Ah, the holidays. Andy Williams will tell you it’s the most wonderful time of the year.
As much as I love this season, it’s easy to get cabin fever. So if you’re tired of visiting with your family, and you can’t watch another re-run of I Love the 80’s, check out The Daily V Holiday Calendar!
October:
Sunday 10/11: The 4th Annual Andersonville Dessert Crawl - The Andersonville Dessert Crawl takes you up and down Clark Street, into famous bakeries such as Ann Sather, Svea, and The Swedish Bakery.
Sunday 10/18 : The 5th Annual Bucktown Apple Pie Contest - Who cares if Chicago lost the Olympics bid? The Bucktown Apple Pie Contest is the Olympics of pie baking. Sample the winning pies, and check out the pumpkin painting too!
Saturday 10/24: Hallowed Haunts – presented by the Civic Orchestra of Chicago - The Hallowed Haunts concert at Symphony Center features some of the spookiest music ever composed, performed live by the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. Halloween costumes are encouraged!
Friday 10/30: The Saint Pascal’s Haunted House - Why do Catholic churches always have the best haunted houses? St. Pascal’s Haunted House has been scaring Chicago’s Northwest Side since 1988. HauntedHouseChicago.com has rated it one of the Top 10 Haunted Houses in Chicago. For only $7, it’s a great deal!
Continue reading 'The Daily V Holiday Calendar'»
Earlier this year, I was lucky enough to get a bunch of old recipes that belonged to my grandmothers. I remember their cooking fondly, so I couldn’t wait to read them. Each recipe was like a little treasure, full of handwritten notes and dog-eared pages.
So, you can imagine my dismay when I saw that almost every recipe called for Crisco, instead of butter. My heart sank, and I couldn’t believe my eyes. It was like the moment I realized Santa Claus wasn’t real.
But it wasn’t their fault. In the early 1900’s, Crisco had America under it’s spell. American housewives had no idea that hydrogenated oil was bad. But in Proctor & Gamble’s defense… they had no idea, either.
Continue reading 'Crisco vs. Butter – which is the lesser evil?'»
We always knew that our friends David and Mel would eventually leave Chicago, and move back to Australia. But we secretly (and not-so-secretly) wished it would never happen, and they’d just live happily ever after in Chicago.
But all good things must come to an end, and this weekend, David and Mel got the greatest Going Away party ever – complete with Tim-Tams, Australian Flag cookies, and my new favorite vegetarian dish – Tabouli!
Making the Australian Flag cookies was difficult, but it was a labor of love. I wouldn’t have done it for anyone else except them. Check it out:
If you’re familiar with the Australian flag, you’ll notice that I accidentally left out one of the stars in the Southern Cross constellation. Whoops!
Continue reading 'He just smiled and gave me a Vegemite sandwich'»
Like many of you, music was my first love. Before art, before writing, definitely before baking … music was first. I think the same is true for a lot of people. There is a certain passion and earnestness about rock music, that strikes a chord with the 12/13-year old crowd. I think that’s why the music we loved in high school is still the music we love today.
This past Sunday, I was lucky enough to see U2 on their 360 tour. I’ve seen them on every tour since 1997.
I was bummed that I couldn’t see them on Saturday – their first night in Chicago. But that’s how us U2 connoisseurs are. We always want to witness the first concert, sit in the closest seats, and possess the rarest B-sides. (Do kids today even know what B-sides are? God, I hope so.)
Continue reading 'The doors you open, I just can’t close'»
The challenge: Create desserts for my sister-in-law’s bridal shower, that fit the theme of “Black and White.”
The real challenge: Create desserts that don’t cost a fortune, will feed 30 people, and survive the hour long drive to Lindenhurst without breaking. Or melting.
The results:
Chocolate Bark:
Bark is one of those desserts that only looks difficult. For all of you musicians out there, making chocolate bark is like playing a power chord on an electric guitar. It’s not difficult, but it looks so cool.
Continue reading 'The Ins and Outs of Black and White'»
Sometimes, chocolate just doesn’t like to behave. But, you can’t yell at it. You can’t make your chocolate stand in the corner, or give it a time out.
If you want your chocolate to behave, the only thing you can do is temper it.
Next weekend, I’m baking for my sister-in-law’s bridal shower, and the theme is black and white. I’ve always wanted to learn how to temper chocolate, and this is the perfect opportunity.
Continue reading 'Hey chocolate, watch your temper!'»
Labor Day weekend is finally here. Finally.
This year, all I’ve wanted was for the summer to run its course as quickly as possible, in anticipation of the fall. Almost every weekend between now and January will be full of celebrations, get-togethers, and of course, opportunities to bake.
But for those of you who want to squeeze the last few drops out of summer, you will appreciate the very first installment of The Daily V – In Season.
Continue reading 'The Daily V – In Season: Figs'»
Would you ever think that the genius who created this:
and this:
would take an hour out of his Saturday morning to hang out with me?
While most people were still hunched over their morning cup of coffee, I was lucky enough to be in Mark Seaman’s sugar art studio in Ravenswood. I must admit, I had an ulterior motive – I needed his advice on how to improve my apple pie. (Details on that in October)
Continue reading 'The Daily V chats with Mark Seaman'»
I debated including any sort of baseball reference in the title of this entry, at the risk of showing the world how little I know about the game. :)
But last Saturday, I found a reason to love baseball – the stadium food.
I have a pretty intense fear of germs, which normally keeps me from going anywhere near food at a baseball stadium. But I don’t know what got into me last Saturday. Okay that’s a lie. I know exactly what happened. I smelled the polish sausage, and my phobia became a distant memory.
The guy operating the polish sausage stand at U.S. Cellular Field was a sight to behold. He stood in front of the expansive griddle, flipping onions and sausage and brats with as much speed and skill as those Teppanyaki chefs at Benihana
Continue reading 'Ballpark food is batting a thousand!'»
If I leave work on time, it usually takes me about 35 minutes to get home. In an effort to alleviate road rage, I usually let my mind wander as I weave my way through traffic. And last week, it wandered to focaccia.
As I was driving home last Thursday, I heard a commercial on the radio, advertising Panera’s new focaccia bread. “No way,” I thought to myself, “can Panera make real focaccia. They’ll probably put asiago cheese on it, just like they do with everything else.”
I criticized Panera in my head for several more blocks. But then I came to an embarrassing realization, that knocked me right off my high horse.
Not only have I not eaten real focaccaia in several years, but I haven’t the foggiest idea where to buy it. So who am I to criticize Panera?
The last time I ate focaccia with any regularity, I lived at home. My mom is Italian, and from an early age, I can remember her bringing home all kinds of Italian/Sicilian baked goods – the kinds of things you could never find at a big chain grocery store.
The thought plagued me for several days – where could I buy the kind of focaccia that I remember?
Continue reading 'Focaccia – turning my memory into reality'»
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