Let me introduce you to my favorite chocolate frosting. Let me also say that I generally hate frosting. It’s too sweet, too buttery (if such a thing is possible), too bland. I have been known to knock decorative frosting roses off birthday sheet cakes before diving into the good part, the cake. But sometimes a [...]
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When I was an impressionable sixth grader, my parents took the family to visit an aunt and uncle living in Hawaii. During the visit, I was drawn to all things gecko and all things Day-Glo. I was also drawn to my aunt’s command of island slang. She taught me how to distinguish between good shaved [...]
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Chicago has been awash in Michelin Star buzz. The awards have been described as good, bad, and plain unexpected. Just the same, they have given Chicago’s food culture a lot to crow about. Now, the reality check. All we need to do to be reminded about how much more we have to learn about food [...]
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When it comes to the world of cookies, I am inclusive. I like crisp cookies, soft cookies, fruit-filled cookies, nutty cookies, cookies brimming with chocolate chips, and cookies with few ingredients beyond butter and flour. But I do play favorites. This particular cookie, a chocolate shortbread speckled with sea salt, has earned its spot in [...]
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There are food movies—Mostly Martha, Big Night, and Eat Drink Man Woman being a few of the obvious ones. More typical are movies in which food acts as a device that moves the plot along. What seems to be changing is our appetite for food on film. Unless we are Swedish and put our characters [...]
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I‘ve been meaning to make zucchini bread for a while now. I had to do something to control the endless supply of zucchini we’ve encountered this summer. They’re at the market and in friends’ yards. There were more than a few in the CSA box—for several weeks in a row. When my mom came to [...]
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There are times of the year when iced coffee becomes a necessity. My brother’s wedding on the coast of Massachusetts last year was once such occasion. The week before the wedding, we rented a odd, split-level house in Marion to help in wedding preparations. To say that it was hot that week is to shortchange [...]
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There they were, two pint baskets brimming with sour cherries. I’ll just say it: I love sour cherries, and the reason is largely pie-based. Sour cherries have the perfect texture for a pie filling. They cook down soft, but not too soft. And even though they need to be mellowed with sugar when baked, they [...]
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A few posts on pork this week has led me to crave something a little less demanding. Like vanilla. Specifically, Mexican vanilla beans. Auntie Pam always brings them as gifts when she visits from Mexico. When she pulls them out of her suitcase, we approach, arms extended, feeling just a tad greedy. The intrigue starts [...]
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