Frank's

Chris and I headed down to Myrtle Beach this weekend to spend time with his family. On Saturday evening, Aunt Katie treated everyone to a lovely dinner at Frank's, a well-renowned restaurant often featured in magazines such as Bon Appetite and Gourmet.

For an appetizer, Chris and I shared an order of the tasting Pan Seared Goat Cheese Medallion with Tomato Basil Fondue with Grilled Bread
Chris opted for the house salad where I chose the Arugula Salad with Roasted Beets, Goat Cheese, Corn Bread Croutons, and Citrus Vinaigrette
For dinner Chris ordered the Grilled Hanger Steak with Carmelized Balsamic Onions, Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Red Wine Demi Glace
While I ordered the Grilled 8 oz Filet with Parmesean Creamed Spinach, Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Red Wine Demi Glace

For dessert, I made homemade vanilla ice cream with fresh blueberries for the family.

Thank Katie for the wonderful meal!

NutriGrain Waffles

I love breakfast. Or more specifically, I love cereal! But with trying to eat healthy, cereal isn't the best option for me. In order for it to fill me up, I have to eat 2 big bowls, which is an easy way to consume hidden calories.
So instead, every morning I toast 1 NutriGrain Low-Fat Wheat waffle. Each waffle is 70 calories. I put a bit of peanut butter on top, for protein, and I'm full for a few hours!

This probably isn't the most local or organic breakfast option but it fills me up and is (hopefully) healthier than 2 bowls of Frosted Flakes. :)

Chew Chew

On Saturday night a group of us dined at The Chew Chew in Riverside, IL, for Chris O's birthday. Yet again I had a fantastic spinach salad with a honey mustard vinaigrette. Actually, it was a spinach salad with apples, candied pecans, bacon, grape tomatoes and a honey mustard vinaigrette. I'm drooling just thinking about it.

So I did a bit of research and there seems to be a million different ways to make this dressing. So, I've boiled it down to these simple ingredients:

Honey Mustard Dressing
olive oil
dijon mustard
honey
salt and pepper

I'm not sure how much of each to mix in, so it's going to take some experimenting. I like sweeter tastes, so I'll probably go heavier on the honey than the mustard. Has anyone made this dressing before? Any suggestions?

Bistro Campagne

Chris and I got engaged on Saturday night! It was such a wonderful evening and he took me to the best restaurant I have ever eaten at. Let me tell you a little bit about Bistro Campagne, located in Lincoln Square.

Per the website: Bistro Campagne is committed to the use of organic food products and strongly supports the sustainable, low impact agriculture movement.

Appetizer:
we both dined on Salade Maraichere au Chevre Chaud (mixed greens with a dijon vinagrette with a goat cheese crottin)

never have i ever loved a salad as much as i loved this one. holy cow, it was delicious.

Main Course:
Olivia: Steak Frites - pan-seared Tallgrass bistro steak prepared to chef's choice with french fries (chef chose to prepare it medium-rare, it was perfect!)
Chris: Porc au Pomme Cidre - Gunthrop Farms pork shoulder braised in apple cider, roasted loin, semolion cake and apple-celery salad

both of our main courses were incredibly delicious.

Dessert:
Olivia: creme brulee - chilled vanilla custard with carmelized top
Chris: Pot-de-creme au chocolate - dense milk chocolate pudding with creme chantilly

all with a bottle of Pinot Noir and some champagne.

This is my new favorite restaurant in the city of chicago. The food was incredible, the service was amazing and the atmosphere is cozy and lovely. He couldn't have picked a better place to take me to celebrate our engagement. Yay!!

Simple Seasoning: Day 5

On the final day of our week of seasoning, I've decided to ask the question, "What do I almost always have nearby when I'm cooking a meal for friends?"
Cocktails!
So there are lots of things you can do with red wine to add a more robust flavor to your food.
- Stir some of the red wine into a marinara sauce and serve over pasta
- pour some red wine on top of a roast and let the meat simmer in the juices for a few hours in the oven
- add some red wine to a beef stew recipe and let your crock pot do the work!
- do a red wine reduction for a glaze over meat

And for you beer lovers out there:
- marinade your chicken with a tasty beer, for a juicy bird
- fry up some cod in a beer batter
- add some dark beer (like guiness) to your stew for an extra rich, hearty flavor


Bon Appetite!

Simple Seasoning: Day 4

I didn't grow up putting salt on food. Honestly, I can't even remember if salt was put on the table during dinner. When I did eat salty food, growing up, it usually was too salty to the point where I didn't enjoy the flavor.

