A great party starts with a memorable cocktail. But who wants to be stuck mixing countless individual drinks all night? After all, your guests are there to spend time with you and won’t have any more fun if you’re slaving away at the bar. When it comes to libations for a crowd, “ease and simplicity” […]
The food has been (mostly) eaten, the table has been cleared, and the siren call of Black Friday has been heeded. What, now, to do with the leftover turkey, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie and the like? Whatever you do, don’t toss those leftovers! The EPA reports that the majority of all items that end up […]
Forget turkey. Everybody knows that the real star of any Thanksgiving feast is a hefty slice of pie for dessert. More often than not though, traditional Thanksgiving pie flavors can tend to feel a bit blah. Don’t get me wrong, I love a pecan or pumpkin pie as much as the next gal, but why […]
Oh, October. You naughty minx. You tease me with a peek at the glorious colors of autumn and a welcome blast of cool night air. So my thoughts turn, naturally, to a bowl of glorious, soul-warming soup. Sorry, gazpacho, you are SO August. Ta-ta, vichyssoise. You simply will not do. Here are some of my […]
What do sweaters, changing leaves, apple picking and football Sundays have in common? They’re all signs that fall has finally arrived here in Chicago. But perhaps no autumn signifier is more notorious or beloved than pumpkin, the star of this recipe collection. Instead of focusing on pumpkin’s commonplace preparations — pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread and […]
Who says that Halloween is just for kids? We think grown-ups should get the chance to indulge their inner child come Oct. 31. And what better way to celebrate than with an adults-only Halloween celebration filled with sweets, treats and plenty of festive cocktails. We’ve got all your party bases covered with 10 spook-tastic seasonal […]
Sigh. School has started, and that means another nine months of stuffing lunch boxes — for you, that is … I’m an empty nester! (Don’t hate the player.) I read recently that the average (non-allergic) American will eat 3,000 PB&J sandwiches in their lifetime. Has it come to that? Can we not get more creative? […]
Your intentions are good. You’ve signed up for a make-at-home meal delivery service but that meeting/rehearsal/practice went late, and you don’t really have time to put it all together. You still want to eat a real meal but don’t want to resort to fast food or spend an hour at a restaurant. What to do? Enter […]
Time is tight. You and your spouse both work; the kids have after-school schedules that rival an Olympic athlete’s; the dog demands a walk. Yet, your family still needs to be fed, and the drive-thru isn’t a viable — or healthy — option, especially on a regular basis. As importantly, cooking and eating meals together […]
Summer is a produce lover’s dream season. From stone fruit to heirloom tomatoes, cucumbers, herbs, berries and everything in between, it can start to feel like a rat race trying to taste everything before the impending cold strikes. Fortunately, preservation techniques like jamming, pickling and fermenting make it easy to store these special ingredients for […]
