Results tagged “eatingin”

We’re not ashamed to admit it - we love broccoli. To be honest, it’s probably our favorite vegetable, barely ahead of that other childhood favorite, Brussels Sprouts. Are we crazy? Vegan? Chlorophyll Deficient? No - we simply believe that, properly prepared, these are some of the tastiest veggies around.

This winter, we’ve been on a real root vegetable kick. We’ve re-discovered beets, come to love turnips and remembered that we don’t really like parsnips as much as we think we should. In our kitchen, root veggies have been steamed, roasted, pickled and turned into pasta. But, aside from last week’s Onion Soup, they haven’t really been turned into soup.

This spicy soup is perfect for those of you who prefer a lighter winter soup. No potatoes, no cream, nothing too rich - just good hearty sausages and tender red peppers. Oh, and enough garlic to wake the dead.

      

The saying goes "a watched pot never boils." Since the recipe we chose this week from Ernest Matthew Mickler's White Trash Cooking calls for three separate boilings of grapefruit peels, we suggest multitasking if you decide to try this at home. Walk the dog. Call your mother and tell her you love her. Clean that pigsty of a bathroom that started to smell like a gas station restroom (which is what we did).

On a rainy day like today, all we want to do is stay inside in our PJs, drink hot chocolate and read a good book. Unfortunately, most of us have jobs and damp commutes to work to make our day slightly less cozy. This dish is an easy way to get that cozy feeling back at the end of the day. In just over an hour, you can roast a chicken that will make your family or guests groan with pleasure – or, if it’s just you, you can sit back after eating with a contented sigh, knowing you’ll have tasty leftovers for the next day. This recipe makes the most moist chicken we’ve ever tasted, covered with a sweet, golden skin.

When we were planning our election night get-together, we decided to try out some new recipes. Rather than making the same old hummus dip (maybe with a new spice, to make it seem trendier), we were looking for something with the same universal appeal, but with a radically different flavor. On the other hand, we wanted it to stay meat-free for any vegetarian guests.

Between deep fried bacon, smoked meats, cured mulefoot pig dishes, head cheese and rillettes, charcuterie has been a staple of our diet the past month or so. which is why when a reader hipped us to this amazing recipe for rillettes at home, we decided to jump at the opportunity to share it with you. Looks like we're adding something to the to-do list this weekend. We'll let you know how it turns out. [Just Cook It ]

We mistakenly told the other Chicagoist foodists that November was National Chili Month when, in fact, it was last month.

In a little over a week a year of anticipation will give way to impatient waiting by the mailbox as the Alinea cookbook arrives for those who pre-ordered it this time last year (including your humble food and drink editor). Some bookstores may already be selling the five-plus-pound omnibus — Anthony said he spent a half hour at Book Cellar over the weekend just thumbing through it — but the preorders come with signatures from Grant Achatz and the Alinea team.

This is just to tease inspire you. A couple months ago when we shared our recipe for banana bread we asked what sort of extras you like to mix in. This weekend we made banana bread again and stirred in a half cup each of dark chocolate chips and chopped hazelnuts. And then we sprinkled some of each on the top before popping the pan into the oven. We had family visiting later on and they destroyed the loaf. So great as a morning coffee cake or even as an after-lunch dessert, since it's pretty sweet.

With the warmer weather upon us, we've been outside exercising more and not really into the heavier meals we enjoyed during our winter hibernation. What we've been digging is a well-made salad for a meal, but salads can get really repetitive and boring if you're not careful.

Good, healthy appetizers that impress guests can be hard to come by – everything seems to be either wrapped in bacon or filled with expensive ingredients! Plus, your vegetarian guests are getting tired of veggies and dip. Here’s a recipe for the best tomato-based bruschetta you’ll ever make. Your guests will love you, but you’ll never be able to order it at a restaurant again without being disappointed. You may even end up eating the whole order yourself.

Last week when we made slow-cooked beef roast with vegetables and calico bell pepper muffins we also made cowboy cookies. This is a recipe that has been in our family's repertoire for generations, but funny enough, we don't know how they got their name. A cowboy cookie is basically a crispy oatmeal cookie with chocolate chips. That cowboys like? No idea. But they're good on their own, and great with a cold glass of milk.

Fresh Dill, for garnish (optional)

Here at Chicagoist, we like to keep it simple. On a freezing cold night like the ones we’ve been having lately, that means making tasty meals out of what you have in your refrigerator and your pantry. We don’t know about all of our readers, but if our pantry is any example, we don’t have quail eggs, fresh tarragon and homemade pasta sitting around after a week of avoiding grocery shopping. We usually do have onions, garlic and canned tomatoes. This pasta dish will impress any dinner guest. More importantly it’s quick, delicious and all the ingredients are things that any home cook has on hand. It takes about 20 minutes, but no one else needs to know that.