Salt can be a great, simple seasoning for most foods. When I began adding pinches of salt to my cooking, it took awhile for me to figure out how much a 'pinch' should be. I also have cooked using sea salts but I don't care as much for the large grain in sea salt.

So, instead, I keep salt in a salt cellar (as shown in the attached image) right next to my stove. It's easy when cooking meats, vegetables or pasta to grab a pinch and sprinkle it on top. I think I salt lightly, compared to other folks, but the flavor is just enough for my palate. And I prefer adding the salt during cooking, versus while at the table, so the flavor can cook/seep into the food during preparation. Doing so will give a fuller flavor to your dish.

Simple Seasoning: Day 3

Garlic has to be one of my top favorite seasonings of all time. I'll throw garlic in or on just about anything. A couple ways I cook with garlic:
1) when cooking chicken I will cut slits into the skin of the chicken and slide whole cloves are garlic under the skin so when the chicken cooks in the oven, the garlic flavor will seep into the meat. be sure to throw away those cloves of garlic though, do not eat them, because they'll have touched raw chicken.
2) i'll mince up garlic, throw it into a skillet with olive oil and some fresh green beans and sautee over low heat. yum!
3) i'll rub cloves of garlic on fresh, crusty bread and then heat the bread up in the oven for some yummy garlic bread
4) when i'm in a rush for dinner but want to add just a bit more flavor, i'll mince up fresh garlic and add it to canned tomato sauce (like Ragu or something) to put over a plate of pasta. Just this smallest bit of fresh garlic will add wonderful flavors to any Italian dish!

If you get frustrated peeling the outer layer off the garlic clove, try this easy trick: take a wide chef's knife and rest it on top of a clove of garlic (horizontally, so it's parrallel with your cutting board). take the heel of your palm and give the knife a good wack and the skin of the garlic will just fall off. Here's a video to show you how:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEJbfJlkfCs

Simple Seasoning: Day 2

Lemons are cheap, delicious and beautiful! Grab a low glass bowl and fill it up with bright, yellow lemons. Place that bowl in the center of your dining table and voila!, you have a gorgeous centerpiece!

Then grab one of those lemons and slice that puppy up to do the following:
1) add slices to a pitcher of ice water for a zingy springtime drink
2) squeeze half a lemon over fish, veggies or into a salad dressing for a hint of zip!

Tip: be sure to squeeze that lemon over the cupped palm, of the opposite hand. The juices will run through your finger tips onto the food but your hand will catch any stray seeds that decide to spring free.

Simple Seasoning: Day 1

It feels a bit like spring here, in Chicago, with the warming temps and constant drizzle. I love the changing of seasons (as long as it's changing from winter to spring, that is). So in honor of seasons, I have decided to dedicate this week to the art of seasoning.

I used to think seasoning food was a tricky thing which I found daunting and scary. I figured only the best cooks knew how to season food properly, but I've come to find that anyone can make their food taste better. It doesn't take much and it doesn't have to cost much either. Keep a certain few key items on hand, and you can easily season any dish you prepare!

First up, own good pepper. By good I mean whole pepper that you freshly grind up when preparing a dish.
I really like Crate and Barrel's 5 Pepper Blend. There a bit of spice to the blend, but not too much (and thank goodness because my midwest palate can't handle too much heat).

So when preparing any dish, sauteed green beans, meat, or pasta, grind up some fresh pepper on top for a simple seasoning solution!

Enoteca Piattini

This is one of my new favorite Italian restaurants. It's not new to the city but it's new to me, as Chris just took me there for the first time about a month ago. We dined there again this past weekend and plan to meet friends there this coming weekend. On Sundays they have a 'Buy 1 Entree Get One Free' special!
Here are the details of this fantastic restaurant:
Neighborhood: Sheffield/De Paul
934 W. Webster Ave.
Chicago, IL 60614
773-935-8466

John Butera, of the Butera Foods family, brings fireside fare at a fair price to the De Paul neighborhood. The spacious two-room wine bar offers a relaxed and romantic setting for couples, friends and families to enjoy delicious Italian cuisine by candlelight. Select from the 40 wines by the glass behind the long, copper bar or choose from the list of 600 bottles. The menu (served in portions that will leave you full, but not unbutton-your-pants full) includes Italian favorites like penne, rigatoni and spaghetti as well as trademark dishes like bistec alla Webster, steak in red wine reduction served with mashed potatoes, and taglio dell'agnello, New Zealand lamb served over spinach. The mista salad, with dried cranberries, goat cheese and walnuts, and the daily ravioli come recommended by the staff. Save room for espresso or desserts like panna cotta and made-from-scratch cannoli.

