CONFESSION: Chicken soup is reserved only for when I’m sick. Much like 7-up and flat coca-cola, chicken soup just tastes like being sick to me when I’m healthy. I feel pretty much the same for all chicken broth-based soups. Conversely, when I’m not feeling well, there’s nothing better.
I prefer to make this with a whole [...]

I’ve been curious about Vietnamese food ever since I developed a crush on Spike Mendelsohn when he was a contestant on Top Chef. The promise of a mix of spicy and sweet intrigued me, but I never got around to trying Vietnamese food until recently when Chicago’s Big Pho opened up a branch near my [...]

Last night I came dangerously close to choosing a jarred sauce to pair with the lobster ravioli we splurged on at The Pasta Shoppe in Oak Park. I had the jar of alfredo all ready to go, and while I’m sure I’d have loved it (Bertolli Alfredo may not be authentic, but it’s divine), I [...]

I had never tried rainbow chard before, so I didn’t know what to expect when I got a huge bunch of it in my CSA delivery. Luckily, Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything Vegetarian came to my rescue.
I’ve loved the original How to Cook Everything for years, so when my husband and I decided to [...]

When I bought the pork chops from Costco, I thought they were stacked two deep in the package. What I found when I opened the package was beautiful, impossibly thick chops that were begging to be stuffed.
QUICK TIP: StoveTop Stuffing is boring and salty on its own, but bulk it up with carrots, pears or [...]

So let’s talk a little bit about Quorn. I know I’ve sung it’s praises before, but since my husband and I started doing Meatless Mondays we’ve used it as an excuse to try more of their delicious soy-free, meat-free products.
The Gruyere Chik’n Cutlets made the most phenomenal “chicken parm” (although it lacked both actual chicken [...]

CONFESSION: I really want a Mexican grandmother. I make outstanding Mexican food, if I do say so myself. I’m incredibly comfortable with the flavor profiles, but there are some dishes — some of my favorite dishes — that I just can’t tackle. Chiles rellenos, stuffed peppers, and tamales, are the ones best taught, I figure, [...]

CONFESSION: Risotto has long been one of the dishes that’s eluded me. Now that I’ve nailed it I’m in shock at how easy it is to make.
I had a lot of smoked salmon that I wanted to try to use, and when I saw smoked salmon risotto as an option for using it I [...]

CONFESSION: I used to be very narrowminded about vegetarian cuisine. When we first started Meatless Mondays back in November, we kept things really simple and traditional. Stir fries with tofu, and this, a simple falafel pita. I make my own falafel, mostly because I’m extremely picky about the texture. I like my falafel when it’s [...]

One of our favorite places to eat is a little pub in Chicago called O’Donovans. Their $2 burgers are absolutely delicious, and when piled high with BBQ, bacon and bleu cheese it’s a little bit of heaven.
This dish was totally inspired by an episode of Top Chef. I decided to reinvent my favorite burger! It [...]

When I first discovered Doña María’s Ready-to-Serve molé sauce I was really, really skeptical. Molé, a spicy chocolate sauce, is one of those things that I’ve tasted done really, really well and really poorly. And, quite frankly, my expectations were so low that I actually reserved some of the sauce and only made half my [...]

I’m not sure how traditional my crabcakes are, but I absolutely love them. This time I had some leftover cornbread to use up, so I decided to use that for the breadcrumbs and it made all the difference in the world! These were designed more for a snack than a meal and were probably a [...]