This year, why not celebrate the Fourth of July with a fun, patriotic red, white and blue dessert? These easy-to-make shortcakes require some fresh, colorful berries and whipped cream. The shortcakes can be prepared in a food processor so that you can just drop the dough onto a lined cookie sheet rather having to roll it out. Whipped […]
Tequila just screams warm weather to me. Maybe it’s from happy beach vacations in Mexico, where we learned that tequila has been around for at least 500 years. Distilled from the blue agave plant and produced in the Mexican state of Jalisco, tequila ranges in depth of flavor from the unaged blanco or silver tequila—perfect […]
Finally! It is soft shell crab season. My husband and I love to enjoy them simply sautéed and served with quinoa or couscous and sautéed fresh-shelled peas. Later in the summer when the weather is hot, we enjoy the sautéed crabs without the sauce over a simple Caesar salad. I look for live soft shell […]
Now that school and the cold streak are finally ending, everyone is looking for ways to enjoy the summer sun. One classic way to get family and friends outside is with the promise of a picnic. Too often, however, we get stuck in the rut of standard pasta salads in plastic tupperware. Check out these […]
Nourishing and full of antioxidants, fresh-pressed juice cocktails are a healthy new drink trend we can raise a glass to. We’ll happily toss aside cloying, artificially colored syrups in favor of fresh botanicals and juices for a more refreshing poolside happy hour. Making your own flavored syrups or pressing your own juices is an extra […]
I’m not here to knock a good char-grilled burger or Chicago’s famous “char-dog”—they’re summer staples. But what about spring, when beach and pool season is on the horizon, but you’re still in your winter body? Grilled vegetables offer all of the smoky goodness with none of the guilt. Most vegetables fare well on the grill […]
Leeks are like onion and garlic’s shy sibling. All three are in the allium family, but the latter two produce stronger, more assertive flavors while leeks combine the toned-down essence of each. Despite their gentle character, leeks are both larger and dirtier than their familial counterparts. When it comes to choosing leeks though, larger isn’t […]
Cinco de Mayo celebrates the batalla de Puebla when the native Mexicans defeated Napoleon’s army on May 5, 1862. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate the holiday than to prepare and feast on traditional Mexican fare. My friend, Maria Concannon, owner of Don Juan’s Restaurant in Chicago, tells me there is a […]
I grew up in a popcorn family. Every night after dinner, after the dishes had been cleaned and put away, after homework was done, my mom would cook up a giant pot of popcorn then douse it in enough salt to keep a cardiologist in business for years. The smell of popcorn meant that it […]
Food and love are always intertwined. Back in 2012, Lake Forest’s Meg Barnhart was looking for a business project that would be able to employ adults with learning challenges, like her son, Doug. For many years, she had turned to her trusty crockpot to get healthy and delicious meals on the family table, and she […]