The Case of the Balsamic Bandit

BEND, Ore. - A sign hangs amid the bottles of vinegar at Newport Avenue Market. It's simple, to the point: "Thanks to the Balsamic Vinegar Thief this area is now under surveillance. We will get you." The last sentence, it should be noted, is underlined. For about a year, a thief pinched bottle after bottle of balsamic vinegar from the store — and not the low-end stuff.

No, this thief was after bottles that go for $30 or $40 a pop. "Thieves with good taste." That's how owner Rudy Dory explains them.

The store figured out what was going on when the order writer noticed he was buying a lot more balsamic vinegar than what the store was actually selling. The market has quite a large balsamic collection, but the thefts were noticeable.

So the sign went up.

A couple months ago, workers caught someone who they think may have been the balsamic bandit. The market didn't press charges, just banned the alleged thief from the store. Dory wouldn't say much about the suspect, just that it was a she.

So we are left to speculate. Maybe she needed that that last little ingredient for her many dinner parties. Maybe she was selling it on some sort of gourmet black market.

Whatever it is, Dory said, "it really irritates you."

"We don't know if we got the person or not," he added. The store has seen a slowdown in balsamic loss, but it hasn't stopped.

For now, the sign stays.

A Home Cooked Meal

On Saturday night, Megan and I cooked a meal for her hubby Barret and my boyfriend Chris. It was delicious! Here was the menu:

appetizer: warm brie, fresh bread, raw honey
appetizer: garlic cheese and fresh bread
main course: pot roast cooked with red wine and red onion
side dish: sauteed green beans and garlic
side dish: corn bread with homemade honey butter
side dish: baked carrots with a brown sugar glaze
dessert: apple cake

and lots and lots of wine. :)

Megan leaves this week for the Arctic Circle, where she is going to study climate change for the next two weeks. Bon Voyage, Megan! Can't wait till you come home so we can cook up another yummy meal!

Green City Market

My girlfriend, Megan, and I explored the Green City Market this morning. This is the first time that she or I had ever been to this particular farmers' market and this is the first year that the market has been held year round. During the winter months the nature museum, by the lake, is hosting the market on Saturday mornings.
I was so surprised by how many farmers there were! I bought a jar of raw honey from Southern Illinois farmer. We bought a baguette from a local, organic bakery. I bought a red onion and a basket of apples from some Michigan farmers. I got a dozen eggs from another farmer and a pot roast from yet another farmer.

It was such a great way to spend the blah, February morning...poking through fresh foods and chatting with farmers about the animals and harvests. Oh yeah, we also bought some cheese from a dairy farm in Wisconsin. It was delicious!!

Tonight Megan and I are cooking a nice meal for her husband, Barrett, and my man, Chris. The four of us are going to dine on the following: pot roast, glazed carrots, sauteed green beans and garlic, cornbread with homemade honey butter, baguette and cheese as an appetizer and a homemade apple cake for dessert. I'll try to snap some photos of the meal to post to the blog.

I'm so happy I found a winter market. :)

Hard Boiled Eggs

Just in case someone wasn't sure how to do this....

Place eggs into saucepan and then fill with water until the water is over the height of the eggs.

Place saucepan on stove, high heat until water boils.

Reduce heat for a soft boil.

Boil for 10 minutes.

Turn heat off and let the eggs sit in the water until the water is cooled (about 20 minutes). Drain the water and store eggs in the refrigerator.

This method will get you hard boiled eggs with the least amount of shell cracking. If you set the eggs in the already boiling water, often times the shell with expand and crack...or they will crack when they hit the bottom of the pan. It's easiest to add the eggs at the beginning.

The Incredible Edible Egg

Eggs are low in calories, a great source of protein and if you buy free range/organic eggs, they're usually fairly low in cholesterol. I started cooking more with eggs this past summer, as I would get 2 dozen a month from my meat farmer. During the winter months, I've opted to buy organic, free range eggs at the grocery store. (Thank you Wild Harvest!)
FYI: Beware egg cartons that read "Made from Vegetarian Chickens". Chickens aren't supposed to be vegetarian. A chicken can be 'cage free' but not be 'free range'. The word 'vegetarian' usually alludes to the fact that the chicken isn't in a cage but it probably isn't outdoors either. If chickens are running outside, they're gonna peck and eat at worms, grubs, bugs, etc. There's nothing vegetarian about that. :)

Here are two easy recipes for yummy egg salad sandwiches.

