 mins and then tossed em on the barbie for about 2 mins a side. Perfect. It's like lobster without the hassle. This is what Charcoal Steakhouse should be serving instead of their crappy $13 shrimp cocktail. Chumps.
Oh yeah, speaking of cocktail (haha) sauce... we found fresh horseradish which I've never had before which made the sauce so much better. In addition to this we bbq'd up some bruschetta seen here:
Fusilli is here!
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Fruits de Mer
This dinner happened a while ago, but looking at the picture brings it all back. Walter crammed the pot with so much seafood goodness – it practically exploded. I'm not sure of all the ingredients, but I can definitely see shrimp, mussels, clams, calamari, scallops, fish and potatoes. It was incredible.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Corner Cavatelli
There's a tiny corner restaurant in NYC called The Little Owl. If you can't get a reservation, just show up early – they'll find a spot for you.
My favorite was the ricotta cavatelli with fava beans and bacon. Mmmm, lean in and smell the screen.
CONTINUE READING...
brus'ket'ta
The best place to get a snack in NYC is Ino. What's better than a plate of bruschetta topped with local, seasonal ingredients, and a glass of Prosecco? Don't argue with me, just go there. Geez.
Who Kneads Bread?
I haven't tried Prosecco's no-knead walnut bread recipe, even though I'm sure it's fantastic. Part of it is that I don't make bread unless I'm bored or on vacation. More than that, it's the fact that kneading the bread is the best part – even when dough gets stuck to your hairy man hands.
Try both, and then you decide.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Brunch @ Jane's
Saturday morning-ish Kelly, Tyllie and I met up at Jane's in Bucktown. Such a great spot. It recently expanded taking over the old Leopard Lounge space that used to be next door. Be sure to check out the new and old space pictures on their site. Since we all arrived at various times we each started with a warm scone (raspberry, blueberry and apricot) with Jane's honey butter on the side. We ate those too fast for a photo-op. For the main course, I had the Eggs Benedict, Kelly had the Salmon over an egg and potatoes with a side of sausage (there was a sauce that came with the salmon but she asked for it not to be included) and Tyllie had the Breakfast Burrito with a side of crispy bacon. Her photograph turned out the best...probably because she's a professional photographer.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Sweet Mandy B's
I've tasted a lot of cupcakes in my time; almost as many frogs as I've kissed. From Toronto: The Cupcake Shoppe, Baby Cake any sort of cupcake at Pusateri's. From NYC: Billy's Bakery, Dean & Deluca and Magnolia Bakery. To Chicago: Swirlz, Molly's Cupcakes, Goddess & Grocer, Sensational Bites, Southport Grocery, ugh...the list goes on... I've tasted A LOT. And hands down...Sweet Mandy B's vanilla cake with buttercream frosting is still my favorite...OF ALL TIME. It's my first love of cupcakes...the one I compare every other cupcake to. The cake is that perfect moistness EVERY TIME , just the right amount of sprinkles and the frosting is just heaven; perfection. Though my image above is of a blurry cupcake and a v. in-focus table top at Sweet Mandy B's. I must publish the blurry image of sweetness to show my loyalty and love to the best cupcake...EVER.
The Taste
K & I went to the Taste of Chicago 2 Fridays ago during our lunch hour on the very FIRST day of the Taste. The BEST time to go. Though it is over now, it is a summer highlight. You can taste the amazing food from all around this city. Unfortunately, I do not have an image of the delicious Mustard Fried Catfish from BJ's Market, I was too hungry to put down my favorite meal on the South Side of Chicago to take a picture of it...it's still hands down the best Catfish I've ever had. Anyway, the Taste of Chicago is huge and worthwhile. K & I wandered around and dined on the "Taste" portions...smaller than the normally priced portions and just enough so you can make your lunch hour into a long buffet of a variety of food. K dined on Star of Siam's tempura vegetables and another vendor had an amazing Key Lime Pie slice (served with sporks!)...the "tiny" Taste portion we dined on as we walked to South Michigan Avenue for our taxi cab back to work.
