Those of you who live in Chicago are probably wondering where Spring has been hiding lately. It has been unseasonably cool around here. But no matter how much the weather report will have us believe otherwise, Spring really is here.
Evidence:
1) I’ve bought my Chicago City Sticker. Ever since I was 17, this has been a rite of passage of spring.
2) I’ve had my annual bout of spring allergies
3) Grocery stores are so full of rhubarb, they’re practically giving it away!
There is something special about rhubarb. Something that evokes nostalgic memories in people. Seriously. When people saw me with a few stalks of rhubarb, this was the response I got:
- The elderly man bagging my groceries asked if I was making pie. When I said yes, his face broke into a smile, and the checkout line was held up as he stopped to tell me about the last time his wife made him rhubarb pie.
- My dad went on and on about how my grandparents used to grow rhubarb in their backyard, and how he hasn’t had rhubarb pie in decades.
Continue reading 'Rhubarb – your reputation precedes you!!'»
Flour, sugar, and butter. These are truly magical ingredients. The types of cookies you can create from these ingredients are only limited by your own imagination.
“Well duh, Vanessa” you might be thinking. “Flour, sugar and butter are the building blocks for any cookie recipe.”
That is absolutely correct. But it is the manipulation of these ingredients that spell the difference between a thin, crisp cookie and a soft, chewy cookie (my personal favorite).
The recipe that I’m sharing with you is genius in its simplicity. Baking is an art, and this dough is the equivalent of a blank sheet of paper. You’ll get a different result, depending on what you add to it.
But for the purposes of this blog post, the cookies we’ll be creating are the classic crowd-pleasers: Oatmeal Raisin, and Chocolate Chip. And since soft, chewy cookies are my favorite, we’ll be making these – you guessed it – soft and chewy! Let’s roll!
Continue reading 'Abracadabra! Creating two cookies from one dough'»
Before I begin, I want to clarify that the following critique is for the 30 Minute Meals cookbook, not the TV show.
Background: Contrary to popular belief, Rachael Ray’s career was not developed by The Food Network. 30 Minute Meals was published in 1998, in response to the cult following she developed in New York. It was published by Lake Isle Press, which was a young company at the time – 30 Minute Meals was among the first cookbooks they ever published. You might wonder why this matters – I’ll explain later in the review.
Continue reading 'The Daily V Review: 30 Minute Meals, by Rachael Ray'»
I’m the first to admit that when I think something is a good idea, I copy it.
Typically, when I try to imitate the things I find interesting, it doesn’t work out. There is a mile long list of things that seemed awesome when I saw other people doing it.. but upon trying it myself, just turned into a mess. This list includes: dying my hair black, wearing light colored pants, smoking cigarettes, practicing yoga, etc)
But in the case of my chocolate fruit cups, it worked. About two weeks ago, one of my friends made little cups out of parmesan cheese, that looked like this:
Cool, isn’t it? Since I love chocolate, my first thought was “There has got to be a way to re-create this with chocolate. I must figure it out.”
Of course, where there’s a will, there’s a way. By using silicone cupcake liners lined with foil, I was able to turn this appetizer into a dessert.
Here’s the lowdown:
Continue reading 'Imitation – the sincerest form of flattery'»
On Saturday, Brian and I joined our friends for dinner at Rockit in Wrigleyville – Billy Dec’s latest foray into world domination the Chicago restaurant scene. Stacy and I split a Kobe burger, which came with a side of Truffle Fries. What are truffle fries, you ask? We weren’t quite sure ourselves. Until recently, I wasn’t sure what made truffles so very special (and expensive). But if you read on, you’ll learn why in the case of truffles, beauty is truly on the inside… and why they’re literally worth their weight in gold.
A truffle is basically an edible fungus, like a mushroom. They come in black and white, and as you can see, they look like rocks covered in dirt. Yum!
Continue reading 'There’s a fungus among us!'»
Most people who live on the North side of Chicago are familiar with Stanley’s Fruit Market. And even if you’ve never been to Stanley’s, it’s likely that you’ve seen this as you drive down North Ave.
(As a child, I got a huge kick out of this sign: cartoon Stanley piloting a watermelon and smoking a pipe. It rivaled Superdawg for my favorite sign in Chicago.)
Continue reading 'Stanley’s vs. Jerry’s (or: Praying at the altar of cheap produce)'»
I have a theory about jewelry – if you ask a woman about her favorite necklace or earrings, the price tag rarely factors into her answer. What makes a piece of jewelry truly special is its sentimental value, its functionality, and its history – the story behind it.
I’ve been collecting cookbooks since 2006, from wherever I can find them: used bookstores, garage sales, my parents attic, etc. As you can see, my collection has gotten big.
I’ve found that much like jewelry, the most interesting cookbooks are the ones with a story. I’d like to share a few of my favorites with you.
Continue reading 'What do jewelry and cookbooks have in common?'»
Ever since I started collecting cookbooks, my poor bookshelves have been buckling under their weight. So, in an effort to save money, space, and keep my bookshelves from breaking, I’ve decided to re-discover … the library.
This week, I became the proud owner of a brand new, freshly laminated library card. It is so special that it has de-throned my Costco card, and usurped the VIP space in my wallet. We all have the wallet VIP space – mine is right above my driver’s license. For years, that’s where my Coscto card lived. But not anymore.
Although I am a lifelong Chicagoan, I haven’t been a patron of the Chicago Public Library since I was about 12 years old. Back then, between Book It! and The Baby-Sitters Club, I practically lived at the library. It was one of the few places my parents would let me walk to by myself (and when you’re a kid, that’s a big deal).
Continue reading 'Bibliophile'»
Most people would never guess by looking at me, but I’m part Italian. And for many Italians, Easter is the superbowl of Catholic holidays (along with St. Joseph’s Day, if you’re hard-core).
So, in honor of my mom’s side of the family, I’ll explain how to do Easter Sunday, Italian style:
- Begin cooking promptly at 7AM, so that “dinner” will be ready by 1PM
- Don’t change out of your nice church clothes when you’re cooking. Just wear an apron
- Turn on some Dean Martin. My personal favorite is C’e’ la Luna
- Make sure to answer the door in your apron, or holding a meatball (extra points if your hair is in rollers)
- Since the dining room table won’t hold everyone, set up card tables and folding chairs in the living room.
- The Easter blessing / toasting portion of dinner must last a minimum of 10 minutes.
- Send everyone home with an old Cool Whip container full of leftovers. It doesn’t matter if they don’t want leftovers – they’ll get them anyway.
Since this was my first Easter with my husband’s family, I decided to share my Easter traditions with them. Here are a few pictures:
Continue reading 'Leave the gun, take the cannoli'»
I have a habit of making ill-timed, inappropriate comments. Example: when I was a bridesmaid at my friend Jenny’s wedding, I swore several times. In church.
So, it probably wasn’t surprising that tonight, I let this little gem slip out:
“Oh wow. That is a really nice rack. Can I pull it out?”
…let me explain.
After going out to dinner with my friend Jessica, I made a quick stop in her apartment (she has a Snuggie and I was dying to see it, but that’s another story).
Within about 3 seconds of walking in her door, I spotted the Holy Grail of ovens: the Viking range. Complete with an exhaust hood. Like me, Jessica is into baking, so I knew she could appreciate the beauty of a Viking range. She was showing me the inside of the oven, and I couldn’t believe my eyes.
Continue reading 'Nice Rack!'»
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