My great-grandparents lived in a German neighborhood on the northwest side of Chicago. My Granddad loved the food at an Italian restaurant he frequented. When he asked how to make the spaghetti and ravioli, the restaurant owner wouldn’t divulge the recipes. So Granddad invited him out for a drink and managed to get him drunk, well, …
Years ago, many years ago, when we still lived in Chicago, one of our favorite restaurants was Vinci on Halsted. We went many times with friends or just for a date night. They had an appetizer on the menu, Polenta con Funghi. We always started with this polenta and mushroom appetizer. The waiter would bring it out …
Our love affair with chicken thighs and braises continues. This dish is made with thighs, braised in pancetta, wine, tomatoes and mirepoix vegetables. All in one pan, my favorite thing for quick weeknight meals. It’s delicious on its own or served with some orzo to sop up some of the delicious sauce. And, of course, …
Éclair Cake, a simple refrigerator cake made with layers of vanilla whipped cream and graham crackers, topped with a decadent chocolate glaze.
Have you noticed how cauliflower is kind of hot right now? I have, and I admit I almost never make it. I tend to conjure up the image of a bad veggie tray with bad ranch dressing when I think of cauliflower. But then, I remembered making this pasta dish a few times, and it’s delicious …
Tender and flavorful loin lamb chops simply marinated in olive oil, lemon, garlic and fresh herbs, then grilled to perfection.
I have been wanting to make this classic Roman pasta dish for some time now, cacio e pepe. It is simply cheese and pepper pasta. And it is simply delicious. If you have cheese, black pepper, olive oil and a box of spaghetti, you can make cacio e pepe. My cousin recently visited Italy and …
Kolachkes are traditional Czech cookies filled with jam, cheese or nuts and dusted with powdered sugar. These kolachkes are popular in Chicago area bakeries and my family’s favorite Christmas-time treat!
Holiday entertaining is on my mind these days. Yours too, I bet. This is a salad I used to make when I entertained around the holidays. Usually, I made a pear and blue cheese salad, but once in awhile I made this salad. Fresh sliced oranges, red onion and chèvre, with a smoky honey cumin vinaigrette. And …
Thanksgiving is over and I have leftovers. Not too much, the gang ate a lot the next day and took some back to school. The turkey carcass was used to make soup, and although there wasn’t much leftover turkey, there was just enough for two soups — a turkey curry soup and an old-fashioned noodle …