Capone
Post-game we headed to the Uptown neighborhood for drinks. For a quiet drink with friends it is best to leave Wrigleyville post-game. The night was still young and the Cubs won. Uptown is the neighborhood where The Green Mill resides. Live jazz every night to the wee hours, great drinks and a mob history...true Chicago. If you're fortunate enough to sit at the bar, strike up a conversation with the bartender and ask to see the photo album. There's a bartender there that can tell you stories that'll make the hairs stand up on the back of your neck about Mr. Capone and The Green Mill. To remind you of it's great history, there's a piano BEHIND the bar with an 8 x 10 black and white photo of Al Capone on it. Though we didn't go in to the Green Mill tonight, I've been many times to hear the great Grammy nominated Kurt Elling play. Ah, Chicago. Everyone has some kind of six degrees to Al Capone, even me, a girl originally from Nebraska. Just ask me sometime.
Cubs Win! 5 to1!
I've sat in the bleachers at Wrigley Field and in season ticket holder seats and even won a coveted autographed baseball when attending games with my college guy friends. But tonight was a new experience. This was a rooftop experience on Sheffield. This was the good life. One of our vendors gave us free tickets to the rooftop to watch the game tonight. A-mazing. Free food (every kind of grilled meat and make-your-own yummy sundae) and drinks (adult beverages)!!! And a great view of Wrigley Field and a Cubs victory...nothing beats Chicago in the summer. T & M dined on steak burgers while M holds my (second of the night) Chicago Bratwurst to show our amazing view of Wrigley Field.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Fava beans and a nice Chianti
Not Ontario grown, but perfectly ripe and delicious. Mint from the garden, Ricotta and Pecorino cheese.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
I heart airplane food!
Porter Airlines. What a civilized and pampered way to travel. And flight attendants who sport stylish uniforms with pillbox hats. Almost makes me want to become one just so I can wear those cute uniforms. But what I like better is to travel in style, and check it out– even the snack box of my 4pm flight home from Ottawa is *designed*. Sliced baguette, paté and Kiri cheese make for a lovely afternoon nosh and before I could finish clicking my heels, I was already back home in Toronto.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Yagihashi & Bayless
The weather was pretty warm in Chicago yesterday. So K and I decided it was worth the walk from our office in River North to the Loop to Marshall Field's...er...Macy's on State Street to dine at the Seven on State Street food court. Living in Chicago we are fortunate to have some amazing restaurants and chefs here. Many of those chefs have 4 star-pricey-amazing restaurants. But two of those chefs, Takashi Yagihashi and Rick Bayless have blessed us with "quick-serve" options for those of us on a budget so you can have a deeelicious experience of their culinary cuisine without spending all of your gas money. K dined on Noodles by Takashi. She had the Chicken Fried Rice with a side of Shrimp Spring Rolls. And I had my "usual" the Taqueria Salad with Grilled Steak (only $6.95!) and Raspberry and Prickly Pear LimeAde. If Frontera Fresca was closer, I would have that salad EVERY day!
Stay tuned for potential posts from: Taste of Chicago, HUB51 and Sweet Mandy B's. No, I never go home.
CONTINUE READING...
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
We growed it!
Finally, some fresh lettuce and dill from the garden. Add chicken & bacon from Rowe Farms and you're done.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Renegade Yoga
Pre-yoga class I have my healthy "think thin" bar. Post-yoga we all venture to a place (heard of but have never been) in West Town called flo. According to those residing in the West Town neighborhood, this is a popular place for brunch. It's SRO on weekends. But tonight, nice and quiet and great service. My first time there, so I had the dinner special: Tilapia over spinach topped off with corn salsa and avocado...oooh and the Pomegranate margarita! Need I say more? Looking forward to next Tuesday's Renegade Yoga class and post-dinner delight.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Summer in Chicago
It's finally here...summer in Chicago. It's finally here when the weather cooperates. When the sun shines, one of our summer rituals is outdoor patio dining. The best way to do this is at a friend's house with a rooftop deck. Better yet, a friend with a rooftop deck and culinary skills. My friend T is from Brazil and has a passion for food; eating it and photographing it. Photographing food is her bread and butter. This is a Saturday afternoon at T & K's after a trip to the Chicago Farmer's Markets around the city and Whole Foods for those foods not quite farmer ready. The bread and the organic goat cheese are from Chicago's Green City Market. The prosciutto, a mixture of olives and yellow and red baby tomatoes are from Whole Foods.