The temperatures dipping back down again this week has put us in the mood to cook some classic comfort food. On Presidents' Day we had off but our main squeeze didn't so we were nice and spent the day making pot roast, calico bell pepper muffins and cowboy cookies.

If your Valentine has a sweet tooth and you're looking for something special to make for him or her on the big day, this chocolate-dipped shortbread may be just the thing. These cookies only have six ingredients, all of which we had in our kitchen already. Score! Love it when that happens.

Sick of eating side dishes of chips or heated frozen vegetables, we're always on the lookout for easy sides to make. Adding an exciting side can make your lunch sandwich feel like a real meal. They can also spice up your dinners.

Some days, we just don't feel like cooking and can't be bothered to start the car. That's when you realize that you've underestimated frozen food. Ahh, frozen food. The bachelor's friend. The easy girl at your favorite bar. Let's enjoy her, shall we? Our bar today is Trader Joe's. Let's see what he has to offer.

It's the 4th week in January. Do you know where your diet is?

Different cultures around the globe have certain foods that are purported to bring about good luck if served and eaten at the start of a new year. While researching a story idea last month we spoke with Professor Bruce Kraig, President of the Culinary Historians of Chicago. Professor Kraig told us that, in Italy, lentils represent coins and that eating lentil soup is regarded as wishing for prosperity for the eater.

This time of year is usually a slow period for restaurants, what with the cold weather and all. Add to that some scary uncertainty on the job front and people are eating in with more frequency.

We spent much of last weekend at home watching the NFL playoffs. Whenever there's a chill in the air and football on the tube, we want to make something hot and classic and satisfying to eat. Saturday we made this twist on our old favorite, the potpie. Using ground sirloin keeps it lean and makes it easy, because who can't brown some hamburger? And the sauce is rich without being too heavy, which we liked because there's nothing worse than eating a heavy meal then sitting on the couch for 6 hours watching football on TV!

This classic peanut butter and chocolate combination is simple to make and will impress your friends because who doesn't like chocolate and peanut butter together? More than one Chicagoist has made this recipe and we all give it the thumbs up. Try it for yourself.

If you are willing to brave crappy weather with your "Bush was right" or "Bush is a dope" signs, get ready: he's coming to town on Monday.

For many of us the holiday season is marked by a weight gain that makes the freshman fifteen seem like a case of simple water retention, spurred on by the flood of baked goods that appear in homes and offices everywhere. But with the huge range of fresh vegetables, herbs, and great cuts of meat available year round in Chicago, the wind chill shouldn't keep you from enjoying some healthy foods. While grilling out may not be an option for some, you can make a delicious steak at home and top it with a flavorful Chimichurri sauce. Chimichurri is a garlicky Argentinian marinade and sauce typically served on beef or chicken. We've found it also tastes fantastic on shrimp and fresh vegetables (as seen in the picture of fresh corn on the cob and grape tomatoes mixed in with some Chimichurri).

Where protein is concerned, chicken is easily the biggest mainstay in our diet. It's affordable, lean, and easy to prepare; it provides us with the flexibility for a wide array of recipes; and we're never bored with eating it. On the other side of the spectrum is mayonnaise. We don't mean satiny emulsions like aioli fragrant with garlic or dill, mind you. We're talking about the white man's poison, Hellman's ca-ca.

Certain holiday cookies evoke memories of childhood. Chocolate Crinkles are one particular cookie that does that for Chicagoist. They're kind of like a cookie brownie, if you can imagine. [Ed note: Oh, can I.] Join us, won't you, as we whip up a batch. What You Need 1 cup cocoa 1/2 cup vegetable oil 2 cups granulated sugar 4 eggs 2 cups flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 2 teaspoons vanilla 1/2 teaspoon salt Combine ingredients,...

Today is the first day/second night of Hanukkah, the festival of lights (or as we like to call it, Jewish Christmas). In addition to lighting the menorah/hanukkiah, playing dreidel and getting presents, Hanukkah is about oil. And while there are all types of oil, our preference is for the hot bubbly kind in the pan. We cooked up two kinds of latkes last night. The first kind we made was from Fine Cooking magazine,...

So yesterday in our "One Bottle of Wine" post we alluded to some gnocchi we had Saturday night. We felt the need for something to really stick to our ribs with the sleet and frozen rain falling all night, but we didn't want to go through the process of actually making these popular Italian dumplings from scratch. Lucky for us, the produce store by our house (Egg Store, 3008 S. Halsted, 773-284-8704) often carries pre-made...