#1 - for those who like a bit of spice
2 hard boiled eggs cut up
1 tbs of light mayo (or more, depending on your preference)
1 dollop of dijon mustard (i use Grey Poupon)
some fresh cracked pepper
mix all together in a bowl and serve with bread

#2 - for those with a sweet tooth
2 hard boiled eggs cut up
1 tbs of light mayo (depending on preference)
some fresh cracked pepper
1/2 tsp of white sugar
mix it all together and serve with bread

In the past 6 months I've tried to lower the amount of white, refined flour in my diet so instead of using two pieces of bread for a sandwich, I put all of this egg salad on one slice of bread. I think I'll have one of these open faced sandwiches for lunch tomorrow!

Bon Appetite!

Poultry Seasoning

Last night for Chris' and my dinner, I roasted a whole chicken I got from our meat farmer. It's so incredibly easy to roast a chicken but the key is to have good, easy seasoning.

The best seasoning I've found is Olde Thompson's Poultry Seasoning. I got a free sample 2 years ago, while working for Crate and Barrel, and it's delicious! And it lasts a really long time! I'm going on 2 years with the same bottle of seasoning and it's not even half way gone.


How to roast a chicken: wash the bird and pat it dry with a paper towel. Brush olive oil on the outside of the bird to help seal in the juices. Then grind this poultry seasoning all over the outside of the bird. I also sprinkle on some freshly ground pepper.

You can stick an onion or some garlic into the cavity of the bird but I've found that Olde Thomspon's seasoning is fine on it's own.
Heat the oven to 450 degrees and put the bird in there (with the legs on top and pointing to the back of the oven) for 20 minutes. This will sear the skin and help trap the juices, which makes for very moist chicken. Then lower the temperature to 350 degrees and cook for another 50-60 minutes (depending on the size of your bird).

Bon Appetite!

Cool Congregations video

Click here to watch the hilarious video made by Vince and his wife Rachelle, for my church's Cool Congregations launch. This video aired this past Sunday at both morning services. I love that the Green Team (which I am the leader of for my church) has such great support from the other congregants.

Vince's Video

LUSH

Last night I needed to pick up a bottle of red wine for dinner at Chris' sister's place. Instead of going to Jewel, the chain grocery store in my neighborhood, I decided to stop into a wine boutique called LUSH. Right away I noticed the displays of $10 wines they had. That's right up my alley!

So I think instead of shopping at Jewel for wine, from now on I will support this local business. The wine costs the same either place but with LUSH I get great service and I feel good helping out my local establishment. :)

Spamalot

Chris and I saw Spamalot on Saturday night. It was hilarious!! So here's a recipe for SPAM

Enchilada Breakfast Casserole (back to index)

12 oz can SPAM - cubed 1/2" 4 eggs
1 small onion chopped 2 cups whipping cream
1 small green pepper, chopped 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 small tomato, chopped 4-oz can diced green chiles
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese 1/4 tsp garlic powder
8 7" flour tortillas Picante sauce

Place about 1/4 cup SPAM, 1 tablespoon onion, 1 tablespoon green pepper, 1 tablespoon tomato and 1 tablespoon cheese on one side of tortilla. Set remaining cheese aside. Roll up jelly-roll fashion; place seam side down in greased 13x9" baking dish. In small bowl combine remainin ingredients; blend together with wire whisk. Pour over ehchiladas. Cover; refrigerate overnight. Heat oven to 350. Bake, uncovered, for 40 to 50 minutes or until egg mixture is set. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Return to oven; bake for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve with picante sauce. Yield: 8 enchiladas.

The Land of Milk and Honey

My mom landed in Israel yesterday, where she will spend the next two weeks touring the Holy Land. In her honor, I decided that today's post would be about why Israel is referred to The Land of Milk and Honey. Here is what I found online:

When G‑d spoke to Moses at the burning bush, He informed him that He would redeem the Israelites and bring them to a "good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey..."1 Honey here (and elsewhere in the Scriptures) is generally understood to be a reference to fruit nectar, specifically date honey—not bees' honey.

1) Nachmanides2 writes that the key word in the verse is "flowing." Fruit trees grow in many different terrains, but their produce overflow with nectar only when the land is especially fertile, when the trees are particularly well-nourished.

Similarly, livestock survives in many habitats, but only overflow with milk when they are in particularly fertile pastures.

Thus, a "land flowing with milk and honey" is indicative and symptomatic of a greater good—the fertility of the Promised Land.

2) The Midrash3 explains that milk symbolizes superior quality, richness of taste, and nourishment. Honey represents sweetness. The goodness of Israel is both nourishing and pleasant.

3) Some point out that honey and milk share a paradoxical quality. Honey is kosher, though it is produced by a non-kosher insect. Milk is kosher, though it comes from a cow whose meat may not be eaten together with milk.