A Grand Dinner
My big brother and his new bride were married at the Kauai Grand Hyatt. The top image is the first thing you see when entering the lobby from the valet...yep, right out to the Pacific Ocean. My next trip to Kauai I will definitely be staying there. The total number of those attending the wedding, including the bride and groom, was just sixteen. Perfect if you ask me. The wedding dinner was at the restaurant, Tidepools at the Grand Hyatt. The menu from the dinner is above along with an image of the delicious dessert: Lemon Grass Ginger Brulee with sesame tuile...YUM!
Aloha, Mr. Mai Tai - on Kauai!*
I've been invited to be the "foreign correspondent" to the infamous Broccoli & Prosecco blog. So I'll be reporting on my culinary and cocktail adventures in Chicago and wherever my vacations and/or life takes me. The pictures above are from my big brother's destination wedding in Kauai. If you ever get the chance to visit the "Garden Island" I highly, highly recommend. The cocktail is a Mai Tai in a v. special glass (probably for the tourists) from Keoki's Paradise at the Poipu Shopping Village at Poipu Beach. The Tropical Parfait (fresh seasonal fruits layered with Kauai granola and low-fat yogurt) was my daily breakfast poolside at Kukui's Poolside Restaurant and Bar at the Kauai Marriott Resort & Beach Club in Lihue. At least I could start my day healthy and not feel too guilty about the other amazing food I would devour the rest of the day. Oh and forgive, please, I'm still getting used to my first digital camera. I bought it for the wedding! Mahalo!
*Thanks Mrs. B. for the line!
CONTINUE READING...
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Sunday Night Poo-teen
Change of plan – poutine over cubano due to the lack of ready-to-eat avacado. A JK inspired dish that included crispy potato, Monforte soft white sheep cheese, left-over garlic pork shoulder and asparagus. Nummy.
Stubble berries
The closer you get, the less appetizing these strawberries look. I think it's a bit early in the season, but I had to include these in all their seedy, stubbly splendor.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Garlic-Roasted Pork Shoulder
I reek of Garlic, but I don't care! This was so fall-apart-delicious it's worth smelling like an old sock. The incredible gravy was a nice match for the roast fennel, carrot, asparagus and potato.
The one shoulder easily made enough for four people – so tomorrow it's cubanos for lunch. Recipe from Epicurious.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
eggs
Farm fresh eggs from the North Market. I couldn't crack them open before taking a picture. I just wish I could meet the Chicken to say thanks. BRAAAWWK!
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
I grew this!
I've never had luck with plants. Whether they be plants to look at or plants to eat. But I managed to grow a strawberry plant on my balcony and it actually produced fruit. Fruit that I was able to eat! And it was sweet and tasty.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Asparagus with prostitute and poached eggs
The only spelling suggestion for prosciutto is prostitute, so I decided to go with it. This was a great meal, and it's fast too. Boiling water take a bit, but you can multitask and have a glass of wine while you're waiting. Roast the asparagus in the oven, top with parma prostitute, layer on the poached eggs and then grate some manchego over the whole thing. This would make a great breakfast was well, just substitute the prostitute for smoked salesman.
Bacon's Burger
The burger was good, but the yellow beet salad really was the star of the meal. Rosti came too, but he was just filling the plate.
Nachos con Dos Equis
When you have left-over roast chicken, why not make nacho grande. Take one can of refried beans, layer chicken, cheese, and then pop in the oven to heat through. Add a sprinkle of cilantro for kicks, and serve guacamole and chips on the side. Unfortunately we didn't actually have Dos Equis, but Keith's was a great stand-in. The only thing missing - mezcal floaters!
Roast chicken with favalad
It's fava bean (or broad bean) season in California, and luckily they're sending them up north until we get our own in July/August. Julie did a roast chicken with an awesome fava, arugula, radish, mint and pecorino salad. Recipe here.
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